Price Receives Third Meritorious Service Award

Marlinton, WV – If you were to look up overachiever in the dictionary, you just might see a picture of Pocahontas’ own Lt. Colonel Jeffrey A. Price, Deputy Commander of the Joint Interagency Training and Education Center [JITEC]. That’s because Price has just been awarded his third Meritorious Service medal. Price has been a member of the West Virginia National Guard for over 23 years.

According to the press release from the WV National Guard, Price’s contributions and efforts were instrumental in the establishment of the JITEC, a nationally recognized military center for the Weapons of Mass Destruction first responder community. The center provides chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training to thousands of first responders across the country. LTC Price lead the efforts to establish training and evaluation for the new National Guard Homeland Response Force [HRF] teams and other WMD teams.

It was just a little over a year ago that he received his second Meritorious Service medal. That one, awarded to Price in September of 2010, recognized his leadership of the 151st Military Police Battalion, a force of 585 soldiers spread throughout West Virginia. His battalion was instrumental in getting food and other services to those stranded by heavy snowstorms in the winter of 2010.

The Meritorious Service Medal was officially approved in January of 1969 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The award was created to give the proper acknowledgement for noncombat achievement or service, equivalent to the Bronze Star for combat service. LTC Price was first awarded the Meritorious Service Award for his Command of the WV 35th Civil Support Team, a highly skilled division of the National Guard devoted to dealing with weapons of mass destruction. He was commander of the 35th CST for three and a half years.

Price is a native of Marlinton, WV where he lives with wife Donna, Pocahontas County’s prosecuting attorney and their daughter Alexis.