48th
Brigade Combat Team
Competes Successful AT
at Camp Blanding
Soldiers of
the 48th Brigade Combat Team run through MOUT
training during annual training at Camp Blanding
(photo by Spc. Matthew Wester, 100th MPAD (TX ARNG).
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more AT photos |
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For
nearly 3,000 members of the Georgia Army National Guard there
was precious little time to relax following the G8 Summit along
Georgia
’s coast. After more than a week of providing round-the-clock
support to the huge security presence protecting the world’s
leaders, the National Guardsmen had little more than 24 hours to
regroup and head off to the 48th Brigade Combat Team
annual training
This
year’s annual training was held in the Palmetto-covered woods
of
Camp
Blanding, in north
Florida.
“The
goal of our training was simple,” explained Brig. Gen. Stewart
Rodeheaver, the 48th Brigade commander. “It was the
final train-up for our exercise at the National
Training
Center
in
California
next year.”
Much
of the training for the brigade has evolved as a result of
lessons learned from the Global War on Terrorism. Training was
focused on convoy operations, operating in villages and urban
settings and dealing with other cultures
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AT-2004...
American,
Canadian exercise builds cohesion
 Waking
up to the tune of “Revelry” before the break of dawn is a common
occurrence for Army soldiers. Waking
up to the sound of Revelry being played on bagpipes outside the barracks
window at
5 a.m.
isn’t.
When training alongside a foreign army, new things
must be
expected.
As
part of an annual training exercise in the humid forests of the
Florida
panhandle, Soldiers of 1st
Battalion, 121st Infantry trained alongside their Canadian counterparts,
the 48th Highlanders, an airborne based in
Toronto.
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of page
Searcy
Retires After 37 Years
Major
General William N. “Wick” Searcy ended his career Saturday
steps away from where he started his military career at the 165th
Airlift Wing 37 years earlier. At a change of command ceremony
at the Savannah Airlift Wing where hundreds of friends and
well-wishers were in attendance, Major General Searcy
relinquished command of 3,300-member of the Air National
Guard to General Scott A. Hammond, formerly chief of staff and a
19-year veteran of the Air National Guard. Read full
story
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of page
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Lt. Col. Jeff Edge
(left) and Lt. Col. Alan Dent congratulate each other
following the change of command of the 148th Support
Battalion
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Brig. Gen. Stewart
Rodeheaver passes the flag of the 648th Engineer Battalion to
the incoming commander, Maj. Mark Davis, who replaced Lt. Col.
Thomas Blackstock.
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Two
battalions of the 48th Brigade Combat Team changed command
during the annual training at Camp Blanding in June. Lt. Col.
Jeff Edge took the reigns of command of the 148th Forward
Support Battalion from Lt. Col. Alan Dent. Edge works fulltime
in the Army Guard's G3/Plans, Operations and Training section.
Also changing command was the 648th Engineer Battalion (SAPPER).
Maj. Mark Davis took command of the unit from Lt. Col. Thomas
Blackstock. Davis lives in Statesboro where he works for Farmers
& Merchants Bank.
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And
the Winner is…
Wing
Takes Top Guard Association Award
 Georgia
’s
116th Air Control Wing has been awarded the Spaatz Trophy,
awarded to the nation’s most outstanding Air National Guard
unit.
The announcement from the National
Guard Association of the
United
States
about the award came in late June.
Look for personal comments from Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, the
116th’s commander, about the unit’s accomplishment in First
Friday’s August issue.
The Spaatz Trophy, presented by the
National Guard Association of the
United
States
, is named for Gen. Carl Spaatz,
the first chief of staff of the independent Air Force. The award
criteria covers events of national and international
significance, exercises and deployments, operational airlift
missions, human resources, accident-rate history, unit awards
and community involvement. Read full
story
Georgia
DoD's IT Chief Retires
Jack Jolin (right)
receives his ten years of state service
certificate from Maj. Gen. Poythress during a
ceremony in 2003. |
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Jack
Jolin, Chief Information Officer for the Georgia Department of
Defense, for the past four years, retired June 30 following 10
years of state service and more than 42 years in the IT field.
Col. Charles Martin succeeds Jolin.
“Under Jack's strong leadership and vision, our
organization has made quantum leaps in the area of automation
and information technology, " said Maj. Gen. David B.
Poythress, the Adjutant General. "We wish him and his
family well in his retirement.”
Col. Martin comes to the position of CIO after serving as
Director of Information Technology for the Georgia Army National
Guard
“Col.Martin is an extremely capable officer and I have the
utmost confidence in his abilities to continue to carry on the
improvements and good work that Jack Jolin has accomplished in
our IT Division,” Poythress said.
Georgia
Historians Participate in D-Day Anniversary
Staff
Sgt. Gail Parnelle and Cpt. Gerald Pellegrini
visit Ste Mare Eglise while documenting the D-Day
anniversary celebration. |
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Members of the Georgia National Guard’s historical
detachment were among the thousands of military veterans and civilians to
celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion
It was on that fateful day that American, British, and
Canadian forces landed on a 40 mile stretch of beach at Normandy, France,
during World War II, while U.S. paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne
and British paratroopers made the jump into its fields.
As a part of the official celebration of the momentous day
that led to the defeat of Nazi Germany, three U.S. Reserve and the Georgia
history sections, collected oral interviews from D-Day veterans who were
able to return for the occasion. Read full
story
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of page
Date,
Place Announced
for
Leadership Course
August
24 to 27 is the date set for the next Georgia Department of
Defense Leadership Skills Enhancement course.
Set
to take place at
Macon
’s 202nd
Engineering Installation Squadron, the course has limited seats
available.
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of page
A look at what happened in July in
Georgia National Guard history:
July
12, 1951 – The 116th Fighter Bomber Wing departs
Alameda, Calif., for Japan. The wing is assigned to the Japan Air
Defense Force for the Korean War.
July
1952 – Most Georgia Air National Guard personnel from
several mobilized units are returned to state control following the
Korean War. Only those voluntarily extending their service
remain on active duty.
July
11, 1957 – Governor Marvin Griffin names Maj. Gen.
Charlie F. Camp Adjutant General of Georgia.
July
31, 1957 – Major Gen. George G. Finch retires as commanding
general of the 14th U.S. Air Force. General Finch organized
the 128th Observation Squadron, Georgia’s first Air National Guard
squadron.
| Complied by Staff Sgt. Gail
Parnelle, GaARNG Historical Section |
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