Bronze Star Recipient
James Mulvehill |
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As
commander
for the
1008th
Quartermaster
Company
from
Jan. 24,
2006 to
March
24,
2007,
active
Army
Reservist
MAJ
James
Mulvehill
led from
the
front,
exposing
himself
to the
same
dangers
and
arduous
conditions
as his
soldiers
and
participating
in more
than 30
Combat
Logistics
Patrols
throughout
the
extremely
volatile
Al Anbar
province.
Mulvehill
commanded
the most
unique
company
in the
battalion
-- a
multi-functional
and
multi-compositional
organization
comprised
of six
shower
laundry
clothing
renovation
teams
and an
additional
fourth
platoon,
the
266th
Quartermaster
Detachment
from the
National
Guard
component,
responsible
for the
Reverse
Osmosis
Water
Purification
Unit
mission.
"My job
was not
only to
maintain
operational
control
of my
company,
but also
to
manage
two Bulk
Fuel
Farm
sites,"
explained
Mulvehill.
Inbound
fuel
tankers
delivered
fuel to
the
farms
that
served
as
storage
points
for U.S.
forces.
"This
mission
was
vital to
operations
and
quantities
were
closely
monitored."
Although
many of
the
field
support
functions
were
handled
by
contractors
in the
region,
under
Mulvehill's
leadership,
his
troops
produced
350,000
bundles
of
laundry,
18,000
showers,
4,000
renovation
jobs and
5,500,000
gallons
of water
to some
of the
most
unstable
areas.
These
first
class
services
were
provided
to over
20,000
soldiers
and
Coalition
Forces
in the
Al Anbar
province.
This
uninterrupted
field
service
support
to
soldiers
and
Marines
conducting
vital
operations
in
support
of the
Iraqi
National
Elections
and
security
in
the region was essential.
Additionally, Mulvehill's
team provided the labor
force and oversight for the
newly developed bottled
water plant on Al Taqaddum. |
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"One
mission
received
late in
the
deployment
was to
support
the
Marines
in a
newly
established
combat
outpost
while
they
pursued
Al
Qaida-Iraq
along
the
Euphrates
River
near the
Haditha
Dam
site,"
recalled
Mulvehill.
Providing
such
massive
service
support
was no
small
feat,
especially
since
Mulvehill
had to
safeguard
and lead
almost
150
soldiers
from 17
different
states.
The
soldiers
were
geographically
dispersed
at over
four
Forward
Operating
Bases in
over
10,000
square
miles
throughout
areas of
the
Western
Al Anbar
province.
"An
attack
was
always a
concern,"
said
Mulvehill.
"However,
the gun
truck
escorts
performed
exceptionally
as did
the EOD
route
clearing
operations.
On one
occasion,
Mulvehill
shared
"Two of
my
soldiers
were in
a gun
truck
vehicle
when it
was
struck
by an
IED.
Both
were
unharmed,
but the
vehicle
was
destroyed."
Despite
the
immense
challenges,
Mulvehill
guided
his
subordinate
leaders
and
soldiers
expertly,
never
failing
a
mission,
and lost
no
soldiers
to the
enemy.
He
established
a
phenomenal
maintenance
program
resulting
in an
operational
readiness
rate of
97%
during
deployment.
"I
wanted
to
remain
visible
to my
troops,
so I
regularly
visited
soldiers
at
various
camps,
to
include
Ramadi,
Fallujah,
Habbaniyah
and
Corregidor,"
Mulvehill
stated.
He also
coordinated
with
other
commanders
on the
ground
to
facilitate
mission
success
through
face-to-face
dialogue.
"My
sub-leadership
team of
lieutenants
and
platoon
sergeants
maintained
the same
arduous
rotation
that my
First
Sergeant
and I
set in
our
battlefield
circulation.
This was
critical
for all
levels
of
leadership
to
continue
command
and
control
of
soldiers
and
monitor
the
mission,"
said
Mulvehill.
For
excellent
leadership
and some
of the
greatest
achievements
by any
field
services
company
in
theater,
Mulvehill
received
the
Bronze
Star. |
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Information
and Photo and information courtesy of US
Army /
Dept. of Defense |
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Bronze Star Recipients |
Other Heroes | |
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