# Leftwich Trophy

The Leftwich Trophy, also known as the Leftwich Award, is a trophy given for outstanding leadership and is an award presented annually in memory of Lieutenant Colonel William Groom Leftwich, United States Marine Corps, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in November 1970.
Eligible nominees are Marine Captains in the ground combat element serving on active duty as a company or battery commander with the ground forces of the Fleet Marine Force at the time of nomination. Posthumous awards can be made of this award providing nomination complies with all the criteria for receiving the award. Selection is done by a board of senior officers chaired by the Deputy Commandant of Plans, Policy and Operations (DC, PP&O), who then after reviewing the applicants, makes recommendation to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for his final approval.
The trophy is provided to the Marine Corps through an endowment by the H. Ross Perot Foundation; Leftwich and Perot were classmates at the United States Naval Academy. The trophy itself was designed by Felix de Weldon, designer of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Leftwich Trophy, a replica of the statue commemorating the service and leadership of LtCol Leftwich, was first presented in June 1979 at the commissioning ceremony for the USS Leftwich (DD-984).
The Marine Corps bestowed the first posthumous Leftwich Trophy to Captain John W. Maloney, who was killed on 16 June 2005 when the unit he was leading was ambushed in a small town south of Ramadi, Iraq.

## Recipients

| Year | Rank | Name | Unit |
| 1979 | Captain | Clyde S. Brinkley, Jr. | 2d Battalion, 2d Marines |
| 1980 | Captain | Charles R. Sherrill | 2d Tank Battalion |
| 1981 | Captain | John Caldwell | 32d MAU |
| 1982 | Captain | Dirk R. Ahle | 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines |
| 1983 | Captain | Ronald L. King | 3d Battalion, 12th Marines |
| 1984 | Captain | Robert K. Dobson, Jr. | 2d Battalion, 8th Marines, 22d MAU |
| 1985 | Captain | Dennis J. Hejlik | 3d Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 1986 | Captain | David W. Mauldin | 2d Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 1987 | Captain | Paul E. Lefebvre | 2d Battalion, 9th Marines |
| 1988 | Captain | John R. Allen | 3d Battalion, 4th Marines |
| 1989 | Captain | James B. Laster | 1st Battalion, 25th Marines |
| 1990 | Captain | Ronald F. Baczkowski | 3d Battalion, 1st Marines |
| 1991 | Captain | Dennis M. Greene | 2d LAR Battalion |
| 1992 | Captain | Michael L. Ettore | 1st Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 1993 | Captain | Robert F. Castellvi | BLT 2/9, 15th MEU |
| 1994 | Captain | Steven M. Zotti | BLT 1/6, 22d MEU |
| 1995 | Captain | Jeffery J. Sharrock | 3d MarDiv |
| 1996 | Captain | Jeffery J. Kenney | 2d Battalion, 2d Marines |
| 1997 | Captain | Julian D. Alford | 3d Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 1998 | Captain | Jason Q. Bohm | 2d Battalion, 1st Marines |
| 1999 | Captain | Daniel M. Sullivan | 3d Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 2000 | Captain | Jason L. Morris | BLT 1/5, 31st MEU |
| 2001 | Captain | Michael D. Grice | 2d Battalion, 11th Marines |
| 2002 | Captain | Farrell J. Sullivan | 3d Battalion, 8th Marines |
| 2003 | Captain | Christeon C. Griffin | 3d Battalion, 1st Marines |
| 2004 | Captain | Christopher J. Bronzi | 2d Battalion, 4th Marines |
| 2005 | Captain | John W. Maloney | 1st Battalion, 5th Marines |
| 2006 | Captain | Matthew W. Tracy | 2d Battalion, 3d Marines |
| 2007 | Captain | Jonathan Smith | BLT 2/4, 31st MEU |
| 2008 | Captain | Jonathan Hamilton | 1st Battalion, 9th Marines |
| 2009 | Captain | Christopher S. Conner | 2d LAR Battalion |
| 2010 | Captain | Timothy Ryan Sparks | 1st Battalion, 6th Marines |
| 2011 | Captain | Casey M. Brock | 1st Battalion, 5th Marines |
| 2012 | Captain | Benjamin M. Middendorf | 2d Battalion, 5th Marines |
| 2013 | Captain | Christopher A. Ashinhurst | 1st Tank Battalion |
| 2014 | Captain | Daniel E. Grainger | 1st Battalion, 6th Marines |
| 2015 | Captain | Thomas W. Morrow | 2d Battalion, 3d Marines |
| 2016 | Captain | David J. Palka | Task Force Spartan |
| 2017 | Captain | Gregory M. Veteto | 1st Battalion, 5th Marines |
| 2018 | Captain | Brian D. Coleman | Task Force Southwest |
| 2019 | Captain | Joseph F. Albano Jr. | 1st Battalion, 6th Marines |
| 2020 | Captain | Michael H. Nolan | 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines |
| 2021 | Captain | Jon D. Sanko | 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines |
| 2022 | Captain | Shan G. Mandrayar | BLT 2/4, 13th MEU |
| 2023 | Major | Michael E. Larson | 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines |