FORT SILL, Okla. (March 13, 2014) -- Third Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery added the Army Safety Excellence Streamer to its colors during a ceremony at Fort Sill.
On Feb. 21, each unit in the battalion added the streamer to its guidon, but March 3, Soldiers assembled for 3-2nd FA battalion formation to witness Lt. Col. John Dawber and Command Sgt. Maj. Perry McNeill, battalion commander and CSM respectively, hang the streamer on the unit colors. The "Lethal Strike" Battalion, earned the honor for the first time in more than five years.
To meet the requirements for the streamer, a unit must have completed 12 consecutive months without experiencing any Soldier or unit Class A or B at-fault accidents; 100 percent of the unit's personnel must have completed Composite Risk Management training and the Army Readiness Assessment Program within the last 24 months. Additionally, all unit commanders and first sergeants must have completed the Commander's Safety Course, and the additional duty safety officers must be appointed and have completed the Additional Duty Safety Officer Course.
To receive the battalion streamer, 3-2nd ADA followed a plan that enabled its five batteries and one company to meet the requirements for the streamer first. Battalion-level personnel finished the requirements subsequently, allowing seven streamers to be awarded: six for the individual company level units and one for the battalion overall.
The battalion's culture contributed significantly to its ability to earn the streamer. Dawber reinforced a culture of all Soldiers being safety officers and taking ownership of their own and each others' safety. Leadership empowered all Soldiers to act as safety officers. When Dawber took command of the battalion last summer, he ensured all members of the unit knew safety was a top priority.
Dawber and McNeill faced a complex leadership situation since half of the battalion was deployed to Turkey in support of a NATO mission, while the other half was at Fort Sill maintaining a high state of readiness.
Leaders took on a great challenge to ensure all Soldiers within the battalion understood the importance of safety and received the training that they needed to minimize risk both on- and off-duty, a challenge the unit met head first. The unit returned from deployment in December.
Adding the safety streamer to the battalion's colors is a testament to the hard work and diligence of each member of the unit, and it is a reflection of its culture of always bearing the standard.
Just a few weeks after uncasing the battalion colors, the addition of the safety streamer was another proud event in the "Lethal Strike" Battalion's history.
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