CPT Edward Korte, ’68

Mr. Korte maintains he acquired his values and work ethic from his widowed mother, patience and concern for others from his wife of 41 years and leadership skills as a cadet in the OSU Army ROTC Program and as Commander of Pershing Rifles Co A-l. Ed attained every rank from Private to Cadet Colonel and in 1966 was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship. Highly decorated as a cadet, he is proudest of the Army Commendation Medal presented to him by the Commanding General of First Army for the creation and execution of “Operation Senior,” an AROTC Orientation Program for Ohio’s high school seniors.  In 1967 Ed was inducted into SPHINX, OSU’s Senior Leadership Honorary and graduated in 1968 with a B.S. and commission as a 2LT.  In June 1971 Ed received his Juris Doctorate from OSU’s College of Law and was admitted to the Bar of the Ohio Supreme Court.  In 1972, he entered on active duty as a Captain in the US Army Judge Advocate Generals Corps and was admitted to the bar of the US Supreme Court.

Ed began his career as a Legal Officer in the HQ US Army Materiel Command defending AMC in contract litigation.  In 1975 after receiving a Master of Laws Degree from George Washington University specializing in government contract law, he completed active duty and became a civilian attorney at HQ AMC.  Ed rose quickly through the ranks and became the first Chief Counsel of the Electronics Research & Development Command, making him the youngest GS -15 Chief Counsel in the Army. In June 1982 he was promoted to the Senior Executive Service as Deputy Command Counsel for HQ AMC where he counseled on issues involving the formation, administration and termination of nearly all of the Army’s major weapons systems procurements during the post-Vietnam buildup. On 4 Dec 1987, Ed was promoted to the position of AMC Command Counsel SES-5, 15 years to the day he first reported at AMC.  During the next 16 years he served with distinction directing a Command Legal Program that included 250 civilian attorneys and 45 JAGC officers in 35 offices and was adviser to seven four-star AMC Commanders. 

During his 31-year career with the Army, Ed demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication to duty and contributions supporting our soldiers. His legacy of preventive law, proactive involvement in the mission, active participation on the command team and dedicated service to the Army client continues to positively influence AMC’s business practices. His many successful programs improving Government acquisition have been acclaimed by several Presidents and adopted by DoD and other Government agencies.  Ed has been awarded all of the Army’s civilian medals including the Meritorious and Exceptional Civilian Service Medals recognizing his initiatives improving Army acquisition policy, streamlining procedures, reducing litigation and for his legal work on many complex major weapon systems procurements.

In January 1992, President Bush presented Ed the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Senior Executive, the highest award a government civilian can attain for “continually developing and implementing new ideas to improve the Army acquisition process and creating practical solutions to complex legal problems.” In 1987, 1994 and l999 Ed received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Executive and in 2002, Ed was again awarded the SES Distinguished Rank Award recognizing exceptional and continual achievements supporting the Army acquisition mission. His Preventive Law Program has become the standard for Government attorneys in providing high quality, constructive legal services. On January 12, 2015, Ed Korte was inducted into the AMC Hall of Fame.  Ed and his wife Linda, who is retired from the CIA, reside in Weaverville, NC where they are very actively involved in church and community service. They have three married sons, the youngest a Major in the Army JAG Corps, and three grandchildren.