By By LYDIA GRIMES – Features writer
Members of the 1165th Military Police Company of the Alabama Army National Guard have been home from Iraq for two years.
Next month, they will be honored with some of the military's highest awards.
Members of the unit - including the Brewton detachment - will be honord in a unit awards ceremony July 8 in Fairhope.
The Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Award and Combat Action badges will be presented to the men and women who serve with the unit.
The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after Dec. 7, 1941.
The degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant the Distinguished Service Cross.
Sgt. Frank Barnes, who is in charge of the Brewton unit, said the award is very prestigious and very important to the men and women who are in the detachment.
Special guests including the American Legion Riders, Mayor Ted Jennings, Sheriff Grover Smith and Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin have all been invited to attend, as well as the governor and the president, Barnes said.
The unit will also receive the Valorous Unit Award, which requires the same degree of heroism that would warrant the award of the Silver Star to an individual.
It is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after Aug. 3, 1963.
The unit members will also receive their combat action badges at this time.
This is the only time a unit has been awarded both the Presidential Unit Citation and the Valorous Unit Award for the same deployment.
They were chosen to receive the award by a regular army brigade rather than fellow national guardsmen.
Centennial Hall, located at the Faulkner State University Campus at 440 Fairhope Avenue in Fairhope, will be the site of the ceremony. A reception will follow the ceremony.