U.S. Soldiers from Alpha Company, 103rd Brigade Support Battalion cut down trees beside roadways to prevent further damage from a recent ice storm in Kentucky Jan. 28, 2009. More than 500 Soldiers from the Kentucky Army National Guard were mobilized in response to the storm to assist in clearing roadways, transporting supplies and securing shelters throughout the state. U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. John T. Kibler

Oklahoma post NEF Post Excellence winner

American Legion Post 306 in Fletcher, Okla., is this year’s winenr of the NEF Post Excellence Award. The post was chosen during the 2010 Spring NEC Meetings in Indianapolis; the award will be presented to the Department of Oklahoma on stage in Milwaukee during the National Convention.

Post 306 – which went through a revitalization effort last January – went above and beyond the call of duty during the massive ice storms in Oklahoma last February, providing disaster aid immediately. The post helped prepare meals from food donated by the local school and served meals to disaster workers. Post members also delivered foods to shut-ins and disabled citizens. They operated for six days until power was restored in the community, serving over 2,000 meals during this time.

But Post Commander Mark Barker said the membership only did its job. “It’s kind of typical of our philosophy of not only helping veterans, but being a part of our community,” Barker said. “Everyone in our community was affected by the ice storm. We just did our part as part of the community.”

Barker said while the recognition is nice, it’s not what drives the post to do what it does.

“It was important to us that we won this,” Barker said. “But we would have done it anyway. We’d do it again.”

Departments are asked to already start considering possible nominees for the 2010 NEF Post Excellence Award.