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.
Soldiers performing a mission have other issues to concern themselves with, said Capt. April Asher, who commands the 118th. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether their pay status is correct or if their insurance beneficiary is up-to-date, she said.
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.
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.
Part of the Asher’s "train like you fight" process is that every soldier in her unit know what the other is doing and be capable of carrying out each others 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.