First Friday Briefing for May  2007

Georgia Chinooks, Black Hawks
Help wildfire fighting efforts
Georgia National Guard helicopters have been playing a significant role in efforts to halt the spread of wildfires burning across southeast Georgia.

Georgia Guard helicopters have logged more than 200 hours in the air dropping more than 2,400 buckets of water since the mission began in mid-April.

Flown by members of the 169th Aviation Regiment from Hunter Army Airfield, the large, CH-47 Chinooks helicopters were called into action when the fires began spreading in Ware and Brantley Counties. Two Chinooks have been on duty most days, each making nearly a hundred drops a day from their 2,000 gallon “Bambi Bags.”

Earlier this week, UH-60 Black Hawks from Dobbins Air Reserve Base joined the fight. The Black Hawks are flown by the 171st Aviation Battalion from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, and are basing operations from the Waycross airport.

In addition to aviation assets, the Georgia State Defense Force is also supporting the firefighting efforts. The GSDF is providing security, fire watch, and traffic control support. As many as 20 GSDF personnel at a time have been assigned to the mission over the past two weeks. Full Story

Guardsmen gather to remember
‘Days of the Mohawk’
Georgia Army Guard aviation Soldiers played host to the Winder Flying Club’s first annual OV-1 Mohawk reunion at the Guard’s flight facility No. 1, Winder-Barrow County Airport. More than 50 club members, all of them former Mohawk flight and maintenance crewmen lined the tarmac in front of the flight facility, along with their fellow Soldiers and welcomed home a fully-restored, two-seater Grumman OV-1B, flown by members of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation. The aircraft, which once served with the Guard’s 158th Aviation Battalion, was received by cheers from those who flew and maintained the Mohawks. Full Story

Georgian joins Guard,
State Partnership program
Specialist David Papava, a Republic of Georgia native, has made history in
the Guard by being one of the first native Georgians to join. Papava is the
new Internal Affairs Technician for the State Partnership program at Dobbins
Air Reserve Base, Marietta. Full Story

Related story:
SPP has opening for ANG member

Thomaston dedicates post office
To fallen Guardsman
The Thomaston post office was dedicated to Georgia Army Guard Sgt. 1st Class Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar Jr., Troop E, 108th Cavalry, in a renaming ceremony that took place at the Thomaston Civic Center. Hollar was killed near Baghdad, Sept.1, 2005, when his vehicle was struck by the blast of an IED. Full Story

John Hardwick retires
Following 15 years with State
Family, friends and coworkers of long-time Georgia Department of Defense employee John Hardwick gathered to salute his 15 years of achievement with the state during a midday retirement ceremony that took place at the DOD's East Confederate Avenue complex in Atlanta. Combined with his active duty service, Hardwick has spent nearly 40 years serving the U.S. Military. As the manager of the Casualty, Awards and Decorations, and Retirement Services Division of the Directorate of Workforce Development, Hardwick was responsible for casualty assistance, military awards and retirement programs for Georgia Guardsmen. During his tenure, he developed key policies and regulations regarding retirement benefits and awards.

Aerial competition demonstrates
Air superiority, Guard capabilities
The Georgia Air National Guard’s Townsend Bomb Range near Brunswick played host in April to nearly 1,000 civilian and military visitors who came to watch the Guard’s annual Turkey Shoot competition. The event gives pilots and aircraft from across the services the opportunity to pit their flying, bombing and strafing skills against one another. This year’s winner was a flight of A-10 Thunderbolts from the Connecticut Air National Guard’s 133rd Fighter Wing.  Full Story