FORT KNOX, Ky. –
Some of the best in U.S. Army Recruiting Command for fiscal year 2020 were recognized during an online ceremony Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, USAREC commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley, welcomed participants before comments from Gen. Paul E. Funk II, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
“My name is Funk and I’m an American Soldier,” he began, before later adding that he could say that “because some great recruiter” was among those who inspired him to serve.
Awards were presented to the top units, civilians, and Soldiers in USAREC for fiscal year 2020. This recruiting year, Vereen noted, was established as “the year of the NCO, the backbone of the Army (and) the tip of the spear for USAREC.”
All the award winners, Vereen added, represented “the exceptional talent we have in our formation and how important they are to recruiting America’s best and brightest.”
Funk addressed the winners as the embodiment of what he called Funk Fundamental Number 25.
“The Army is a people business,” Funk said, defining the 25th of his fundamentals. “That is what you do.”
Looking at his notes, Funk pointed out that the winners played a huge role in recruiting nearly 65,000 active-duty Soldiers and more than 13,000 Army Reserve Soldiers. That’s somewhere near “77,000 lives that have changed” thanks to the type of above-and-beyond efforts award recipients were being recognized for, Funk said.
Vereen first named unit award recipients during the ceremony. There were more than usual this year because of the pandemic. “Due to the shifting of mission and resources,” Vereen said, “the decision was made to award battalions for their hard work both pre- and post Covid restrictions.”
Individual awards were presented by local commanders while participants watched via video feeds from locations around the country. Click here for video of the ceremony.
USAREC 2020 AWARDS WINNERS
Special Operations Company of Excellence:
Warrant Officer Company
Top Medical Recruiting Battalion:
5th Medical Recruiting Battalion
1st Brigade Top Battalion (October to March):
Baltimore Recruiting Battalion
2nd Brigade Top Battalion (October to March):
Jacksonville Recruiting Battalion
3rd Brigade Top Battalion (October to March):
Nashville Recruiting Battalion
5th Brigade Top Battalion (October to March):
San Antonio Recruiting Battalion
6th Brigade Top Battalion (October to March):
Central California Recruiting Battalion
Top Recruiting Brigade (October to March):
2nd Recruiting Brigade
1st Brigade Top Battalion (June to September):
Baltimore Recruiting Battalion
2nd Brigade Top Battalion (June to September):
Miami Recruiting Battalion
3rd Brigade Top Battalion (June to September):
Chicago Recruiting Battalion
5th Brigade Top Battalion (June to September):
Dallas Recruiting Battalion
6th Brigade Top Battalion (June to September):
Central California Recruiting Battalion
Top Recruiting Brigade (June to September):
1st Recruiting Brigade
Organizational Support Employee of the Year:
Karla Hughes, USAREC HQ G2
Program Specialist Employee of the Year:
Rocco Adessa, USAREC HQ IG
Supervisory Employee of the Year:
Voncille Dunmars, USAREC HQ G1
Programs Support Employee of the Year:
Ronald Shake, Portland Recruiting Battalion
Professional Employee of the Year:
Kenneth Gornic, 1st Recruiting Brigade
Regular Army NCO of the Year:
Staff Sgt. Hunter Kiser, 1st Recruiting Brigade
Army Reserve NCO of the Year:
Sgt. 1st Class Garrett Ehrmann, 5th Recruiting Brigade
Station Commander of the Year:
Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rojascotto, 2nd Recruiting Brigade
First Sergeant of the Year:
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Filipowski, Medical Recruiting Brigade
Career Counselor of the Year:
Staff Sgt. Vladimiro Vasquez, 2nd Recruiting Brigade