CAMP CARROLL, Republic of Korea — A year of firsts continues for the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Korea, which earned more accolades for its strong safety achievements this summer.

For the first time in the unit’s history, USAMMC-K has received the Army’s 2022 Exceptional Organization Safety Award at the battalion level.

USAMMC-K, a direct reporting unit to Army Medical Logistics Command, is now eligible for consideration under the DOD-wide safety competition later this year.

Leaders at USAMMC-K attributed the award to a strong safety-first culture designed to protect and empower the workforce.

“It’s all about the culture,” USAMMC-K Commander Lt. Col. Mark Sander said. “This is a reflection of how we’re not just a safe organization, but how we are an organization that cares. Not just about taking care of things and the people, but everything we do. It’s infused through every bit of essence from everybody who’s been there.”

Choe, Chae-hun, USAMMC-K’s safety and occupational health specialist, said the awards earned by the unit over the past few years are a credit to the workforce’s continued dedication to its safety programs, leading to 13 consecutive years without any major incidents.

Outgoing AMLC Commander Col. Gary Cooper presented Sander and Master Sgt. Willie Green Jr., USAMMC-K’s senior enlisted leader, with the award during a ceremony Aug. 23 at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

“A great safety culture is when people continue to work safely and do the right thing, even when no one is watching,” Cooper said, sharing a quote for the audience.

“This award just really reflects the culture of USAMMC-K, which is an organization that is truly really about people first,” Cooper added. “When we take care of our people, they take care of the mission.”

With a team of up to 150 personnel, USAMMC-K is designated as the theater lead agent for medical materiel, or TLAMM, for military and joint forces operating throughout the Korean Peninsula.

The center provides direct medical materiel support to medical forces and ensures tactical units are integrated into the end-to-end medical supply chain. The unit also assists combatant commands in health logistics support planning and directly supports the medical readiness of U.S. Forces Korea.

In January 2023, USAMMC-K was announced as Army Materiel Command’s choice for its 2022 Exceptional Organization Safety Award for the battalion level. That award marked the organization’s first at the four-star level and a precursor to the Army-wide honor.

A few months before that, the unit earned its Army Safety Excellence Streamer in October 2022. The streamer signifies 12 consecutive months without a serious incident involving personnel or property, and 100% participation in required risk management courses among its personnel within the last 24 months.

USAMMC-K also has been recognized by Eighth Army in past fiscal years for its strong safety programs.

“USAMMC-K continues to set the standard in safety, not only here at AMLC but, as this award shows, our entire Army as a whole,” said Ralph Davis, AMLC’s safety manager. “When you think about all the battalions in the U.S. Army, this honor is a pretty big accomplishment and a feather in the cap for a great unit that directly supports the health and wellbeing of the warfighter.”