An infantryman from the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, connects a Humvee to a CH-47 Chinook flown by a crew from  Company F, 131st Aviation Regiment. The photo was taken in the same region where the Georgia Guard aircrews helped in a daring rescue of Soldiers from the 2-35 Infantry.

Nearly 3,500 members of the Georgia Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade received word in November that they would mobilize in support of the Global War on Terror.
Training begins in earnest next week when nearly a third of the unit’s soldiers are scheduled to go on active duty for initial processing and training on Monday, December 6. Also next week, nearly 50 of the unit’s leaders will head to Kuwait and Iraq for a pre-deployment site visit.
The main body of the units report shortly after the first of the year to Fort Stewart for three months of intensive training. In April the brigade will head for the National Training Center in California for a final mission rehearsal before deploying to Operation Iraqi Freedom. They are expected to remain in-theater for at least a year.
“Georgians can be proud of the men and women of the 48th Infantry Brigade,” said Brigadier General Stewart Rodeheaver, commander of the 48th Brigade, shortly after the announcement. “They have shown in the past that they can accomplish the mission when their country calls, and I have no doubt they will do so once again with this important deployment.
In addition to the Georgia units, the brigade will be augmented by nearly 1,000 Soldiers coming from units in six other states.
During the first phase of training in December, the initial wave of Soldiers will be involved in such activities as in-processing, medical testing and range qualification. The unique training plan includes activities occurring simultaneously at four mobilization-stations in order to reduce wait time and to maximize use of facilities. The four training locations for this phase will be Forts Stewart, Benning, Gordon and Jackson.