Photo By Staff Sgt. Trenton Lowery | The command teams of 181st Infantry Brigade and First Army Division West pose during...... read more read more
Soldiers of the 181st Infantry Brigade were awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for their services during Operation Allies Welcome Dec. 14, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
The brigade provided humanitarian services to over 12,600 Afghan refugees during OAW, Including providing medical care, distributing food and hygiene product, maintaining temporary housing facilities, and providing seasonal-appropriate clothing.
“A lot of good things came out of it.” said Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Mccolligan, the senior noncommission officer in charge of all human resource operations for the 181st Inf. Bde. “It was nice to see us helping women and children, and it was neat getting to see multicomponent agencies working together to adapt to the mission at hand.”
Mccolligan and his team were responsible for keeping track of the refugees that came into Fort McCoy by ensuring a valid by-name list, and coordinated with other agencies throughout the task force.
“I believe the brigade had a great impact since we are used to having to process active duty and reserve orders” he said.
The brigade assisted Task Force McCoy for three months before being relieved.
“We had off post donation sites and brought those clothing items onto our posts,” said Maj. John Steiner who served as the181st Inf. Bde. support operations officer during OAW. “This included shoes, hats, gloves and infant clothing, and sending them to a distribution center and ensuring everyone got what they needed.”
The commendation was presented by Brig. Gen. William Ryan III, First Army Division West commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Vincent Simonetti, senior enlisted advisor for First Army Division West.
“The brigade played a key role in Allies Welcome,” said Ryan. “Given the magnitude and scope of the operation of the incredibly important mission for our country in support of the Department of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense authorized the MUC to be presented to units that played a role in Allies Welcome.”
The MUC is awarded to units for exceptionally meritorious conduct of outstanding and superior performance of exceptionally difficult tasks.
“It was a really big task,” said Col. Charles Wells, the 181st Inf. Bde. commanding officer “The unit had sprung rapidly into action to help the team here on Fort McCoy to help receive and safely care for all the refugees. At the same time, they had to take care of their day-to-day mission of helping our U.S. Army Reserve partner units maintain readiness for deployment.
“The Brigade really served as one of the center pieces for team McCoy in the reception, processing, and care of the Afghan travelers.”
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| Date Taken: | 12.15.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2023 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 460150 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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