First Friday briefing [Nov. 7, 2003]

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First Friday Briefing for November, 2003
Please ensure widest distribution of this publication In this issue:
Two Additional Units Alerted Mobilizations To Date
Georgia Guardsman Survives Afghan Firefight Georgia Guardsman Fights Terrorism In Africa BG Nesbitt Takes on J1 Position At National Guard Bureau Day Assumes Top Post at 283rd; Shannon Retires SDF Commander Seymour To Lead National Group Non-Prior Service Training Program Gives 'Identity' to New Guardsmen
Wexler Appointed HR Chief for Guard 3 Guardsmen Earn Atlanta Journal Award Annual Training at Catoosa For Northern GSDF Staff
108th Assists JROTC Exercise Counterdrug Assists 'Cops' Weapons Training
121st Infantry Engages In Special Training Transportation Fair Results In 15 New Carpool Arrangements 2003 Historical Conference Topics Range From Hi-'Jinx' to Nagasaki
Employees Earn State Awards Statewide Events Mark Veterans Day

Executive Assistant To TAG Recognized For Service To GADOD
(Click on photos for larger image. Hold down mouse over photo for more information)

Two Additional Units Alerted

Two additional units of the Georgia Army National Guard have been alerted for possible mobilization as part of most recent Department of Defense unit rotation plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The rotation plan is expected to affect more than 43,000 National Guard and Reserve troops.

affected by the alert.

The 171st Combat Support Aviation Battalion and Company H of the 171st Aviation Regiment, both located at Dobbins ARB, are on a list of more than 130 units nationwide that have been identified. Approximately 230 Georgia Army Guard soldiers are

The 171st Aviation Battalion flies 16 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, eight in Georgia and eight in Florida. The possible call up of the 171st includes the Headquarters, Maintenance Company and Flight companies.

Company H of the 171st Aviation Regiment flies the C-23 Sherpa aircraft. Two aircraft and approximately ten persons from this unit may be subject to possible mobilization.

The two units have not received a deployment order at this time. They continue to train and perform their duties as they normally would and be prepared for any mission as directed.

Nearly 3,000 Georgia Guardsmen remain mobilized
Georgia Guardsmen are beginning to return home after deployments in support of the War on Terrorism. Many still remain deployed. Nearly 3,000 Georgia Army and Air Guardsmen remain mobilized with more than half of them deployed to the Persian Gulf.
List of Mobilized Georgia Guard Units

Georgia Guardsman Survives Afghan Firefight
A Georgia citizen-soldier working in Virginia for the National Guard Bureau, came away without a scratch after he and Guardsman from other states came under fire in Afghanistan while returning to their home base from a day of training.
A story filed by the Armed Forces Press Service (AFPS) in late October tells the story of what happened to Maj. Thomas Hanely, a Centerville native, and his companions one night in midOctober.
According to Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell, who compiled the story for AFPS, the Army National Guard infantry soldiers held their ground and gave back everything they were getting during a firefight with Afghan militants who ambushed them outside the capital city of Kabul in

western Afghanistan shortly after midnight on Oct.12. Read the Entire Story
Georgia Guardsman, Tennessee Native Battles Terrorism with Africa Task Force
While his fellow soldiers continue the fight against terrorism inside Iraq and Afghanistan, Georgia Army National Guard Maj. Dane A. Snowden, a member of Augusta's 878th Engineer Battalion, is assisting with the anti-terrorism mission in Africa.
Snowden, who lives in Ooltewah, Tenn., is one of more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel who are part of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTFA). Based in Djibouti, the task force's job is to keep a constant lookout for terrorist threats on the skies, land and coastal waters of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen. Read the Full Story.
BG Nesbitt Takes on J1 Position At National Guard Bureau
Brigadier General William Y. (Terry) Nesbitt, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, has been appointed to the newly created J-1 position at the National Guard Bureau. In his new assignment, General Nesbitt will be responsible for personnel and administrative policies for the Army and Air Guard nationally. The new position will be General Nesbitt's military position, but he will continue serving in his state role in Georgia is Assistant Adjutant General and commander of the Georgia Army National Guard.
"It is a privilege to serve you as your commander." said Gen. Nesbitt on announcing the position. "I assure you that the new position will not lessen my resolve to continue the quality journey we in the Georgia Guard are on together."
General Nesbitt's new position comes at a critical time as the National Guard Bureau and the states transform into a new joint organization as outlined by the NGB Chief, Lieutenant General H Steven Blum.
A New 'Day' At 283rd
Day Assumes Top Post at 283rd; Shannon Retires
The Dobbins-based 283rd Combat Communications Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard received a new commander on Saturday, October 18, during Change of Command ceremonies for the 200-member communications unit. Lieutenant Colonel William E. Day of Duluth assumed command from Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Shannon who

is retiring.
The 283rd Combat Communications Squadron provides sophisticated and secure voice, data, and internet and communications services through sophisticated satellite communications networks to commanders around the world.
Since September 11, 2001, over 25 percent of the 283rd CBCS has been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Full Story on the Web
See more photos of the 283rd Change of Command on the Web
SDF Commander Seymour To Lead National Group
Brigadier General Joel Seymour, Commander of the Georgia State Defense Force, was installed Saturday, October 25, 2003 as President of the State Guard Association of the United States (SGAUS). The ceremony was held during the the organization's annual convention in October 2 in Atlanta.
The Georgia State Defense Force (SDF) is part of the Georgia Department of Defense, and SGAUS is the national association of State Defense Forces with some 2,300 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
Full Story on the Web
Non-Prior Service Training Program Gives 'Identity' to New Guardsmen
Spc. Tracy J. Smith 124th MPAD
Private First Class Randolph Wray was searching for his identity when he entered the Dublin , Ga., office of Army National Guard recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Jack Campbell nearly a year ago. His desire was to do something; Wray was simply not sure what that something was.
"Initially, when I came in, it was for something to do," said Wray, now a member of Dublin's Company A, 148th Support Battalion. "When I first got to my unit it didn't seem to be the way I thought it should be. After a while I had the attitude that if I came to drill, I came. If I didn't it was no big deal."
Enter NPSTP, the Non-Prior Service Training Program (NPSTP) at Macon's Georgia Military Institute, which is designed to change that attitude in new enlistees. Wray soon found himself a part of a program designed for recruits just like him; Guardsmen whom the National Guard Bureau terms "pipeline" losses, or recruits who change their minds about service during the long down time between enlisting and going to basic training. Full Story on the Web
See more photos of the NPSTP on the Web

Wexler Appointed HR Chief for Guard
Colonel Edward I. Wexler, a 29-year veteran of the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard in Savannah has been appointed the State Human Resources Officer for the Georgia Department of Defense in Atlanta. In this position, Colonel Wexler will oversee all human resources policies and programs of the 12,000-member Georgia Army and Air National Guard.
Wexler leaves his position as Vice Commander of the 900member 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah.
"Colonel Wexler is an ideal selection for this senior state human resources position," said Major General David B. Poythress, the Adjutant General for Georgia. "He has had an extremely successful military career and is ideally suited for this postion. He'll continue to serve the soldiers and airmen of the Georgia National Guard well." Full Story on the Web
Stone, Gilmore, Cray Earn 2003 AJC Awards
Three Georgia Army National Guardsmen received the annual Atlanta Journal Army Reserve Components Achievement Award recently. The Guardsmen are Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey L. Stoner of Troop E, 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry; Sergeant Jacquelline Gilmore of the 118th Personnel Services Detachment; and, Pfc. Khaleef A. Cray of the 178th Military Police Company. Stoner, who has retired, was unable to be present to accept his award.
The Awards were presented by Mr. Jim Wooten, associated editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mr. Wooten is also a retired Georgia National Guard member. (Read Mr. Wooten's remarks.)
The Atlanta Journal initiated the award 39 years ago to honor outstanding enlisted soldiers in the Georgia Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. Eligibility requirements include: assignment to a unit in Georgia, exemplary conduct, and exemplary attendance. In selecting a soldier for the award leadership ability, military courtesy, instructional ability, attitude, loyalty, and enthusiasm are considered.
See more photos of the AJC ceremony on the Web
Annual Training at Catoosa For Northern GSDF Staff
Georgia's State Defense Force no sooner finished a major homeland security exercise in late September with ER2003 at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, then they geared up for Annual Training in Catoosa at the National Guard Training Facility.
The Defense Force Headquarters, Support Group, Medical Units, and the 90 troopers of the First Brigade participated bringing the total attendance to 180.
"This is an opportunity for all to experience field training and test unit readiness," commented

First Brigade Commander C. J. West. The GSDF staff participated in a variety of medical triage, helicopter landing zone and evacuation training courses, as well as compass and land navigation, radio communication, and search and rescue training. Training for the Southern Brigades was held in April in Cochran, Georgia . Full Story
See more Photos on the Web
108th Cavalry: Troopers Assist Annual ROTC Competition
Soldiers of Griffin's Troop E, 108th Cavalry, used their November drill to support the annual JROTC Raider Rendezvous held at Camp Thunder Boy Scout Camp in Thomaston.
Camp Thunder sits along on the Flint River 20 miles south of Griffin.
At least 38 troopers gave their time and talents to more than 400 competitors from schools across Georgia and the southeast, said 1st Sgt. Steve Jones, Troop E's top NCO. Among the Georgia students were those from Griffin High School, which sponsors the competition, he said. Read the Full Story
Counterdrug Assists Cops with Weapons Training
A citizen-solider with Georgia's Counterdrug Task Force helped civilian law enforcement officers in late October become more proficient with the tools they use to "serve and protect."
Georgia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Scott Carden was one of four firearms instructors who helped 16 senior police officers from police departments across state who were training at the Northwest Georgia Police Academy in Cave Spring. The training, which Carden touted as the first of its kind, was conducted at the Rome Police Training Center in Rome about 20 miles from the Academy. Read the Full Story
121st Infantry: Soldiers Engage in Special Training
Ask any NCO or officer what it takes to make a soldier ready for battle and he will surely say it involves more than handing that person equipment, pointing him in the direction of the gun fire and saying "go get em' tiger." It takes extensive training so the soldier can use the equipment, find the enemy, and complete the mission.
Members of Cordele's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry were involved in such training recently when its members climbed into the Army's mobile Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) to sharpen their skills with the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle.
Read the Full Story See Photos on the Web

Transportation Fair Results In 15 New Carpool Arrangements
The Environmental Stewardship Branch and Georgia's Clean Air Campaign hosted a Transportation Fair on Friday, October 24 at Bldg. 21. The turnout was tremendous and there were fifteen new car/van-pools established for the Confederate Ave. complex. To help make the process work, "carpool/vanpool only" parking signs will be placed in all parking lots.
The GaARNG Environmental Branch had a display with giveaways for everyone, including recycled denim pencils, endangered species bookmarks, American flags, and "Care for the Earth" lollipops. Free water bottles and T-shirts were given away to the people who signed up, and everyone was able to enter a drawing for a new hybrid car to be given away in January. More information can be found at the web site: www. cleanaircampaign.com.
2003 Historical Conference Topics Range From Hi-'Jinx' to Nagasaki
Nagasaki in ashes and actress-model Jinx Falkenberg wowed the troops -- just exiting an car -- two observations among many about life in the Army and National Guard during World War II, that patrons of the 2003 Historical Society of the Georgia National Guard conference heard recently.
Held in Forsyth, Ga., the 12th annual conference featured talks by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) James McLendon who served with the Army Air Corps in the Pacific theater; John Meeler, a member of the Georgia Army Guard from 1936 through the war years who served in Europe as a member of the 179th Field Artillery; and, Charles Shepherd, who earned a Silver Star as leader of a rifle platoon of "K" company, 121st Infantry.
Read full story on the Society's web site
State Employees Recognized for Service to DoD
Twenty-three state employees representing more than 300 years of combined service to the Georgia Department of Defense were honored this month during an award ceremony at the state's Confederate Avenue complex.
Full Story and Pictures On The Web
Statewide Events Honor Georgia Veterans
Several events are on tap across the state in November to celebrate the dedication and sacrifice by America's military veterans down through the years. Specifically, they will honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines now engaged in the war on terror.

Recently, the annual Veterans Appreciation program was conducted by staff members of the United States Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Representatives of Army, Army Guard and Reserve, Air Force, Navy and Marines were honored during a one-hour ceremony.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, Veterans Day programs and parades are set for the cities of Cordele and Gray. Events include a static helicopter display by the Georgia Army National Guard's 171st Aviation Regiment stationed in Marietta. The following day Villa Rica's Midway Macedonia Church holds its annual salute to veterans. Army Guard static displays and a color guard are scheduled to be on hand.
Veterans Day programs kick into high gear on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with Guard participation scheduled in five events. These include military static displays at Kennesaw State University, Cross Roads Church and Thomas Cross Roads Elementary School, both in Sharpsburg. Newnan's Madras Middle School will host a program, with Lt. Col. Stan Crowder speaking at 2 p.m. to residents and guests of Winthrop at Cobb Assisted Living Community in Austell. SFC David Harvison will speak to the Skyline Civitan Club at the Courtyards at Marriott in Atlanta on Tuesday, 11 Nov at 1230 hours. For more information on these events, visit the "Events Webpage."
Executive Assistant to TAG Recognized for Public Service Excellence
Michael Fowler, executive assistant to the Adjutant General was a recent finalist for the Excellence in Public Service competition for the State of Georgia. Fowler has almost 24 years of public service in Georgia, serving as deputy commissioner for the Georgia Department of Labor, joint Secretary of the State Examining Boards and director of administration for the Georgia Medicaid agency. He is currently at the forefront of the state's homeland security efforts.
He is widely respected for his detailed knowledge of state and federal programs and his ability to obtain funding and resources necessary to enhance and maintain Georgia's military funding and resources necessary to enhance and maintain Georgia's military readiness on several levels. He is also responsive for the expansion in Georgia of the highly lauded Youth Challenge Academy for at-risk children.
Fowler is a native of Augusta, Georgia. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University. In addition to his work in public service, he held the position of executive director for both the Medical Association of Georgia and Mental Health Association of Metropolitan Atlanta.
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108th Cavalry: Troopers Assist Annual ROTC Competition Soldiers of Griffin's Troop E, 108th Cavalry, used their November drill to support the annual JROTC Raider Rendezvous held at Camp Thunder Boy Scout Camp in Thomaston. Camp Thunder sits along on the Flint River 20 miles south of Griffin. At least 38 troopers gave their time and talents to assist more than 400 competitors from schools across Georgia and the southeast, said 1st Sgt. Steve Jones, Troop E's top NCO. Among the Georgia students were those from Griffin High School, which sponsors the competition. Jones estimated that 90 percent of this year's competitors were Army JROTC cadets while the remainder was Navy. "This is Troop E's 21st year of lending a hand to the ralley staff," Jones said. "I have so many soldiers who annually volunteer for this thing that I have to turn some of them away. "Goes to show you just how keen our people are on community service," he added with a bit of pride in his voice.

Also assisting with the Raider Rendezvous were Troop E's recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Vegas McCain and Master Sgt. Paul Folds who heads the area recruiting team.
Nicholas J. Burke, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Griffin High's senior Army instructor, said such enthusiasm is what makes the ralley the success that it is every year. He doubted the schools involved in the competition could "pull off this event on their own," he said.
During Raider Rendezvous, Troop E soldiers operated the event's command center, work as medics and grade contestants how well they do in a particular competition. Activities range from running an obstacle course to crossing a rope bridge to map reading and land navigation, Jones said.
"The cadets also participate in the Army Physical Fitness Test, set to the standards for soldiers age 17 to 20, and a five kilometer run," he explained.
First place is awarded to the competitor with the highest score in each event, while an overall award is presented to the school that wins the most events, Jones added.
The Raider Rendezvous serves, at least three purposes, he said.
One is that help the cadets grow, competitively and professionally, through contact with those already in the military," Jones said. The other is that it provides Troop E's soldiers with training ideas that can be implemented during drill weekend, he added.
And then there is the opportunity for "hooking up," Jones said, with new prospects for the Georgia Guard.
"The competition is tough and the cadets put themselves through quite a lot to win an event and have their school become the overall winner," McCain. "Raider Rendezvous is a great way for myself, Master Sgt. Folds or any of the Troop E soldiers to get with these potential enlistees and talk with them about becoming Guardsmen."
That's apparently how Pfc. Joe McCain, who helped with this year's event, enlisted.
McCain, who recently became a citizen-soldier and now studies at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, participated in the Raider Ralley while attending Griffin High School.
Participating in the Rendezvous helped him and fellow cadets learn the importance of teamwork. It taught him, he said, that the National Guard has much to offer Georgia's young men and women who may be leaning toward the military.
"Without the Guard, there's no telling where I and others like me may have ended up," McCain said. "Because of the National Guard, competitions such as this and the opportunity to see how important community and people are

to the Guard probably would never come along."
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Georgia National Guard Support to Operations Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom
As of: November 1, 2003
Summary Army Guard (all numbers are approximate):
q 2,925 mobilized q Approximately 1,540 overseas (Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom) q Approximately 1,375 projected to remain in CONUS for Homeland Security
Mobilized units drill in 28 hometowns across Georgia
Army Guard Units Mobilized Units deployed overseas (Part of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom)
q 3rd Infantry Detachment Ft. Stewart (Returned) q 265th Engineer Group Decatur q 221st Military Intelligence Battalion Fort Gillem (HHC, Co H Returned) q 277th Maintenance Company Kennesaw q Company B, 161st Medical Battalion Marietta q 1148th Transportation Company Thomasville and Moultrie q 190th Military Police Company Kennesaw q 878th Engineer Battalion Augusta, Swainsboro, Sandersville, Lyons and Metter
Units serving in US (Part of Operation Noble Eagle)
q 148th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) Winder q 202nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Kennesaw q 1177th Transportation Company - LaGrange and Cedartown q 75th Engineers - Ft Stewart q 1230th Transportation Company Bainbridge and Columbus q 178th Military Police Company (Monroe) q 1/214th Field Artillery Elberton, Hartwell, Athens, Thomson, Washington, Waynesboro and
Toccoa q 110th Corps Support Battalion Headquarters - Columbus q 166th Maintenance Co Jackson q 82nd Maintenance Company Columbus q 165th POL Co - Brunswick
Georgia Air National Guard
The following units have been mobilized in total or in part. Many have returned. Numbers of airmen on duty vary as individuals rotate on and off active duty.
Approximate Number Deployed: 500 (At the peak of Iraqi Freedom more than 900 were mobilized)
q 116th Air Control Wing Robins AFB q 165th Airlift Wing - Savannah q 165th Air Support Operations Squadron Brunswick q 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron Brunswick q 283rd Communications Squadron Dobbins Air Reserve Base/Marietta q 116th Security Police Squadron - Robins AFB

q 165th Security Police Squadron - Savannah q Combat Readiness Training Center - Savannah
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Georgia Guardsman Survives Afghan firefight
A Georgia citizen-soldier working in Virginia for the National Guard Bureau, came away without a scratch after he and Guardsman from other states came under fire in Afghanistan while returning to their home base from a day of training.
A story filed by the Armed Forces Press Service (AFPS) in late October tells the story of what happened to Maj. Thomas Hanely, a Centerville native, and his companions one night in mid-October.
According to Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell, who compiled the story for AFPS, the Army National Guard infantry soldiers held their ground and gave back everything they were getting during a firefight with Afghan militants who ambushed them outside the capital city of Kabul in western Afghanistan shortly after midnight on Oct.12.
One soldier, Lt. Col. Thomas Brewer, was injured when he took two hits in the chest of his bulletproof vest during the Battle of the Boneyard, so named because the action took place among the remains of armored vehicles left in the dumping ground by former Soviet Union soldiers.
About a dozen Army Guard soldiers eventually got in on the fight. No other American troops were hurt during the desert engagement that lasted for about an hour under a full moon. The action demonstrated the value of Army training for National Guard soldiers, giving them the skills to handle themselves in close combat.
Brewer still is in Afghanistan and is said to be recovering from his injuries, which included a nicked shoulder and bullet fragments in one of his knees.
Georgia Army Guard Maj. Thomas Hanley was briefly pinned down by enemy fire punctuated by green tracers before dashing to safety under the covering fire of his comrades.
"I can't figure out why I didn't get hit. All of our training paid off when we needed it," Hanley recounted at the Army National Guard's Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., 10 days after the engagement that resulted in the capture of 17 Afghan militants and multiple enemy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, according to his report.
Three additional militants, also suspected of taking part in the ambush, were later arrested after seeking medical
attention for gunshot wounds at local hospitals, the report stated.
"Most of us didn't know each other very well, but there was not one of us who did not help save someone else," Hanley said. "All of us are proud that we did what we did and survived. And we took some terrorists off the battlefield."
The Scene is Set
The situation began at 12:40 a.m. on that October Sunday when a single shot from a battle-scarred, three-story building apparently was fired at five Guard soldiers traveling in two pickup trucks through the boneyard toward the Kabul Military Training Center, according to three of those soldiers.
Hanley, Rhode Island National Guard Lt. Col. Kevin Gouveia, who is a retired police lieutenant, and Florida National Guard Master Sgt. Thomas Siter, who serves full-time at Fort Benning, Ga., provided the detailed accounts of how the quiet ride after a long day of training escalated into an ambush and a

pitched battle between Army Guard soldiers and former members of the Afghan Militia Force.
Brewer, who is helping to oversee the training program for the new Afghan National Army, and Oklahoma National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Donald Longfield, one of the trainers, were the others who initially came under fire.
Ironically, they were ambushed after observing a night training ambush conducted by Afghan National Army junior officers and noncommissioned officers who were going through a combat leaders course.
Brewer ordered the two vehicles to stop and the soldiers to take cover in the boneyard behind the abandoned, battered armored vehicles. Then he led Hanley and Siter to a low stone wall about 35 yards from the large building to determine whether this was an attack or if it was safe to drive on. Brewer and Hanley had radios.
"Brewer made his way beyond the wall to confirm the suspected enemy situation," Hanley wrote, and was hit by enemy fire as shooting from the building intensified and as the Americans fired back. Hanley lost radio contact with Brewer for a few minutes, but explained that he and Siter refused to leave Brewer behind.
"Oklahoma Sioux, talk to me. Come on, talk to me," Hanley recalled speaking into his radio, hoping -praying that Brewer would answer.
Meanwhile, Gouveia was firing at the building, and Longfield was radioing for help near the two parked trucks.
Help Arrives
Over the next 45 minutes, according to Hanley's account, five more Army Guard soldiers and a Gurkha soldier, members of a quick-reaction force from the Vermont Guard, arrived from the site of the combat leaders course. Brewer regained radio contact with Hanley, and in a weakened voice plotted his route of escape over the wall. Siter ran back to the position near the trucks under Hanley's covering fire. Hanley was pinned down by a barrage of enemy fire before summoning the strength to run and crawl back to the trucks, as the other friendly soldiers poured fire into the second- story room where the enemy troops were located.
Hanley then divided the force into two teams and told everyone the route Brewer would follow back to their location.
"Shots snapped back and forth between the large building and the line of friendly teams as Brewer appeared climbing and stumbling over the stone wall," Hanley reported. "He ran unsteady, hunched over, dragging his weapon, head down and limped toward safety. Gouveia ran toward Brewer off to the right, along with the Gurkha, aiding Brewer back to
safety."
Longfield, meanwhile, had contacted higher headquarters on the radio and requested quick-reaction forces from the Kabul Military Training Center, which was about two miles away, and from Camp Phoenix, which was about five miles away.
Four soldiers, three of them military police, arrived at 1:33 p.m. and were split between the two teams. Brewer coordinated the reinforcements' arrival over the radio. One of the military police soldiers fired an illumination grenade into the enemy position.
"Seeing clear troop movement, both teams blanketed the building with suppressive fire," Hanley wrote. "Light enemy return fire persisted but ended quickly. After that, limited semi-automatic shots were exchanged between the building and the two fire teams. Ammunition and water were distributed (between) the two teams and sectors of fire were established along with left and right limits.
10th Mountain Assists

The group would now hunker down to wait for quick reaction force support."
That came at 1:48 a.m. as 19 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division pulled in, armed with heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. Medics treated Brewer in their ambulance. Members of an International Security Assistance Force arrived at 2:35 a.m., according to Hanley's report.
By then the shooting was over, and 10th Mountain soldiers cleared the large building and smaller buildings in the compound after daybreak. That's when the 17 Afghan militia troops were taken prisoner, and rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles were discovered.
The long night was over. Brewer already had been evacuated, and the other Army Guard soldiers were ordered to Camp Phoenix for debriefings and recovery, Hanley said.
The three soldiers interviewed for this report claim that their years of infantry, ranger and Special Forces seasoning certainly paid off, even though none had been in combat, including Gouveia who served for 23 years on the North Smithfield, R.I., police force.
They do have their own perspectives of the incident. "I was in a rage. I can still hear the 'Whack! Whack! Whack!' of the bullets going by my head," said Hanley about what seemed like an eternity pinned down near the wall. "I was amazed at how quickly everyone got into the business of fighting. It was like we all decided it's grown-up time, so let's do this right," he added. "I learned that there are times when you have to give your faith to others. You have to believe they will fight to save you."
Siter, who has been a ranger company first sergeant and who has trained rangers at Fort Benning during his 17 years in uniform, said, "It seemed almost like a well-rehearsed battle drill on a live-fire range. But the silhouettes were shooting back.
"I learned to never take anything for granted," added Siter, who commanded one of the two fire teams that night. "Never assume that everything is OK, that it can't happen to you."
Gouveia stressed the value of realistic training.
"It validated the idea that training should be as realistic as possible, that commanders should make sure their soldiers are properly trained," explained Gouveia, who served for about 20 years in an Army Guard Special Forces line company. He now commands the 243rd Regional Training Center in Rhode Island.
He will return to Afghanistan in November, Gouveia explained, as part of the staff from the Rhode Island and Texas regional training centers that will help train Afghan National Army soldiers.
He will never forget, Gouveia said, how their training made it possible for the Army National Guard soldiers who barely knew each other to come together when the chips were down and work "like a rifle company that had been together for 10 years."
He also recalled how it felt to return safe and sound to his wife and his son and daughter in Rhode Island on Oct. 17. "Home", Gouveia said, "looked pretty darned good."
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Georgia Guardsman, Tennessee Native Battles Terrorism with Africa Task Force
While his fellow soldiers continue the fight against terrorism inside Iraq and Afghanistan, Georgia Army National Guard Maj. Dane A. Snowden, a member of Augusta's 878th Engineer Battalion, is assisting with the anti-terrorism mission in Africa.
Snowden, who lives in Ooltewah, Tenn., is one of more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel who are part of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTFA). Based in Djibouti, the task force's job is to keep a constant lookout for terrorist threats on the skies, land and coastal waters of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen.
Snowden joined Task Force Africa in July after completing a tour-of-duty at the Pentagon's Army Operations Center.
"I'm proud to be here supporting this essential mission," said Snowden, who is the task force's deputy of personnel and administration section. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with this group of extremely talented men and women."
While his duties may be to deal with personnel and administration issues, the south Florida native spends a large part of his time working as Task Force Africa's briefing officer. It's a great responsibility, he said, keeping Army and other senior leaders appraised daily of what's taking place in the task force area of operations.
He said it's a job he takes quite seriously. That Dedication and commitment to mission accomplishment is a goal he has worked toward all during his military career, Snowden said. And it's an even more important objective in light of the operations now going on in the world, he said.
It is that dedication and professionalism that recently earned him the Army Commendation Medal. Marine Corps Col. Stone Quillian, director of Task Force J, presented the medal to him.
While he does enjoy his work and proud of doing his part in dealing a major blow to those opposed to world peace, the hardest part about being deployed is being separated from his family, friends.
"It's tough being away from my wife Loretta, but we both understand that being a member of the armed forces requires some sacrifices," he said. "While I wasn't with my wife during our anniversary or birthdays, holidays, I've had plenty of family right here with my fellow service members."
Comprised of personnel from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, civilian representatives and coalition liaison officers, Combine Joint Task Force Horn of Africa was formed to oversee operations in the Horn of Africa for U.S. Central Command in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Task force officials have said the CJTAFHOA's mission revolves around three tasks. The first part is to detect, disrupt and defeat transnational terrorist groups operating in the region denying safe havens, external support and material assistance for terrorist activity. One way the task force accomplishes this is to conduct training with foreign military units. Snowden recalled a statement made by, Army Staff Sgt. Steven Johnson, a CJTF-HOA member, that explained how military-to-military training plays a positive role to American forces.
"Johnson said, `Terrorists thrive on chaos and disorder,'" Snowden said. "By having American soldiers here conduct training with and help the (African) military, it is a big deterrent to terrorist groups that may

be in the region.
"By word of mouth, terrorists will know there is an American presence in (the Horn of Africa), which will cause them to leave the area," Snowden recounted.
The second part of the task force mission is to counter the reemergence of transnational terrorism in the region through civil-military operations and support of non-governmental organization operations. A recent project, which highlights this task, includes nearly $50,000 worth of renovations for a Djiboutian Hospital. The renovations included a new roof for the main hospital, running water, and interior renovations to the main hospital, maternity ward and emergency room as well as a well house constructed by the 463rd Engineer Detachment. These types of projects bring needed resources to the community.
These first two tasks, Snowden said, lead to accomplish the final intent of the task force, enhancing the long-term stability of the region.
"Everyday, our actions make a difference in the Global War on Terrorism." Snowden added.
"Missions like this are the reasons I remained in the military for so long. I'm proud to serve here, and I'm grateful to be a part of this operation and to serve my country in her hour of need."
Snowden has 26 years of military service, both with the Georgia Army National Guard and active Army. He spent three years on active duty as a military policeman and the joined the Georgia Guard with the rank of specialist.
Some of the positions he has held as a National Guard officer include work as a vertical and horizontal platoon leader and later company commander of Company C 878th Engineer Battalion; executive officer and construction officer with the 878th's Company B; and he has also been the 878th's battalion construction officer and its logistics officer and its personnel management officer.
Snowden also has served with the Detachment 1, 93d Signal Brigade, stationed at Gordon in Augusta, as its personnel management officer.
He is a graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tenn., and he is an employee of the M&M Mars Candy Co., in Cleveland, Tenn.
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Maj. Gen. William Searcy, left, commander, Georgia Air National Guard passes the Guidon of the 283rd to Lt. Col. William E. Day, right the new commander of the Communications Squadron. Master Sgt. Mark Bonner, unit First Sergeant, center, looks on.

283rd Change of Command

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Non Prior Service Training 25Oct03
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The 2003 Atlanta Constitution-Journal Army Reserve Component Achievement award recipients of the Georgia National Guard, Spc. Khaleef Cray (left) and Sgt. Jacqueline Gilmore, (right), stand alongside their Georgia Guard commanders, Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress (far left) and Brig. Gen. Terry Nesbitt (far right). Also pictured is AJC Associate Editorial Page Editor Jim Wooten.

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Remarks by Mr. Jim Wooten Associate Editorial Page Editor Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta-Journal Constitution Reserve Achievement Awards November 2, 2003
Weekend warriors.
I remember that moniker and you undoubtedly do too. It was applied jokingly. It was applied disparagingly and sometimes even maliciously to describe the men and women of the National Guard and Reserves.
Implied by the phrase was the supposition that members of the Guard and Reserves aren't real soldiers, that you are glorified paintballers who dress up and run around the woods shooting blanks at imaginary targets between rounds of golf and keg parties.
Even employers sometimes, when you went to them and asked for time off to complete your military obligations, gave you looks or made jestful comments that suggested you were gold-bricking, skipping important work on the job to go off and train for missions that would never come to pass.
And then came Sept. 11th. And Afghanistan. And Iraq.
Nobody calls you "weekend warriors" now. "The weekend warrior is dead," says the new chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum. "This is not your father's National Guard or even your older brother's National Guard."
In fact the transformation of the image of the National Guard and Reserve in just over two years and especially in the past year has been remarkable. I read a lot of newspapers and pay attention to media treatment.
And I can tell you the respect you have earned by your superb performance when your country called you to the front lines is the envy of every National Guardsman and Reservist who ever heard the phrase "weekend warrior."
You have done, as citizen-soldiers have done since the American Revolution, put away the tools of civilian enterprise and answered the country's call. You did it professionally, with a resolve and selflessness that made your neighbors and your country proud.
The missions asked of you are so many. You are peacekeepers, freedom fighters and the sentries who stand visibly to reassure the public that America is secure in the face of terrorism.
The truth is the nation could not do without you. Nearly half of the military personnel on duty in the Middle East are Guardsmen and Reservists. On any given day, 35,000 of you are on active duty in 77 countries around the world.

We can't do without you. Thirty-four percent of the Army's total strength is in the Guard and Reserves, including more than 30 percent of its combat support and combat-service support, half its combat power, and nearly 70 percent of its field artillery. More of you have been activated in the past two years than at any time since Korea. With frequent and long-term deployments, the average Guardsman and Reservist spends well over 100 days a year performing some kind of military service.
Weekend warrior? Not by a long shot.
As I reflect back over recent years on the obligations you have borne, I am in awe that in the course of your lives as citizen soldiers you are able to adjust to war and peace with such remarkable adaptability. That is, really, the strength of America, that ordinary men and women make the adjustments necessary in their lives to answer freedom's call when our way of life is threatened.
No doubt the nation respects you and appreciates the job you are doing. My job, as an editor, is to make certain the country understands that the war against terrorism is not a brief or easy one. Victory on the battlefield, as we saw in Iraq, is but the first phase of the campaign to rid the world of the terrorists who threaten us.
In some quarters, the country grows impatient. It is the culture we live in. Our short attention spans demand instant gratification, quick solutions and war, as you know, often is not.
After December 7th, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, it took four months before the United States responded to that attack with the Doolittle Raid in April of '42. A land campaign and the invasion of Guadalcanal came eight months later, in August of 1942.
And it took the United States two years and six months after Hitler declared war before we landed in France in June of 1944.
Patience. That is what is required of us as civilians. Patience and support for you.
We are in an active war against terrorism. A hundred and eighty thousand of you have already been summoned into service, and the numbers grow daily. You are the front line, even as you stand here today. It is an awesome responsibility.
This nation will win the war on terrorism. It may be a long time coming, but the world will be at peace again. One day the world will be rid of the treat of terrorism and the insanity of crazed dictators. And when it happens, the people of the free world will owe you a debt of gratitude that another generation will assume.
For 39 years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has given this award. To stand here on this occasion and honor the achievement of these six men and women is indeed a privilege. Your dedication, your discipline and your success give your fellow citizens comfort and hope that our citizen soldiers will be alert and ready when called again.
You have chosen to wear a uniform, a uniform that expresses something that matters more than you or me. Nothing you do in your life may matter so much as the duty you will perform to its pride.
Weekend warrior, you've done your country proud.
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AJC Army Reservists Awards 2Nov03

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Annual Training at Catoosa For Northern GSDF Staff

Georgia's State Defense Force no sooner finished a major homeland security exercise in late September with ER2003 at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, then they geared up for Annual Training in Catoosa at the National Guard Training Facility.

attendance to 180.

The Defense Force Headquarters, Support Group, Medical Units, and the 90 troopers of the First Brigade participated bringing the total

"This is an opportunity for all to experience field training and test unit readiness," commented First Brigade Commander C. J. West. The GSDF staff participated in a variety of medical triage, helicopter landing zone and evacuation training, compass and land navigation training, as well as courses in radio communication, and search and rescue training. Training for the Southern Brigades was help in April in Cochran, Georgia .

"I really enjoyed participating in this training," stated GSDF Cpl Creed Crutchfield, who is attached to the G3 shop with expertise in communications. "It gave us a chance to practice skills in land navigation and communications and though it was hard work, we all learned a lot as well".

CNN Radio was also in Catoosa to interview key GSDF personnel. The interviews compiled by CNN's Ed McCarthy were later broadcast over several days on CNN Radio. Also observing the training were several members of the Tennessee State Defense Force.

Georgia National Guard's 171st Aviation assisted in the training as well. Troops practiced setting up Landing Zones as well as actual transport of injured personnel into the helicopter for evacuation.

"We are more aware than ever before that unlike prior to World War II we are vulnerable to attack. This is a day of real training making us a lot more prepared should the need arise," said CSM Peter Bardoul.

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Counterdrug Assists Cops with Weapons Training
A citizen-solider with Georgia's Counterdrug Task Force helped civilian law enforcement officers in late October become more proficient with the tools they use to "serve and protect."
Georgia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Scott Carden was one of four firearms instructors who worked with 16 senior police officers from police departments across state who were looking for assistance through the Northwest Georgia Police Academy in Cave Spring. The training, which Carden touted as the first of its kind, was conducted at the Rome Police Training Center in Rome about 20 miles from the Academy. That's because the academy, doesn't have a firing range of its own, he said.
During the 5-day, 40-hour course, participants were instructed in the maintenance and cleaning of the M16 rifle, then moved on to basics of zeroing the rifle and precision marksmanship, Carden explained.
"From there, we took them through instruction how to keep their weapon secure while in close proximity to a suspect, how to fire while moving and from a stationary position," he continued. "They were also taught how to leave their patrol vehicles ready to fire should that situation ever present its self."
Carden said that, while the request for training had much to do with homeland security operations and today's terrorist threat, it also had to with the shoot out a North Hollywood bank in Hollywood, Calif., in May 1997. It was during that incident that two well-armed robbery suspects wearing body armor took on Hollywood police that saw several officers and civilians wounded before the two men were brought down by police gunfire.
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121st Infantry: Soldiers Engage in Special Training Ask any NCO or officer what it takes to make a soldier ready for battle and he will surely say it involves more than handing that person equipment, pointing him in the direction of the gun fire and saying "go get em' tiger." It takes extensive training so the soldier can use the equipment, find the enemy and complete the mission. Members of Cordele's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry were involved in such training recently when its members climbed into the Army's mobile Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) to sharpen their skills with the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle.
The CCTT, which calls Fort Jackson, S.C., home, is a mobile training system that houses some of the most sophisticated virtual simulation technology in the world, said Sgt. 1st. Class Stephen Goldwin, Company B's readiness NCO. Goldwin coordinates getting training such as the Close Combat Trainer for the Cordele unit. Inside the CCTT's trailers are simulators set up to duplicate the inside of a Bradley, including the driver's compartment, Goldwin said. Crewmembers climb in to take their place at the appropriate station and then begin the work of completing whatever mission is given them through the trainer's control center, he explained. When a particular battle scenario is over, the commander and his staff hold

an After Action Review so the crews can see what they did right and find out where they need to improve, Goldwin said.
"I can tell you that it really gets the crews' adrenaline pumping being in the simulators," Goldwin said while watching a simulated mission being played out on the computer screen before him. "This gives them the feel of being battle, which is an excellent way for our people to hone their skills."
Richard Herzog, one of the instructors who man the trainer, said the simulator is especially popular among the younger soldiers who spend a lot of time playing video games. One of those is Bradley crewman Sgt. Chad Mercer.
Mercer said that being inside the simulator's turret is no different than being inside a real Bradley. The loading procedures are like those in the real vehicle and the seats vibrate just as if the simulator were traveling down a road, he said.
"Unlike the real thing, however, the simulator shows us when we receive enemy fire, and shows us what we did right and what we did wrong," Mercer said after the end of a simulated mission.
As Company B's training continued, its members moved from the Bradley simulators to a new training system for the M16 rifle.
Before using Engage Skills Training 2000 (EST 2000), soldiers found it necessary to zero the BIM Hit laser sight attached to their rifles. Doing so, said Staff Sgt. LaVern Mobley, gave each soldier the opportunity to become familiar with how the sight system operates. Mobley, the NCOIC of the unit's Valdostabased detachment, said the Bim Hit sight enhances a soldier's ability to hit a target accurately.
"Whatever the target the laser falls on is guaranteed to be hit," Mobley said while watching a group of soldiers zero their sights. "It builds a person's confidence that he can hit what he shoots at and not miss."
Once completed, the unit moved into a section of the Cordele Armory where the EST had been set up.
With the assistance of special attachments on their M16s and the use of a movie screen on which a simulated combat mission played, the soldiers began sharpening their marksmanship skills. Over all, Mobley said as members of the Valdosta detachment took their turn on the "firing line," some soldiers a bit nervous since they only qualify with live ammunition but once-a-year. Putting soldiers together with the EST 2000 helps become relaxed and, at the same time, see where they need to improve, he said.
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Co B 2-121 Tactical Training 18Oct03

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2003 Conferences Ranges From Hi-'Jinx' to Nagasaki
Nagasaki was in ashes and actress-model Jinx Falkenberg wowed the troops just exiting an car -- two observations among many about life in the Army and National Guard during World War II, that patrons of the 2003 Historical Society of the Georgia National Guard conference recently.
Held in Forsyth, Ga., the 12th annual conference featured talks by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) James McLendon who served with the Army Air Corps in the Pacific theater, John Meeler, a member of the Georgia Army Guard from 1936 through the war years served in Europe as a member of the 179th Field Artillery; and, Charles Shepherd, earned a Silver Star as leader of a rifle platoon of "K" company, 121st Infantry.
McLendon, who joined the Guard prior to the war, transferred to the Army Air Corps following the outbreak of hostilities, and served as a gunner-radio operator aboard a B-25 Mitchell Bomber in the Pacific. The general, who retired after serving as deputy commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade, told the Guardsmen and Society members gathered that he flew over Nagasaki prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb on that seaport city and remembered it as a busy, thriving place. Following the bomb, August 9, 1945, he said there was a "circle of white ash" surrounding it. Meeler, who joined the 122nd Infantry in 1936, discussed his training as a young guardsman and then steps involved in that organization's conversion to a Field Artillery unit in 1940-41. He drew laughs as he described a visit by tennis star and film actress Jinx Falkenberg, an attractive woman "with a body to die for". He noted that as she stepped from the automobile she took a large step, which Meeler emulated, drawing stares, he said from the captivated trainees. She
did the same

thing, he said, as she reentered the car, and "well there was no use in going on with the training after that." Meeler served with the 179th throughout the European phase of the war ending up as the chief of the firing section for the unit. Shepherd noted that he pushed to join the 121st once he arrived in Europe because it was the unit in which his father served during World War I. One June 6, 1944 he sailed from Boston for overseas arriving in Normandy, France in early July 1944 as a replacement officer. During July he requested and was assigned to the Company K, 121st Infantry. While overseas with the 121st, Mr.Shepherd was wounded twice and returned to duty. LT Shepard returned home to Atlanta following his discharge from service in 1945. The Society also honored Mayor Paul Jossey, Brig. Gen. (ret.) with the Patriot Award. Jossey, entering his last few months as Mayor of Forsyth, was formerly Chief of Staff, Georgia Army Guard and earned the recognition for his patriotism, his interest in preserving the heritage and history of the Guard and his support for the Historical Society. Brig. Gen. (ret.) Tom Dalton, presented the award, calling it "truly an honor" to do so.
Reports on various ongoing projects were also offered to conferees. These included reports on the Journal of the Historical Society, oral history project and cannon restoration. E. Joseph Seguin, vice president of the organization, pointed with pride to the donation from Mr. Robert Burton of Athens, Ga., of about 150 letters written by his father who served as a Georgia Guardsman on the Mexican border in 1916 and later with the Guard's 151st machine gun
battalion, 42nd Rainbow Division in World War I.
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Georgia's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, and Maj. Gen. Wick Searcy, Georgia Air National Guard commander (both far left) pose with veteran's from Georgia. Earlier Georgia's Commander in Chief, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation designating November 11, as Veteran's Day in Georgia.