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November 20, 2009
Meet Our Decorated Heroes - God Bless Them! Major James Mulvehill, U.S. Army Reserve - Bronze Star, Iraq
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.
"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.
FSM is so proud of all of you! Thank you for keeping America safe and God Bless You!
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (1)
Geat job to you and your men. God bless you and your men. America is proud of you.
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