Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Public Affairs staff earns awards for excellence, named IMCOM organization of year

By Staff ReportFebruary 29, 2024

The Taco Watch vs. Taco Warning graphic was designed to help educate the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield community on the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning in a fun and memorable way. The graphic was released across the...
The Taco Watch vs. Taco Warning graphic was designed to help educate the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield community on the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning in a fun and memorable way. The graphic was released across the official Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield social media platforms during 2023 Severe Weather Preparedness Week with a combined reach of 2.6K and 71 engagements. (U.S. Army Photo illustration by Molly Cooke) (Photo Credit: Molly Cooke) VIEW ORIGINAL

Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Public Affairs was named the U.S. Army Installation Management Command public affairs organization of the year and received four additional awards in the 2023 IMCOM Communications competition and another three awards placed in the 2023 Army Materiel Command David G. Harris Public Affairs competition.

IMCOM announced its winners in the 2023 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Communications Awards Competition Feb. 7 and AMC announced its winners for the 2023 David G. Harris Public Affairs Competition Feb. 23.

Acting IMCOM-Readiness Director, Col. Chris Ward wrote in a congratulatory message. “Please join me in congratulating a special group of 42 IMCOM professionals. IMCOM public affairs professionals from garrisons worldwide entered 161 pieces of content into 22 categories. Their work reflects excellence in sharing and communicating the Army’s story around the globe.”

For the AMC competition over 85 submissions in the 22 categories were judged by a panel of industry experts.

“I am amazed with the quality of submissions and how the entries somehow manage to consistently improve each year,” said Col. Scott Rawlinson, the director of AMC Public and Congressional Affairs, in a note to the field.

The Public Affairs Organization of the Year category is new to the competition, and it honors the collaborative skills of Army public affairs unit and sections, while reinforcing the importance of the Army narrative. The Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield public affairs team competed in the medium organization category, with both the public affairs staff and multi-media visual information team supporting the command’s public affairs mission.

The Public Affairs Organization of the Year category is new to the competition, and it honors the collaborative skills of Army public affairs unit and sections, while reinforcing the importance of the Army narrative. The Fort Stewart-Hunter Army...
The Public Affairs Organization of the Year category is new to the competition, and it honors the collaborative skills of Army public affairs unit and sections, while reinforcing the importance of the Army narrative. The Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield public affairs team competed in the medium organization category, with both the public affairs staff and multi-media visual information team supporting the command’s public affairs mission. (Graphic by Molly Cooke) (Photo Credit: Molly Cooke) VIEW ORIGINAL

“Recognition as the organization of the year in its inaugural year for the competition means everything to us,” said Chris Fletcher, the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield public affairs director. “Our talented team of public affairs professionals works long hours daily, usually under stressful conditions, to tell the Army story to our stakeholders and it feels great to have our peers validate our hard work.”

Molly Cooke, the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield community relations chief, was recognized as the AMC and IMCOM Civilian Graphic Designer of the Year for her work using layout and design and visual art storytelling. She also received 3rd place in the AMC competition and 1st place in the IMCOM competition for graphic layout and design with her “Faces of Garrison” campaign.  Cooke also received 1st place in the IMCOM competition’s Social Media video category for Faces of Garrison.

Department of Defense Civilian, Christopher Bunnell has served as the Unit Movement Coordinator Deployment Branch Chief with the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Armed Forces Support Battalion for the past eight years. In his position, Bunnell...
Department of Defense Civilian, Christopher Bunnell has served as the Unit Movement Coordinator Deployment Branch Chief with the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Armed Forces Support Battalion for the past eight years. In his position, Bunnell and his team stage equipment from the 3rd Infantry Division and tenant units deploying to both training and real world missions by train, plane or line haul. The AFSBn civilian employees are the backbone of unit movement operations on Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield. They have the in depth knowledge on how to facilitate a unit’s movement to and from military operations that Soldiers need to get the job done. (Graphic by Molly Cooke)

Faces of Garrison is a monthly series published across all official Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield social media channels in the form of a reel and a graphic. The purpose of the series is to highlight and recognize garrison employees who work behind the scenes to keep "The Rock" rolling every single day. (Photo Credit: Molly Cooke)
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Dina McKain, the former Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield community relations chief, received 3rd place in the AMC competition and 1st place in the IMCOM competition in the Community Relations Campaign category. McKain, who recently retired from civil service, received this recognition for planning, developing, and executing a comprehensive community engagement program which has enhanced relationships throughout our neighboring communities. This includes the installation’s quarterly Come Meet Your Army tours, cemetery tours and community touchpoints as well as support to veteran organizations and veteran service organizations.

Cooke will now compete at the Army-level in the 2023 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Communications competition for Civilian Graphic Designer of the Year.