Biography
Colonel (Ret) David W. Taylor is presented the 2023 Robert NETT Award based on his outstanding and conspicuous contribution to the 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry, the US Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) and The US Army Officer Candidate School Alumni Association (TUSAOCSAA).On his own initiative, Dave personally developed and organized the funding for two significant monuments on the OCS Memorial Walk. The first was for OCS Class 509-68 (in which he had been a TAC Officer) which was worth over $14,000, honoring the class cadre and class members with special recognition of their Vietnam War KIAs. The American flag-draped monument draws all visitors to it and reminds them “Freedom Isn’t Free.” He was personally generous and led Class 509-68 to provide financial support in the sum of $8,300 for the initial startup of the OCS Memorial Walk Project. He also organized and hosted a dedication ceremony of the Class 509-68 monument, which brought many people to the Walk of Honor.
Also, on his own initiative, Dave personally developed and organized the funding of a significant monument for his own class, OC-6-68, worth over $15,000, honoring their cadre and each member of the class with special recognition for their Vietnam War KIAs. He also organized a mini reunion at Fort Benning for his class as well. As Chapter Commander for the Ohio Buckeye Chapter, he raised money in the chapter for the placement of a chapter monument on the Memorial Walk.
At the time of his award, Dave was serving TUSAOCSAA as VP-Operations and Public Affairs Officer (PAO). He has been instrumental in the continuous improvement of the Alumni Association website, which includes the digitization and display of a significantly large number of OCS Yearbooks and other memorabilia. He is managing the Alumni Association Chapter Program, which saw a doubling of new chapters being developed. He has also started to integrate graduates of the Army National Guard OCS into TUSAOCSAA. As PAO Dave developed and published two printed OCS Alumni Association Annual Reports and two Annual OCS Legacy Calendars (Both Annual Reports and Calendars developed for 2022 and 2023). During his tenure on the TUSAOCSAA Board of Directors he has donated more than $15,000 to the Association.
COL Taylor is a member of the US Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame (inducted in 1993), Distinguished Member of the 11th Infantry Regiment, and The Order of St. Maurice. He received the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division) Veterans Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. In 2016 he was awarded the Medina County Ohio Joint Veterans Coalition Veteran of the Year and, a year later, was inducted into the State of Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. The chief accomplishment for both awards was his personal ability to raise $500,000 for the modernization of the Medina County Veterans Memorial Hall.
Dave is an active member and fundraiser in many civic activities and/or Veteran’s Advocacy Groups which support programs for the well-being of veterans. Over the past two years he has donated $20,000 to the Medina County Veterans Memorial Foundation which reaches out to veterans county-wide to help those Vets in need. He is an annual paying member of American Legion Post 202 (was a commander), and Life-Paying member of the following organizations: The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Special Forces Association (Northeast Ohio Chapter 35), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5137, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 72, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 385 and a Life Member of The US Army OCS Alumni Association.