MONROE — After graduating from West Point, serving overseas for years and now a Captain in the U.S. Army, Monroe native Chad Plenge still never dreamed he would receive his recent honor: the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. 

According to the U.S. Army website, the award was established to promote, recognize and sustain effective junior officer leadership in the U.S. Army and is presented annually to outstanding company grade officers who demonstrate the same ideas for which MacArthur stood: duty, honor and country. 

Plenge said he knew of the award and its merit, but never considered himself an option for it. He would later learn that not only did his boss nominate him for the award, pushing his name forward in the process, but West Point also selected him as their nomination. 

Out of about 100,000 eligible nominees, 30 were selected – and Plenge was among them.

“It’s an incredible honor to have somebody think that I’m deserving of an award like this,” Plenge said. “It’s very humbling.”

He was invited to the Pentagon to receive the award in June during a ceremony, an event attended by his parents, David and Lori. They, and his grandparents, Dennis and Lila Swank, still live in Monroe. 

“So many people have helped me get to where I am — I’ve had fantastic mentors and people that have shaped me as a person and as a leader,” he said. “It’s really their award.”

You’ll find photos of Chad Plenge as young as 4 years old donning Army attire while playing with his brother while growing up in Monroe. When he was in high school, Plenge learned about West Point, the United States Military Academy, while he was doing a class project — and instantly knew it was a place he wanted to be. 

“It was love at first sight,” he said.

After his graduation from Monroe High School in 2007, Plenge attended West Point, graduating in 2011, and then went into the Army, something he says has offered him “unique opportunities.” His father spent more than 30 years in law enforcement, retiring from the Monroe Police Department, and his brother is now a police officer. 

Plenge been stationed overseas most of his career, spending the majority of his time in Afghanistan and Germany. He has spent the last eight years in 30 countries. 

“It’s been quite the unique set of engagements in travel,” he said.

The first part of his career was spent focused on leading law enforcement organizations for the Army, he said. His most recent job was to oversee criminal investigative organizations — basically overseeing crime investigations in 126 countries. He noted that big impacts like the Ebola crisis, where he helped treat and mitigate the impact, and the Paris attacks and Brussels bombings were all projects he worked on. 

He said he always knew he wanted to return to West Point to teach eventually, and now he’s doing that. 

He now lives in Highland Falls, New York, and teaches a leadership psychology course at West Point. He also travels the world to put on leadership programs. He also serves as an operations officer for the U.S. Army Center for Junior Officers. 

“It’s incredibly rewarding that I get to give back,” Plenge said. “I always knew I wanted to come back because (West Point) had such an impact on me.”

One thing he also enjoys is the last 13 years he’s spent on staff working with Badger Boys State. He’s worked his way up, now helping run many of the program’s logistics. When he’s visiting Monroe — normally a couple times per year — he often spends time there. He was a part of BBS between his junior and senior year of high school and now serves as an assistant director for the program; he volunteers year-round whenever he’s able. He is also the BBS Assistant Director of Public Relations and currently serves as the President of the Badger Boys State Alumni Association.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to be around so many young, ambitious people who want to make an impact,” he said. 

The General Douglas MacArthur Award is something that he’s proud to add to his list of accomplishments.

“I can’t be more thankful,” he said. “I see it as a validation of all of the people’s hard work and effort in making me who I am today.”