Doctoral student Maj. Robert Swearingen will be inducted into the Honorable Order of St. Christopher at the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute annual awards banquet Oct. 16.
Swearingen graduated from the NDSU Master of Managerial Logistics program in 2012 and recently returned to the university to pursue a doctorate in transportation and logistics with a research fellowship from the institute.
In 1998, the Army’s Chief of Transportation approved the Military Order of St. Christopher to recognize significant contributions to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. The award is named for the patron saint of the Transportation Corps Regiment. The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, moral character, professional competence and selflessness service. An honoree is selected for actions and service that contribute to the promotion of the Transportation Corps in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipient’s superiors, subordinates and peers.
Swearingen recently retired from the U.S. Army after more than 25 years of military service. He revolutionized the process for loading helicopters aboard ships by reconfiguring the hoist sling attachments and modifying cargo crane operations. During the deployment of troops from South Korea in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004, his team implemented protocols to improve equipment accountability, staging area throughput and situational awareness. He provided command and control for more than 50 combat convoys in the Baghdad area in two months and later personally led 27 combat convoys in the infamous “triangle of death.”
Swearingen led more than 250 personnel in convoy operations in support of cadet training at West Point. In Mosul, Iraq, Swearingen coordinated regional and theater efforts including support for national elections, unit deployment management and the closure of more than 40 bases with associated removal of material during the draw down. Most recently, he was course director for the sustainment and logistics pre-command courses for battalion and brigade commanders at the Army Logistics University at Fort Lee, Virginia.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.