Officer wins Army-level safety award

The accolades for one Fort Jackson unit safety officer keep coming.

1st Lt. Alexis Gaines, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 165th Infantry Brigade was recently selected as recipient the Army’s Individual Award for Excellence in Safety.

Maj. Gen. Daryl O. Hood, Army Training Center and Fort Jackson commander, presented her with the award, Sept. 4.

She previously received the Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Individual Award for Excellence in Safety before the TRADOC Commanders Ready and Resilient Council meeting, March 7.

“It takes a special person to be recognized across the Army,” Hood said of the award.

Gaines received the award due to her “outstanding success in hazard awareness, risk management, and loss prevention.” Her exceptional achievement and dedication during the fiscal year preserved the readiness and prevented the loss of Soldiers, civilians, Families and other “vital” resources.

She was assigned to 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment when she was nominated for the award.

Her battalion commander at the time was Lt. Col. Jonathan Baker.

She “fostered a culture of safety throughout the Brigade and Fort Jackson,” Baker wrote in her nomination memorandum.

The culture was built with her coordinating five quarterly safety council meetings; creating new accident tracking products; and briefing post, brigade, and other battalion safety officers.

“Her actions increased a shared understanding on the best safety practices and reporting procedures, and improved accurate reporting of accident mishaps by 98%,” Baker wrote.

Gaines also wrote unit safety standing operating procedures; was named coordinator for the brigade’s safety stand down day; helped improve safety training; and mentored other safety officers.

Safety is a cornerstone of what the Army does and is an integral part of Fort Jackson’s mission.

Safety is “part of the full spectrum of what we do” on Fort Jackson, Hood said.

Hood lauded her efforts saying, “Hopefully it will be one of many awards you will receive.”

(Editor’s note: Some information for this article was taken from an article published in the Leader, March 14, 2024)