FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       RELEASE NO. 27-08

FOUR GRADS NAMED 2009 OLMSTED SCHOLARS -- April 10, 2008

   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eight outstanding Army officers have been selected as the 2009 Olmstead Scholarship Recipients.  Since 1960, the Olmsted Foundation has sponsored the scholars program to provide broadening opportunities for military officers to live and study at a foreign university.  The tour of study is an accompanied tour.

   Four of the officers were U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduates. They are:

Captain Christina B. Bembenek, Class of 2000, Company A, 319th Military Intelligence Battalion, Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Captain Wilbur W. Hsu, Class of 1999, Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, Scholfield Barracks, Hawaii.

Captain Eric A. Parthemore, Class of 2000, Headquarters & Support Company, 864th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) FOB Sharana, Afghanistan.

Captain Daniel R. Young, Class of 1998, Headquarters Company, Operations Group, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany.

   Each Olmstead scholar will study overseas.  Assignments include Asia, Near East, Europe, Africa and South America.

   Annually, the U.S. Army Human Resources Command Olmsted Scholarship Selection Board convenes to select finalist for submission to the Olmsted Scholarship Foundation board of Directors.  The board selects the scholarship recipients and announces their area of study in the spring.  The next HRC board will convene on Sept. 10, 2008, and the Olmsted Foundation Board will make the final selection of scholars in March 2009.

   Eligible officers interested in an Olmsted Scholarship must submit a DA Form 4187 to their career assignment officer at HRC not later than July 18, 2008.