PHILADELPHIA -- When most people think of the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), the organization's support of ground combat vehicles such as the Abrams Tank, Bradley and Humvee comes to mind. What many do not realize is that TACOM also supports Soldiers -- past and present -- through the Veteran Medals Program.

The Veteran Medals Program, under TACOM's Integrated Logistics Support Center's (ILSC) Clothing and Heraldry Product Support Integration Directorate, is responsible for issuing medals, decorations and awards to Army veterans and their next of kin, including widows or widowers, parents, eldest children, eldest siblings and eldest grandchildren.

"TACOM is extremely proud of the dedication and professionalism of the men and women who provide this service to our veterans and their families," said Brian Butler, TACOM deputy to the commander. "It is a distinct and humbling honor to be able to recognize their service and sacrifice to our Army and nation in defense of our freedom."

The Veteran Medals Program team is located in Philadelphia and consists of eight people -- two engravers, who engrave the veterans' names on their medals; four assemblers, who make sure that veterans receive all of their authorized awards; a warehouseman, who manages the stock; and a customer service representative, who fields incoming calls and emails from veterans or their next of kin about their specific awards case or how a veteran can get his or her authorized awards.

While their mission may not appear to be directly related to success on the battlefield, its importance has been recognized since the early days of the Army's existence when George Washington served as commander in chief.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation," said Washington.

The first set of authorized awards are provided at no charge to the veteran or their next of kin, and the Army is the only service that offers one free set of authorized awards. Additional sets can be

purchased for a nominal fee. In addition, any veteran who received their awards while in service can send their medals to the Veteran Medals Program team for engraving at the government's cost.

"We have a very dedicated group," said Harry Veneri, who oversees the heraldry mission and its parent organization that manages organizational clothing and equipment for the Army at TACOM. "It's our honor at TACOM to provide veterans their Medals of Honor and valor, and we like to say we provide for Soldiers from the time they enter the service until they become a veteran."

The team strives to maintain a timeframe for completion of an awards case within 60 to 75 days after it has been entered in the Veteran Medals Program team system. The actual time veterans' service for a given awards case will vary, depending on the number of awards to which that veteran is entitled.

When a veteran or their next of kin requests medals, an awards case is not automatically entered into the team's system until one of two agencies -- the National Personnel Records Center for veterans who retired or discharged prior to October 2002, and the U.S. Army Human Resources Command for veterans who separated, retired or discharged after October 2002 -- completes their review of a veteran's records and authorizes specific awards.

Once the authorization is completed, a memo is sent to the requester advising him or her of the awards case number, and three days later, the awards case can be seen in the team's system.

"The work that the Integrated Logistics Support Center's medals team does is awesome. As an old Soldier, I know how important a Soldier's service and sacrifice are," said Col. Jeffrey Vieira, deputy executive director at TACOM ILSC.

"These medals bring back those memories and friendships from the past."