Chamber Honors Major General Francis D. Vavala with Lifetime Achievement Award

Major General Francis D. Vavala, Retired General of the Delaware National Guard will be honored with the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award! The Award will be presented at the Chamber's Annual Dinner on March 20th at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. The Keynote Speaker at this year's event will be Dr. Dennis Assanis, President of the University of Delaware. This is the Chamber's largest event of the year and draws a crowd in excess of 500.

About General Francis D. Vavala

Major General Francis D. Vavala assumed duties as Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard in February 1999, after serving as Assistant Adjutant General, Delaware Army National Guard. As adjutant general, he is responsible for the mission readiness of all Delaware National Guard units, Army and Air, for both federal and state missions. In January 2017, Vavala was promoted to Lieutenant General.

Born on June 28, 1947, in Wilmington, Delaware, he joined the Delaware Army National Guard in March 1967 as a private. He was commissioned in June 1970 after completing the Delaware Military Academy Officer Candidate School. General Vavala received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Wilmington College, Wilmington, Delaware. Before his appointment as Adjutant General, he was a Marketing Services Supervisor for the DuPont Company, Wilmington, Delaware.

General Vavala’s military schooling includes completion of the signal officer basic and advanced courses and the Command and General Staff College.
In more than 47 years of military service, General Vavala has held a series of key command and staff positions. Prior to his assignment as the Adjutant General, he served in the following key assignments: Corps Tactical Operations Center Platoon Leader, Company A 198th Signal Battalion; Company Commander, Company C 198th Signal Battalion; Executive Officer and Battalion Commander, 198th Signal Battalion; Operations Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Delaware Army National Guard; Communications Systems Engineer, Wire Communications Technical Engineer, Traffic Officer, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander, 261st Signal Command; Commander, Troop Command; Director of Plans, Operations, Training, and Military Support, Deputy Commander, and Assistant Adjutant General, State Area Command Headquarters, Delaware Army National Guard.

General Vavala’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (3rd award), Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with silver oak leaf cluster and two bronze oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with a gold and bronze hourglass, Army Service Ribbon, Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross, Delaware Medal for Military Merit (4th Award), Delaware National Defense Service Ribbon (2nd Award), Delaware Medal for Aid to Civil Authorities (3rd Award), Delaware Recruiting Ribbon, and the Delaware Physical Fitness Ribbon (6th Award).

The general’s civic affiliations include the National Guard Association of the United States (Former Chairman, Board of Directors), National Guard Association of Delaware, Association of the United States Army, Adjutants General Association of the United States (Former President), St. Anthony of Padua Church, Knights of Columbus, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, Warrant Officer Association of the United States, Air Force Association, Signal Corps Regimental Association, Delaware Medal of Honor Historical Association, Retired Officers Association, the American Legion, and Sons of the American Revolution.

General Vavala and his wife Jane reside in New Castle County, Delaware. They have two daughters, a son, and three grandchildren.