Photo By Kelly Morris | Command Sgt. Maj. Michael P. McAvoy, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment command...... read more read more
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael P. McAvoy, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment command sergeant major, received the Military Police Regimental Association’s Friend of the Regiment Award in a ceremony at Fort Novosel, Ala., September 6, 2024.
The award recognizes individuals who voluntarily make significant contributions to the morale, welfare, and spirit of Soldiers and family members in various facets of the Military Police Corps Regiment.
Sgt. Maj. John W. Russell, Directorate of Public Safety sergeant major, said McAvoy focuses on important issues affecting Soldiers.
“From my very first and earliest impressions of Command Sgt. Maj. McAvoy, he is a leader that truly cares about the lives and welfare of Soldiers,” Russell said.
Russell lauded McAvoy for his support of professional development, as well as quality of life improvements for Military Police Soldiers assigned to his battalion. McAvoy also helped secure funding for a barracks modernization project that will directly impact their quality of life.
McAvoy worked with the Directorate of Emergency Services to begin a restructure of the airfield security mission to help ensure that professional, certified law enforcement professionals leave Fort Novosel to become a force multiplier at other Army installations.
“This initiative increased the Soldiers’ morale, allowed all MP Soldiers on Fort Novosel to develop proficiency in policing tasks through cross training, and provided greater flexibility in scheduling that increased schedule predictability,” Russell said. “His efforts broadened the breadth of policing skills the Soldiers will be able to apply at future duty stations.”
Master Sgt. Jeremy W. Jones, first sergeant of the 6th Military Police Detachment, in his remarks said he feels fortunate to have McAvoy as a sergeant major and to learn from him about how to be a good Soldier and a good man.
“He absolutely goes above and beyond. He cares about Soldiers. That’s why he does what he does,” Jones said. “He motivates me to keep going.”
McAvoy thanked Lt. Col. Tom Burch, Fort Novosel’s director of public safety, and team for the recognition.
“This is absolutely huge. I’ve been joking for the last week that I’m basically an MP now,” he said, adding that all he needs is a squad car and some DD Form 1408’s.
“I’ve been all over the world around some amazing heroes, and I would tell you that MPs still to this day humble me,” McAvoy said.
“You guys are truly great Americans and everything that you stand ready to do at a moment’s notice is just absolutely amazing,” McAvoy said. “I am absolutely honored to be considered part of you all.”
During his tenure at 1-13th Aviation, McAvoy has worked with the battalion’s partner city of Geneva, coordinating with Police Chief Pepper Mock to develop mutually beneficial training opportunities, including in standard field sobriety testing and advanced traffic accident reconstruction, which resulted in faster skills development.
“Over a dinner one evening we just paired everybody together. We got some fire resources, MP resources, we broke bread and we talked about, hey, how do we get after some of the things that you want to train on using some of our trainers and our training facilities and vice versa,” McAvoy said.
“They were able to also pair us with them and some of the other partner counties even all the way up to Atlanta to not only better prepare our MPs but also help them find employment after doing this, because not everybody does this for 20 years, so a great byproduct is helping people transition as well,” McAvoy said.
McAvoy also attended a three-day K-9 Leaders Course at Lackland Air Force Base, and collaborated with the Fort Novosel Veterinary Clinic to spearhead a renovation of the Military Working Dog kennel facilities.
“There’s a lot of things in building and creating a military working dog that nobody knows about,” McAvoy said. “There’s a lot of checks and balances to make sure they’re taken care of, just like any other soldier would, that commanders have to sign off on to make sure that we’re giving them the best care and training them at the level they need to be trained.”
“Those teams have to be certified, so the military dog handlers and the dog have to be paired together as a certified team so they can be deployed anywhere in the world. That’s what so unique about our military working dog team. We currently have one in Kuwait right now and they’re crushing it,” he said.
Military Police are the commander’s force of choice for taking care of soldiers and for instilling good order and discipline, tracing their history back to Valley Forge when Gen. George Washington commissioned mounted cavalry to police the lines for deserters and stragglers.
At Fort Novosel, the 6th Military Police Detachment conducts law enforcement, fire prevention, and critical site security to enhance public safety and force protection. Upon order, the detachment deploys in support of contingency operations by providing law enforcement support to the combatant commander.
“We try to bring them into the fold and take care of them just like anyone else,” McAvoy said. “They’re part of the family.”
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2024 05:54 |
| Story ID: | 480312 |
| Location: | FORT NOVOSEL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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