By Brian Hill, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (May 17, 2024) — Waynesville High School Junior ROTC Drill and Raider competitions, Wreaths Across America, Armed Services Blood Program drives and Night at the Museum — what is something all these events have in common?
Volunteers from Company B, 787th Military Police Battalion, helped make them all possible.
For their efforts over the past year, the Soldiers of Bravo Company were awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which was presented to the company command team — Capt. Thomas Robbins and 1st Sgt. Clinton Morrison — on behalf of the President by Col. John Copeland, 14th MP Brigade commander, and 14th MP Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Neikirk May 15 in the MP Regimental Room at the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex.
Speaking at the presentation, Copeland called the Soldiers’ volunteerism “phenomenal.”
“You came together as a team, and you gave back to the community,” he said. “Thank you so very much.”
After the award was presented, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, and MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala presented a coin to Robbins as well, in recognition of the company’s efforts.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award was established in 2003, and honors individuals and groups who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to volunteer service over the course of 12 months. The award comes with a thank you letter from President Joe Biden, which noted the company’s Soldiers volunteered more than 1,000 hours in that 12-month period.
Robbins, who has commanded Bravo Company since July 2023, said it’s an honor to receive the award, “as it highlights the dedication that the company has toward the Fort Leonard Wood community.”
“We have truly bought into the belief that each of us can make a difference in the community that we belong to,” he said. “It is an honor as a commander to receive a leave request from an NCO, so they can take children battling cancer fishing. I am humbled daily that I get the privilege to lead such an outstanding group of Soldiers.”
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission.