As of February 7 some 1,300 Army National Guard soldiers from Georgia have either been mobilized or have been assigned mobilization dates. Nearly 1,000 more have been alerted  for possible mobilization. 

Command and staff elements of the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade spent three days in early March sharpening their decision-making skills and battlefield management abilities during the annual Brigade Warfighter Exercise (BWFX) at Fort Stewart.

During their three days at Stewart the soldiers used computer simulations to enhance the brigade’s command and control process. Orders and directives from higher headquarters field tactical operation centers (TOC) were transformed into computer data needed to the fight a variety of battle scenarios.

The Brigade Warfighter is a 30-hour exercise. During the exercise, the 48th executes its operations order, which was developed at a seminar held earlier at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The brigade’s OPORD was improved upon during a four-month period before the Warfighter exercise. Full Story

Georgia Army National Guard officials visited Fort Benning in Columbus, Monday, March 3, to watch specialized training being conducted by Georgia Guardsmen and visit with soldiers deployed to the active duty post in response to Operation 

Brig. General Terry Nesbitt, who commands the Army Guard, Command Sgt. Maj. James Dennis, the state command sergeant major, and representatives of the Guard’s Recruiting and Retention, Strength Management and Mobilization and Planning offices spent the day asking questions of commanders and enlisted troops regarding their living and working conditions and morale.

First stop on the group’s agenda was Ranger training being conducted by the Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU) at Benning’s Camp Rodgers. Soldiers of the LRSU are attached to the Army Guard’s 221st Military Intelligence Battalion and will be the battalion’s eyes and ears in an action the unit may see. Full Story

YCA Graduates 147 From Ft. Gordon Campus

Georgia’s Youth Challenge Academy graduating class of 2003-01, featured among its 147 graduates, a number of achievements. The students were all from the YCA’s Fort Gordon campus.

Some four graduates who received GEDs in the ceremony held in Macon on March 2 earned perfect scores on either math, literature or science. Eleven graduates scored 3,000, among the highest marks given on the test.

Eleven members of the class were awarded scholarships, and 40 percent of the class will go on to college, technical school or other approved programs (Job Corps etc.).

Youth Challenge also inducted Mrs. Charlene Anderson into its "Volunteer Hall of Fame." Mrs. Anderson, a full-time employee with the Georgia Department of Defense, has devoted countless hours to enhancing the Fort Stewart and Fort Gordon based program.

Georgia Air National Guard officials working in conjunction with the FAA and local civilian aviation authorities have made significant airspace modifications for the existing Military Operating Areas (MOA) surrounding the Townsend Range near Jesup, GA. With modifications to the existing airspace, Georgia Air National Guard officials do not anticipate a significant increase in current operations at the Townsend Range.

The new proposal currently being circulated by the FAA reduces the size of the existing airspace needed by the Air National Guard to conduct mission requirements.

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May 9 is the day set for the National Guard Association of Georgia’s annual golf tournament.

Competition takes place on the greens and fairways of Warner Robins’ Landings Golf Club. Lunch is scheduled for noon followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

This event is a four-person scramble format with a cost of $40 per player. There is a 25-team limit and an entry deadline of April 30. All checks should be made out to the Landings Golf Club. Team names and checks can be mailed to John Labuda, 111 Fairways Drive, Warner Robins, Ga., 31088.

This year’s conference of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Georgia (EANGUS) has been canceled because many of its members have been deployed in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, said the association’s president, Sgt. Maj. Jackie McKennie.

McKeenie is the Enlisted Promotion System manager at Headquarters STARC in Ellenwood.

"Considering the pace with which Army and Air Guard units are being mobilized," McKennie said, "the association decided it was best to call off the conference."