Three New York Army National Guard soldiers assigned to Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix received awards during a ceremony at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday.

Spec. Adam Bryant of Buffalo, Spec. Nicholas Archibald of Tonawanda and Sgt. Russell G. Cole of Tupper Lake received Army Commendation Medals. The soldiers have been serving in the task force Civil Military Operations Office and have been reassigned to duties in embedded training teams with the Afghan National Army.

“I am very proud of the work they have done in support of the mission,” said Lt. Col. Mike Hoblin of New City, whose section overseas humanitarian support and reconstruction projects in Afghan communities through the Commanders Emergency Response Program. “We were able to get a lot done for the Afghan people, and these soldiers made important contributions.”

Bryant was cited for helping to manage more than 40 projects valued at more than $7 million, personally conducting 41 contingency operations and site visits while also providing safety to his team at project locations.

Archibald was credited for helping to manage the task force humanitarian assistance program, coordinating the timely delivery of shipments throughout Afghanistan to Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix commands and for his contributions to team security.

Cole was cited for his leadership and performance in ensuring the safe completion of more than 40 convoys involving section members in support of the many humanitarian and reconstruction projects the team completed since arriving in Afghanistan last April.

Lt. Col. Paul Fanning is submitting photos to accompany this blog in a gallery, "Pictures from the Front." To view the most recent photos, which accompany this blog entry, click here. To view the entire gallery, click here.