Volunteer firefighter returns from Afghanistan to receive safety award

By Don Wagner, ARNewsApril 25, 2017

Volunteer firefighter returns from Afghanistan to receive safety award
Sgt. 1st Class Julio Mella (center) of the 21st Engineer Battalion at Fort Campbell, Ky., holds the GEICO Military Service Award presented Monday night by Tony Nicely, chairman and CEO, GEICO; The award recognizes Mella's volunteer work in fire preve... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (Army News Service) -- Sgt. 1st Class Julio Mella was honored Monday night for his volunteer work in fire prevention and other community services he did before deploying to Afghanistan from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Mella, a member of the 21st Engineer Battalion, has been deployed since November and attached to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and has been serving as the Task Force Leader/Theatre Response Force S-2 non-commissioned officer in charge.

Mello is the Army recipient of the 2016 GEICO Military Service Award presented Monday night at a ceremony attended by Army Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gary Cheek and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey.

"SFC Mella receiving this award sends a message across the force that safety is important," Dailey said.

"When I first read SFC Mella's bio and what he did to be nominated for and win this award, I thought, 'man, I need to get off my lazy butt and volunteer for the D.C. fire department.' What's he's been able to accomplish in his community as a volunteer fireman, deputy police, and EMT -- all while serving his country and earning advanced degrees and being a father and husband -- is truly amazing. We definitely chose the right person for to be the recipient of this award."

OAK GROVE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Mella has been a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician for Oak Grove, Kentucky, since 2008. In the lst two years, he has responded to more than 200 emergencies.

"I am passionate about providing outstanding volunteer service to my community," Mella said, "and going over and above to help others is something I continue to enjoy every day. I try to give back to my community as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and reserve deputy sheriff even in the smallest ways."

Mella is a national registered emergency medical technician licensed with the state of Kentucky. He has been an active member of the Montgomery County Medical Corps since 2010.

Since 2008, the 500 emergencies that he responded to include 57 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, 15 house fires, 350 medical calls, including stabbings, strokes, heart attacks, child births, 11 motor vehicle fires, hazardous material spillage incidences, and 65 fire alarms.

DEVOTION TO DUTY

Mella was also nominated and awarded the Knowlton Award in 2016, an award given by the Military Intelligence Association because of his contribution to the intelligence community.

Mella said he is looking forward to returning to Afghanistan so he can help train the next S-2 NCOIC and redeploy to the states with his Soldiers.

"SFC Mella goes beyond the call of duty not only as a Soldier but with all the volunteer work he does for the community," the Theatre Response Force's Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Chaney said. "

DOMINICAN VOLUNTEER

Mella is a native of the Dominican Republic. He enlisted the U.S. Army in Brooklyn, New York in 1998 and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advance individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

His passion for volunteering and helping others started when he was 16 years old in his native Dominican Republic. He joined the Santo Domingo Fire Department as a volunteer in 1979. In 1983, he graduated from the National Police Academy, where he worked as a police officer from 1983 to 1993, and continued as a volunteer firefighter from 1979 to1993.

In November 1994, just a year after he arrived in the U.S. with his wife, Mella, he joined the City of New York Auxiliary Police Department. He graduated from the Auxiliary Academy in May 1995. Mella worked as an auxiliary police officer until July 1998, achieving the rank of second lieutenant.

MILITARY DEPLOYMENT

From May 2010-May 2011, then a staff sergeant, Mella was assigned to the Intelligence and Sustainment Company, Task Force Gladiator, Combined Joint Task Force-101 while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He served as a special security officer and security manager.

During that time, Mella volunteered more than 400 hours to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital, Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. He helped provide emergency medical care to wounded warriors, local nationals and enemy combatants using basic and intermediate emergency medical technician skills. Often, after his 12-hour night shifts, Mella stayed on in the hospital's emergency room, volunteering between 3 to 6 hours and on some days spending the whole night to help. This earned him the respect and admiration of the doctors, nurses and fellow emergency technicians.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE

In 2011, Mella was awarded the Community Service Ribbon for his service to the Oak Grove, Kentucky community as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.

Since 2011, Mella has also been serving as a reserve deputy sheriff in the Montgomery County, Tennessee sheriff's department. He has volunteered more than 500 hours in numerous community activities at community centers, and churches across Montgomery County. Mella has volunteered to conduct seat belt inspections and safety patrols.

In 2012, he was awarded the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for volunteering more than 4,000 hours as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician between 2008 and 2012.

CREDENTIALS

Mella is a graduate of the American Military University with a masters in criminal justice and from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee with a bachelors in criminal justice and a concentration in homeland security. He earned an associate degree in applied science in intelligence operations from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona. Mella later earned an associate of arts degree from Pierce College, in Puyallup, Washington. He is currently working on his doctorate in criminal justice at Walden University.

He is certified in Level 1 Terrorism response tactics: Basic Active Shooter Level 1 from the Advance Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training and is Level 1 Exterior Response Active Shooter Event certified.

Mella is also a part-time adjunct criminal justice professor at Brown Mackie College, Hopkinsville, Kentucky campus.

He is an active member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, the West Virginia Iota Chapter of Pi Gamma Mu National Honor Society for the Social Sciences and The Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Mella is married to the former Jacqueline Soto from New York, and has three children, Teresa, 32, Emanuel, 22 and Vanessa, 18.

"Mella while assigned to garrison served as the senior operations sergeant," said. 1st Sgt. Andres Rugerio, U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Campbell. "He is a very dedicated worker who truly devoted himself to mission accomplishment at any cost. He continuously dedicated his personal time to support the community and the unit.

"I am extremely privileged and honored to have worked with SFC Mella and witness his impact on the Army's intelligence community", said Capt. Amy Yau, battalion surgeon, 1-187 Infantry, Task Force Leader/Theatre Response Force, Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. "During our deployment, he was an invaluable asset to our mission, mentorship and guidance of enlisted and junior officers and intelligence gathering and interpretation. He is motivated, hardworking, detail oriented, and dedicated to the service and mission. He truly deserves any and all recognition and appreciation for his work."

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