INDIANAPOLIS –
From Valley Forge and Custer’s ranks to San Juan Hill and Patton’s tanks, the U.S. Army has been the first to fight and America’s might for 251 years.
Throughout it all, U.S. Army Finance Corps Soldiers have been there, funding the fight, which is why the U.S. Army Financial Management Command held a ceremony to celebrate the Army and Finance Corps birthdays at the Maj. Gen. Emmett J. Bean Federal Center in Indianapolis June 15.
“For 251 years, the American Soldier has been the shield of the republic and the tip of its spear; but Soldiers, shields, and spears all come with a cost,” said Col. Michelle M. Williams, USAFMCOM commander. “Combat power doesn't fund itself.
“Our motto, ‘To Support and Serve,’ is more than a collection of words,” added Command Sgt. Maj. Joy L. Allen, USAFMCOM senior enlisted advisor. “It’s an operational imperative that every one of you, Soldiers and civilians, executes every single day.
“We support the warfighter, and we serve the nation,” Allen added.
“On June 16, 1775, just two days after our Army's founding, the Second Continental Congress appointed the first Paymaster General,” Williams continued. “They knew then what we know now: you can’t win our nation's wars, project lethality, or dominate the battlefield without the means to fund the fight — that’s our legacy.”
Recognizing that legacy and those building upon it, Williams, Allen and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Gennaro Penn, Finance Corps Association president, presented several awards during the celebration.
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Dodge, USAFMCOM senior quality assurance analyst and 12th Regimental Sergeant Major, was recognized with a Finance Corps Distinguished Member of the Regiment Award.
The Finance Corps designated the first DMR on May 5, 1990, and the program honors individuals whose legacy of landmark contributions and unique acts brings significant credit to the Finance Corps.
Maj. Terrell Murdock, USAFMCOM banking officer and executive officer, was presented with a Maj. Gen. Nathan Towson Medallion.
The Towson Medallion was established by the U.S. Army Finance Corps Association on May 7, 1993, to recognize exceptional achievement or exemplary service by currently serving U.S. Army finance and comptroller commissioned officers, noncommissioned officers, enlisted Soldiers and civilians.
Karen Percinel, USAFMCOM Army Accounting and Audit Operations accountant, was presented with a Department of the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal after being recognized as one of the U.S. Army Materiel Command's top employees of the quarter for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.
These modern awards reflect a capabilities evolution that started at the very birth of the nation, and 2026 is a long way from a lone paymaster managing Continental currency during the Revolution. By the time the Pay Department was established during the War of 1812, the Finance Corps was already the engine of Army readiness.
During the Civil War, the Army disbursed the modern equivalent of more than $100 billion to keep the Union Army in the field and pressing the enemy, and in the 20th century, the Finance Corps became a modern force multiplier.
“In World War II, on the bloodstained beaches of Normandy, Finance Soldiers of the 136th Finance Disbursing Section set up a pay facility by June 7, 1944, pushing resources straight to the front lines,” recalled Williams. “In fact, our very own 45th Finance Center traces its own lineage back to that same time.”
The 45th Finance Disbursing Section was first activated in 1943 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, in nearly the exact location where it was reactivated at the Bean Center 80 years later.
Upon deploying to the United Kingdom in 1943, the 45th FDS initially supported the 1st Bombardment Division of the Eighth Army Air Force, earning a Presidential Unit Citation for fueling the air offensive in Europe.
Landing in Normandy just one month after D-Day, the 45th FDS served through the Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes and Central European campaigns, ensuring American forces had the financial backing to crush the adversary.
“As our Finance Corps came out of World War II, global demand for our expertise only grew,” explained Williams. “We drove operational innovation with the first automated pay systems during the Cold War, keeping us steps ahead of near-peer threats.”
During the 1990s and 2000s, finance and comptroller Soldiers proved their value in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan.
“We funded the fight and continually transformed to maximize the lethality of our Army,” the colonel added. “In fact, it was USAFMCOM that helped remove cash from the battlefield with EagleCash, securing our resources and ensuring not a single dime fell into enemy hands to be used against our warfighters.”
Today, the Finance Corps looks different than it did even a few years ago, but the relevancy to the kill chain remains the same.
“Our mission evolved from simply disbursing funds to weaponizing our financial stewardship, enabling unmatched readiness through data analytics, modernized business systems and precise resource allocation,” said Williams.
“But our history isn’t just about dates and laws,” added Allen. “It’s about the Finance Soldiers at remote forward operating bases in Vietnam, enduring enemy fire to ensure their comrades were sustained.
“It's about the tech pioneers who built our first automated pay systems and those who carry on their legacy, leveraging artificial intelligence today to accelerate our decision advantage,” she continued. “And today, it’s about the accountants, auditors and analysts in this command who ruthlessly hunt for efficiencies, because every dollar saved is another bullet, another drone or another piece of armor put directly into the hands of our warfighters.”