A Georgia Army
Guardsman from Cartersville has been awarded the prestigious General
Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for 2006. Chief Warrant Officer 2
Douglas M. Berg, a seven year veteran of the Georgia Army National Guard
and a Black Hawk helicopter pilot assigned to Company C, 171st
Aviation Regiment at Dobbins ARB, is one of twenty-seven national
recipients of the annual award.
The distinctive
national award is presented annually to members of the Active Army, Army
Reserves and Army National Guard. The award from the General Douglas
MacArthur Foundation in coordination with the US Department of the Army
recognizes company grade officers in active duty, reserve and the
National Guard who have demonstrated outstanding leadership traits and
abilities in the ideals of duty, honor and country that General MacArthur
epitomized.
Berg joined the
Army upon graduation from
Lovejoy
High School in
Clayton
County. He served
six years of active duty as a MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief and
was deployed on numerous special operations missions worldwide. He
returned to
Georgia in 1999 to
attend
Georgia
State
University and
joined the 1/171 Aviation Regiment of the Georgia Army National Guard.
He later attended
Warrant Officer
School and flight
school graduating in March 2004. He was deployed to
Kuwait for Operation
Iraqi Freedom where he flew more than 500 hours over
Kuwait and
Iraq. WO
Berg flew numerous high risk missions in
Iraq where
he was subject to a daily threat of small arms, surface to air missiles
and mobile anti-aircraft weapons. Berg participated in the
transportation of thousands of pounds of vital equipment and hundreds of
soldiers into and out of
Iraq. In
doing so he flew more than 45 combat missions into
Iraq
logging over 172 flying hours. He also flew over 285 hours in
Kuwait
supporting the Coalition Forces Land Component Command.
Returning after
his tour in Middle East, Berg attended
Georgia
State
University. He
served as chairman of the Georgia State University College Republicans
and interned with the Georgia House of Representatives Way and Means
Committee during the 2001 legislative session. He was later hired in the
office of the Clerk of the Georgia House of Representative and later in
the office of the Speaker of the House. Berg graduated from GSU with a BA
in Political Science in June 2002.
Berg was hired
as the full time Aviation Regiment’s Training officer and Maintenance
officer with Company C, 1/171st Aviation Regiment. He
deployed for three weeks to
Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina
and participated in the rescue of thousands of people in
New Orleans. Currently, CW2
Berg is part of a humanitarian mission, New Horizons, taking place in the
Dominican Republic.
Berg will be
presented the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award later in May at
formal military ceremonies to be held at the Pentagon.
Berg is the son
of Linda Berg who lives in Cartersville.
