May 2016

Region III

B E s t Warrior

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Contents ISSUE: MAY 2016

columns 27| Professional Development “Band of Brothers�

35| Blast From the PAst

A continuation of the Letters to Home series.

ga.ng.mil

Features 03|Something Cool To Drink

Cover Story

Georgia National Guard Soldiers conduct annual training with the Tactical Water Purification System at Fort Stewart.

News 05| 92W SPecialist

A look at the 92W Water Treatement Specialist MOS.

13| 277th Supports Mates

Georgia National Guard Soldiers from the 277th Maintentance Company conduct annual training.

13| 648th MEB Annual Training Georgia National Guard Soldiers from the 648th MEB conduct annual training at Fort Stewart.

1 | The Georgia Guardsman

21| Around the Guard

Georgia National Guard Commander-in-Chief Gov. Nathan Deal Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard State Public Affairs Director Lt. Col. Thomas Lesnieski State Public Affairs Officer Capt. Charles Emmons Operations NCO Master Sgt. Gerard Brown Editorial Staff Managing Editor Desiree Bamba Contributors 1st Lt. Jeffrey Bezore Elizabeth Blackstock Master Sgt. Gerard Brown Capt. William Carraway Capt. Charles Emmons Sgt. Shye Stallings

Contributing DOD Organizations 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs Office, Army National Guard Unit Public Affairs Representatives, Air National Guard Wing Public Affairs Representatives, Georgia State Defense Force Public Affairs.

Disclaimer The Georgia Guardsman is published monthly under the provisions of AR 360-81 and AF 6-1 by the Georgia Department of Defense Public Affairs Office. The views and opinions expressed in the Georgia Guardsman are not necessarily those of the Departments of the Army, Air Force or the Adjutant General of Georgia. The Georgia Guardsman is distributed free-of-charge to members of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard, State Defense Force and other interested persons upon request.

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Something Cool to Drink Story by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

3 | The Georgia Guardsman

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ar away from the Fort Stewart Garrison, more remote even than Camp Oliver is Canoochee Landing, a sloping, mosquito-choked embankment on the Canoochee River. On this site, in the 1950s, Georgia Army National Guard engineers practiced the craft of bridge building.

More than 60 years later, the Canoochee was again witness to technical wizardry, this time in the form of cutting-edge water purification operations.

The water treatment specialists of Company A, 348th Brigade Support Battalion spent their two weeks of annual training setting up, running and maintaining a Tactical Water Purification System. The TWPS is a self-contained mobile water purification system capable of purifying, storing and dispensing water for personal consumption. TWPS can be set up under field conditions and filters solids and microorganisms from fresh water, salt and microorganisms from brackish and sea water and can even remove nuclear biological or chemical warfare agents from freshwater.

Under normal operating conditions, TWPS can purify up to 1,500 gallons of surface water per hour and nearly 1,000 gallons of seawater per hour.

The TWPS can be transported by a palletized loading system or a Heavy Expanded MobilityTactical Truck and receives power from a 60-kw tactical quiet generator. The TWPS includes a pre-treatment system, chemical in-

jection, high-pressure water pump, reverse osmosis elements, five 3,000 gallon onion tanks and an ocean intake system. Distribution equipment is capable of filling canteens or five-gallon water tanks. Along with the purification unit, five 3,000 gallon water storage tanks provide temporary water storage onsite. Integrated control panel provides TWPS operators with real-time updates on influent and effluent flow rates. The TWPS can be set up by three trained Water Treatment Specialists (MOS 92W) in two hours and can operate in remote climates with temperature ranges from below freezing to over 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

In addition to monitoring influent and effluent water flow, the Guardsmen of Company A conduct water quality tests to determine inflow and outflow concentrations of potential contaminants and hazards. The system is capable of virtually eliminating total dissolved solids and reduces regulated contaminants below Environmental Protection Agency Federal Drinking Water Quality Standards.

As a final examination of the TWPS capability, Brig. Gen. Tom Carden, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, visited the unit in the field and drank a glass of water purified by TWPS. “This is what we call a critical dual-use piece of equipment,” said Brig. Gen. Carden. “When we go to combat we use this equipment, but it also gets a good workout when we support the civil authorities.”

Photos by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

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92w Water treatement specialist Story by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

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he human body is 75 percent water. Without water, the Soldier is combat ineffective. Sustainment units in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard maintain sophisticated water purification units, such as the Tactical Water Purification System. These systems are maintained by Water Treatment Specialists (92W).

In addition to ten weeks of Basic Combat Training, 92W must attend 14 weeks of Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Va. There, the 92W progresses through classroom and field training on subjects such as assessment of potential water treatment sites and subsequent water treatment system operation. The 92W is instructed in the theory and operation of water quality analysis and assessment of filtration efficiency.

The 92W graduate is prepared for entry into the civilian market as a water quality specialist and a variety of related fields. In addition to working at state and municipal water treatment plants, the 92W may also branch out into food industrial hygiene, environmental science consulting and food and drug inspection.

5 | The Georgia Guardsman

Video by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

J Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Stringfield State Command Sergeant MajorGeorgia Department of Defense

NCO Notepad Words of wisdom from one to another

une is National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder awareness month. It is extremely important that we do our part in educating our communities on the importance of recognizing an individual who may be suffering from PTSD. There are numerous undiagnosed PTSD cases and the only way to bring these cases to the light is to inform people about some of the signs that one may see in an ill person. The National Guard takes this matter very serious because feelings of depression, anger, and loneliness could cause someone to lose their family, friends, and job.

PTSD is a major medical condition for Guardsmen especially, because unlike active duty, Guardsmen train one weekend per month and two weeks per summer.

That is not enough time for a soldier or airmen to receive the proper rehabilitation treatments at his or her unit. For that reason, there are a number of programs put in place to help reintegrate veterans into civilian life after deployments to include, The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, Military One Source and the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program.

The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program is ran by the Military Family Support Branch. It was designed with families in mind. It is mandatory for the Guardsmen to go through a series of events within the program; a pre deployment event, a during deployment event for families, a 30 day post deployment event, and 60 day post deployment event. During these events, service members and families take emotional stress classes, financial advising classes, couples/singles counseling classes, Etc. Military One Source is a service member’s one stop shop for preparing for major life events such as deployments, reintegration, moves, parenthood, retirement and most importantly, benefits. When a service member fully understands his/her benefits it brings them one step closer to being tested for PTSD and ensuring that they get the treatment that they need after deployments. The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program was designed by the United States Department of Labor. It assists veterans with finding and retaining meaningful employment. The program trains veterans on things that will help them make a smooth transition back into the work force. The program includes, but is not limited to, job placement, resume writing, referrals to medical and substance abuse treatment, etc. It is important to have programs like this one in place, for veterans who don’t have a chance to attend Yellow Ribbon programs, or who no longer have access to Military One Source.

There is a program for every veteran. The people of our communities hold the responsibility to be sure that veterans know where to go to seek help. A veteran with an undiagnosed PTSD case can be very dangerous for both the veteran, and his/her family. It is very hard to determine the state of mind of a veteran with PTSD, but if they are diagnosed, a lot of accidents that are bound to happen can be avoided. We must keep a close eye on the health and welfare of our veterans. They fought for our freedom, and now it is time that we fight got theirs.

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FOLLOW US

7 | The Georgia Guardsman

Professional Development reviews that develop our profession of arms

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By: 1st Lt. Jeffrey Bezore| Public Affairs Office | Georgia Air National Guard

ery few television series or films have been able to capture the complexities and emotions of War like HBO’s “Band of Brothers.” The 10part miniseries was adapted from Stephan E. Ambrose’s book with the same title and was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The series debuted in 2001 and won an Emmy and Golden Globe for best miniseries. By any objective standard “Band of Brothers” is one of the most successful and impacting works in the history of television and has grossed over $250 million in TV to DVD sales and is the highest rated television series on the Internet Movie Database.

“Band of Brothers” is full of great leadership examples and is a great case study in the profession of arms. Throughout the series, we are told the story of Easy Company, part of the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as well as the individual stories of the members in Easy Company. The series does an excellent job telling the story of the Company’s leadership, NCO corps and Soldiers. This helps give a full spec-

trum of what challenges the unit had to endure.

Some of the common themes of the miniseries include friendship and bonds formed, leading by example and maintaining a strong will in the face of adversity.

The series follows Easy Company from its formation prior to D-Day to its eventual dissolving following the fall of Berlin. The themes of friendship and bonds are established very early in the series. The early episodes establishes some of the characters and shows how the unit norms, forms, storms and performs. The members show a strong esprit de corps and fight for each other throughout the series. One of the highlights of this is during the unit’s training at Camp Toccoa, Ga. One of the best instances of leading by example is the character of Maj. Richard D. “Dick” Winters, played by Damian Lewis. Throughout the series, Winters is the consummate leader. He always takes time to mentor his Soldiers and puts their wellbeing of ahead of his own. He is also very skilled at his duty and is able to put his unit in a position to succeed.

Every member of the Georgia Department of Defense would greatly benefit from watching this series.

“

I treasure my remark to my grandson who asked, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’

Grandpa said, ‘No... but I served in a company of heroes’.

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Blast from the Past:

Letters to Home Stor y by : Capt. William Carraway | Militar y Historian | Georgia Army National Guard On June 3, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Defense Act into law. This act not only called for a reorganization of National Guard forces it also granted additional powers to the President to call forth the National Guard in times of national emergency.

These powers were invoked on June 18, 1916 when President Wilson activated 150,000 National Guard Soldiers to mobilize to the Mexican Border.

On June 19, 1916, Georgia National Guard General Order No. 9 ordered Guard units to assemble at home stations on June 20, 1916 for pre-mobilization. Guard units from across the state assembled at Camp Harris in Macon, the designated mobilization camp for Georgia.

Named for Governor Nathaniel Harris, the camp was located near Crumps Park. From there, Georgia Guard units would begin the process of training for service alongside the Active Army as part of the Punitive Expedition along the Mexican border.

9 | The Georgia Guardsman

Private Robert Gober Burton was a member of the Monroe-based Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry. On June 20, 1916, Burton’s company assembled in Monroe with two officers and 66 enlisted men. Five days later, Company H reported to Camp Harris with two officers and 76 men. In total, the 2nd Georgia Infantry sent more than 1,100 Guardsmen to Camp Harris. Of this number, 182 were discharged on account of physical disability by the time the regiment was mustered for federal service July 2, 1916.

From July to October, The Second Georgia Infantry, along with other Georgia National Guard units, trained for their impending Mexican Border deployment. The Guardsmen conducted close-order drill and practiced patrolling. The Guardsmen served guard duty and practiced breaking and establishing camp.

In the summer heat, the Guardsmen marched nearly ten miles to Holton Rifle Range where they encamped for days at a time to practice marksmanship with the rifle and pistol.

July 9, 1916 Hotel Bonair, Bainbridge, Ga

Dear Gober, I trust you are getting along nicely and that you are still liking everything as well as you were last Sunday. I have not seen a paper since Thursday. There has been a storm raging over this section of Georgia Alabama and Fla since Thursday. We have not had mail here since Thursday.

Railroads washed out, no train. Dirt Road washed out all to pieces and bridge gone. I may be here until Sunday. Not having seen a paper in 3 days I do not know what orders you have received. Now do right and stay in good company and do not t go to Tybee too often it is not good for you. I have not heard from home since I saw you. Now, if you are ordered to the border be sure and pick good companions for our associates. My business has been off the past week. I will send you a little money next Sunday. Do not spend it foolishly. Write me. I am Your devoted brother, Frank.

Address Cordele, Ga. Box 363 May 2016 | 10

Saturday (Likely July 22, 1916)

My Dearest Mama, Your letter received this morning was indeed glad to hear from you. I see y the way that you write that you had not received my letter, and if you haven’t baked the cakes, don’t do so as I expect to come home about Tuesday. If you get this on Monday wire me money and I will come home. If you don’t get this by then I will borrow the money and come home. I don’t like to do that if it can be avoided.

Two or three of the boys are coming on the same day. Some of them are there now. It is our time next. If possible, wire me three dollars and I will try and see about Tuesday.

Your devoted son, Gober

11 | The Georgia Guardsman

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Region III Best Warriror Competition

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fter five days of grueling competition, Georgia National Guard Specialist Joseph Broam and Florida National Guard Staff Sergeant Travis Ugarte took home the top honors while competing against Guardsmen from nine different states and territories in the Region III Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition.

The competition was held in Fort Stewart, Ga. April 18-22, 2016. Georgia, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida sent one Soldier and one NCO to represent their state or territory.

Guardsmen competed in mentally and physically demanding events that required Soldiers and NCOs to demonstrate all aspects of the Army Values. While also recognizing NCOs and Soldiers for their dedication to physical and mental toughness, it promoted Army pride and fellowship between Guardsmen.

Throughout the tough competition, all the competitors kept high spirits and the sponsors provided much needed encouragement. “It is more than just providing water or snacks,� said

13 | The Georgia Guardsman

Photos by: Sgt. Shye Stallings | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

Georgia Guardsman, Staff Sgt. Mauricio Candido, Staff Sgt. Demetrius McCowan’s sponsor. “It is about being there for them; emotionally, mentally, and

“I am so proud of each and every Soldier and NCO in this competition. I know you all worked so hard and did things that most of us wouldn’t do,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Carden, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, while addressing the competitors during the final ceremony. physically encouraging and motivating them every step of the way.”

This competition evaluated many aspects of the Warrior Training Tasks, such as weapons knowledge, M4 carbine rifle and 9 mm pistol qualification and land navigation.

Physically challenging events included a 12-mile ruck march, a timed obstacle course, unknown distance combat run, individual movement technique lanes, four-gun stress shoot and a water survival test. Mentally challenging events included the general knowledge test, written essay, and board appearance.

Specialist Broam and Staff Sgt. McCowan, Georgia Soldier and NCO of the year and winners of the Georgia Best Warrior Competition trained ever since they won in March. Some of their preparation included hiking the Smokey Mountains wearing a ruck sack.

“While hiking the mountain, I realized it is much like this competition,” said Broam. “It is an uphill battle but we’ve trained for this physically and mentally through the guidance and influence of our state senior leadership.”

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“For every competitor, preparation for the Region III Competition was different,” said McCowan. “I had to change my diet completely, which was very hard because I really like good food.”

Though Staff Sgt. McCowan didn’t win the competition, he was overwhelmingly excited for Spc. Broam. ”Losing by such a close margin is always hard on the heart,” said McCowan. “It helps to hear from all the Georgia Soldiers who witnessed my performance say that they are proud to serve with me and that I represented them well. It’s an honor to know that the Region III Best Warrior Soldier, our very own Spc. Broam, wants me to sponsor him at the National Competition.”

Broam, who is a full-time student and works part-time, said he put everything he had into this competition and did not allow the added stress or pressure to interfere with his performance.

“I am honored to advance and represent Georgia and Region III in The Best Warrior National Competition,” said Broam.

“I feel that winning regionals is the outcome of the support from my family, my friends, great leadership, training and support that I have received from the Georgia Army National Guard.”

Broam also appreciates the support he received from his NCO counterpart as well as his command sergeant major.

“I also have to thank Staff Sgt. McCowan and Command Sgt. Maj. Jason York. They mentored me through the entire preparation leading up to regionals. Having Staff Sgt. McCowan compete beside me, continually pushed me to better myself throughout the competition. I’ve asked him to be my sponsor during the National Competition. He knows what it is like first-hand to compete.”

Ga. ARNG State Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Stringfield left the winners with a few words of encouragement for the next level of competition.

“Never let your last win effect your next performance,” said Sgt. Maj. Stringfield. “That type of attitude is what it takes to be the best, always striving to be, and do better than your last competition. We know we have chosen the best to represent Region III in the national competition and I look forward to seeing them win.”

Specialist Broam and Staff Sgt. Ugarte will represent region III at the National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition June 21-23 at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts.

15 | The Georgia Guardsman

277th trains T mates during a n n u a l training

h e M a n e u v e r A r e a Tr a i n i n g Equipment Site was bustling with activity as Soldiers of the 277th Support Maintenance Company assisted MATES technicians with equipment and vehicle work orders during annual training at Fort Stewart April 9 to23, 2016. For the Guardsmen of the 277th, it was an opportunity to practice their and get hands-on experience.

“Annual training allows us to knock out maintenance and administration tasks,” said 2nd Lt. Garrett Thompson, of the 277th MC. “Most important we get to train on our Military Occupation Skills and Soldiers have the opportunity to cross train.”

Story and Photo by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Staff Sgt. Brandon King elaborated on the Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard training plan of the 277th MC. “We have a lot of troops here who have fallen into two areas of concentration. We have generator mechanics and we have construction equipment mechanics, water purification mechanics and they are all getting hands on vehicles and cross training conducting semiannual and annual services.”

The 277th Maintenance Company is a modular unit that provides field maintenance support at the brigade level and higher.

Maintenance companies can be attached to a sustainment brigade headquarters or to a combat sustainment support battalion, such as the 110th CSSB in Georgia.

“We are a full-on sustainment company,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon King of the 227th MC. “We are fully capable of sustaining larger units.”

The 277th MC may be likened to a Jackof-all-trades in that it is structured to provide a wide-degree of maintenance support to

multiple unit sets and is therefore a very valuable asset in the field and particularly during overseas contingency operations. The 277th MC can recover wheeled vehicles, repair damaged equipment and armament, maintain and repair power generation equipment as well as electronic and signal equipment.

B e fore t he u n it h a d e ve n re a che d Fort Stewart, the Guardsmen’s skills were challenged. During convoy operations, one of the unit’s modular kitchen’s brakes locked up.

The quick-thinking Guardsmen improvised a quick fix on the road to keep the vehicles rolling. A hatch broke on a second vehicle and upon arriving at Fort Stewart, the allied trades section provided a permanent repair.

The training and mission of the 277th MC provides Guardsmen with skills that have direct civilian equivalent, something Staff Sgt. King has personally observed.

“My experience in the construction equipment field transfers directly to careers at companies like Yancey and Caterpillar,” noted King. “Our heavy wheeled mechanics also have skills that translate directly to civilian occupations.”

While civilian employers of the 277th MC Guardsmen can realize a real benefit from skilled employers, the civilian skills Guardsmen use in their careers also benefit the Guard. In the complex modern battlefield, mechanical and technical skills can be critical to mission success. Whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, Guardsmen have used their civilian skills in mechanic, carpentry and repair to not only advance the military mission but to improve the quality of life of the civilian population.

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648th Annual Training

Story by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard 17 | The Georgia Guardsman

The MEB Trains at Fort Stewart Units of the 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade conducted Annual Training at Fort Stewart in April and May 2016. All units of the 648th MEB were present with the exception of the 1st Battalion 14th Field Artillery Regiment which had conducted one week of annual training in March.

348th BSB: The Trailblazers In 2015, the 348th Brigade Sustainment Battalion “Trailblazers” successfully mobilized 75 vehicles from home station to Fort Stewart Georgia for annual training. Returning to Fort Stewart in April 16-May 1, 2016, the 348th BSB assumed a Spartan footprint at Camp Oliver where it trained its core mission essential tasks.

As the BSB for the 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the 348th BSB is comprised of a headquarters company, an organic alpha and bravo company, and an attached transportation company.

The Headquarters Company of the BSB provides mission command for organic and attached units assigned to the BSB. In addition to the operation. Within the Headquarters Company is the Support Operations Officer who is the principle officer responsible for synchronizing BSB distribution operations. The SPO develops the concept of support and logistics package (LOGPAC plan). Logpacs are bundles of commonly-used supply classes and vehicles organized into a single convoy.

Alpha company, serves as the distribution company and provides transportation and supply support. The company provided fuel, ammunition and water to units of the 648th MED. In all, the company distributed over 14,000 gallons of fuel and approximately 8,000 gallons of water.

The Hinesville-based Bravo Company serves as the BSB’s maintenance company, providing field-level maintenance support to the 648th MEB and supported units. Within the maintenance company is an allied trades section with specially-trained Guardsmen caPhotos by: Capt. William Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

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19 | The Georgia Guardsman

pable of fabricating custom metal work welding and engineering repairs.

Attached to the 348th, the Rome-based 1160th Transportation Company provides ground transportation for the movement of dry and refrigerated containerized cargo and other bulk cargo requirements. As part of the Army logistics modernization initiative, the 1160th TC received enhanced cargo handling units (ECHU) which were installed on company vehicles at the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site. The ECHU is a configuration of the Palletized Load System (PLS) truck that allows for the loading and unloading enables operators to load and unload containers without a flat rack. All Soldiers of the 1160th received training on the new system.

878th Engineers Blast Targets, Build and Demo Structures The engineers of the Augusta-based 878th Engineer Battalion converged on Fort Stewart April 16-30, 2016 for annual training. Travelling from places such as Toccoa, Augusta and Douglasville, the engineers trained as they have for more than 60 years on the familiar Fort Stewart terrain.

In addition to completing required classroom training and administrative requirements, the engineers completed annual weapons qualification. While the engineers completed qualification on their assigned weapons, Company A (Forward Support Company) supervised the crew-served weapons range where Soldiers like Pfc. Samson Flavius of the 877th Engineer Company fired the M2 and Mk-19 machine guns.

Combat Engineers Georgia Guardsmen from the Douglasville-based 848th Engineering Company (Sapper) indulged their combat engineering skills through demolitions training. In addition to conducting C4 detonation, 848th Guardsmen familiarized themselves with the Common Remotely Operated Weap-

on (CROW) and trained in ordnance identification and mine clearance procedures. The Soldiers practiced radio communication by sending nineline medical evacuation reports, unexploded ordnance and IED reports.

Construction and Demolition From the mountains of Toccoa, Ga., the 863rd & 874th Engineer Utilities Detachments. The Toccoa engineers brought their skills in carpentry, masonry, plumbing and electrical to multiple engineering projects, including reconstruction of a roof at the Georgia Garrison Training Center.

On April 28, 2016, four Toccoa engineers went aloft in a Georgia Guard CH-47 on a special mission. While airborne over Tybee Island, Staff Sgt. Jenifer Martinez, Sgt. Zachary Carithers, Sgt Gregory Waller and Spc. Jonathan Mantia reenlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard.

While the Toccoa engineers were building, The 177th Engineer Support Company and 175th Engineer Platoon were tearing structures down. The horizontal construction engineers and heavy equipment operators made short work of building 9313, a former laundromat. The engineers razed the structure and hauled all building materials – foundation included, to a landfill.

Maintaining Comms: The 420th Network Signal Company The Cumming-based 420th Network Signal Company transferred to the 648th MEB from the 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade in September 2015. Despite being the newest unit in The MEB, the 420th had an immediate impact at annual training. The 420th not only trained all newly assigned personnel, they established and maintained a retransmission site in order to facilitate communication between the 348th BSB at Camp Oliver and the 878th Engineer Battalion at Taylor Creek.

This retrains station was critical to the success of both battalions.

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Around the Georgia Guard 2nd Annual Memorial Wall Observance The Georgia National Guard takes time to remember the Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers who gave their lives while in service to their state and country during the Global War on Terror.

The Georgia National Guard and Freedom Calls Memorial Foundation hosted the second annual Memorial Day Observance ceremony honoring the 42 fallen Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers.

Grand Opening The Georgia National Guard Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Joseph Jarrard assists Cobb County and Georgia State Officials in cutting the ribbon during the grand opening ceremony of the first Military Family Service Center in Marietta, Ga.

21 | The Georgia Guardsman

Meeting the Falcons Georgia National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Navy Reserve members and their families had the chance to meet Atlanta Falcons players and cheerleaders during the Salute to Service event at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month Members of the Georgia National Guard gather to recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

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Region III BWC Soldiers and NCOs compete for the title of Best Warrior

Public Affairs Office Georgia Department of Defense 1000 Halsey Ave. Bldg. 447 Marietta, Ga. 30060