First Friday

Georgia Department of Defense First Friday Briefing, December 2002

ROC Soldiers Receive Military Honors

Members of Savannah's Rear Operations Center earned a number of awards, including nine Bronze Stars, for their service in Afghanistan as part of Operation Freedom with the Coalition Joint Civil-Military Operations Task Force. The presentations were made during a November ceremony at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler near Savannah.

Awarded the Bronze Star were Col. C.J. Nutter; Lt. Col. Richard C. Barr Jr.; Maj. Anthony Abbott; Maj. Sidney T. Babjak; Maj. Charles W. Crowder; Capt. Jimmie A. Hilton Jr.; Maj. Lutalo O. Olutosin; Sgt. Maj. Neil G. Russell; and Sgt. James C. Scott.

Joint Service Commendation Medal were received by Sgt. 1st Class Eric M. Anderson; Sgt. Michael P. Banister; Sgt. Paul A. Tremblay Jr.; Capt. Danavan J. Bussey; Sgt. 1st Class Larry W. Carter; Sgt. 1st Class Walter Colonel Jr.; Sgt. Patrick M. Grover; Staff Sgt. Tazz L. Hardwick; Staff Sgt. Karon D. Hubbard Jr.; Spc. Kacy L. Jones; Sgt. Larry Kane; Sgt. Patrick S. O'Brien; and Capt. Sidney Wynn II.

Spc. Lynnette A. Johnson, 2nd Lt. Cristina Marin, Staff Sgt. John E. Schaffer and Capt. Tony C. Weber were presented the Joint Service Achievement Medal.

Soldiers weren't the only ones recognized for hard work and sacrifices made during the unit's deployment. Tammy Abbott, wife of Maj. Anthony Abbott, and Mary Kay Schaffer, wife of Staff Sgt. John Schaffer, received the Georgia Commendation Medal from Nutter. Abbott and Schaffer share leadership of the 122nd's Family Support Group.

Each soldier's family was also presented certificates of appreciation for their support of the unit and its members during the deployment. Also recognized for their sacrifice and unwavering support of the National Guard were seven Georgia employers.

The 122nd ROC spent The 122nd Rear Operations Center was mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Nov. 4, 2001. After six days of in-processing, the unit's 27 soldiers traveled Fort McPherson in Atlanta where they began their work with Third Army Headquarters. By mid-December 2001, the 122nd and the Coalition Joint Civil-Military Operations Task Force had deployed to Afghanistan and began helping the Afghan people with the task of rebuilding their nation.

During the six months that followed, the 122nd and other task force elements helped the Afghan people rebuild schools, medical clinics, roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by years of war and civil unrest. Besides being the focal point of humanitarian assistance in the war-torn country, the ROC and the task force also provided support to combat operations throughout Afghanistan.

In late June of this year the 122nd began to return the U.S., and by late August all its soldiers had returned home.

Perdue visits 116th ACW;
Gets First-hand Look at the Future

Governor-elect Sonny Perdue visited the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base to learn about the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) mission and the Air Force's first Future Total Force wing.

Perdue spent more than two hours at Robins touring an E-8C JSTARS aircraft, addressing the 116th's airmen and learning about the "merged wing" concept, which combines active duty and Air National Guardsmen into one cohesive unit. He also learned about the 116th's history, its facilities and organizational structure, and how the 116th fits into the state organization plan.

Perdue reiterated his support and enthusiasm for the Wing's unique mission and posture. "If I were a soldier on the ground, I would just be thrilled that JSTARS is up there," he told unit members. "This is a totally future mission to keep our troops safe and protect America. It's a great concept for our National Guard here in Georgia."

The merged wing concept became a reality when the active duty 93rd Air Control Wing and Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Bomb Wing were inactivated Sep. 30 of this year. Both units then stood up immediately as the 116 ACW. A first of its kind in Air Force history, the Total Force wing has an estimated 2,800 personnel who are traditional and full-time Guardsmen, technicians and active duty airmen.

-- Maj. John N. Bryan of the 116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs Office provided this news brief.

Airborne March to Atlanta Commemorated

Members of Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment at Fort Gillem marched for three days and 101 miles from Toccoa to Atlanta to commemorate the 118-mile trek made by Easy Company and the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in December 1943 on its way to Fort Benning for parachute training.

Eleven of the LRSC soldiers, lead by 1st Sgt. Mike Hurndon and 1st Lt. Kent Hutnick, and carrying 35-pound ruck sacks and their M-4 carbines, left the Toccoa armory around 5 a.m. on the first leg of their journey. Their first stop was on old State Route 126 six miles outside the city at the site where Camp Toccoa, the 506th's home during its train-up for the war in Europe once stood. A memorial to the soldiers who trained there and a small industrial park now occupy the camp's location.

During their march the "long walkers," as they called themselves, stopped in the towns of Lula, Buford, Suwanee, Duluth and Buckhead. The group ended its tribute to Easy Company by joining the rest of Company H on Peachtree Road as they marched in the Atlanta Veteran's Day Parade.

This is the second time Company H has conducted its commemorative march. The first occurred last year when the soldiers made only a 20 mile trek to Atlanta because much of the unit was tied up in security missions as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks.

This year's 101-mile march allowed Company H to honor the 101st Airborne Division, to which Easy Company and the 506th were attached. Adding last year's 20 miles to that honors the 121st Infantry Regiment, Hurndon said.

State Partnership Program;
Guardsmen Part of Change in Former Soviet Satellite

Maj. Anthony Sutter and Chief Warrant Officer Tom Golden are seeing changes take place almost daily as the Republic of Georgia travels the long road back from years of domination by the Soviet Union. Sutter and Golden are pilots with 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Combat Support. They continue to build the partnership between the two Georgias by teaching Republic of Georgia military pilots how to fly the UH-1 Huey helicopter.

Sutter and Golden are among the five-to-eight Georgia Guardsmen who have been traveling to Tbilisi regularly since 10 Hueys were given the former Soviet satellite country. The helicopters, donated by the Untied States and Turkey, will be used to for security missions along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceylon oil pipeline that is under construction.

Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General, recently visited the Republic of Georgia. He spent time talking to the Winder-based Guardsmen about the partnership program. Poythress said the program's short-term goal is to get enough pilots and mechanics to keep the choppers flying. The country could add some small, fixed-wing transport aircraft in the future, but probably not much more, he added.

The state of Georgia has had a relationship with the Republic of Georgia since 1985 when civilians from the two countries stared visiting one another as part of the Friendship Force Exchange program. Georgia Guardsmen became part of that relationship when it launched the State Partnership Program and began traveling to the republic in 1995 to assist in humanitarian projects. Since 1999, the Guard has had an officer assigned to the Republic of Georgia Ministry of Defense as a full-time liaison. Assigned to that position is Army Guard Lt. Col. Lonnie Edinfield.

Not only are Georgia National Guard troops in the republic, but regular Army Special Forces troops are also there helping train the Georgian military. The U.S. offered the assistance, in part, because of threat of Al-Qaida terrorists and Chechen Muslim rebels hiding in the rugged Pankisi Gorge on Georgia's border with Chechnya.

Poythress said Georgia's military is being encouraged to restructure itself into more of a Western model and leave behind its Soviet training. "Their military is living with 87 years of Soviet legacy, and they are trying hard to overcome that mind-set," he said.

Georgia Hosts Conference
Participants Get Lessons in Diversity

Diversity was the action word for the three-day National Guard conference held in Savannah in November, which brought together more than 300 Guardsmen from across the nation for intensive discussion and instruction. Georgia was selected to host his national gathering of diversity managers due in part because of its pioneering efforts in the area of human relations.

Brig. Gen. Julia Cleckley, special assistant for human resources to the Director of the Army National Guard, and the Army Guard's first Afro-American brigadier general, opened the conference with an assessment of the state of diversity in the National Guard. She applauded the conscientious efforts being made throughout the Guard to enhance diversity training and awareness.

The conference focused on providing diversity managers the techniques to implement a highly effective diversity program, explained Col. Jimmy Davis, the event's coordinator and human resources officer for the Georgia DOD.

Dr. Samuel Betances, recognized expert and lecturer on diversity in the military, provided attendees with an overall look at the status of diversity in the National Guard. During much of the three-day conference, the participants were exposed to a variety of topics by Betances. Later they split into groups to work with trained facilitators to gain valuable pointers on instructing others on diversity topics and in the design of comprehensive diversity programs.

Georgia, under the direction of Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, The Adjutant General, has moved aggressively regarding diversity training, and the state has submitted one of the nation's first diversity plans, which is often used as a model for the diversity programs of other states. About 20 Georgia Guardsmen were among those attending the conference. In 2000, Davis organized the Georgia Department of Defense Human Relations Team with the mandate of expanding diversity training throughout the Georgia National Guard.

283rd is Lead Communications Squadron for Bright Star

Marietta's 283rd Combat Communications Squadron has been designated lead communications squadron supporting the CENTAF mission for Operation Bright Star exercise in Egypt.

Bright Star is a major exercise for Southwest Asia. A site survey has already been performed and plans are underway to coordinate the final planning for this year's undertaking. The 283rd will be providing the "reach-back backbone link" for all communications units in the exercise area of responsibility.

Families of Deployed Airmen Remembered

The men and women of Brunswick's 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron will not forget the families of unit members who have deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle this holiday season.

An estimated 100 families of deployed Guardsmen will be the very special guests for a full day of holiday activities, games and events on Saturday, Dec.7, at the unit. The unit will provide a festive holiday lunch followed by the traditional arrival of Santa Claus at noon. The day's celebration will conclude with each family having the opportunity to see and speak with loved ones through a special video link established at the deployed location of the 224th.

Maj. Patrick McCorkhill, the unit's acting commander, said "The family members of the deployed Air Guardsmen are part of our family, and during this time of year especially, we will be ready to help them in any way we can."

Georgia's 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron was called to active duty soon after the terrorist attacks on September 11th and members remain on active duty.

Soldier Readiness;
118th PSSD Important Part of Process

On a recent "train like you fight" drill weekend, the 56-soldier 118th Personnel Support Services Detachment convoyed to the Columbus armory to help ready other Georgia Army National Guardsmen for potential mobilization.

Capt. April Asher, who commands the 118th, explained that deploying soldiers shouldn't have to worry about whether their pay status is correct or if their insurance beneficiary is up-to-date.

The 118th PSSD provided assistance in filling out emergency data forms, updating medical records, and as always, ensured each soldiers was in the correct pay status, said Sgt. 1st Class Charles Hogan, the detachment's full-time administrator.

At the Columbus armory, more than 260 Guardsmen from the 110th Corps Support Battalion, 82nd Maintenance Company and the 1230th Transportation Company shuffled through Soldier Readiness Processing -- a program designed to ensure each soldier's outstanding administrative issues have been resolved.

Part of the Asher's "train like you fight" process is that every soldier in her unit knows what the other is doing and be capable of carrying out each other's duties should the need arise. Being able to work at more than one aspect of what the 118th does as a support services detachment helps unit members stay competent in the many different areas of personnel readiness, said Cpl. Trent Lingren, a personnel specialist with the 118th.

Sgt. Milligan Bernard, one of the soldiers going through the administrative lines, said he realized the importance readiness. Soldiers never know when the word may be given for their unit to deploy. If and when it does happen, it's good to know that the 118th PSSD can get any administrative problems squared away before the mission begins, he said.

108th Uses Pigskin to Strengthen Community Bond

It wasn't tag, it wasn't flag and it sure wasn't touch. This was full contact, "hit 'em hard and knock 'em down" football played in the name of community spirit and "just plain having fun."

Neither were these usual high school teams who gathered at Bakers Field in Canton on a cold, damp Saturday night in November. The combatants that evening were 32 soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s Company B, 108th Armor and alumni of Cherokee High School.

Staff Sgt. Joe Wilson was one of the Company B "Battle Dragons" who fought the gallant fight but lost to the Cherokee Warriors 28-26. He said the challenge that brought about the game happened in late October.

He and Capt. James Clements, the unit commander, were among the soldiers who attended the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon at Baker's Field, Wilson said. During the event, the master of ceremonies reminded the audience that the high school's alumni would play a game in November to benefit the high school's football program. However, more players were needed if the game was to take place, the MC announced.

Wilson said he and Clements told the alumni their unit would be glad to meet the Warriors on the gridiron battlefield.

While the competition on the field was intense, the game wasn't just about which team was the best, Clements said. It was more about the bond Company B can create with the community which it calls home, he said. "Canton is where members of Company B, 108th Armor and the Georgia Army National Guard live and work," Clements said. "What we did was not just play a game, but strengthen an already strong bond between the people of Canton and the Guard."

1st Aviation Holds its Annual Formal

Soldiers and their families of the Georgia Army National Guard's aviation community gathered in November at Stone Mountain's Evergreen Conference Resort for the annual Aviation Formal.

The event, coordinated by the 1st Aviation Group, is in its third year. More than 200 guests filled the resort's main ballroom for a night of honoring fellow soldiers and aviators, past and present, and the newest Guardsman to join Guard aviation.

During the evening's opening ceremony, Army Guardsman Pvt. Joseph Barbani was honored as the aviation community's newest enlistee. Barbani, 18, is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment training and flight operations section at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General, recognized the Acworth native, who has been with the Guard since September. Poythress acknowledged Barbani's enthusiasm and applauded his decision to become part of the Guard family, and then reached over the speaker's podium to shake the young soldier's hand and award him an Adjutant General's coin.

Guest speaker Lt. Gen. Bryan Brown, deputy commander United States Special Operations Command based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, had no problem keeping everyone's interest while talking about "spec ops" and its close relationship with the National Guard; especially its aviation assets.

MI Soldiers Place Big in Local Competition

Members of the 221st Military Intelligence Battalion put their best efforts into taking the top position of the Combined Federal Campaign golf tournament played at Fort McPherson Golf Club and placing second in the annual Fort Gillem Gallup 5K road race.

The battalion's 4-man team took the overall competition by beating 25 other organizations representing different military branches and civilian agencies. Team members for the 221st were Staff Sgt. Ryan Berg, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Simmons and Spc. Alec Frezzell, all of Company B, and Sgt. 1st Class Colin Thompson of Company H.

In the 5K road race, which opened Gillem's 61st birthday celebration, the 221st fielded a mixed team that gave its competitors Spc. Wilton Wood and 1st Lt. Steve Lewentowicz, both of Company H, and Maj. Pete VanAmburgh, administrative officer and battalion executive officer and his wife Gina VanAmburgh comprised the top runners. Gina VanAmburgh and Lewentowicz also placed first in their age groups.

Date Set for Next OCS Orientation

Georgia's Regional Training Institute in Macon holds its next Officer Candidate School orientation, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Jan. 11.

Interested and qualified soldiers are encouraged to attend, but direct coordination through the Guardsman's unit is required. Soldiers attending the orientation will be in a split status and placed on IDT travel orders by their unit.

OCS accession packets can be obtained from the State Recruiting Office by calling 404-675-5269, by e-mailing a request to: thomas.pomian@ga.ngb.army.mil or from unit commanders. Unit Commanders are encouraged to nominate soldiers for OCS and counsel them to make sure only qualified applicants attend the orientation.

OCS "Fast Track" packets must turned in to the Officer Management Team no later than Feb. 6 for the March Federal Recognition Board. State OCS packets must be turned in to Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Becton at RTI no later than March 3. Becton can be reached by calling 478-464-3229 or by e-mail at rodney.becton@ga.ngb.army.mil.

Initial entry requirements for OCS are:

Maximum of 30 years upon time of graduation (Up to 35 years with a waiver by The Adjutant General) up to but not including 40 years with waiver by the National Guard Bureau. Must be commissioned before the 40th birthday with NGB waiver.

First Friday Briefing is published monthly for the soldiers, airmen and employees of the Georgia Department of Defense, Georgia Army National Guard, Georgia Air National Guard and Georgia State Defense Force. If you'd like to be added to our subscription list and have the First Friday Briefing faxed or emailed, or you have comments or story submission, call the Directorate of Communications at (404) 624-6060 or DSN 338-6060. Or email Leigh.Burchfield@ga.ngb.army.mil

| News Home | First Friday Home | On-Line Version |