Soldiers
and their families of the Georgia Army National Guard’s aviation community
gathered in November at Stone Mountains’ Evergreen Conference Resort for the
annual Aviation Formal.
Georgia Department of
Defense
First Friday Briefing
December 6, 2002
1st Aviation Holds its Annual Formal
The event, put on by 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.