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117th Returns Following Deployment
Ninety-eight airmen of Savannah’s 117th Air Control Squadron returned to
Georgia in late May after completing an historic six-month deployment to
Iraq. The 117th, along with its sister unit, Puerto Rico’s 141st Air
Control Squadron, had the unique mission responsibility of controlling all
the airspace over war-torn Iraq.
Full Story
Maj. Gen. Poythress, Maj. Gen.
Hammond, Col. Tom Moore, 165th AW Commander, Col. Floyd Harbin, CRTC
Commander and Col. Thomas Dunham, 165th Medical Group Commander, break
ground at the CRTC.
Ground
Broken On New Medical Facility
A ground breaking ceremony was
held May 9th in Garden City as construction got underway on significant
base improvements slated for the Combat Readiness Training Center and
165th Airlift Wing.
Eight million dollars of new construction was recently approved by
Congress for two new facilities. Initial construction focuses on a new
Medical Operations and Training Building which will serve as the home for
the 165th Medical Group. In addition, an expanded training area will
be provided within the new construction for visiting military units from
across the nation and around the world. This $6.7 million facility is
slated for completion in May 2007.
165th ASOS Welcomes New Commander
The Georgia Air National Guard’s
165th Air Support Operations Squadron undergoes a Change of
Command in June as Lt. Col. John Haley relinquishes command of the
72-member unit to Lt. Col. Paul G. Havel. Lt. Col. Haley is also
scheduled to retire following more than 28 years of commissioned service.
Lt. Col. Paul G. Havel, a
22-year Air Force veteran, is currently the Air Liaison Officer for the
Brunswick-based unit. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy,
Havel has accumulated over 2,600 flying
hours including 111 combat hours flown during Operations JUST CAUSE,
DESERT STORM and CONTINUE HOPE. Full Story
Checkoff Box Nets $84,000 For
Family Support Foundation
Families of Georgia National Guardsmen financially wounded by deployments
or other reasons have a new source of assistance thanks to state
taxpayers.
Full Story
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Gov. Sonny Perdue and Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver display the 48th
BCT battle flag presented to the State of Georgia. |
48th Presents Battle Flag To State
The 48th BCT
battle flag that flew over Camp Stryker in Baghdad and during memorial
services for the fallen now has a final resting place as part of a display
honoring Georgia’s military men and women in Georgia's Capitol. Brigadier
Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, 48th Brigade Combat Team commander, presented the
flag to Governor Sonny Perdue at a Capitol ceremony May 30.
Full story
Changes Ahead for 48th Brigade
As Unit Faces Transformation
Back from its yearlong combat
deployment to
Iraq, the
Georgia Army Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team will be facing some
significant organizational changes. The changes, which have been on the
horizon for the past several years, are part of an Army-wide
transformation affecting a number of active and reserve component units.
Read Full Story
USO Award Presented To 48th BCT
Georgia’s 48th Brigade Combat Team led by Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver
received the USO’s 2006 Patriot Award during the Atlanta Regional Military
Affairs Council’s 54th annual Military Affairs Luncheon held, again this
year, at the Cobb Galleria.
Brig. Gen. Rodeheaver told an audience of more that 500 military and
civilian onlookers that “It’s an honor and a very humbling experience to
accept this award on behalf of the 48th.”
Full Story
Border Patrol helicopter hovers over
desolate area of the southwest
Operation Jump Start’ Uses
Guard To Tighten Border
National Guard troops from four states are now on the US -Mexican border
following President Bush’s announcement that National Guard forces will
help bolster homeland security and border patrol activities along the
1,950-mile border. Read Full Story
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Deployment Update |
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MSG Michael Graham, 122nd ROC, takes a
"fishing break" outside his Pontoon Office in Iraq after an early
afternoon rain shower.
122nd ROC
Continues Aid
As Operation
Iraqi Freedom pushes toward the day that Iraqis will take on all
responsibility for the running of their country, Soldiers of Georgia’s
122nd Rear Operations Center continue helping the country get back on
its feet through assistance with projects to rebuild that war-torn
nation. Full Story
124th MPAD Members Brave
Sandstorm for 'Photo Op'
During a sandstorm roaring in the background, Sergeants Jeff Lowry and
Trevor Snyder (far left and right), both with Georgia’s 124th Mobile
Public Affairs Detachment, pose for a photo with members of the Army
Reserve’s 206th Broadcast Detachment. The 124th, commanded by Maj.
Chris Dockery, is in Iraq running the Coalition Press Information
Center in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Lowry, Snyder and their fellow Soldiers
have been in country since October 2005. Among the MPAD’s duties is the
day-to-day operations of the CPIC, dealing with civilian media and
overseeing daily press briefings and conferences. (Contributed photo)
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A look at what happened in
June in Georgia National Guard history:
1917 –
The 3rd battalion, 2nd Regiment of Infantry, was in Florida on active
duty as a result of the entry by the United States into World War I
two months earlier. Guarding vital infrastructure such as railroad
bridges was one of the War Department's concerns after war was
declared. The Florida East Coast Railroad, important to
transportation, commerce and military bases, ran all the way south to
Key West, and the 3rd Battalion was assigned the duty of protecting
the railroad’s bridges. One of the battalion’s companies was posted
in Jacksonville while three other companies were stationed between
Miami and Key West.
1958 –
Margie Dell Pitts and Eleanor Joyce
Chapman, the first women in the Georgia Army National Guard, were
sworn-in by Lt. Col. John R. Johnson, Army advisor for the Georgia
Guard, as first lieutenants in Griffin’s 117th Surgical Hospital. The
ceremony took place in the office of Maj. Gen. Charlie Camp, Adjutant
General of Georgia. A board of four officers had approved the nurse’s
applications, and it determined Pitts and Chapman were qualified to be
granted federal recognition as first lieutenants.
1992 – The 111th Tactical Air Control Party Flight was
redesignated the 165th Air Control Party Flight. This unit moved to
Brunswick from Pennsylvania in 1988, transferring to the Glynco
Jetport in late 1988. The unit’s wartime mission involved linking up
and deploying with designated army maneuver units, and providing
liaison on matters concerning tactical air support with the Army.
Complied by Gail Parnelle, GaARNG Historical Section |
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