Six Georgians earn NGAUS 2008 top honors
Six prominent Georgians were honored by the National Guard Association of the
United States
during the Association’s national conference held on September 20-24, 2008 in
Baltimore
. The six received the prestigious Patrick Henry Award recognizing local officials and civic leaders who distinguished themselves in outstanding service to the Armed Forces of the
United States
, the National Guard, or the National Guard Association of the
United States
.
The six Georgians honored include Major General David B. Poythress (Ret.)of Atlanta, Brigadier General Virlyn Slayton (Ret.) of Morrow, Bill Cathcart of Savannah, Milton H. (Woody) Woodside of Brunswick, Michael R. Fowler of Marietta, and Clyde Taylor of Macon.
"Each of these men exhibits the qualities of a true patriot," said Maj. Gen. Terry Nesbitt,
Georgia
's Adjutant General. "Displaying an uncommon and unwavering dedication and commitment, each of these recipients has demonstrated support to all men and women in uniform and particularly the National Guard and Reserves."
Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress is the former Adjutant General for
Georgia
and commanded the 12,000-member Georgia National Guard from 1999-2007. During his tenure as the Governor’s senior military advisor, Poythress was able to secure more than $32 million in armory renovations in
Georgia
. He also led successful negotiations with the Secretary of the Air Force to bring the sophisticated Joint STARS mission to the Air National Guard in
Georgia
. He secured legislation and funding for the first state retirement plan for traditional National Guard members; and under his leadership, the Georgia National Guard won the Oglethorpe Award for organizational excellence, the Malcolm Baldwin equivalent for public sector organizations.
Brig. Gen. Viryln Slaton is the Administrator of the Georgia Guard Insurance Trust. Following more than 35 years in the Georgia National Guard, Slayton continued his support of the National Guard as one of the founding members of the Georgia Guard Insurance Trust. The Trust offers affordable group term life insurance to
Georgia
’s Guard members and their families. Under Slayton's leadership, the Trust has been extremely successful receiving more than $1.7 million in dividends and paying more than $14 million in claims. It has provided more than $300,000 in academic scholarships and more than $10,000 for the Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation. Slayton serves on the city council of the City of
Morrow
.
Bill Cathcart is the Vice President and General Manager of WTOC-TV in
Savannah
. As a member of the Military Affairs Council of the Savannah/Chatham Chamber of Commerce, Cathcart served for four years as co-chair of the Chamber's Military Support Initiative during a time that local military installations in
Georgia
were under review by the Base Realignment and Closure Committee. He is a honorary commander for
Georgia
’s 165th Airlift Group. As a journalist, Cathcart routinely showcases military stories on local newscasts and annually publishes a special military supplement honoring military units in the coastal
Georgia
community.
Milton H. (Woody) Woodside has volunteered countless hours in service to the National Guard Association of the
United States
and the National Guard Association of Georgia for more than 20 years. As President of the Brunswick/Glynn County Chamber of Commerce, Woodside continues to support the National Guard through his personal contacts with members of
Georgia
's congressional delegation. He has organized such events as "Operation Thank You" for National Guard troops serving in
Bosnia
. He arranged for holiday celebrations for family members of the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron during their two year deployments to
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
; and he organized a welcome home celebration for the more than 3,500 members and families of the
Georgia
’s 48th Brigade Combat Team returning from
Iraq
.
Michael R. Fowler is the civilian Deputy Adjutant General for the Georgia Department of Defense. With responsibility for legislative action plans, he is the primary liaison with other government entities at both the state and federal level. Fowler was instrumental in procuring funding for desperately needed renovations to more than sixty 1950-era armories in
Georgia
. He built a coalition of community and political support for the establishment of a second
Youth
Challenge
Academy
campus at
Fort
Gordon
. He assisted the Adjutant General in establishing the state’s first ever state retirement for National Guard members, and coordinated the effort to add a simple “check off” box to state income tax forms which allowed taxpayers to donate to the National Guard Family Support Foundation.
Clyde Taylor is the Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss. In this position, he has been successful in coordinating landmark legislation and securing funding through committee that has had a significant impact on the National Guard and Reserve. Mr. Taylor lobbied Congress to secure funding for the first of four C-27 J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft which will be delivered to the Georgia Army National Guard and be based at Robins AFB. He coordinated with the U.S. Air Force to budget for re-engine 17 E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft with new and more powerful Pratt & Whitney engines. He also secured legislation in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act that creates a reintegration program for National Guard personnel returning from combat.
The six recipients were recognized at the 130th General Conference of the National Guard Association held in
Baltimore
,
MD.
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