By Capt. Andi Hahn, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="280"]
Kentucky Guardsmen Col. Scott Campbell, former 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Commander, speaks to Soldiers after being presented the Legion of Merit award for meritorious service while serving as commander deployed in support of Operation New Dawn at a ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan 11.
FRANKFORT, Ky.--Col. Scott Campbell, former commander of the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquartered out of Louisville, Ky., was presented the Legion of Merit during an award ceremony at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 11.
The award was presented by Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, Adjutant General of Kentucky, for Campbell's meritorious service as commander while deployed in support of Operation New Dawn in 2011. The award highlighted Campbell's leadership, dedication and devotion to his Soldiers across the 2,500 strong brigade. His hard work in planning, resourcing and executing aggressive training opportunities enabled the success of the largest deployment of Kentucky Soldiers since WWII.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="245"]
Kentucky National Guardsmen Col. Scott Campbell, former 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Commander, receives the Legion of Merit award from Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini as Campbell's wife, Linda looks on proudly, during a ceremony in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 11.
The 149th MEB served in Iraq from August 2011 to December 2011 and was responsible for closing down the largest camp, Victory Base Complex, of the Iraq war. The unit was some of the last Soldiers to leave Iraq. Campbell, who served two tours in Iraq, credited the members of his team for the award.
"The Army awards Soldiers for achievement or for service," Campbell said. "The achievement is for an individual accomplishment, the service is for a team effort. This award represents that."
Campbell said he had the best team anyone could have put together for such a historic mission.
"This is a reflection of our organization," he said. "We can plug and play any number of members of our organization and create a 'winning' team."
For more pictures from Campbell's ceremony, visit our flickr page!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyngpao/