Gilbert F. Decker
Past Board Director, Chair – Auditing Committee
Honorary Board Member and Former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Army
GIL DECKER’S FINAL FLIGHT
The Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation has learned that Honorary Board Member and Former Assistant Secretary of the Army Gilbert “Gil” Decker has taken his final flight. Gil passed on June 21, 2024. We understand the grief of loss, and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.
Gil was a valued board member of the Veterans Foundation and had a career steeped in supporting our country. His military and commercial achievements exemplify a man who figured out how to pack the experience of multiple lives into a single lifetime.
This Veteran’s military experience includes serving as Assistant Secretary of U.S. Army – Research, Development, and Acquisition (1993-97); Co-Chairing a Commission at the request of the Secretary of the Army to conduct an in-depth process review and recommend improvements for enhanced quality and efficiency of the U.S. Army Acquisition process (2010-11); serving on the Board of Army Science & Technology (BAST) at the National Academy of Sciences including the BAST panel responsible for overseeing the U.S. Army mission of Chemical Weapons De-militarization; holding the position of Chairman for the Army Science Board (two years) and serving on the Army Science Board (six years); in addition to personally wearing a uniform as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Gil’s exposure to the military began at an early age. He was the son of a WWII Veteran. He joined the ROTC while earning his Bachelor of Engineering Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science in Operations Research from Stanford University. After graduation, he entered the Army first as a tank officer, then went to flight school and became a helicopter pilot. He served in Korea after the war, working with the Korean Army. Following his 17-month tour in Korea, he returned to Georgia as a flight training officer to prepare the troops going to Vietnam. And if his degrees at Johns Hopkins and Stanford weren’t enough, he undertook his military education as a U.S. Army Reserve Officer at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Gil’s commercial experience is extensive, including serving as President and CEO of the Penn Central Federal Systems Company; Vice President and General Manager of the Defense Systems Group of TRW, Inc.; President and CEO of Acurex Corporation; President and CEO of ESL, Inc.; and Executive Vice President for Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Additionally, Gil served on several boards, including the National Advisory Council for The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Whiting School of Engineering; the JHU Tech Transfer Committee, chartered to advise JHU teams on tech transfer to industry; and the Advisory Board of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute. He was Vice-President and Board Director of the Hertz Foundation, a foundation that grants Graduate Fellowships to top-ranked science and engineering students to pursue their PhD. Gil was Director of CoVant Technologies LLC of McLean, VA., an investment company seeking and executing investments in high-tech companies. He was a director of A-T Solutions, Inc., a company that provides high-tech training services to DoD special operations segments and cyber-security services to the DoD. Additional board positions included Director of Alliant TechSystems (10 years), Director of Anteon Corporation (10 years), Director of Allied Defense Group (10 years), and Trustee for the Association of the U.S. Army.
He was an honored recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Medal, Department of Defense and the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Department of the Army.
The Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation became blessed with Gil’s talents in 2013 when Gil became a Foundation director on the inaugural board. What’s more, he introduced the board to the many capabilities of his spouse and two-time mayor of Los Gatos – the Honorable Sandy Decker. Sandy’s mayoral achievements, fundraising success, and insights gleaned from her experience building the Los Gatos Library, were assets to the board as Foundation members sought support from the Town of Los Gatos, stakeholders, and the public for The Flame of Liberty Memorial.
Gil enjoyed being a father and stepdad to a tight-knit contemporary Brady bunch family. He leaves behind five children: Carl Decker, Mike Decker, Donna Decker Hawkins, Stacy Lowe, and Matt Lowe. He considered himself blessed with the enjoyment of family growth through marriage, the births of six Grandchildren, and the addition of seven Great-Grandchildren.
Upon hearing the news, Foundation President Major General Kent Hillhouse – U.S. Army (Ret.) had these remarks to offer: “In Gil’s capacity as Assistant Secretary of U.S. Army – Research, Development, and Acquisition (1993-97) and as a rated Army Helicopter pilot, Gil worked tirelessly on adding enhancements that made the AH-64E attack helicopter a much safer aircraft to fly. Gil maintained a driving focus on ways to save soldiers’ lives. Additionally, Gil was very effective at discovering quality issues and taking corrective action, which saved the Army and our Nation’s taxpayers money. As a member of the Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation, Gil brought his ability to detect issues and keep the Foundation on the right track. We will miss his strong personality and great sense of humor.”
We won’t have the pleasure of seeing Gil accompany Sandy along the streets of Los Gatos any longer, and his passing leaves a void in our community. His life, however, endows a legacy of service and devotion to America’s finest that will endure as a beacon of hope and gratitude for America’s veterans and service members and continue to inspire future generations.
May you rest in peace, Mr. Secretary. We wish you a CAVU1 peaceful journey.
1 “CAVU,” an acronym familiar to military pilots, stands for “ceiling and visibility unlimited.”
Honors & awards
Honors presented to Gil include the Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Department of Defense, Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Department of the Army, the Meritorious Service Medal from the US Army, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Johns Hopkins University.
Education & training
Gil held a Bachelor of Engineering Science, Electrical Engineering, from The Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research, from Stanford University. While at Johns Hopkins, Gil was elected to Tau Beta Pi, the national honorary engineering fraternity. He undertook his military education as a US Army Reserve Officer at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College as well as at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
and transform lives for America’s heroes. Every single penny contributes to delivering the honor, respect gratitude and healing to those who’ve defended America’s freedom.
TOGETHER, WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE
A Memorial creates an actual place where veterans, all who serve their country and families of all races, creeds, social status and opinion can find a place that creates a healing environment to reflect and value one of our greatest gifts--to live in a free society.
"Going clear back to the Civil War, all of our Veterans have raised their right hand and swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And along with that we wrote a check to the U.S. Government and the American People for an amount up to and including our lives. Unfortunately, far too many have given their all in that regard."
"It is important to have a war memorial because it must not be forgotten that many people gave their lives so that we Americans might have what we have today."