Fort Stewart recently won four Installation Management Command communication awards and two of them went to Kevin Larson, the post media chief, who is a former Coastal Courier staff writer.
The 2019 Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Communications Awards competition is held each year to recognize soldiers and Department of the Army civilians and recognizes the most notable work of its public affairs professionals.
Among the more than 130 submissions for print, graphic arts, community engagements and broadcast awards across more than 20 categories, Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield was recognized in four categories including a third place team award in Digital Media Management; third place in the Media Campaign Plan category for Marne Independence Day; third place in feature article to Kevin Larson for Purple Heart Awarded to “World War II Veteran 74 Years Later;” and third place in photojournalism to Larson for “Fort Stewart Tests Emergency Response Capabilities.”
“These awards are a great testament to the amazing work done by the public affairs team daily,” said Christopher Fletcher, Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Public Affairs director, who noted that Larson, as digital media lead, always pushes the envelope to better, not only himself, but the organization as a whole. “Kevin is a gifted and talented public affairs specialist and is fully deserving of the credit he received in this year’s competition. It’s a pleasure to have him on our team.”
Larson, an 18-year Army civilian and lifelong Army brat, said while he was thrilled to have won four IMCOM-level awards, one stood out.
“By far, the one that means the most to me is the award for my feature story, about a World War II veteran who served with the 8th Army Air Force,” Larson said. “He received his Purple Heart 74 years after being wounded while bailing out of his burning B-24 Liberator bomber over Germany. It was a touching story to cover, and it spoke to me because my grandfather was a veteran of the Mighty Eighth.”
The top IMCOM awards advance to the Army Keith L. Ware competition to compete against other commands. Army level awards will be announced in April.
The competition is named for Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware, who was recognized with the Medal of Honor, June 19, 1945 for his actions while serving with the 3rd Infantry Division, Dec. 2, 1944 near Sigolsheim, France. Learn more about the program by visiting online at https://www.army.mil/klw.