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State Partnership task force
trains Georgians for Iraq
A brigade of Georgians is preparing for deployment to Iraq in support of
the Global War on Terror. But this time, it’s a unit from the country of
Georgia. And helping them prepare is a task force of more than 30 Georgia
National Guardsmen from the 48th Infantry Brigade and other Army and Air
Guard units in the state. The project is the latest in a series of ongoing
training, humanitarian and familiarization missions that are part of the
State Partnership Program. The relationship between the Georgia National
Guard and the nation of Georgia dates back to the mid-1990’s.
Full Story
'Number 25' wins one for the Guard
Nearly 30 Georgians were among those
honored over the Memorial Day weekend as their names were
written on the deck lid of Casey Mears' winning car as he drove
his No. 25 National Guard/GMAC "American Heroes" Chevrolet, to
victory in the Coca-Cola 600. Mears’ National Guard/GMAC
"American Heroes" Chevrolet featured a special paint scheme as
part of the American Heroes Memorial Day salute to the Armed
Forces.
Full Story
Savannah's
117th earns
AF meritorious unit award
Ninety-eight members of the Savannah-based 117th Air Control
Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard have received the Air
Force Meritorious Unit Award as a result of superior performance
during Operation Iraqi Freedom from January through May 2006.
While deployed to Iraq, the 117th had sole airspace control of
the more than 270,000 square miles of Iraqi airspace.
Full Story
Georgians take on mission to
aid Afghan forces
Nine
Georgia Army Guard officers and seven senior NCOs have arrived
in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province where they will spend a year
working along side the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) and
Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP).
The
mission of the Transition
Training Team Georgia is to provide, advisory support and
direct access to coalition assistance to enhance the ability of
the ANSF and AUP to operate independently of coalition forces.
Full Story
Congressman Johnson
visits Georgia Guard
Georgia’s freshman U.S. Representative Hank Johnson, a member of the
House Armed Services Committee spent two days recently visiting active
duty, Guard and Reserve facilities around the state, and becoming
acquainted with Georgia’s military community.
Georgians compete in Nebraska's
'All Guard' marathon
Two Georgia National Guard Soldiers competed
in this year’s 26.2 mile “All Guard” Marathon. Lt. Col. Jeff
Olive of Ellenwood 's Headquarters Detachment, Joint Force
Headquarters finished 14th among Guardsmen and 26th overall
among the more than 770 competitors in the men's division.
In the female division
Sergeant 1st Class Devika Hull with Ellenwood’s 221st Military
Intelligence Battalion, finished 23rd among Guard competitors
and 145th overall in a field of more than 300 women runners.
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Guard continues to battle state's worst fire; 3 million
gallons already dropped
Georgia National Guard helicopters continue the aerial battle against
the largest forest fire ever recorded in Georgia. To date Army Guard
helicopters have flown more than 353 hours dropping more than 3100
“bambi bags” of water, equivalent to more than 3 million gallons of
water. Since the fire erupted in April, close to 600,000 acres have
been scorched in southeast Georgia and eighteen homes destroyed.
Fortunately, there have been no fatalities reported.
Full Story
Hansen promoted to colonel;
first director, HQ Air Staff
Murray A. Hansen of Warner Robins was promoted to the rank of Colonel
in the Georgia Air National Guard at formal promotion ceremonies held
at the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Ga. Hansen, an 18-year Air
Force veteran is currently the Director of Staff, Headquarters, Georgia
Air National Guard. In this position, Colonel Hansen serves as a
principal advisor to the Adjutant General of Georgia and the Assistant
Adjutant General for Air on a broad range of matters concerning the
U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard.
Full Story
202nd completes 'high-tech'
Air Ops Center for 1st Air Force
The Georgia Air
Guard’s 202d Engineering Installation Squadron played a key role
recently installing a significant communication project for the
new Air Operations Center at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The new AOC will
support 1st Air Forces’ new homeland security mission. The project
involved installing cabinets, racks, fiber optic and shielded CAT 6
cable throughout the communications, operations and intelligence areas.
Airmen of the 202nd also bayed, and grounded 77 cabinets, as well
as the grounding grid system in the communications rooms.
Full Story
Commander of Medical Command
earns promotion
Kirk Austin, M.D., of Dublin, was recently promoted to the rank of
Colonel in the Georgia Army National Guard. He serves as commander of
the Georgia Guard’s Medical Command and State Surgeon at the Guard’s
headquarters in Atlanta. In his civilian capacity, Dr. Austin is a
hospitalist and chief of Specialty and Ancillary Services at Carl
Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin. A 25-year military veteran, Dr.
Austin has served two deployments to Iraq.
Full Story
165th Firechief earns leadership award
Greg Delahunty, deputy fire chief with Savannah's 165th Airlift Wing,
is this year's recipient of the DOD 2007 Individual Award for
Leadership. He was nominated by Fire Chief Tim Horton.
Full Story
'Ride' nets $11,000 for foundation
The 5th Annual "Top Gun Ride for Children"
held in Kennesaw, Ga., in April raised more than $11,000 for the
Georgia National Guard Foundation. The annual event involved more than
300 motorcyclists from the Cobb County and Atlanta areas. The
funds were awarded to the foundation in early May.
Full Story
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Deployment Update |
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USPFO Warehouse supervisor
Keeps parts moving in Iraq
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Terri Byers is
deployed in support of Operation Iraq Freedom and assigned to Balad Air
Base, Iraq where she has been a key part of the operation of the largest
Supply Support activity in the theater of operations. With over 8,000
items on-hand to support over 500 aircraft, the warehouse supplies all of
Iraq with critical aviation parts. When not deployed, Byers is the USPFO
Warehouse Supervisor in Atlanta and is scheduled to return home this
summer. Full Story
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214th unit prepares for deployment
Waynesboro’s Battery C, 1st Battalion, 214th
Field Artillery will report to the unit’s armory June 4, to prepare
for its upcoming yearlong deployment to Iraq. The unit will head to Fort
Bliss, Texas June 12 for advanced mobilization training.
Full Story
'Tuskegee Airman' visits with ANG staff
Lt. Col. Hiram E. Mann (seated center), one of the original Tuskegee
Airmen visited with the Georgia Air Guard's Equal Employment Opportunity
staff during the Military Equal Opportunity Conference held recently in
Minneapolis. Mann was a member of the famed 332 Fighter Group during its
deployment in Italy in 1944.
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A look at what happened in
June
in Georgia National Guard history:…
1970 - The 151st Aviation Battalion,
composed of the 158th and 159th Aviation Companies, conducted its
first operational training for two weeks with the OV1 Mohawk aircraft
at Savannah's Municipal Airport. The training, begun in late June, was
observed by Major General John Finn of the Third US Army Reserve
Forces, Major General George Hearn, The Adjutant General, who was on
active duty with the aviation units; and, Major General Francis
Greenlief of the National Guard Bureau. While Georgia Army Guard
Mohawk pilots flew missions each day, photo technicians and imagery
interpreters of the units processed incoming data from the flights.
1976 - 1160th Transportation Company
members and Col. Robert Sprayberry, State Aviation Officer, greeted
the arrival of the first of nine CH54 Skycrane helicopters assigned to
the unit. Training of aircrews for the Skycrane and support personnel
began at the start of the month.
*The 1160th was activated and given F/R that
February; in 1987 it would become Co. B, 244th Aviation Battalion. The
Skycranes would serve in GaARNG aviation for sixteen years.
1962 - Bids were opened on the 65th
armory to be constructed in Georgia since the armory construction
program was initiated in 1952 by Governor Ernest Vandiver when he
served as Adjutant General.
The armory building program provided units with
modern facilities, replacing the armories of barns, attics,
warehouses, upper level spaces above businesses and other types of
inadequate locations. By June, 1962, 58 armories were completed with
six others in various stages of construction.
The 65th armory construction bidding was for
Moultrie, Ga; the unit was Co. D, 4th Med. Tank Battalion, 108th
Armor.
Complied by Gail Parnelle,
GaARNG Historical Section |
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