La. Guard Soldiers awarded War Cross during ceremony

By Staff Sgt. David C. Kirtland, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 773rd Military Police Battalion, 139th Regional Support Group, held a post-deployment awards ceremony in Alexandria, June 2.

During the ceremony, more than 50 Soldiers received the LANG War Cross Medal. This medal honors LANG service members who carry out a minimum term of 90 days of service in the event of a national emergency, declared war, or at presidential behest in other capacities related to national safety and security.

The official party for the ceremony included Brig. Gen. Thomas Friloux, the adjutant general of the LANG; Lt. Col. Doris Reed, commander of the 773rd; Command Sgt. Maj. Clifford Ockman, the LANG command senior enlisted leader; and Command Sgt. Maj. Verdis Walker, senior enlisted advisor of the 773rd.

“First off, I want to thank every Soldier and family member for your service and the many sacrifices you each made throughout the deployment. I am very proud to serve with each of you,” said Friloux. “You truly are the Louisiana National Guard, and we value and appreciate all of your efforts and accomplishments.”

“You had a very important mission during this deployment while in Poland and had many accomplishments, including joint law enforcement patrols with host nation MPs and police, resulting in positive responses from local government and tenant units,” said Friloux.

This was the first mobilization for the HHD as an MP battalion headquarters. Before becoming an MP battalion in 2003, the 773rd’s lineage can be traced back to the LANG’s 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II and the 773rd Tank Battalion, which mobilized for the Korean conflict during the Cold War.