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Lecture series features former NORAD director

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

One week before the seventh anniversary of 9/11, the Zelda Martin Cozean Lecture Series, coordinated by Mineral Area College Foundation, will feature as its guest lecturer one of the key players during the nation's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The former director of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Gen. Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart, will share his knowledge and views about the present state of the nation's security at the Centene Center in Farmington, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4.

Eberhart’s lecture will touch upon possible explanations as to why another terrorist attack has not happened during the past seven years, what it might take to win the "War on Terror" and how it compares to the victory of WWII and the First Gulf War, and what elements of national power are most important to secure success in the Middle East.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Gen. Eberhart was the director of NORAD from 2000 to 2005. He testified before Congress in the wake of the attacks, and was named the leader of U.S. Northern Command in 2002.

He entered the Air Force in 1968 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. His staff experience includes serving as Executive Officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Deputy Chief of Staff for Inspection, Safety and Security, Headquarters Tactical Air Command; Director for Programs and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, the Joint Staff; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. The general has also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Commander, Air Combat Command, Commander, Air Force Space Command, and as Commander in Chief, U.S. Space Command.

General Eberhart has commanded a flight, squadron, wing, numbered air force and two major commands, as well as one sub-unified command, two unified commands and one bi-national command. While Commander of the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing during Operation Desert Shield, the unit established the theater's initial air-to-ground combat capability from a forward operating location. General Eberhart's international awards include the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, presented while serving as the Commander of U.S. Forces, Japan, by the Emperor of Japan, as well as the French Legion of Honor. A command pilot, General Eberhart has logged more than 5,000 hours, primarily in fighter and trainer aircraft, including 300 combat missions as a forward air controller in Vietnam.

Gen. Eberhart will be introduced at the Sept. 4 lecture by Missouri National Guard's Major Gen. King E. Sidwell.

Maj. Gen. Sidwell was born July 13, 1950, in Sikeston. He received a bachelor's degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1972. In 1975, he earned a Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Major General Sidwell completed a Master of Strategic Studies through the United States Army War College in 2000.

Major Gen. Sidwell was prior enlisted from 1972 to 1974 until receiving his commission on Aug. 10, 1974, upon completion of State Officer Candidate School at the Missouri Military Academy. Major General Sidwell's assignments include: Engineer Reconnaissance Officer, Battalion Executive Officer, Detachment Commander, Group Trial Counsel, Group Operations Officer, Brigade Engineer Supply Officer, Battalion S-3, Group S-1, Environmental Officer, Area Damage Control Officer, Group S-3, Brigade Executive Officer, Chief Military Support Officer, and Director of Maintenance for Headquarters STARC in Jefferson City.

In addition to the above duties, Brigadier General Sidwell served as Company Commander for Charlie Company, 1140th Engineer Combat Battalion (Corps). As a Lieutenant Colonel he commanded the 1140th Engineer Battalion from August 1998 to February 2001. As a Colonel he commanded the Engineer Brigade, 35th Infantry Division from February 2002 to June 2004.

Upon completion of his command assignment with the Engineer Brigade, 35th Infantry Division, he assumed the position of Assistant Corps Engineer, 35th Engineer Brigade (Corps) at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., until transfer to the Retired Reserves. He was recalled from the Retired Reserve to become the Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard on Jan. 27, 2005.

Major General Sidwell's awards and citation include: Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (1 Silver Hourglass Device), Army Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (Numeral 7), and the Bronze Order of the De Fleury Medal (the Army Engineer Association).

He was formerly a partner in Blanton, Rice, Sidwell, Nickell, Cozean & Collins, L.L.C., Attorneys at Law, in Sikeston. He and his wife, Cynthia, live in Sikeston. They have two sons, William Mitchell Sidwell, II (age 25) and Trent Easterby Sidwell (age 10).

His military affiliations include the National Guard Associations (MoNGA, NGAUS, and AGAUS), the Army Engineer Association, the Association of the United States Army, the United State Army War College Alumni Association, and the Military Officers Association of America.

Major General Sidwell's civic and professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, Missouri State Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute, Sikeston Area Chamber of commerce, Sikeston Area United Way Board of Directors, Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council Board of Directors (past Scoutmaster and District Chairman), Kiwanis Club of Sikeston (past President and District Lieutenant Governor), and the First United Methodist Church of Sikeston.

The Zelda Martin Cozean Lecture Series is a memorial tribute to Zelda Martin Cozean, a longtime resident of the Mineral Area. Mrs. Cozean strongly advocated the need for education and community service. The series is designed to bring prominent lecturers to the Mineral Area College campus and to provide a platform for social, political and economic debate. Past speakers have included then-U.S. Senator John Ashcroft, Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Duane Benton and Holocaust survivor Heddy Epstein.

For more information, call (573) 518-2146 or (573) 518-2114.

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