Photo By Maj. Cibeles Ramirez-Rodriguez | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas Malone and Sgt. 1st Class Danielle Beasley, recipients...... read more read more
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ARLINGTON, Va. — The Army National Guard formally established a new leadership tradition Feb. 12, 2026, presenting the inaugural Lt. Gen. Herbert R. Temple Jr. Leadership Award to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas Malone and Sgt. 1st Class Danielle Beasley during a ceremony at the Herbert R. Temple Army National Guard Readiness Center.
The annual award honors Soldiers who embody the 13 leadership principles championed by Lt. Gen. Herbert R. Temple Jr., the visionary leader widely regarded as the father of the modern National Guard. The ceremony marked the first presentation of what will now become a yearly recognition of excellence across the force.
Temple enlisted as a private in 1947, served in combat as a noncommissioned officer during the Korean War, and later rose to serve as director of the Army National Guard and chief of the National Guard Bureau. His leadership philosophy was forged in combat and refined through decades of service. He championed professional military education, readiness, leader development, and integration with the active component, ensuring the Guard was prepared not as a strategic afterthought, but as a capable operational reserve.
“General Temple understood that the strength of the Army National Guard rests in the leaders we develop and empower,” said Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard. “This award recognizes Soldiers who do more than perform well in their duties; they elevate those around them, strengthen readiness, and carry forward the standard of excellence he established for our force.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, a former director of the Army National Guard who served under Temple, said the new award reflects a legacy that continues to shape the force.
“Lt. Gen. Temple was a mentor of mine. He was with me every step of my seven-year tour as director,” Schultz said. “What is being done with the Temple Awards has a real connection with Soldiers in the ranks.”
Shultz said Temple’s leadership philosophy was grounded in his enlisted roots and focused on knowledge, mission clarity, and long-term vision. He fostered a team-centered culture, delegated authority, and ensured Soldiers at every level had what they needed to succeed.
“His influence is still visible across the Army National Guard today,” Shultz said.
Temple Award nominees underwent a rigorous selection process that included detailed applications, essays, and board evaluation centered on Temple’s 13 leadership practices: knowledge, vision, objective, offense, take charge, flatten and empower, teamwork, care for subordinates, integrity, consistency, courage of convictions, nothing is impossible, and see the fight through the fighter’s eyes.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Malone was recognized primarily for embodying the principles of knowledge and vision. He emphasized technical and tactical proficiency as the foundation of credible leadership and proposed expanding Title 10-Title 32 exchange opportunities to strengthen integration and readiness across components. His forward-thinking approach reflects Temple’s strategic foresight in preparing the Guard for emerging operational demands.
"Being a recipient of the inaugural Temple Leadership Award is a profound honor,” said Malone. “Lt. General Temple’s vision, which transformed the Army National Guard from a strategic reserve into an operational force, is the legacy we strive to uphold. Our mission is to ensure every action supports the warfighter, and we achieve this by adhering to his core principle: to 'See the fight through the Soldier's eyes' as we enable them to meet all state and federal mission requirements."
Sgt. 1st Class Beasley was selected for exemplifying care for subordinates and integrity. She described leadership as service, emphasizing the importance of setting a confident tone, standing with, not above, her team, and proactively shaping outcomes. Her philosophy mirrors Temple’s belief that empowered and cared-for Soldiers are central to mission success.
“Our role as leaders is to serve alongside our Soldiers and create conditions for them to thrive and accomplish the mission,” said Beasley. “I’m grateful for the leadership principles Lt. Gen. Temple established, and to the Army National Guard for the opportunity to continue to lead and serve.”
Each recipient received a statuette of Temple, a reserved parking space at the Arlington Readiness Center for one year, and a permanent inscription on the Temple Leadership Award plaque displayed at the center.
Temple once reflected that any progress achieved during his tenure belonged not to one man, but to the National Guard itself, to the Soldiers and leaders who carried the work forward. Decades later, that same spirit endures. His influence is evident not in monuments or memory alone, but in the professionalism, readiness, and character of the citizen-Soldiers who continue to build on the foundation he helped lay.
Retired Maj. Gen. Raymond “Fred” Rees, a former senior National Guard leader who served alongside Temple, said, “Lt. Gen. Temple wanted to be remembered as a citizen-Soldier. From service as a young NCO in the Korean War to his retirement as chief of the National Guard Bureau, he was a zealous believer of the citizen-Soldier and all that meant to our nation,” Rees added that Temple’s strategic vision during the defense buildup of the 1980s helped transform the Guard at the national level and shaped generations of leaders who carried that vision forward. He said the Temple Leadership Award serves as a lasting reminder of the value of committed and competent leadership.
With the presentation of the inaugural Temple Leadership Award, the Army National Guard did more than recognize two exceptional Soldiers; it set a standard. The ceremony affirmed that Temple’s principles are not confined to history but are alive in formations across the 54 states and territories. As new leaders rise and new challenges emerge, the legacy he forged endures in those who choose knowledge over complacency, service over self, and action over hesitation.
In honoring Malone and Beasley, the Army National Guard reaffirms its commitment to developing leaders of character, competence, and courage; leaders ready to fight, win, and defend the nation whenever called.
Moving forward, the Temple award will be extended to the 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2026 18:16 |
| Story ID: | 558253 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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