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Being recognized by fellow Soldiers or unit leadership for a job well done frequently does wonders for morale. However, if an entire company is singled out for outstanding service by an authority like the Department of the Army, it’s usually a good indicator that proficiency and excellence are emphasized throughout the whole organization — in this case the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
Soldiers from Alpha and Charlie Batteries, 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th AAMDC recently earned Army-level honors in this year’s Chief of Staff, Army Combined Logistics Excellence Awards. The CLEA features three program categories: the Army Award for Maintenance, the Deployment Excellence Award and the Supply Excellence Award. All winning units had previously earned awards at the U.S. Army Europe level. The Soldiers from the 10th AAMDC weren’t the only Kaiserslautern-area troops recognized, however. The Special Troops Battalion of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command was also recognized as the Winner Phase I, Active Army Level II (A) Property Book MTOE category.
“Their attention to detail and doing the right thing at the right time led them to being recognized,” said Capt. Kyle Surridge, commander of Alpha Battery, 5-7 ADA.
The annual Army-wide awards are bestowed upon the company or battery-sized elements best displaying overall deployment readiness, as it pertains to managing resources, meeting timelines, and following safety guidelines, among other important factors.
“It recognizes their hard work in supporting theater security operations,” Surridge said.
Units have to meet demanding criteria to even be considered for the award, let alone selected. Soldiers never knew they were being evaluated during the process, helping judges better determine the true readiness of units up for the award.
“The recognition Charlie Battery has received with this award reflects the hard work of all our ‘Cold Steel’ Soldiers, especially our battery unit movement officers, Staff Sgt. Justin Pearson and Staff Sgt. Nathan Boyd,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Curtis, executive officer of Charlie Battery, 5-7 ADA.
And while it may be tempting for certain Soldiers or units to grow comfortable or get complacent after receiving such prestigious awards, many in the 10th AAMDC units see the awards as a springboard for even greater things to come.
Curtis agreed.
“It was an honor for us to conduct the final two rotations of the Patriot to Poland mission. The 10-week exercise was highly successful, and receiving the Deployment Excellence Award has made that experience even more rewarding.”
