ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Florida Army National Guard Capt. Benjamin Ruffner, was recently selected to receive the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, a prestigious award given to six National Guard company grade officers throughout the nation each year.
"Captain Ruffner is an outstanding junior officer who truly epitomizes the ideals for which Gen. Douglas MacArthur stood," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Emmett R. Titshaw, the adjutant general of Florida National Guard.
"Ben brings a selfless dedication in the performance of his duties to our state and nation which is an inspiration," he said.
Ruffner, the plans and operations officer for the Florida National Guard's Logistics Directorate and commander of the 690th Military Police Company was nominated for the award which recognizes company grade officers who live the values of duty, honor and country in their personal and professional lives.
"I nominated Captain Ruffner for the Gen. Douglas MacArthur award based on his excellent performance not only as a National Guard Officer but also as a member of his community who immerses himself in participating in those programs that add value back to the citizens of Florida," said Army Lt. Col. Richard Elam, who serves as Ruffner's supervisor both as the commander of the 254th Transportation Battalion and as the deputy director of the Logistics Directorate.
Ruffner is actively involved in several volunteer and professional organizations including serving as the Florida National Guard's liaison officer for the Myron Rolle Youth Academy which provides leadership training to economically and socially challenged youth from throughout Florida.
He is an active member of the National Guard Association of Florida and the Association of the U.S. Army and has also supported several Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve events.
In addition to his involvement in these organizations, Ruffner was also an integral force behind creating an organization within the Florida National Guard to network and promote professional development among company grade officers.
Ruffner attributes his success to the support he receives from the Soldiers and peers he works with.
"This past year, I was fortunate to be in a lot of great places and a lot of great jobs," he said. "Most of them I had hundreds of Soldiers working with me or supporting me to achieve this so it wasn't really anything that I did on my own."
Ruffner believes that, "to whom much is given, much is required" and takes seriously his responsibility to live up to the high expectations that come along with the award.
"With this award I believe comes a lot of recognition, but also comes a lot of requirements," he said. "It requires me to uphold those values of duty, honor and country, and to reflect that and inspire the guys and gals behind me."
Ruffner says that the best leaders don't just put their name to an organization but put their heart into an organization and he models his own leadership after the leaders he serves under who recognize the accomplishments of their Soldiers and use those accomplishments to inspire others to achieve more.
"Captain Ruffner provides an excellent example for his Soldiers and all those that he comes into contact with, by not only setting the example, but by being the example for others to follow," Elam said. "He is the epitome of a professional Soldier - technically and tactically proficient – combined with a strong sense of humility that causes those around him to want to achieve higher levels in exceeding the established standard."
Ruffner's focus on developing not only himself as a leader, but also those around him drives his personal motivation to excel and to continue to make improvements within the organization.
"You look at the officer strength and we're about 42 percent of the makeup of the officers, but we're 100 percent of the leadership of tomorrow," he said. "I believe that every second we have we should be investing in our leaders today because they're going to be our future tomorrow."