Ukraine's Ministry of Defense honors retired American officer

WASHINGTON - Retired U.S. Army Col. Stepan Oliynyk, Ph.D., was decorated on January 28 with the Meritorious Badge by the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, in recognition of his personal contribution to the establishment and development of Ukraine's armed forces.

The award was presented by Ukraine's new ambassador to the United States, Dr. Oleh Shamshur, who thanked Dr. Oliynyk for his many years of work in promoting American-Ukrainian bilateral relations and military cooperation.

Dr. Oliynyk, who was born in the Lviv region on July 18, 1930, resettled in the United States after World War II. His military career spanned 35 years. After retiring from the U.S. Army, Dr. Oliynyk was engaged in research work in the realm of national security for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Since 1992 he has been working as a consultant and senior counselor for national security with the Consultative-Advisory Council under the aegis of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on matters of mobilization readiness. He is often invited to lecture at the Ukrainian Armed Forces Academy and for the editorial board of the journal Viysko Ukrainy (Ukraine's Army).

Dr. Oliynyk also participated in activities of the International Institute for Global and Regional Security, the Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society, and other professional societies and organizations both in Ukraine and the U.S.

He is the author of many scientific papers and books on military, literary and historic subjects. He has been awarded the Ukrainian Education and Science Ministry's honorary diploma.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 12, 2006, No. 7, Vol. LXXIV

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