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JASON HUNT WINS NATIONAL GUARD COMMANDER'S AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

MADISON—The Wisconsin Army National Guard has awarded Jason Hunt, a State of Wisconsin nuclear engineer and Elkhart Lake native, the prestigious Commander's Award for Public Service. The annual award recognizes Hunt's efforts in supporting the Madison-based 54th Civil Support Team (CST) with technical expertise during joint civil-military radiation emergency preparedness coordination and training activities since 2008. Hunt is only the sixth recipient of this award.

"We applaud Jason's important contribution and thank him for his work to ensure Wisconsin is well prepared to protect the public in the event of an emergency situation," said Department of Health Services Secretary Dennis G. Smith. "It is fitting that Jason is receiving the recognition he has earned and deserves. He is a great example to all of his colleagues and I hope an inspiration to the young people of Wisconsin to serve their fellow citizens."

As the primary Department of Health Services liaison to the 22-member CST, Hunt has worked to provide more realistic training events, function as a radiological technical advisor, and help integrate the team's extensive all-hazard response capabilities with existing state radiation incident response capabilities. He works in the Department's Radiation Protection Section and has been with DHS since July, 2000.

The 54th Civil Support Team is Wisconsin's full-time military response team for emergencies or terrorist events that involve weapons of mass destruction or toxic industrial chemicals. It is able to rapidly deploy, assist local first-responders in determining the nature of an attack, provide medical and technical advice, and pave the way for the identification and arrival of follow-on state and federal military response assets.

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Last Revised:  November 02, 2011