Wisconsin Guard unit receives top Army award

The 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment accepted the 2008 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Excellence in Journalism Award for its work on The Wire, the official publication of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, at the annual National Guard Bureau conference Wednesday (Oct. 28). "We brought in a great staff, we were augmented with some strong journalists from the Navy, and we were witness to some key moments in history," said Sgt. 1st Class Vaughn R. Larson, accepting on behalf of the 20-person Madison-based unit. Larson served as editor of the weekly publication during the unit's deployment to Guantanamo Bay in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from March 2008 to March 2009. The Wire included features on units or individuals serving in the Joint Task Force, informational stories about voting while deployed or new education benefits, and coverage of the military court hearings for terrorism suspects such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Salim Ahmed Hamdan and Omar Khadr detained at Joint Task Force Guantanamo. The 112th MPAD was responsible for more than producing The Wire. The unit provided public affairs support for visiting dignitaries, and also worked closely with civilian media from around the world who travelled to Guantanamo Bay to cover detainee operations and court appearances.

Click To View High-Resolution Photo Sgt. 1st Class Vaughn R. Larson accepts the Keith L. Ware award on behalf of the 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment of the Wisconsin Army National Guard during a ceremony Oct. 28 in Lansdowne, Va. The 112th earned the award for its work on The Wire, the official publication for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, during its yearlong deployment to Guantanamo Bay. Also pictured are Jack Harrison, public affairs director for the National Guard Bureau, and Brig. Gen. Donald Dunbar, Wisconsin adjutant general. Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs photo by Master Sgt. Dan Richardson

The annual Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Journalism Awards competition recognizes excellence in military and civilian-employee journalism, both print and broadcast, for furthering the objectives of the Army's internal information program.

The 112th MPAD also received two first place and one third place National Guard Media Contest awards for work produced during their deployment at the Oct. 28 ceremony. The Wire received a first place award, and Larson received a first place award in the News Article category for a report on the Hamdan verdict and sentencing. Spc. Meghan Phillips received a third place award for a television news report on Guantanamo's post-hurricane support for Haiti.