Photo By M. Scott Bortot | Calvin Pilgrim, right, receives the U.S. Army’s Superior Civilian Service Award from...... read more read more
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At the end of his retirement ceremony speech, Calvin Pilgrim made a request of his wife, Bridget.
“I am officially asking for kitchen privileges—I promise I’ll stay out of your way!” said Pilgrim on March 13 at the National Museum of the United States Army.
Bridget, and other close family members, joined dozens of friends and colleagues to wish him well in retirement and congratulate him for his 45 years of service to the country.
Pilgrim concluded his distinguished career at Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors (PM TS) at Fort Belvoir, as the director of operations. PM TS Project Manager Lareina Adams remembered Pilgrim fondly during her remarks.
“No matter what he was working on, or whoever he is working with, Calvin always brought significant value to the team,” said Adams. “In short, he is the person who always ensured the trains ran on time for PM TS to support our Soldiers.”
During the retirement ceremony, Pilgrim proudly accepted the Superior Civilian Service Medal, the Department of the Army Certificate of Appreciation, the Capability Program Executive Intelligence and Spectrum Warfare (CPE ISW) Certificate of Appreciation, and the Department of the Army Certificate of Retirement, among others.
Bridget also received the Department of the Army Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of the years of support to her husband.
Pilgrim enlisted as a Soldier in the Army at 18 and retired with the rank of Lt. Col. He served in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe, and South America. As an officer, he commanded two nuclear weapons units and served as the Executive Officer, Joint Task Force Bravo. During his career, he was stationed with British, Honduran, Turkish, and Saudi Arabian forces, and had a stint with the Defense Intelligence Agency.
As a civilian, Pilgrim transitioned his leadership and expertise to the commercial and government sectors. He was a research fellow for a non-profit then joined the civil service as a program analyst in the Product Life Cycle Management Plus Office. Later, he became the product lead for a logistics portfolio, successfully guiding it from Milestone B to full sustainment.
Over the past three years, Pilgrim leveraged these decades of knowledge and leadership experience to expertly guide PM TS operations. He attributes much of his success to what he learned in past experiences.
“The most important technique for success is the ability to provide proper instruction in a manner in voice that inspires others,” Pilgrim said. “It is a principle of life for me, and I dare say the bedrock of my career, these some forty years.”
Pilgrim shared two fundamental lessons learned from years of experience.
“First, treat people right, and they will do the improbable,” he said. “Second, doing the right thing is often the hardest thing, but it is always justified and may make folk hate you.”
Pilgrim’s academic achievements are extensive, including a Bachelor and Master of Science degree. He is also a graduate of the United States Military Academy, the Command and General Staff College, the Joint Staff College, and the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center.
With these achievements and decades of experience behind him, Pilgrim still warmly recalls his earliest days in the Army.
“One of my favorite memories is surviving basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and being selected as the ‘Trainee Best Leader,’” he said.
In retirement, Pilgrim looks forward to spending more time with friends and family, granddaughter Magnolia and her parents, Brianna and Jesse, and Bridget.
Hopefully he spends more time in the kitchen, too.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2026 10:38 |
| Story ID: | 561182 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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