The 19th Annual General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Awards were presented to 27 U.S. Army leaders in a May 17, 2006, ceremony in the courtyard of the Pentagon. Speaking at the ceremony and presenting the awards was General Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army, and G. Conoly Phillips, member of the Board of Directors of the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. 

Accompanying Director Phillips at the award ceremonies were Colonel Bill Davis and Mrs. G. Conoly Phillips. 

The ceremony was powerful and profoundly moving. One of the recipients had a prosthetic hand, another a prosthetic leg; and Mrs. Mary Cahill, the widow of Captain Joel E. Cahill, stood with the other recipients to receive the award for her husband who was killed in action in Iraq.

The Award recognizes company grade officers and warrant officers, both men and women, in the Active Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard who demonstrate the ideals for which General MacArthur stood and are embodied in his credo of Duty, Honor, Country. Selection for the award is based on overall leadership performance and potential for future service to the Army and the nation. Award recipients receive a handsome engraved 15 pound bronze bust of General MacArthur that is sculpted exclusively for this program. 

During the three days of the program, recipients and their families participate in special activities and events culminating with the presentation ceremony at the Pentagon. During this year’s program, the Foundation’s Executive Director was the featured speaker at the welcoming reception and the Army Reserve reception conducted at the Sheraton-National Hotel in Arlington. Following the award presentations the recipients were honored at a luncheon sponsored by the Association of the United States Army, and hosted by Lieutenant General James L. Campbell, Director of the Army Staff. 
Beginning his remarks, General Schoomaker said that "Upon reading the nomination packets it made me proud to serve alongside these gifted Soldiers and it reassured me that the future of our Army is in good hands." Continuing his remarks, General Schoomaker noted that "the 27 finalists in this year’s General Douglas MacArthur Award competition are truly an amazing group." He said "they have earned the right to lead our Army’s most valued resource, our Soldiers." 

Beginning his remarks, Mr. Phillips said he was "honored to stand before such a magnificent group of young officers who carry forward the legacy of General Douglas MacArthur. These officers represent the best our Army and our nation have to offer." Director Phillips spoke of the changing mission of our military. Addressing the award recipients, he said, "During your active duty service you will be part of the greatest transformation our Armed Services have ever experienced. Our enemy has changed; the threat to our national security has changed. Therefore the mission of our military must change and is changing." Director Phillips referred to a briefing this past January he had received from Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. He remarked that the 2006 QDR "reflects a process of change that has gathered momentum and a great deal more is underway, all in the midst of a continuing Global War on Terror." He noted that of the 17 initiatives outlined in the report, only two named any branch of our Armed Forces; and both named the U.S. Army.