A CACI team member, retired Command Sgt. Maj. William Thetford, has received the second highest military recognition for his accomplishments representing the U.S. in battle during a conflict in the 1990s.
The U.S. Army’s Distinguished Service Cross was given to Thetford, who is now special operations forces project manager at CACI, in a ceremony on May 30 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company said Wednesday.
John Mengucci, CEO and president of CACI, praised Thetford’s achievement on behalf of the company.
“We are privileged to have employees like Bill, who demonstrate courage, bravery, and impressive character in support of our nation’s freedoms,” Mengucci, who is a three-time recipient of the Wash100 Award, continued.
Thetford was first bestowed with the Silver Star for his battlefield contributions as an assault team member and team breacher for C Squadron via Task Force Ranger at the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, commonly known as Black Hawk Down. However, in January, spearheaded by the Secretary of the U.S. Army, Christine Wormuth and in collaboration with Congress, Thetford’s Silver Star was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.
After his retirement from the Army in 2019, Thetford came to CACI, where he assists with the development and realization of integrated information warfare and electronic warfare strategies under the Special Operations Forces Emerging Threats, Operations and Planning Support contract.
The executive specializes in counterinsurgency, operational planning, intelligence analysis and contingency planning, among others. In addition to his time in Somalia, Thetford was also deployed as a senior enlisted leader of the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. His final Army role was as SEL for the U.S. Central Command.
“Today, I am proud to continue the mission through the delivery of training models based on first-hand experiences to help Special Operations Forces respond to current and future threats,” Thetford expressed regarding his award.
