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Legion of Merit for Col. Art Kandarian '86

In a ceremony at Fort Campbell, Ky.,  earlier this month, Army Col. Arthur Kandarian, of Washington and Lee’s Class of 1986, turned over command of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, which led the surge in Afghanistan during the past year.

During the ceremony, Art received the Legion of Merit; his wife, Faye, was presented the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal and the Commander’s Certificate for her support of soldiers and their families; and the brigade was given the Valorous Unit Award for its success in Afghanistan.

A story about the event in the Clarksville (Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle relates Art’s description of his unit’s heroism on the battlefields of Kandahar Province, which the Soviets had called the “Heart of Darkness.” Those successes include the brigade’s ability to dislodge the Taliban from its birthplace, the construction of critical infrastructure, and the training of a new Afghan National Army brigade.

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