Colonel Frank J. Siltman, US Army

Colonel Frank J. Siltman

U.S. Army, Retired

Inducted 2023

Frank J. Siltman was born 25 December, 1959  in Jacksonville, Illinois. He was commissioned from Western Illinois University in 1983. He served at every level of command as a Field Artillery Officer. As the Director of Training and Doctrine, he worked closely with then-MG Vangjel to design and establish the Artillery “Reset” MTT teams to assist units returning from non-standard deployments. During his tenure, USAFAS also established the FSCOORD Course.  He personally briefed the Army G3 and had “Plan and Coordinate Fire Support '' established as a METL task for the BCT commander under the Modularity structure.  In 2008, he led a Fires Assessment Team for the Army Center for Lessons Learned to Iraq to gather critical insights into the Fires planning and targeting process. In 2009, he was ‘dually hatted’ as the USAFACS G3 and DOTD during the conversion to the FCOE and oversaw that effort and the establishment of the FCOE G3/5/7. The Fort Sill Museums were placed under his supervision in DOTD, and he oversaw the completion of the FA Museum project.  With the BRAC transfer of the Air Defense Artillery to Fort Sill, there were now three separate and unique museums: the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum, the Field Artillery Museum, and the Air Defense Museum. Fort Sill established a Museum Directorate to combine the oversight of the facilities and programs, and upon retirement in 2009, Siltman was selected as the first director. In retirement, he has continued to work diligently to improve the museum campus, adding the “Artilleryman '' statue, a new Artillery Park, ADA park, and consolidating unit memorials to Constitution Park.  During his tenure, the FA Museum expanded with an addition of the 7500 sq ft central gallery and the soon-to-be Artillery OCS classroom addition. He has actively spoken to numerous public and private groups, including Rotary, Lions, AMBUCS, AUSA, and regularly given programs at multiple Oklahoma History Society sites throughout the state on the history of the FA. He continues to conduct Civil War muzzle-loading artillery education programs at Fort Sill for the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Texas State Historic Commission, and the National Park Service.  He is the Army’s subject matter expert within the Center of Military History on Civil War muzzle-loading field guns. In 2020-2021 Mr. Siltman worked with the USFAA to write and film a “History of the Field Artillery”, which was produced and distributed Army-wide and is part of the USFAA’s website. In 2018, COL (R) Siltman was selected as the first Chief, Western Region, Army Museum Enterprise, US Army Center of Military History.  He oversees 14 Army Museums at eight installations in five states, preserving Army History and Heritage for the American people. He was a member of the Oklahoma American Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, appointed by the Oklahoma Speaker of the House. He has also served on the Advisory Board of General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum.  He is currently the Honorary Colonel of the 30^th Field Artillery Regiment and has served on the Executive Board of the USFAA since 2009.