JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va.— Lt. Col. David Walters was awarded the Legion of Merit Meritorious Service Medal for his 27 years of service to the U.S. Army from Col. Jeremy St. Laurent, commander, 597th Transportation Brigade a ceremony here Sep. 6.
During his remarks, St. Laurent recognized Walters for being a caring and inspirational leader who took the time to sit down with troops and help them overcome personal challenges.
Walters served as the 832nd Battalion Commander from July 2020 to November 2022. As 832nd Transportation Battalion commander, David commanded three Rapid Port Opening Elements and proved that his RPOEs are trained and ready to receive and process and move cargo forward in support of the warfighter in any conditions.
When the 3 a.m. alerts went out to the RPOE units on ready alert status during emergency deployment readiness exercises, Walters was there leading from the front, at the crack of dawn until the troops and cargo made it to the Langley airfield, in less than 12 hours.
When TRANSCOM was undertaking its largest humanitarian transportation mission in July 2021, after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the 832nd Transportation Battalion provided support to Task Force Eagle on 30-60 day temporary assignments in support of Allies Refuge Welcome at Fort Lee,Va.
When a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti on the 14th of August, 2021, causing damage, devastation, and destruction in the southwestern parts of the country, just before 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the 832nd Transportation Battalion activated a deployment assessment team to assess the situation. The RPOE stood ready to deploy on short notice.
Walters also led the 832nd Transportation Battalion during joint training exercises with Air Force partners.
In his farewell remarks, Walters said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve and his goal is to continue making a difference.
"It's all about people," Walters said.
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2022 16:43 |
| Story ID: | 428704 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
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