YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- The Military completes its mission through the combined strength of its service members and civilians, working together in bases across the world to provide the warfighter with support both on and off the battlefield.
To show appreciation for their hard work to the United States Forces Korea, the USFK chain of command held the Civilian Employee of the Year awards ceremony at Knight Field, Yongsan, Oct. 20. The ceremony coincided with Civilian Employee Appreciation week, a time set aside by the U.S. Army to thank its civilian workforce.
USFK spared no expense in providing a proper ceremony for the civilians, beginning the ceremony with a 17 gun salute followed by an invocation by Col. Gregory Williamson, the USFK Command chaplain.
Gen. James Thurman, the USFK commanding general, then took the podium to thank the honorees for their hard work. He reminded those present to take time to thank their civilian counterparts for the service they provide.
"This mission cannot succeed without the dedication and hard work of our civilian employees," Thurman said. "They are as important as our uniformed service members in making the ROK/U.S. alliance the strongest in the world. As administrators, managers, technicians and laborers, they perform critical tasks that keep our families safe and the alliance prepared to fight tonight."
Out of 92 nominees, 19 civilians were honored for their commitment to USFK, ranging from Camp Casey in Area One to Humphreys and Taegu further south. The winners were voted as the best American and Korean employee in certain sectors, such as management or customer service. Each of the 19 awardees was given a plaque and a hearty handshake from Thurman.
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