Photo By Scott Sturkol | Soldiers with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade and from units within the...... read more read more
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Soldiers with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade and from units within the brigade participated in an Army Meritorious Unit Commendation ceremony Dec. 14, 2023, at Fort McCoy in building 905.
During the ceremony, the 181st and its units received the commendation for their support for Operation Allies Refuge/Operation Allies Welcome (OAR/OAW) that took place at Fort McCoy from August 2021 to February 2022. The award was officially presented to the unit by Brig. Gen. William Ryan, First Army Division West commanding general.
In addition to the 181st Headquarters, other units associated with the 181st receiving the award were the 1st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 310th Infantry Regiment; 1st Brigade Support Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment; 1st Brigade Support Battalion, 291st Infantry Regiment; and 3rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 340th Infantry Regiment.
The Army awards units the Meritorious Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or service during combat or non-combat, requirements show.
The recognized timeframe for support for the award for the award is Aug. 15, 2021, to April 1, 2022.
“On Aug. 31, 2022, the Secretary of Defense announced that all units involved in the retrograde operation from Afghanistan, Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome will be awarded, based on the president’s direction, the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equivalent,” the order states.
Fort McCoy was the seventh of eight U.S.-based Department of Defense installations supporting the resettlement of Afghan nationals, also known as “safe havens,” to complete OAR/OAW-related operations, DHS officials stated in their news release. More than 12,600 Afghans stayed at Fort McCoy over the six months.
Angie Salazar, Department of Homeland Security lead for the OAW mission at Fort McCoy, said at the completion of OAW that in all more than 4,000 people from 35 federal, state, local and non-governmental agencies and volunteer organizations participated in the OAW mission at Fort McCoy.
“We literally put up an entire city with a population of approximately 15,000, despite having to overcome unique challenges like language barriers and cultural differences all the while creating our own handbook,” she said.
Then-Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Michael Poss echoed Salazar’s sentiments in recognizing the all-of-government effort and all-of-Fort McCoy effort in a message to the Fort McCoy community. “I would like to thank the Fort McCoy Garrison, tenant organizations, and Team McCoy workforce for your dedication with the Operation Allies Welcome mission, while also continuing to provide outstanding services for our regular training customers. Thanks also to all the Task Force McCoy Soldiers, inter-agency partners, and non-governmental organizations for leading the OAW mission,” he said, adding an additional thank you to “the local communities and public for their unwavering support of all that we do at Fort McCoy. We would not be successful without that support.”
Col. Charles Wells, commander of the 181st, said he was proud to see the brigade earn the recognition.
“As the commander of the Eagle Brigade, I’m honored to be stand here recognizing them because of their immediate, unquestionable, and enduring response when they were called into action by the leaders of this nation to aid our Afghan friends and their families in their time of need,” Wells said. “These friends supported and fought alongside us. … And so, it was only right that we return this or provide them shelter in their time of distress. As many of you know, this brigade played an immense role in that operation here.”
The Fort McCoy Garrison also received the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation earlier in 2023.
In the citation for the award, it states the importance of what was accomplished by the 181st and all the units as well as Fort McCoy Garrison.
“The professionalism and readiness of the units led to a seamless transition from the short-term mission of immediate reception, medical, and humanitarian concerns to the longer-term mission of ongoing support and resettlement of the evacuees,” the citation states. “The participating units’ coordination, care, and outstanding performance of duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect distinct credit upon themselves and the United States Army.”
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2023 14:51 |
| Story ID: | 460128 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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