USMEPCOM awarded Joint Meritorious Service Unit Award

Photo By Derrik Noack | USMEPCOM receives its fourth JMUA during an awards ceremony, Dec. 14, 2021. Command Sgt. Maj. Lorenzo Woodson, USMEPCOM senior enlisted advisor, and Col. Megan Stallings, USMEPCOM commander, pin the JMUA pennant to the command flag while Stephanie Miller, director of military accession policy, virtually reads the award citation.  

NORTH CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES

12.14.2021

Story by Derrik Noack 

U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command

The United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM) received its fourth Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) for exceptionally meritorious service during the period of March 2020 to Feb. 2021.
Stephanie Miller, director of military accession policy, virtually presented the award Dec. 14 on behalf of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. Miller and lauded the command for pioneering effective COVID-19 protocols.
“In many ways USMEPCOM was setting the standard for COVID protocols across the greater Department of Defense,” said Stephanie Miller. “We were one of the earliest commands to develop phased, or tiered, protocols. So many of those protocols were later mirrored throughout the rest of the force.”
The command, through its Headquarters, 2 Sector Commands, 12 Battalion Commands, 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) and 2 Remote Processing Stations provided the Armed Forces with qualified applicants through uninterrupted operations during the coronavirus pandemic, enabling the recruiting commands to meet annual recruiting goals and the Services to meet end-strength goals.
“This award is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of the entire USMEPCOM team, military and civilian alike, at the headquarters and our stations across the country,” said Col. Megan Stallings, Commander, USMEPCOM. “That this command has been awarded this honor for the fourth time is a testament to the continued excellence with which we accomplish our mission, even during an unprecedented pandemic.”
USMEPCOM enlisted 208,000 applicants into the Armed Forces from March 2020 to Feb. 2021 despite the most trying of circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USMEPCOM also continued to develop its new applicant processing system during this time, replacing the greater than 25-year-old Legacy MIRS.
The JMUA is only presented to joint activities or units for superior qualifying achievements during action in combat, operations in a declared national emergency or under extraordinary circumstances that involve national interests. USMEPCOM’s previous JMUAs awarded for outstanding service were for the periods of April 2016 to May 2019, January 2005 to December 2007 and July 1982 to April 1985.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2021
• Date Posted: 12.14.2021 16:48
• Story ID: 411102
• Location: NORTH CHICAGO, IL, US