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Garay, Cook compete in Solider,
NCO regionals; earn state honors
Georgia’s Spc. Anthony Garay and Staff Sgt. Donne Cook will always be
winners to Georgia Army Guard officials, even though they will not go
on to the next round of Soldier and Noncomissioned Officer of the Year
competition. Two Soldiers from Georgia's sister states, Tennessee and
Florida, will go on to represent the Southeast region in the national
competition.
Full
Story
Guard and
Shriners look to possible partnership to help wounded
Vets
An exciting new partnership may be unfolding between the Georgia National
Guard and the Shrine Yaarab Headquarters in Atlanta. Shriners have a
worldwide reputation for helping children through a system of
22 pediatric hospitals funded and operated solely by the Shrine
organization. These pediatric facilities help thousands of children
each year with no-cost, medical care for children with orthopedic
problems, burn injuries, or spinal cord injuries and rehabilitation. Full Story
Hidden Treasure:
Olympic hopeful among USPFO staff
Katie Corner a technician pay specialist is an Olympic hopeful
who spends her off hours practicing the ancient art of discus
throwing. Corner will be attending the Olympic Trials in Eugene,
Oregon, in late June.
Full Story
Georgia Soldier one of two to
graduate new recruit program
A south Georgia Soldier is among the first to complete
training as part of the Army’s Active First enlistment program. “It’s
an honor and a privilege for me. I’m very proud of who I am and what I
have accomplished,” said Pvt. Jhakeem A. Chambers of Springfield.
Full Story
121st Soldiers Train in Germany
‘Full-on’ would be a good
way to describe the approach to training Soldiers of the 48th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team have taken since deploying for
training in late April to
Germany.
Full Story
1/121 Soldiers
fine-tune their training
by training their British counterparts
Soldiers with the 48th Brigades 121st Infantry Battalion
join with their counterparts in England to share knowledge and
training for the war in Iraq. Troops from the two countries
spent two-weeks in Germany at the Joint Multinational Readiness
Center.
Full Story
High-tech system will give
Guardsmen control of pay,
personnel data
Georgia Army National Guardsmen will be soon able to check their
records and their pay using a one-stop high tech system that
the Army calls DIMHRS or Defense Integrated Military Human
Resources System. Full Story
Download DIMHRS Poster
Download DIMHRS FAQ
Download
DIMHRS Press Release
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required get it
here)
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First Friday goes PDF!
First Friday sports a new look for June. This will be an
effort to make the publication more printer friendly as well as increase readership. There will also be a new email distribution
system, starting in June, that can be subscribed to by following the box
at the top of
this page. Click here to print the new PDF version.
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required. Get it
here)
Governor Plans for State
Memorial Day Ceremony
Georgia National Guard
members who have fallen in the line of duty during operations
Enduring and Iraqi Freedom will be remembered at a State
Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by Governor Sonny Perdue. The event
will be at 11 a.m., Thursday, May 22, 2008, at Mount Paran
Church of God in Atlanta.
Full Story
Memory of Georgia Soldier lives on through donations to Iraqi school
A Georgia charitable foundation named for Sgt.
Michael Stokely, one of Georgia’s fallen carries on his memory through
donations to Iraqi children. Everything donated to the school has come
from the orgizanation names for the Georgia Soldier who died Aug. 16, 2005, in Mullah Fayad.
Full Story
169th Chinooks land
at high school
Sergeant 1st Class Richard Sparks, a flight engineer with the
Georgia Guard’s 169th Aviation Regiment from Hunter Army
Airfield, gave Efffingham County students a tour of the unit’s
CH-47 Chinook helicopter after the aircraft touched down at
Effingham County High School. The demonstration was given to
Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps classes and to
other elementary and high school students.
Unique
GaSDF ceremony demonstrates link between units
Seven members of the 911th Support Command, Georgia State
Defense Force (GSDF), were promoted in April during unique
ceremonies at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The GSDF members were
pinned by Col. Brent Bracewell, commander of the Georgia
Army Guard’s 78th Aviation Troop Command. Full Story
North Georgia scholarship
awardees honored by governor
More than 20 Georgia high school seniors were awarded the full
four-year scholarships to North Georgia College presented by the Georgia
National Guard, North Georgia College and State University and the Georgia
Student Finance Commission (GSFC), the state agency that administers the
scholarships.
Full
Story
Joyce Departs HRT,
Peno Takes Reins
Colonel Steve Joyce concluded his final meeting chairman of the
Georgia Department of Defense Human Relations Team (HRT) at
Callaway Gardens, April 26-27 by finalizing elements of the
HRT’s Strategic Plan. Joyce, who serves as J-1 (Director of
Personnel and Administration), has directed the HRT for the past
two years. He passes the reins of the team to Lt. Col. Jay Peno,
Human Resources Officer for Georgia.
Full Story
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Vigilant Guard
2008 |
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Guard tests readiness
at Vigilant Guard '08
Nearly 500 Georgia Army and Air National Guard
members took part in Vigilant Guard ’08 in April. The massive exercise in
South Carolina brought together thousands of military and civilian, law enforcement,
and emergency personnel who responded to a mock major earthquake which
caused devastating damage and loss of life across the state.
Full Story
165th aircraft
makes historic landing during Vigilant Guard '08
Captain Brian Zwicker, of Savannah's 165th Airlift Wing, stands by C-130
Hercules aircraft that he just piloted to a landing on the runway at
Hilton Head Island Municipal Airport, S.C. The landing was historic as
it marked the largest airplane to land at the Hilton Head airport, and
as a result, the airport is now certified to handle military aircraft
of that size. The 165th flew into Hilton Head as part of Vigilant
Guard '08 and airlifted simulated earthquake victims from the island
to Beaufort, S.C.
877th Engineers train
for
special rescue
Members of the 877th Engineer Company from
Augusta took part in some unique training in high-angle rescues during Vigilant
Guard '08. The exercise simulated a major earthquake in South Carolina.
Full Story
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A look at what happened in May in Georgia National Guard history...
May 1974 – Georgia Army National
Guard aviators assigned to Winder's 158th Military Intelligence unit participated in exercise Solid Shield. The exercise was
designed to test this nation’s readiness under realistic combat
conditions. Crewmen, flying OV-1 Mohawk, a propeller driven, twin
engine aircraft featuring sophisticated side looking airborne radar (SLAR),
sent data back to its ground station for interpretation. The onboard
infrared cameras with “strobe lights, also allowed the “aircraft to
literally see in the dark,” and photos could later be read by Image
Interpreters on the ground.
May 1973 – The all male ranks of the Georgia Army National
Guard opened May 17 to welcome the first female member in the State’s
history. Gail Wagner of Lithonia was sworn in by Maj. Gen.
Joel B. Paris, III, Adjutant General of Georgia. Asked about her
enlistment, Wagner said, “They [Guard officials] are hoping more
women will join so that we can all start basic training together. I
guess I did it [enlisted] mostly out of curiosity, the challenge of
being first at something.”
May 1960 – The Georgia Army Guard welcomed it newest unit in
May when the 124th Information Detachment was activated. The unit’s
mission was to promote the National Guard "in the eyes of the public.”
Detachment commander, Lt. Roderick Morrison and two information
specialists, Sp4 Clifford Mehearg and Sp5 Everett L. Millican, Jr.,
comprised the unit.
May 1959 – The May issue of Air Reservist Magazine cited Col.
William H. Kelley, ANG base detachment commander at Savannah’s Travis
Field, for his work in promoting the 165th Fighter Group’s relationship
with the city. In the article, the unit and Kelley were cited as an
examples of “grass roots” public relations. “The basic philosophy
practiced by the 165th is that it is part of Savannah. Its personnel
are Savannahians who live, work and play an important part in
community affairs.” Kelly was honored with an Outstanding Citizen
Award for his work in the Savannah community.
Complied by
Beryl I Diamond, PhD,
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