62nd Maintenance Group deputy commander receives Bronze Star Medal

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Truskowski
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
1/17/2012 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Lt. Col. John Knack, 62nd Maintenance Group deputy commander, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony here, Jan. 17, for exceptional meritorious service in a combat zone with exposure to risk of hostile action while he was deployed to Iraq in 2011.

Knack, a native of O'Fallon, Ill., was a member of the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq Transition Team working for the deputy commanding general for advising and training, United States Forces-Iraq.

Knack's work as the force protection planner for the transition team was crucial to the continued safety of personnel assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq during the draw down and transition of the United States mission. As the force protection planner, Knack personally visited every enduring Department of Defense site to determine perimeter adjustments, entry and exit control points, barrier wall placement, facility relocations, as well as personnel and equipment requirements for security escort teams, quick reaction forces, static security, and biometrics scanning.

As the team lead and advisor for the logistics requirements and analysis section, Knack and his team provided Iraqi general officers and Military of Defense civilian leaders advise on readiness assessment and reporting.

In addition to his other noteworthy accomplishments, Knack led the effort to re-establish intranet connectivity from the Iraqi Network Operations Center to the National Maintenance and Supply Depots in Taji, Iraq.

"Lieutenant Colonel Knack was able to reach out to a lot of people while in Iraq, in such a positive way," said Col. Wyn Elder, 62nd Airlift Wing commander.

Knack's efforts have given Iraq the ability to sustain their security forces, achieve internal security, and have set the conditions for providing their own external defense.

"I was surprised and honored when I found out my supervisors had nominated me for a Bronze Star Medal," said Knack. "While this deployment involved hard work and long days, it's still hard to believe our team accomplished so much. The time away from my family was grueling, but I have never had a more rewarding service experience."