REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA – Houtzdale native Lt. Col. Greg Kokoskie was awarded the Legion of Merit and retired from the U.S. Army in a ceremony held Jan. 12 at Redstone Arsenal.
The ceremony honored Kokoskie’s 22 years of active duty commissioned service, including leadership and staff positions in attack helicopter units, combat duty in southwest Asia and acquisition staff and management positions in the Pentagon and at Redstone Arsenal. Associated with Apache attack helicopters for much of his career, Kokoskie’s final assignment was managing international programs for the Apache Attack Helicopter Project Manager’s Office.
In addition to the Legion of Merit his awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, and parachutist, Army aviator, air assault and Army staff identification badges.
Kokoskie was an Army aviator and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering mechanics from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He also holds a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He intends to remain in the Redstone Arsenal area working for a civilian firm supporting Army aviation programs.
Kokoskie is the son of Larry and Carol Kokoskie and is married to the former Vickie Kitko of Madera.