LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell visited Fort Knox on Wednesday for an award ceremony honoring soldiers at the base.
The Senate Republican leader met with servicemembers and leaders to honor Fifth Corps soldiers who deployed to Europe to reinforce NATO allies when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Maj. General Jeffery D. Broadwater joined McConnell for the ceremony.
Sen. Mitch McConnell awards 5th Corps soldiers with outstanding achievement awards for their work in Germany. They were deployed in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/BEywAfgnUb
— Christie Battista WDRB (@CBattistaTV) July 5, 2023
Nine soldiers from V Corps received the Meritorious Service Medal, while others received the Army Achievement Medal. Both honors recognize outstanding achievement.
"There's a lot of gratification when you get to present awards like this when you think about all the hard work and effort that they do each and every day," Broadwater said. "We have soldiers and we have missions from countries as far up as Estonia and now Finland and Sweden, all the way down to the Black Sea region. They do phenomenal work each and every day."
The U.S. Army announced Fort Knox as the headquarters for V Corps in 2020. V Corps was deployed to Europe in April 2022, spending six months overseas.
Since that mission, President Joe Biden decided to permanently station some V Corps troops in Poland.
Broadwater said their mission to support the NATO allies continues to this day with a persistent presence in Europe.
The 2023 NATO Summit is scheduled for next week. European security is still at the forefront and is expected to be discussed.
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