10th AAMDC soldiers earn deployment excellence awards

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Zumer | Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command brace a vehicle on a railcar during a recent logistical exercise at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, October 16. Alpha and Charlie Batteries of 5-7 ADA recently earned Army-level honors in this year’s Chief of Staff, Army Combined Logistics Excellence Awards. The awards recognize excellence in a unit that best shows overall deployment readiness in managing resources, meeting timelines, and following safety guidelines. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Zumer, 10th AAMDC Public Affairs)  

KAISERSLAUTERN, RP, GERMANY

10.29.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. John Zumer 

10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Being recognized by fellow soldiers or unit leadership for a job well done frequently does wonders for morale. If an entire company is singled-out for outstanding service, however, 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 United States Army Europe level.

“Their attention to detail and doing the right thing at the right time led them to being recognized,” said U.S. Army 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 U.S. Army 1st Lt. Matthew Curtis, executive officer of Charlie Battery, 5-7 ADA, and a native of St. Joseph, Mo.

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 ten-week exercise was highly successful, and receiving the Deployment Excellence Award has made that experience even more rewarding.”

• Date Taken: 10.29.2013
• Date Posted: 10.30.2013 10:13
• Story ID: 115944
• Location: KAISERSLAUTERN, RP, DE
• Hometown: ST. JOSEPH, MO, US