The Association of the United States Army, in conjunction with the National Guard Association of the United States and the Reserve Officers Association, presented the annual Walter T. Kerwin Jr. Award to units from the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.The presentations were made by Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Luncheon held during the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Oct. 23.The Kerwin Award for readiness and training for the outstanding Army National Guard unit for training year 2011 was presented to the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard.This battalion is one of the most adaptable National Guard units – rapidly adjusting to shifting demands on the unit and excelling at retraining and reorganizing their unit for an early, and successful, deployment to Afghanistan.In 2008 the unit, at that time a cavalry squadron, was tasked with transitioning to an infantry battalion one year earlier than scheduled.In order to complete the transition, the regiment needed to completely reorganize and retrain while nearly doubling its number of assigned soldiers.The unit’s regimental leaders and administrative staff spearheaded recruitment and retention efforts, while members of the unit trained at an increased tempo to qualify as squad leaders and team leaders, to change their duty military occupation specialties, and to learn or refresh the skills needed by soldiers in an infantry regiment.Due to its superior readiness status, the unit deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, as its transition to infantry was ongoing.Deploying to Afghanistan from March 2011 to March 2012, the 182nd conducted the security force mission for 11 provincial reconstruction teams, defended Kabul while based in two installations there, and conducted Afghan Police Advise and Assist missions in the capital city."The quick progress and exceptional results of the unit’s transition from cavalry and its successful deployment to Afghanistan illustrate the quality of the unit’s leadership," the citation read.The award was accepted by Lt. Col. Warren Couples, battalion commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Widberg.The Kerwin Award for the outstanding U.S. Army Reserve unit was presented to the 373rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Tumwater, Wash.The 373d Military Intelligence Battalion, Task Force Gryphon, proved itself while supporting combat operations and providing actionable intelligence during Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom.The three companies of the battalion contributed to the overall success of the battalion’s mission.Alpha Company, "Team Squirrel," operated throughout Iraq and was focused on a variety of intelligence collection and processing.Bravo Company, operating throughout the USD-North area of operations, consistently reported intelligence at a higher rate than other teams in its area of operations, by providing important leads and helping support operations resulting in the detention of suspected insurgents, the capture of a high value individual, and the detection of numerous weapons’ and IED caches.Charlie Company, operating throughout the USD-Central and South area, produced more than 150 target packets, resulting in Iraqi Army strike elements executing more than 60 warrants."The tremendous contributions of the 373d Military Intelligence Battalion, Task Force Gryphon, in Iraq were instrumental in hindering insurgent activities, providing force protection, and serving as a combat multiplier for U.S. and Iraqi Army commanders on the ground," the citation read.Lt. Col. Michael Sharp, battalion commander, accepted the award.Kerwin, for whom the award is named, was a former Army vice chief of staff who served as the first commander of U.S. Army Forces Command when it was established in 1976.Kerwin died on July 11, 2008.He dedicated himself and his command to the task of training and preparing for war not only the active component, but also reserve components.