First Friday briefing [Nov. 1, 2002]

Georgia Department of Defense First Friday Briefing, November 2002
Savannah Airlifters Return From Successful AEF
Savannah's 165th Airlift Wing recently completed more than 90 days in Germany as part of Air Expeditionary Force No. 6. More than 300 Savannah airmen were part of the AEF and supported Operation Joint Forge, the military's Balkan operations.
Flying out of Ramstein Air Base, the Savannah Guardsmen rotated into and out of the theater of operations in two to six week rotations. At any one time between two and four of the 165th's C-130s were on scene ferrying supplies and personnel into the war-torn Balkan region.
The 165th aircrews recorded more than 150 individual sorties flying into Balkan airbases, which are considered a war zone by the U.S. military. They also flew more than 92 combat sorties, accumulating as much as 254 hours of actual combat time.
Arriving in Germany on April 19, the 165th and its aircraft replaced C-130s from the Air Force Reserves based in Colorado Springs that had rotated in three months earlier. During the 90-day AEF mission, Savannah's C-130s hauled more than 450 tons of supplies and an estimated 2,166 passengers into combat area. The 165th's maintenance teams kept the unit's C-130s to a 99 percent reliability rate.
Colonel Steve Westgate, the 165th's commander served for three weeks as the airlift commander for the Joint Forge AEF operations.
Under the Air Expeditionary Force, the Air Force - active, Reserve and Guard -- is divided into 10 force packages, each with a cross-section of aircraft and capabilities drawn from geographically separated units. Each AEF has about 175 aircraft, and be more formidable than the air forces of most nations. AEF packages are able to respond within 72 hours of any unexpected contingency -- and have been trained and tailored to meet commanders' needs in a wide range of contingency operations. Each AEF will be on call to handle contingency operations for about 90 days every 15 months. At least two will be on call at all times.
190th MPs Demobilize After a Year on Active Duty
More than 100 members of the Georgia Army National Guard's 190th Military Police Company are back home and in the process of returning to their civilian lives. The unit demobilized in early October after a year on active duty in support of Operation Noble Eagle.
The 190th first reported for duty at the Kennesaw Armory in October 2001, less than a month following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Initially the unit was assigned to Ft. Benning, but later moved provide force protection at forts McPherson and Gillem.
A number of Georgia Guard units remain on active duty including the 178th Military Police Company from Monroe, which is assigned to the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and more than 120 security police from the 165th Airlift Wing and the 116th Air Control Wing.
The Georgia Air National Guard's 117th Air Control Squadron (Savannah), the 116th Aerial Port Squadron

(Savannah) and the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron (Brunswick) also have members on active-duty status supporting Operations Nobel Eagle and Enduring Freedom.
LRSC to Hit the Road, Again Guardsmen to Honor Brothers-in-Arms
Eleven members of Georgia's Long Range Surveillance Company will once again be pounding the pavement as they recreate the 101-mile road march from Toccoa to Atlanta completed by the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1943.
This is the second year that soldiers with Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment, will have followed in the 506th's footsteps to celebrate Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The 506th gained recent attention through the book and HBO series "Band of Brothers."
Participating in this year's march will be 1st Sgt. Mike Hurdon, 1st Lt. Ken Hurnick, Sergeants First Class Shawn Lewis and Aaron Anderson, Staff Sgt. Shane McCray, and sergeants Kevin Neal, Keith Willcutt and Franz Haller. Also putting shoe leather to the roadway are specialists Mike McCoy and Trey Davis, and the LRSC's former commander Maj. Matt Saxton.
While on their three-day trek, the marchers will leave from the Toccoa armory, pass the base of Curahee Mountain where the 506th often trained and through the cities of Lula and Gainesville. They will spend the last night of their march in Buford and march into Atlanta the next morning where they will join the rest of their unit in the city's annual Veterans Day parade.
Georgia's Counterdrug Task Force will be supporting the marchers as they make their way to Atlanta.
Civil War Presentations Highlight Annual Conference
The Civil War in Georgia and the battle at Griswoldville highlighted the 11th annual conference of the Historical Society of the Georgia National Guard held in Milledgeville in October.
Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia's Adjutant General, delivered a luncheon address on Georgia born, and southern lawyer, judge and politician Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. Prior to the Society conference, Georgia National Guard historians from across the state attended a workshop at Milledgeville's Georgia College and State University where they discussed the state of military history and learned skill-enhancing techniques. About 30 Army and Air Guard historians heard Brig. Gen. Scott Hammond, chief of staff for the Georgia Air National Guard speak of the importance of recording the history of their units during these changing times.
An audience of about 50 people also heard relic hunter Johnny Mack Nickles describe the Griswold gun factory, which turned out pikes and revolvers for the Confederacy. Nickles illustrated the difference between the Griswold revolver and the Union manufactured Colt Navy revolver by displaying the weapons and pointing out the characteristics of each. He also displayed a variety of relics from the pistol factory to demonstrate the revolver manufacturing process employed there.
Other presenters included historians and authors Dr. Ann J. Bailey and William Bragg. Bailey presented an interesting talk on Sherman's march through Georgia, including the Atlanta campaign. She also discussed some of the personalities who comprised the leadership of the Union and Confederacy. Bragg gave a 45-minute slide presentation on the background and the battle of Griswoldville in which Georgia Militia took on Union forces.
Other speakers included Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steve Reece, who spoke to the group on the significance of unit lineages and keeping them current, and Command Historian Staff Sgt. Gail Parnelle, who explained the proper handling of documents for historical purposes. An archivist from the University's library special collections department later gave a brief presentation on the handling of rare books.
Group Tours Fort Stewart YCAOfficials Get First-hand Look at Program
City and county government officials, and those from Georgia's judiciary, law enforcement, non-profit, education

and business communities recently toured the Youth Challenge Academy campus at Fort Stewart near Savannah recently to find out how the program helps put at-risk youth on the road to becoming more productive citizens.
More than 75 dignitaries from Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, Rome, Calhoun, Marietta, Kennesaw and Gainesville, spent the day talking with YCA cadets and staff, and visiting classrooms to see the program at work.
Rome businessman and Floyd County commissioner Tim Mahanay was among the group that visited the facility.
"This has to be one of the best youth programs I have seen in quite a long time," Mahanay said during a short break in the tour. "The academics, the life and work skills being taught here, and the military structure on which the program is based seem to be a combination that really works."
Youth Challenge is a nation-wide National Guard program with academies in 10 states. The Fort Stewart campus was established in 1993 and is one of two YCA facilities in Georgia. Fort Gordon's facility in Augusta opened in 2000.
Classes are held twice a year with 200 at-risk teens calling the Fort Stewart campus home and 100 doing the same at the Fort Gordon site.
Counterdrug Takes Anti-drug Message to Pates Creek
Members of the Georgia Counterdrug Task Force participated recently in the 4th annual Pates Creek Elementary School Fall Festival.
Capt. April Asher, Sgt. 1st Class Sheila Robinson and Master Sgt. Clarence Burgess manned the Drug Demand Reduction display to educate the children and parents about the evils of illegal drugs.
Around 4,000 children and adults attended this year's festival.
SDF 5th Brigade headquarters returns to Columbus Rise in enlistments facilitates move
Georgia State Defense Force 5th Brigade has moved its headquarters back to Columbus after nearly a two year absence.
Two years ago the brigade moved its headquarters to LaGrange because recruiting was down, and LaGrange was a central location for members drilling from Carrolton, Newnan and Griffin, said Col Willie Garner, the brigade's interim commander.
That situation changed with the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon and the SDF ranks swelled, he explained. People unable to enter active service, the Guard or Reserve, but who still had much to offer their communities, their state and their country, chose the State Defense Force with which to put their patriotism to work in the war on terrorism, he explained.
The 5th Brigade is one of five brigade in the SDF. Others are located in Atlanta, Macon, Columbus and Waycross.
State Defense Force helps Homeless
Georgia's State Defense Force recently had the opportunity to lend a helping hand to a small portion of Georgia's military veteran population.
Going into the mission, leaders had set a goal of helping to process 80 to 100 homeless vets during the Veterans Service Day. The final number was 137.
Some 15 members of the SDF participated in the operation at the Rock Homeless Resource Center in Atlanta. During the mission, the SDF worked with officials from the Veterans Administration Hospital in Decatur. State

Defense Force soldiers provided security for the event under the guidance of Maj. Tim Moore, executive officer of the SDF Family Assistance Detachment. Medical assistance to the VA team and the homeless veterans was also provided by the SDF volunteers.
SDF volunteers fell under the command of Maj. Robert Crowe, the Defense Force Medical Detachment commander.
During the day, Col. Chyung Kim, the SDF's Army Medical Detachment surgeon, visited the event.
Barnes Signs Proclamation Recognizing Vets
Georgia Army and Air National Guardsmen were among the more than 200 who witnessed the recent signing of a proclamation honoring state's 770,000 military veterans by Gov. Roy Barnes at the state capitol building in Atlanta.
Barnes received a standing ovation from the crowd that filled the capitol rotunda while he and Peter Wheeler, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Veteran Services.
Veterans Day is Nov. 11, and it's not just another holiday to be celebrated and forgotten until next year, Barnes emphasized.
Barnes also received the National Guard Minuteman award for his continuing support of the soldiers and airmen who make up the Georgia Army and Air National Guard. Col. Tom Lynn, commander of the newly activated 116th Air Control Wing, and Marshall Kennemer, executive director of the National Guard Association of Georgia made the presentation.
Georgia Team Places Sixth at Ten-Miler
Six Georgia Army Guardsmen recently placed sixth out of a field of 16 teams in the National Guard Mixed category of the 18th running of Army Ten-Miler road race in Washington.
They were among the more than 11,904 competitors to finish this year's race. It was the first time in five years that the Georgia Army National Guard participated in the Ten-Miler.
The 2002 Ten-Miler team, led by Master Sgt. Grady Gayton, 1st Battalion, 78th Troop Command, included Maj. Sue Shields of 78th Troop Command; 1st Lt. Ken Hutnick of Company H, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment; Staff Sgt. Eugene Marlow of Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 108th Armor; Sgt, Penny Tinker of Company B, 161st Area Support Medical Battalion; and Spc. Angelia Countryman who is also with the 161st.
Call to Recycle Cell Phones Made
Looking for a way to get rid of that old cellular telephone and help the environment and a fellow Guardsman at the same time? CFMO Environmental Section has a solution as it sponsors a cell phone recycling project.
The program is being held in conjunction with America Recycles Day on Nov. 15. In honor of this annual event, Guardsmen and the general public can turn-in old, unused cell phones at their area armory.
The effort will not only help the environment, but funds generated from the collection will go to the National Guard Foundation.
Readiness NCOs at each armory have been asked to set-up a collection box for the old cell phones collections. National Guardsmen, Guard employees and the general public can make donations. Donated phones will be collected from Nov. 1 through Nov. 22. It doesn't matter whether the phones still work, but it will be helpful to have the charger attached to the phone with an elastic band.
Maj. Steven Thornton, president of the National Guard Foundation, says "Not only will it benefit our organization, but donated phones are recycled for use in the developing world, and the process also protects the environment."

Mobile phones contain hazardous materials such as mercury, cadmium, nickel and gallium arsenide that could contaminate ground water if discarded in landfills. Instead of being an environmental hazard, collected phones can be reprogrammed and sold in Latin America as prepaid phones. Others will be recycled according to Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The cell phone collection will be advertised in newspapers around the state. For information about the collection procedures call Joy Drummond or Danielle Bower at the Environmental Office, 404-624-6587.
To learn more about America Recycles Day, go to http://www.americarecyclesday.org/
Guardsmen Compete in Cycling Competition
Six soldiers and four civilian supporters of the Georgia Army National Guard competed in the 4th Annual "24 Hours of Adrenalin" mountain biking competition in Conyers in October. A crowd of over 2,000 riders and spectators from around the world gathered at the former Olympic venue to participate in the event.
The Army Guard fielded two, five person, co-ed teams in the organization's first attempt at the race. Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Lewis and 1st Sgt. Michael Hurndon, Maj. Matthew J. Saxton, John Assad, Christine Carpentier made up one team which called itself Twisted Steel and Sex-Appeal. The Guard's other team, Nuts- N-Honey, was made up of Staff Sgt. Shilo Crane, sergeants Michael Neal and Michael Morgan, Cindy Condra and Chris Tharte.
The race was a relay, with each team member taking his turn on the eight-mile course during the day and at night. Twisted Steel finished in14th place, with a total of 24 laps (192 miles). Nuts-N-Honey was 26th, with a total of 18 laps (144 miles).
Sign Up Now and Save a Life Later Combat Lifesaver Course is Jan. 22-26
Georgia's Regional Training Institute will conduct a Combat Lifesaver Certification Course Jan. 22-26, 2003, at the RTI facility in Macon.
Enrollment is on a first come-first served basis, so units should begin enrolling soldiers now. The course has been loaded into ATRRS under school code 984, Class No. 001. Class will start at 9 a.m., Jan. 22, which means a travel day will not be authorized for Jan. 21. Quarters and rations will be available at RTI.
CPR Class Announced
A CPR class will be offered at the Oglethorpe Armory in Ellenwood next week. Participants will receive a two-year CPR certification.
This class will be conducted 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nov. 5 in Room No. 157 in the Oglethorpe Army. It is approved for participation by full-time technicians and AGR personnel who are in an official duty status. Supervisor approval is needed to attend the class. Participants will be asked to make a $20 donation that will go to the Combined Federal Campaign. For more information contact Capt. Karen Corsetti at 404-675-5303.
COLA Going Up for Retirees, Others 2002 rate is lowest since 1998
Retired Georgia National Guard members, age 60 or older who receive retired pay will get a 1.4 percent increase starting next year in their cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), said John Hardwick, retirement service manager for the Georgia Department of Defense. Retirees will see the increase in the checks they receive in January 2003, covering the month of December 2002, Hardwick said. This year's COLA is the lowest since 1998, when it was 1.3 percent.
Next year's increase will be the same for retirees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System, he said. The COLA is also 1.4 percent for Social Security beneficiaries and for many veterans who receive benefits through the Veterans Affairs Department.

2003 JACC scheduled for March 7-9
Senior leaders and commanders throughout the Georgia Department of Defense should mark their calendars for March 7-9, 2003, Joint Annual Commanders Conference. The meeting will be held at the Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island. Attendance at the annual conference is by invitation and more details will follow in the coming months. For information contact the Directorate of Communications at 404-624-6060.
First Friday Briefing is published monthly for the soldiers, airmen and employees of the Georgia Department of Defense, Georgia Army National Guard, Georgia Air National Guard and Georgia State Defense Force. If you'd like to be added to our subscription list and have the First Friday Briefing faxed or emailed, or you have comments or story submission, call the Directorate of Communications at (404) 624-6060 or DSN 338-6060. Or email Leigh.Burchfield@ga.ngb.army.mil
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First Friday Foto File Nov 2002

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COVER PHOTO: A Youth Challenge cadet salutes Georgia's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, during a VIP visit. (Photo by Pfc. Heather McLemore)

Left click or press space bar to proceed to the next slide

Photo by Sgt. Roy Henry
Julia Folker (left), commander of the Military Order of the World Wars Savannah Chapter, talks with Cadet Mykesia Andrews during a tour of the Fort Stewart Youth Challenge Academy campus. Folker was among the 75 members of Georgia's judiciary, law enforcement, education, nonprofit and business communities from across the state toured the Fort Stewart facility to get a first-hand look at how the program helps Georgia's at-risk youth.

Photo by Sgt. Roy Henry
Capt. Joseph Hester, a TAC officer at Georgia's OCS program, helps Officer Candidate Sharon Cox, a Class 42 candidate, with water training. Class 42 is scheduled to graduate in July.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Detra Mason
Pennsylvania Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Steven C. Speer, center, 193rd Special Operation Wing commander, and Col. Tom Lynn, 116th Air Control Wing commander, receives information about the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems on the E-8 airplane.

Georgia Army National Guard soldiers from the 1st Aviation Group, left,
and the 221st Military Intelligence Battalion, right, passed their food service sanitation certification. The aviation soldiers from left to right are Pvt. E. Bolton, Spc. A. Watkins, and Staff Sgt. S. Little. The 221st soldiers are rear: Sgt. W. Walker, Sgt. G Ceballos, Sgt. D. Pollard, Sgt. V. Sims; and in front: Spc. W. Gregory, Cpl. D. Masson and Spc. T. Goodman.

Photo by Maj. Rob Thelen
Archbishop Grigoli, the second highest-ranking official in Christian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Georgia, receives a coin from Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress. The Adjutant General's official party visited with the Archbishop during a recent trip to the Republic of Georgia as part of the two Georgia's Partnership for Peace program.

Photo by Senior Airman Shaleata Johnson
Col. Edward Wexler, 165th Airlift Wing vice commander, presents Maj. Gen. Wick Searcy, Georgia Air National Guard Commander, with a print of an historical painting showing the participation of the 158th Fighter Squadron, the precursor of the 165th, in the Korean War. The print will be displayed at Air National Guard Headquarters in Marietta.

Col. Hal Kerkhoff Jr., the incoming commander for 122nd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, passes the guidon to his sergeant major during change of command ceremonies.
Photo by Pfc. Heather McLemore

Photo by Sgt. Roy Henry
Georgia's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress presents the state employee 20-year service award to Kenneth Moody. Moody, an electrician with the National Guard Training Center maintenance department, follows in the foot steps of his father, Earl Moody, a retired electrician and refrigeration repairman who worked for 34 years at NGTC. Service awards were also given to five- and 10- year employees.

Photo by Sgt. Roy Henry
From left Gov. Roy Barnes accepts the National Guard Minuteman award from Col. Tom Lynn, commander 116th Air Control Wing, and Marshall Kennemer, National Guard Association of Georgia executive director. Barnes received the award for his continuing support of the soldiers and airmen of the Georgia National Guard. The presentation was made after Barnes signed a proclamation honoring the state's 770,000 military veterans for their contributions and sacrifices made in the service of Georgia and the nation.

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Tom McKenzie
Miss USA 2002 Shauntay Hinson signs autographs at Coates Hall during her visit to the 116th Air Control Wing. In her remarks to the troops, the reigning Miss USA said she was visiting Robins AFB to show her appreciation to all the personnel in uniform.

Photo by 1st Lt. Thomas C. Meeks
The National Guard race car toured metro-Atlanta armories for support of the races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Guard's newest recruiting tool was in Atlanta last month for the NAPA 500. The No. 54 car is driven by Ron Hornaday.

John W. Sheffield III, of the of the Air National Guard at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., received a promotion to the rank of Colonel in the Air National Guard during ceremonies Georgia Air Guard Headquarters. Sheffield, a 20-year veteran of the Georgia Air National Guard, is employed as a Senior Attorney with the Internal Review
Service in Atlanta.

Lt. Col. John Owings, command chaplain, 78th Troop Command, presents the Georgia Commendation medal to Bob Young, mayor of Augusta, for his continuing support of the Employers of the Guard and Reserve.