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Major General Gary Volesky awards Maintenance Duo for keeping Joint Forces Command – United Assistance running

Written by Staff Sgt. Terrance D. Rhodes
Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

Fort Campbell KY - 101st Airborne DivisionUnited States Africa CommandMonrovia, Liberia – As service members, deployed in support of Joint Forces Command – United Assistance, continue to redeploy from Liberia after completing their mission, the last and final service member of the week recognition ceremony took place on Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, January 30th.

Every Friday, Major General Gary Volesky, commanding general, JFC-UA, selects service members supporting JFC-UA as the service member of the week.

Sgt. Elijah Jones, left, a power generator equipment repairman, with the 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, and Pfc. Michael Major, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, hold the coins they received from Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, Joint Forces Command – United Assistance commanding general, for being chosen as the service members of the week, Monrovia, Liberia, Jan. 30, 2015. (Staff Sgt. Terrance D. Rhodes, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs)
Sgt. Elijah Jones, left, a power generator equipment repairman, with the 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, and Pfc. Michael Major, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, hold the coins they received from Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, Joint Forces Command – United Assistance commanding general, for being chosen as the service members of the week, Monrovia, Liberia, Jan. 30, 2015. (Staff Sgt. Terrance D. Rhodes, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs)

Volesky recognizes the nominated service member, honors them with a command coin and takes them on a helicopter flight around the JFC-UA area of operation to see the work that has been accomplished thanks, in part, to their own hard work and dedication.

The final week awardees were Pfc. Michael Major, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, based out of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and Sgt. Elijah Jones, a power generator equipment repairman, with the 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, who worked side-by-side to keep the maintenance up around the JFC-UA area of operations.

“Our job is to go around with the AML and conduct scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on different generators and vehicles,” said Jones, a native of Ocilla, Georgia. “I also got a chance to train and work with Pfc. Major.”

Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, left, commander of Joint Forces Command – United Assistance, Pfc. Michael Major, center, a vehicle mechanic attached to the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, and Sgt. Elijah Jones, a power generation equipment repairer attached to the Company D, 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, fly over Monrovia, Liberia, in a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter, Jan. 30, 2015. (Spc. Rashene Mincy, 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera))
Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, left, commander of Joint Forces Command – United Assistance, Pfc. Michael Major, center, a vehicle mechanic attached to the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, and Sgt. Elijah Jones, a power generation equipment repairer attached to the Company D, 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, fly over Monrovia, Liberia, in a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter, Jan. 30, 2015. (Spc. Rashene Mincy, 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera))

Working together paid off for them both. They discussed different problems on how to troubleshoot issues that come with fixing and maintaining numerous vehicles and generators, said Jones.

“It was nice working together and really easy to train Pfc. Major; he is a quick study, and I’m glad he got recognized,” said Jones.

Plus, having two sets of eyes on a problem is always better than one, said Jones.

Major, who worked on vehicles before joining the Army over a year ago, said this is his first time receiving a coin from a general.

“It was actually a surprise for me,” said Major, a native of Hernando, Florida. “This is a big deal to me, it means something when a two-star general can look down and see what you’ve done.”

Jones said that sometimes the job doesn’t come with any credit, but he’s glad that he or Major didn’t get overlooked this time.

“It’s good to get recognition from the higher chain of command,” said Jones. “I appreciate the people who were paying attention to what we do on a daily basis. Receiving these coins was a great honor for Pfc. Major and myself.”

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