The Army Public Affairs Association is proud to announce Army Master Sgt. Ashley Huiras is the 2023 recipient of the Master Sgt. Marcia J. Triggs Award for Excellence. Huiras most recently served as the 1st Sergeant for the 5th Public Affairs Detachment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. She is enroute to her new assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Liberty, NC.
The Triggs Award is an annual recognition for an Army Non-Commissioned Officer in grades E-6 through E-8 who has demonstrated outstanding and sustained excellence in leadership.
“We are honored to recognize MSG Huiras this year,“ Army Public Affairs Association President Rebecca Wriggle said. “Master Sgt Huiras’ selfless service, superb leadership, and outstanding accomplishments are truly in keeping with the excellence of MSG Marcia Triggs, for whom the award is named.”
The Army Public Affairs Association would again like to take this opportunity to thank Bell for their sponsorship of the Master Sgt. Marcia J. Triggs Award for Excellence. Their support makes this program to recognize superior Army Public Affairs Non-Commissioned officers possible.
As outlined by Huiras’ award submission, her service and accomplishments demonstrate her exceptional dedication to excellence: In her remarkable service over the past decade, Huiras has served inmultiple organizations and has been placed in positions of increased leadership andresponsibility. She has served as the Chief Public Affairs Non-Commissioned Officer for the 16thMilitary Police Brigade, where she was responsible for command information and media relations, providing internal and external information to the command and the public, managing the hometown news release program, and community relations. Huiras’s contributions extended beyond immediate roles; she seeded a legacy through mentorship and the development of enduring public affairs programs such as the brigade’s Unit Public Affairs Representative (UPAR) program that was continuously recognized as one of the top Brigade Level PAO teams in the XVIII Airborne Corps, resulting in being chosen to lead an Installation-wide Public Affairs Leader Development Program to train Soldiers on Defense Support of Civil Authorities missions.
Huiras then served as the senior Public Affairs Non-Commissioned Officer for the XVIII Airborne Corps, including four Infantry divisions, seven separate brigades, and over 100,000 personnel. She directly advised the public affairs officer on enlisted public matters issues across the enterprise and on issues relevant to the commander’s communication objectives and was hand selected by the U.S. Army North commanding general to serve as the lead PAO in response to civil disturbance in the National Capital Region.
Huiras then served as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Public Affairs, where she re-aligned all PA Soldiers within military occupational specialties 46S, 25M, and 25V to increase operational support and readiness for worldwide missions. Huiras led efforts to standardize press release publications for all FY21 Joint Combined Exchange Training which increased communication efforts in the U.S. Africa Command area of operation.
In her remarkable service with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 1SG Huiras demonstrated a unique ability to inspire and lead, making an indelible impact on those she served. She fostered personal growth and amplified soldiers’ skills across I Corps and V Corps, leading to noteworthy victories in Army-level competitions. Her ability to conceive and execute groundbreaking initiatives, such as the MPAD Training Conference, underscores her forward-thinking approach and dedication to unit success. She was hand-selected to serve as the PAO SGM for seven months in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve in Europe. Beyond her immediate duties, 1SG Huiras successfully built bridges among diverse public affairs personnel, enhancing their capabilities and influence. At the same time, her regular Public Affairs luncheons became a nexus for fostering connections across Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Her award citation reads in part: “1SG Huiras is a passionate advocate for public affairs, and her continued service will reflect positively on the organizational capabilities and reputation of the career field. For these reasons and her enduring commitment to excellence, we wholeheartedly propose 1SG Huiras for the Marcia J. Triggs Leadership Award—embodying her exemplary dedication to the Public Affairs career field.“
“"Master Sgt. Huiras is our twelfth recipient of this prestigious award, and we are both thrilled and very privileged to be able to recognize her this year, " Army Public Affairs Association President Rebecca Wriggle added. "The members of the association's Board of Directors and I look forward to honoring her next month at our customary fall awards reception in Crystal City, Virginia. Until then, we invite our career field and community to reach out and join us in congratulating this year's finest of NCOs, Master Sgt. Ashley Huiras."
The Triggs Award is named after Master Sgt. Marcia J. Triggs, an Army print journalist and public affairs noncommissioned officer, who remained on active duty until her death. She deployed to Iraq twice with the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, and was working at the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs at the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The Army Public Affairs Association would again like to take this opportunity to thank Bell for their sponsorship of the Master Sgt. Marcia Triggs Award of Excellence.
MSG Huiras will receive her award at a reception Oct. 10 in Washington, D.C.