After three years of being stationed in Neenah, the U.S. Army Reserve’s 377th Support Maintenance Company, which falls under the 88th Readiness Division, is now back home in Manitowoc.
Many gathered at the Staff Sergeant Andrew Miller Army Reserve Center on North 10th Street Monday afternoon to welcome the unit back to the Clipper City.
Unit Commander, 1ST Lieutenant Marshal T. Jepson, tells SeehaferNews.com that he is very happy to be back.
“A lot of our soldiers, including myself, have a lot of ties to this beautiful city and this beautiful community,” he explained. “It is great to be back to our home.”
The building itself has changed a lot since the unit’s temporary reassignment and is now state-of-the-art.
The arms room was expanded to allow the armorers to better maintain their weapons and other equipment, and the offices and classrooms were updated.
1LT Jepson noted that the upgrades “include projectors and newly updated technology, to be able to teach these soldiers and train these soldiers well. We have a new drill hall space, and then we also got a state-of-the-art locker room with a brand new gym for the soldiers to maintain physical readiness.”
SSG Andrew Miller
During his address to those in attendance, 1LT Jepson spoke about the namesake of the reserve center, Staff Sergeant Andrew Miller, who was born and raised in Two Rivers before being drafted into the Army during WWII.
The Unit Commander explained, “He distinguished himself during the campaign France in November 1944, in the face of intense enemy fire. He repeatedly risked his life.”
His leadership of Company G, 377th Infantry ultimately cost him his life on November 29th, 1944, but, as noted in his citation for the Medal of Honor, “His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G.”
97 personnel are currently attached to the 377th SMC, but 1LT Jepson is hoping the move back to Manitowoc will allow his unit to expand to their allotted 146.
