First Friday Briefing for November 2004

118th Personnel Service Company
Deploys for Iraqi Freedom
Forty seven Georgia Guardsmen of the 118^th Personnel Services Detachment at Fort Gillem are the latest Georgia Guardsmen to deploy in support of Iraqi Freedom. More than 150 family and friends gathered at the Oglethorpe Armory on Monday, October 25 to say their final goodbyes and to steal away a final few minutes with their husband and wives before departing for eighteen months to Kuwait and Iraqi.

Blanton takes command of 201st Service, Supply BN
Newnan’s 201st Supply and Service Battalion (pictured above, right) welcomed a new commander and said an emotional goodbye to its first during a change-of-command ceremony at the unit’s armory, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004. Lieutenant Col. Kelvin S. Newsome, who has served as the 201st’s commander since its inception two years ago, moves to DOL as its defense movement coordinator.

116th Airmen honored for heroic acts
Three Airmen of the 116th Air Control Wing were recognized Wednesday for going beyond the call of duty in assisting with off-base vehicle accidents. Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker officiated at a brief on-base ceremony. Staff Sgt. John Wright was credited with saving the life of a pregnant Perry woman whose lower arm was severed in a July  accident. Wright was returning home after his night shift in the 116th Maintenance Squadron and arrived on the scene immediately after the accident occurred. Senior Airmen Joe Ciancio and Charles Simpson were recognized for assisting local law enforcement with a massive traffic control problem following a fatal accident on Interstate 75 in July. The airmen, both members of the 116th Security Forces Squadron, were returning home from weekend duty at Robins.

New program touts
Opportunities for spouses 
Georgia National Guard Spouses who hold a bachelor degree or higher, and may have been considering a teaching career now have a resource for following through on that goal. Georgia is one of six states participating in the Spouses to Teachers program. Operated under DANTES’ Troops to Teacher program, the spouse’s version is a joint effort between DANTES and the Department of Defense to lead spouses to a career in public education.

Georgia's Townsend Range
Open to hunters
The Georgia National Guard's Townsend Range is rated as one of the best training facilities for our nation's top fighter pilots, but recently the 5,200 acre range located in prime South Georgia bottom land added another accolade as a prime hunting location. The secluded bombing range operated by the Georgia Air National Guard and owned by the U.S. Marine Corps is barely noticeable from the state highway and accessible only by a single dirt road. However, it conceals property accentuated with tall pines, large oaks and teeming with wild boar, deer and other small game. Hunting on the Air National Guard range has not been allowed until this year and will only be hunted four times this season.

Moore succeeds Westgate as
165th Airlift Wing commander
Savannah’s 165^th Airlift Wing undergoes a change of command on Saturday, November 6 when Col Thomas R. Moore assumes command from Col. Stephen Westgate who was recently been appointed Chief of Staff of the 3,000-member Georgia Air National Guard. The change of command will occur at the Headquarters of the 165^th at the Savannah International Airport.

116th Air Control Wing awarded the NGAUS Spaatz Trophy
Georgia’s 116th Air Control Wing has been awarded the prestigious Spaatz Trophy, awarded to the overall outstanding ANG flying unit. The trophy, which is awarded by the National Guard Association of the United States, was presented to Brig. Gen. Tommy Lynn, the unit's commander, at ceremonies at the State Capitol earlier this month. The award criteria covers seven areas: events of national and international significance, exercises and deployments, operational airlift missions, human resources, accident-rate history, unit awards, and community involvement.

Training provides Guardsmen
With 18-wheeled opportunities
A group of nearly 20 Georgia National Guardsmen are about start phase two of a training program that is jumpstarting their college careers, leading them down the road toward earning a second military occupation skill and steering them in the direction of a potential full-time job. With the passing of the Patriot Act trucks carrying “hazardous materials” must be operated by drivers who have passed a national background check. Every Guardsman, said Lt. Col. Matt Shannon, the Georgia Army National Guard’s education services officer, has already passed that check. Through a cooperative effort between the Georgia Guard and Indiana-based Vincennes University , Soldiers can put that to work in gaining a commercial driver’s license.

Counterdrug participates
In school event
Members of the Governor’s Counterdrug Task Force took the message to stay drug-free to students of a Griffin school this past month. Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Donna Taylor and Spc. Tracy Windley worked at Crescent Elementary School’s Fall Festival along with special agents Sam Jones and Ken Foster, both with the Griffin-Spalding Narcotics Task Force (GSNTF). More than 100 students, their parents and others attended the festival.

‘Theater Immersion Training’ New Watchword for First U.S. Army
“We are in a war with no rear areas or front lines. We have to instill the Warrior Ethos into the mobilized Soldiers we train. Every Soldier must be able to function as an Infantryman.  Soldiers must have tough, realistic, hands-on, repetitive training until their response is intuitive.” That is the vision that Lt. Gen. Russell L. Honoré, Commanding General First U.S. Army, shared with leaders at the First U.S. Army Commander’s Conference in Atlanta .  He aims to accomplish this with what he calls “theater immersion” training. 

161st Med welcomes Hendrix
As unit commander
Georgia Army National Guard Maj. Cheryl A. Hendrix is the new commander of Marietta’s Company B, 161st Medical Battalion. Major Anthony J. Labadia, who spent more than two years as the unit’s commander, including a deployment to Iraq, is now with State Medical Command.

Three Georgians honored by
National Guard Association
The National Guard Association of the United States has recognized three individuals for their service to the Georgia Guard. All three were honored at a ceremony at the State Capitol earlier this month. State Representative Ken Birdsong received the NGAUS Charles Dick Medal of Merit for his service as Chairman of the Georgia House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee. Also honored were Brig. Gen. Ret. Douglas Padgett, former Assistant Adjutant General-Air; and Brig. Gen. Joel Seymour, commander of the Georgia State Defense Force. Both received Meritorious Service awards from NGAUS.

Youth Challenge Program
Gets donated trucks from Cobb EMC
Cobb Electric Membership Corporation recently donated six trucks to the Georgia National Guard Youth Challenge Academy. Georgia’s Adjutant General. Members of the YCA cadre were on-hand at the EMC facilities to receive the vehicle titles from Cobb EMC CEO Dwight Brown and drove them to the Fort Stewart and Fort Gordon campuses.Cobb EMC is an electric membership cooperative serving more than 177,000 customers in Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding, Bartow and Fulton Counties.