Maryland Army National Guard officer receives MacArthur Leadership Award

ARLINGTON, Va. — A Maryland Army National Guard officer received the 2025 General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award at a ceremony at Conmy Hall in Arlington, Virginia, on October 27, 2026, in recognition of his exceptional leadership and contributions to the U.S. Army.

Capt. James Hagerott was among 29 company-grade officers selected from across the Total Army for the prestigious award, which recognizes officers who demonstrate outstanding leadership and embody MacArthur’s ideals of duty, honor, and country.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, acting chief of staff and vice chief of staff of the Army, presented the awards. Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general of Maryland, and Brig. Gen. Andrew Collins, commander of the Maryland Army National Guard, also attended the ceremony.

"Each of you should be extremely proud of yourselves for this recognition," LaNeve said to the junior officers being recognized. "We have talented, enthusiastic company-grade leaders in every formation across our great Army, and you're in this room today because your actions, in both word and deed, stood out among that talent."

Hagerott was recognized for transforming the 29th Military Police Company's combat readiness and tactical proficiency during his command, preparing the unit to operate in a large-scale combat operations environment.

Under his leadership, the company demonstrated its progress during the Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise in 2024 and the National Training Center rotation at Fort Irwin, California, in 2025.

At NTC, Hagerott's company successfully defeated an opposing force counterattack against the flank of a friendly infantry battalion, helping the battalion accomplish its mission. The company also destroyed four of five enemy drones during a simulated drone swarm attack and defeated enemy armored personnel carriers threatening friendly engineer assets. Lt. Col. John P. Rodriguez, former commander of the 115th Military Police Battalion, said Hagerott's leadership changed the company's culture and significantly improved its combat effectiveness.

"Capt. Hagerott was the best company commander in our battalion, and it is an honor that his performance has been recognized by the larger Army," Rodriguez said. "James is a servant leader of impeccable character who is devoted to the team and the mission. He changed the culture and noticeably increased his unit's combat effectiveness and readiness."

Rodriguez also credited Hagerott with developing his junior officers and building a mission-command culture that emphasized rigorous training.

Hagerott's leadership drew on experience spanning military service as both an enlisted Marine and Soldier before becoming an Army officer. His assignments included a 2011 deployment to Afghanistan as a Marine, a 2021-2022 deployment to Kuwait with the 29th Infantry Division, and domestic missions in Baltimore in 2015 and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017.

As Officer Candidate School course manager at the 70th Regional Training Institute, he led preparation efforts for course accreditation, resulting in a 99.5% score. He currently serves in the office of the Adjutant General.

During the ceremony, LaNeve challenged the recipients to continue demonstrating the leadership that earned them the recognition.

"I hope you're also humbled by this recognition. It's a big honor," he said. "Your name will be emblazoned on a plaque in the Pentagon for others to see, and your charge now is to live up to this honor through leadership you continue to deliver each and every day. I know that you're up to the task."

The General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award is presented annually to company-grade officers across the Army whose performance, character, and commitment to their Soldiers reflect the highest standards of military service.

"You are the successors of General MacArthur and his record of leadership that he demonstrated in over five decades of service as a Soldier," Joseph Reynes, a retired Air Force major general and executive director of the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, said to the award recipients. "It's my honor to congratulate each and every one of you and wish you great success in the future."

WATCH the full ceremony here: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1027699/2026-general-douglas-macarthur-leadership-awards-ceremony

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