Fantastic Five: Introducing the TACOM Hall of Fame Class of 2026
TACOM Public Affairs
DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. – Five careers. Decades of impact. One enduring legacy.
Meet the former Army Civilians whose achievements, leadership and commitment to excellence earned them a spot in the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Hall of Fame.
AGNES E. HOLLEY-SMITH
From depot intern to Integrated Logistics Support Center leader, Agnes E. Holley-Smith broke barriers and enhanced Soldier readiness.
“Support to Soldiers was always the No. 1 priority, regardless of what else was going on around you,” she said.
Holley-Smith’s 35-year career began in 1971 as an intern at Red River Army Depot. She moved the next year to TACOM, where her expertise and leadership skills catapulted her from an entry-level job writing descriptions of spare parts for catalogs to high-profile, strategically important leadership roles.
Holley-Smith served as chief of the Special Vehicles Division, senior budget representative, director of both the Logistics Integration Office and the Heavy Combat Commodity Business Unit, deputy director of the Integrated Materiel Management Center (now the ILSC) and director of Operations and Security Assistance for the ILSC.
A strong advocate for TACOM’s logistics programs, Holley-Smith drove modernization and strengthened cross-functional collaboration. She championed the transition toward multidisciplinary, multifunctional and multiskilled teams, which helped position the command to respond more effectively to increasingly complex operational requirements.
At the time, Holley-Smith was among the youngest people to ascend to senior executive leadership, inspiring future generations of Civilian leaders. She retired in 2006.
Keith Berman, retired deputy chief of staff, Resource Management, met Holley-Smith while working in the Army Working Capital Fund Office. In a Hall of Fame nomination letter, he said her professionalism, integrity, dedication and selfless service shaped his career.
“From the beginning,” he said, “she made me feel seen, valued and capable.”
DAVID W. HORTON
David W. Horton proudly served the U.S. Army for nearly four decades, first in uniform and then as a highly respected Civilian leader.
His favorite assignment was also one of the most impactful: Logistics Development Chief for Program Management Office Abrams.
“At that time, we were still in the stages of developing the M1A2 tank,” he said. “My organization was responsible for developing all the logistics products. … It was a very fulfilling job for me. It was new; it was exciting.”
Horton became a Soldier in 1983. He entered the Civil Service three years later, working his way up from supply management intern to acting executive director of the ILSC.
Horton drove modernization and critical logistics initiatives throughout his career. He served two years in Kuwait executing the sale of the Abrams tank, the cornerstone of Kuwait’s effort to modernize its army. His other assignments included chief of logistics engineering for Program Management Office Stryker; director of logistics integration for Future Combat Systems, where he managed the Army’s primary efforts to modernize the Brigade Combat Teams; and director, Ground Combat Support, Readiness and Sustainment Directorate.
At the ILSC, Horton oversaw more than 3,000 personnel and most of the Army’s maintenance, fielding, new equipment training, supply chain management and system readiness. He retired in 2023.
Mark Granger, ILSC staff action officer, described Horton as a steadfast leader who provided stability in times of both peace and conflict.
“Mr. Horton epitomized the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage and fostered a cohesive team environment wherever he went,” he said.
MICHELE M. MOORE
From the devastating ashes of an attack on a federal building to high-stakes logistical operations, Michele M. Moore was a force multiplier.
A single question fueled her 35-year career: “How can I best serve Soldiers?”
Moore worked in multiple fields on several military installations, including at the Pentagon in the Army Public Affairs Office. One poignant assignment involved returning to her hometown to help rebuild the Army’s Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion command information program after the 1995 federal building bombing.
Leveraging her communications and logistics expertise, Moore led TACOM’s efforts to document and train personnel on wartime operational processes after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She also oversaw 23 diverse mission areas as TACOM’s Life Cycle Logistics director. Before retiring in 2024, she coordinated the command’s support to Army computer system transformation.
At the apex of her career, Moore served as the final director of the Army Force Generation Integration Directorate, which managed the complex effort of repairing war-torn, TACOM-managed weapon systems that were used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I loved that time (as director),” she said. “You’re on the cutting edge, you’re part of a team, and you’re doing good work for Soldiers.
“Every morning, no matter how tired I was or how stressful it was, I told myself, ‘Michele, you’re doing this for God and country.’ And that’s what matters.”
Nicole Kurz and Tina Travis, Moore’s former staff action officer and former administrative assistant, described her in a nomination letter as a kind and collaborative leader who believed learning never stops.
“She quickly became more than just a supervisor,” they said. “She was a guiding light and a wonderful influence.”
JAMES PATTON TIDWELL
James “Patton” P. Tidwell walked in as a production controller and walked out as deputy commander, shaping Red River Army Depot history along the way.
Tidwell’s 44-year career began in 1978 in U.S. Army Materiel Command’s Maintenance Management intern program. He joined RRAD in 1979 as the first production controller for the Bradley fighting vehicle.
A commitment to excellence infused every role that followed. Tidwell spent the core of his career in RRAD’s Production/Maintenance and Logistics directorates. In 1990, he helped transform the maintenance shop floor through automated supply ordering, inventory and storage. Other roles included contracting officer in the Business Management Office and deputy director and director for Production, Logistics and Contracting.
As deputy commander under six different commanders, Tidwell steered the depot’s transition to the Logistics Modernization Program and the Complex Automated Manufacturing System. He was instrumental in launching the maintenance programs for the Armored HMMWV and the MRAP.
“My style was to make sure that we were doing the right thing for the right reason,” Tidwell said. “It was really important that we understood what the mission and the goal and the requirements were, and that we publicized and supported that all the way down the line.”
Tidwell retired in 2021. One of his former employees, James E. Bass, said his legacy still reverberates throughout the depot.
“Mr. Tidwell’s dedication extended beyond modernization; he fostered a lasting legacy of leadership and mentorship that continues to positively impact the organization today,” he said.
DAVID L. VAN AGTMAEL
David L. Van Agtmael’s introduction to TACOM as an Army private in Vietnam sparked a decades-long career of preparing warfighters.
“Whatever it takes for that Soldier to be successful, that’s the ultimate goal,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a three-star, a two-star or a private, we supported them.”
Van Agtmael enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967, working his way up from a heavy equipment operator to Chief Warrant Officer 3. He retired from active duty in 1988 and joined TACOM as a Civilian – a transition influenced by his appreciation of the command’s rapid support when he was a young Soldier.
Van Agtmael helped shape the future of Army logistics while serving as an equipment specialist, provisioning specialist, logistics assistance representative, logistics management specialist and Senior Command Representative. He was at the forefront of force modernization efforts and a key architect of the logistics support structure for the Stryker Brigade, playing a significant role in the platform's effectiveness during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Van Agtmael spearheaded other life-saving initiatives, as well, from fielding a mobile tire wheel assembly site in Afghanistan to facilitating support for Small Arms Readiness and Evaluation Teams (SARET) to improve weapons readiness.
Colleagues respected Van Agtmael’s fiscal stewardship, hands-on leadership and talent for building collaborative relationships. He deployed once to Bosnia, twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan in support of U.S. forces before retiring in 2015.
Logistics Assistance Directorate Director Travis Spurrier said Van Agtmael’s career is a powerful story of service and impact.
“He has been a pioneer who shaped modern logistics support concepts, a leader who solved critical readiness challenges on the battlefield and a mentor who invested in the next generation of logisticians,” he said.
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