FORT CAMPBELL, KY – Fort Campbell achieved the highest honor among Army garrisons Aug. 11 with the presentation of the 2021 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence at 101st Airborne Division headquarters.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations Paul D. Cramer, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Construction within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Sustainment) Michael McAndrew, presented the highly competitive presidential award to Fort Campbell leaders during a virtual ceremony.

During the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset, the Fort Campbell garrison assisted in deploying 286 personnel from the 531st Hospital Command within 72 hours to build a hospital in the Javits Center, where they provided command and control for the DOD’s response to the virus in New York City. (Contributed, Fort Campbell PAO)

The garrison workforce was recognized for exemplary achievements in supporting Department of Defense missions while also enhancing the working and living conditions for the post’s soldiers and families. Additionally, local mayors and community partners were recognized for their longstanding support and contributions.

“Fort Campbell and the 101st have an unparalleled reputation for being the assignment of choice for soldiers and their families,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general. “It’s evident in the support the installation provides, our tradition of training excellence, our friendship with the greater community, and in the rich heritage of this place we call home. None of this would be possible without the hard work of our garrison civilians, soldiers, and contractors who make it happen every day for our warfighters and their families. This award is well-deserved and I’m proud to bring it home to Fort Campbell where it belongs.”

James Moore, supervisory librarian, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, greets families as they arrive to pick up bags filled with crafts, April 17, 2020, during the Garb-and-Go Brown Bag Craft Giveaway at the Robert F. Sink Memorial Library. (Contributed, Fort Campbell PAO)

The competition judged performance in several areas of installation management including mission support, energy conservation, quality of life, unit morale, environmental stewardship, real property management, safety, health and security, communications and public relations during fiscal year 2020.

Among Fort Campbell’s major achievements are mounting an early and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, deploying more than 20,000 personnel and 8,500 pieces of equipment to support six named and multiple training operations, innovating best practices to increase quality of life for soldiers and families, starting work on an $87.4 million five-year housing development plan, demolishing nearly 100,000 square feet of World War II-era wooden structures, consolidating services and strengthening relations with community partners.

Spc. Hanul Yi, left, receives a sample for COVID-19 pool testing from Cpl. Evan Scott at Hangar 3, Aug. 23, 2020. Both soldiers are medics assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. (Contributed, Fort Campbell PAO)

“Installation excellence is really based on community partners that are there to deliver, because we are no longer islands in the middle of states or in the middle of cities,” Cramer said. “We rely on local communities to deliver services each and every day. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the service members in delivering the services that are needed so that we can maintain a ready force for the United States.”