Members of Monroe's 178th Military Police Company deploy this month to Guan-tanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba where they will spend the next six months providing support to the detention mission at Camp Delta.
The 89 Georgia Guardsmen will replace elements of Fort Benning's 988th Military Police Company.
No date has been set when the 178th will depart Benning but they are expected to be "on the ground" by June 16. Capt. Jeff Carlyle, who commands the 178th, and his executive officer, 1st Lt. John Adams, will be with the detachment throughout its six-month deployment.
The Guardsmen will carry on the 988th's work of escorting al Qaida and Taliban detainees to and from interrogation sessions with intelligence officials. The group will also provide protection to interrogators during the sessions.
The 178th's remaining strength of about 69 soldiers will remain at Benning and continue manning access points to the post and other duties as they are assigned by the Provost Marshal's Office. 1st Lt. James Collie will command the rear detachment.
The 178th MPs have been at Benning augmenting the 988th since early February. Previously, they were conducting force protection operations at state military and government facilities across Georgia.
Gov. Roy Barnes signed the Georgia Military Pension Fund in to law May 15 at the state capitol while members of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard members looked on from the north steps of the Capitol rotunda.
This new legislation provides a pension for retired Georgia Guard members and becomes effective July 1. It will apply to individuals who are members of the Guard on or after that date.
The bill made its way through the state legislature with support from state representatives Ann Purcell, Ken Birdsong and Clint Smith, among others, along with state senators Mike Polak and Jack Hill. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor also gave his full support to the bill.
To be eligible for the new state pension, Guard members must meet certain criteria. Upon the written application to the board, any member of the fund who:
Language in the bill states the effective date of retirement shall be the first day of the month in which the application is received by the board. Applications for retirement shall not be accepted more than 90 days in advance of the date of discharge.
Upon retirement and upon approval of their written application, retiring Guardsmen will receive a monthly allowance of $50 plus an additional $5 per month for each year of creditable service over 20 years. Each retiree can draw up to $100 monthly. The bill states all retirement allowances will be paid monthly and will end in the month in which the Guardsman dies.
Shortly after the bill was signed, Barnes and Purcell were presented plaques for their support of the National Guard by the Air Guard's Command Chief Pearson Deloach and other Air Guard senior NCOs.
Organizers of Georgia's 5th annual Turkey Shoot said it was the largest and most well-attended of any in the past.
During this yearly spring competition, the nation's top active duty, Guard and Reserve combat fighter pilots descended on Townsend Bomb Range near Dairen on May 15 to see who had the best bombing and gunnery skills. It also brought together more than 450 civic leaders, elected officials, employers, and guests to watch the excitement and see these "knights of the air" in action.
More than 40 combat aircraft from as far away as Colorado and Connecticut participated in this one-day, non-stop event. Their pilots use the same aerial skills as those being used by American flyers patrolling the skies over Afghanistan.
For the more than 450 people on the ground, the Turkey Shoot was the opportunity for a first-hand look at the combat capabilities of America's air forces. The Turkey Shoot also allowed employers of National Guard members view the role of the National Guard in the nation's defense and the varied jobs performed by their employees.
"We are extremely pleased with this annual event since it not only shows the enormous capabilities of the nation's fighter pilots but also demonstrates to our friends the skills and professionalism of our men and women who wear the uniform," said Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General.
Georgia's Turkey Shoot is one of several fighter competitions staged by the Air National Guard around the country. During this year's competition, the 103rd Fighter Wing F-16s of the Connecticut Air National Guard won the team trophy for combined highest score for bombing and gunnery accuracy and individual trophies for best individual bomber and shooter scoring.
Volunteers with Georgia's State Defense Force participated in the annual "Silent Moment" Memorial Day Service held May 27 at Marietta National Cemetery.
An estimated 65 soldiers with the SDF's 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade and Headquarters 1st Brigade both based in Kennesaw and 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade based in Rome, were involved.
The group conducted security sweeps before, during and after the ceremony, while manning the command post. It also provided medical assistance; traffic and crowd control; VIP liaison and escort service; and assisted with providing refreshments to those attending the Memorial Day service.
Silent Moment is a ceremony honoring American veterans who have fought and died fighting for their country.
SDF troops later placed two roses at the cemetery's Pearl Harbor Memorial in honor of the more than 2,000 Americans who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
The Army National Guard has added the Job Opportunity Bank program to its Virtual Armory Web site (www.virtualarmory.com). Once on the site, go to the link index on the left side of the Web page and click on Georgia Jobs.
Activated May 27, the bureau's JOB program helps Georgia Guardsmen and their families with finding civilian employment with Georgia companies that support the Guard. This begins a new era of cooperation and interaction between Georgia's business and military communities.
Georgia is the first state selected by NGB for the implementation of this new recruiting and retention initiative. The goal is to provide employment options to soldiers to help reduce unit attrition because of job re-location and to augment unit recruitment and retention programs throughout the state.
JOB will allow soldiers and their sponsored family members to search and apply for job opportunities in their communities and across Georgia. Guardsmen can use their Virtualarmory.com username and password to access ARNG-JOB and also sponsor their family members access and use of the program.
The program is also available to Army National Guard recruiters to sponsor new recruits or transitioning active duty soldiers to the Georgia Guard.
Georgia Army Guard leaders are committed to helping Guardsmen and their families. The JOB program is built on the belief that company, community, country and the Guard are linked in producing a stronger America.
For the past two years the Army National Guard has been distributing its Strength Maintenance Attrition and Retention Tool (SMART) Kit to assist leaders E-5 and above in improving the retention of quality soldiers in the Guard.
The new "lead system" for the 2002 kit is "Every Soldier is a Recruiter" program.
This year's kit has been redesigned to better serve those leaders in their attempts to reduce unit attrition.
There's a new binder, for example, updated graphics and a new format to the kit's inserts. New reference sections contained in a bound supplemental guide have been included as well as new and "refined" sections on training, operations, readiness/mobilization, leadership, strength management and fitness.
The highlight of this year's kit is the new "Battle Disk." This CD-ROM contains screen savers, desktop patterns and a speakers kit presentation. It also holds refill pages for the kit and an extensive resources category.
For more information about the SMART Kit and how to schedule SMART training for soldiers E-5 and above, contact Maj. Bruce Chick at 404-675-5256 or Sgt. 1st Class Gonzalez at 404-675-5254.
Members of the Air Guard's 116th Bomb Wing and 283rd Combat Communications Squadron took part in the 2002 Special Olympics softball tournament held at Lost Mountain.
Volunteers for the tournament included Wayne Saunders, with 116th Communications Flight; Bo Hill, Dennis Alexander, Ryan Page, Rick Pendleton, all with the 116th Maintenance Squadron, and Dan Carthy, 116th Bomb Wing. Joining them from the 283rd were Jerry Whitworth, Garry Marr, James Watkins, Tony May, Larry Bowley, Mike Hardeman and Stan Phillips.
The Georgia Air National Guard has participated in Special Olympics for the past 24 years.
Each year, special needs citizens from throughout North and Middle Georgia put their sports skills to the test in what is always an exciting event. Air Guard volunteers who participated in the tournament worked as umpires, scorekeepers and announcers for the two-day competition.
"As softball players for the Georgia Bones Men's softball team, we were all touched by the effort, enthusiasm, energy and talent these young athletes showed, " said Master Sgt. Wayne Saunders, with the 116th Communications Flight.
Members of the Georgia National Guard's Operation SkyGuard recognized Ana Cabanas, an 87-year old Puerto Rican grandmother living in Cobb County, recently for her selfless support of their mission at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport.
For her uncommon support of the Guardsmen during their eight months at Hartsfield, Cabanas was presented the Army Achievement Medal and a certificate of appreciation from the Georgia Air National Guard.
On her own time, from her own kitchen and with her own money, Cabanas bought and prepared meals for 17 Guardsmen who worked the early morning shifts. Known to the troops as "Grandma," she provided them meals twice a week. These helped the Guardsmen save on personal food expenses during their eight-month activation.
"On occasion, there was so much food left over, that we took it home for our families to enjoy," said 1st Sgt. David Thompson, who supervised the third shift of the Hartsfield SkyGuard detail. "We always looked forward to what Grandma had for us each week."
At the same time her cuisine kept the group fed, her exceptional hospitality and kindness helped keep its morale high. "I've cooked all my life and I did this for my friends," Cabanas said.
She admits that it was also a sense of duty, pride and patriotism that drove her desire to assist the members of SkyGuard. Cabanas said her grandfather fought for the Americans during the Spanish American War. Her husband and brothers were either in military or they were policemen.
In a major step toward working closer together, the Georgia Guard's two professional associations met in a joint session during their annual conferences this year.
The National Guard Association of Georgia and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Georgia joined forces at their conferences on Jekyll Island this past week to hear from guest speakers and to honor supporters.
Speakers at the joint-session included Maj. Gen. David Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General, who provided a state-of-the-department address outlining the organization's accomplishments and successes over the past year. General Poythress spoke proudly of the successful mobilizations, armory renovations, training highlights, winning the Oglethorpe Award, and more.
Conference attendees also heard from retired Sgt. 1st Class Delano Kirby, the enlisted association president, and Maj. Gen. Richard Alexander, executive director of NGAUS.
The associations also took advantage of the occasion to honor two Georgia lawmakers who supported the National Guard during the recent legislative session. State representatives Ann Purcell and Ken Birdsong received Minuteman statuettes in appreciation of their supporting the Military Pension Fund bill and other legislation.
During separate sessions, the associations conducted business including the election of officers. The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Georgia re-elected Master Sgt. Jackie McKinney to a two-year term as its president. The National Guard Association of Georgia installed Col. Tom Lynn as its president, also for a two-year term. Lynn succeeds Brig. Gen. Terrell Reddick, commander 78th Troop Command.
The Army celebrates its 277th birthday June 8-15 and several activities in recognition of this special event are part of the weeklong celebration.
One such activity takes place June 13 at Centennial Olympic Park. Georgia Department of Defense employees are invited to attend a concert by the Army Ground Forces Band beginning at noon and followed by a swearing-in ceremony of new soldiers and cake cutting.
Buses will leave from Oglethorpe Armory and the DoD complex on Confederate Avenue for Centennial Park around 11:30 a.m. They will return to the armory and Confederate Avenue at 1:15 p.m. Anyone planning to ride a bus should contact Wanda Nichols, community relations program manager for the Guard, by June 11 at 404-624-6119.
Nichols stated individuals planning to attend this event can buy a box lunch for $5 or they can bring a sack lunch. Box lunches need to be purchased by June 11.
Another highlight for June 14 is the annual Army Ball Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Cost is $50 per person for a night of dinner, dancing and entertainment.
Tickets for the ball can be obtained from Staff Sgt. Anthony Christian by calling 404-675-5330 or Maj. Tanya Brinkley at 404-675-5006. Individuals planning to purchase tickets must do so by June 12.
More information about events set for the week of June 8-15 can be obtained by calling U.S. Forces Command, Fort McPherson, at 404-464-2769 or by visiting www.forscom.army.mil on the Internet.
Georgia's Army Guard Office of the Inspector General hosted the Southeast Region Inspector General training workshop at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, May 7-9.
Among the workshop participants were Cronin Byrd, the National Guard Bureau's inspector general; Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General; Col. Lee Gore, Georgia's state inspector general and members of his staff; members of the NGB-IG staff.
Also there were the state inspectors general and their staff members from North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Workshop participants were addressed by representatives of the Department of the Army Inspector General Investigations and Assistance divisions, the FORSCOM and First Army inspectors general and a representative of the Investigations Division of the Air Force Inspector General. Mike Comer, Army National Guard of Financial Services from DFAS-Indianapolis and Col. Kenneth Waldrep, the Georgia Guard's staff judge advocate also spoke.
The Georgia National Guard Family Readiness Office is hosting its annual training workshop, Sept. 13-15, at the Atlanta Marriott Gwinnett Place in Duluth.
Pre-registration forms for the workshop must be completed and returned to this office no later than July 15. All fees must accompany registration forms.
Registration the day of the workshop begins at noon, Sept. 13, with the day's seminars starting at 2 p.m. Exceptional family readiness volunteers will be honored during a banquet planned for 6 p.m., Sept. 14. The workshop will conclude at noon Sept. 15.
Each unit is highly encouraged to send two volunteers to attend the workshop. The Family Readiness Office encourages commanders and military family readiness representatives to attend with their volunteers.
This year's workshop will provide participants the necessary tools for maintaining family readiness groups. Several new classes have been added and a variety of topics will be offered.
The workshop's final agenda will be placed on the state Department of Defense Web site (www.dod.state.ga.us) with a link to Family Readiness. Click on Family Assistance Workshop to find the agenda.
For more information contact Maj. Rene Kuhn at 404-624-6454 or DSN: 338-6454 or Altamese Finch at 404-624-6420 or DSN: 338-6420.
June 9 at 9 a.m. is the date and time set for Georgia Army Guardsmen to try-out for the annual Army Ten-miler in Washington Oct. 20.
Army Guard Master Sgt. Grady Gayton of 1st Battalion, 78th Troop Command in Kennesaw, said the plan is to create a team of six to eight runners to represent Georgia in this year's event. Deadline for signing up is June 5.
The try-out will be held at Kennesaw Battlefield visitor's center, Gayton said. Goal pace for participants is seven minutes per mile for males and eight minutes per mile for females.
Guardsmen interested in participating can call Gayton at 770-528-3906 or contact him by e-mail at grady.gayton@ga.ngb.army.mil
To reach the visitor's center, travel north on I-75, Exit 270, Barrett Parkway. Turn left on to Barrett Parkway, travel about one mile across Cobb Parkway keep going to the next traffic light and then turn left. Go about 5 miles to the next light and turn right. The visitor's center is on the immediate left.
Gayton recommend runners bring a water bottle with them. Shower facilities are available at the Kennesaw Armory on Chastain Road, an estimated two miles from the visitor's center.
June 10, the deadline to sign up for 78th Troop Command's annual golf tournament scheduled for June 21, is only a few days away.
Tee time for this sixth annual tournament is 10 a.m. at the Fort McPherson Golf Club.
Individuals who haven't done so can still reserve their place in the tourney. Contact Maj. George Fisher or Maj. Joe Hoffman by calling 404-508-7026/7024, or by fax at 404-508-7035
The Air Commando Association plans to hold its annual reunion, Oct. 10-13, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. For more information call 1-850-581-0099, or fax your questions to 1-850-581-8988.
Interested individuals can also contact the association by e-mail at aircomando@aol.com or go to its Web site at http://home.earthlink.net/~aircommando1/ for more details.
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
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