First Friday briefing [Feb. 4, 2005]

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First Friday Briefing for February 2005

Deployment Update

171st Aviation Battalion Returns
Following Year-Long Deployment
The Georgia Army Guard's 171st Combat Aviation Support Battalion is back on home soil and is processing off active duty after a year deployed. The 225-member unit arrived at Hunter Army Air Field earlier this week and the Soldiers will return to home station at Dobbins ARB this weekend. The unit, which flies UH-60 Black Hawks, was assigned to two air fields in Kuwait and flew more than 3,800 accident-free hours throughout Kuwait and southern Iraq. In addition to the unit's organic Black Hawks, the 171st CACB had command and control of CH-47 Chinooks along with UC-35 and C-12 fixed wing aircraft in direct support of the combined force land component commander (CFLCC).

116th Air Control Wing Earns 12th
Outstanding Unit Award
The 116th Air Control Wing was presented the Outstanding Unit Award January 3, for exceptionally meritorious service. The 116th Bomb Wing won 11 Outstanding Unit Awards, but this is the first Outstanding Unit Award it has received since the wing blended Air National Guard and active duty members in October 2002. "This recognition is not only for the outstanding performance of the wing in contingency operations - but also for successfully implementing the transformational Total Force concept in an operational wing," said Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, 116th ACW commander. More

Capt. Steven Givler, 116th Air Control Wing, reads J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" on the roof of the palace that once belonged to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's daughter.
Letters Home From Iraq
From 116th ACW "Eye in the Sky"
Capt. Steven Givler, a member of the 116th Air Control Wing, is currently deployed to the Middle East for the second time. He writes to friends and family about his experiences on a daily basis. He is sharing these letters so people can see what it's like in a deployed location. Read Capt. Givler's latest installment

48th Brigade First in Army
To Get New Army Combat Uniforms
Members of Georgia's 48th Brigade Combat Team have begun receiving the new Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and its accessories. The 48th, which is at Fort Stewart training for its up coming deployment to Iraq, is the first brigade, Army wide, to get the uniform. Personnel, known as Team Soldier, from Program Executive Office Soldier and a Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) team from Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), began issuing the new gear Feb. 1. They will continue assisting the brigade through Feb. 10. More

Macon Air Guard Engineers
Prepare for Kabel Fest 2005
Macon Air Guardsmen of the 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron will soon be involved in one the largest Air Force command, control, communications and computer (C4) exercises this year, Kabel Fest 2005.Kabel Fest 2005 is a massive project where the combined strength of the engineering installation (EI) community is being concentrated to provide much need communications infrastructure at Ramstein Air Base. More than 70 personnel from 17 Air National Guard EI squadrons an one civil engineering squadron will combine for this 120-day project. More

Read about the new ACUs

118th Personnel Service Company
On the Ground in Kuwait
The 118th Personnel Service Company (Ellenwood) arrived in-theater two days before Christmas. The 39-member unit reported to Camp Doha, Kuwait where (pictured above) Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steve Reece (left), Spc. Byron McNeill, and other members of the unit were presented coins by Lt. Gen Helmly, Chief, Army Reserve (Photo taken by SFC Larken Reese).

Georgia Air Guard unit Will Link
With 48th in Deployment to Iraq
Members of Brunswick's 165th Air Control Operations Squadron (ASOS), Georgia Air National Guard, will join their brothers in green with the 48th Infantry Brigade when the brigade deploys to Iraq. "We will accompany the 48th Brigade during their National Training Center rotation in April, " says Lt Col John Haley, commander of the 165th ASOS," and we anticipate continuing with the brigade into Iraq." While the actual numbers of deploying Air Guardsmen are not confirmed, Haley estimates that from six to 15 joint terminal air controllers (JTACs) will join with the Army once the 48th mission in Iraq is defined. More

Air Combat Command
Commander Visits 116th ACW
Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, commander Air Combat Command, visited the 116th Air Control Wing in January at Robins Air Force Base. The General received a orientation flight briefing, toured a Joint STARS aircraft and met with troops. Pictured above, General Wright (center) talks with with Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, 116th ACW commander, during his visit.

116th EOD Finds Explosive Device
In Byron Barn
By Tech. Sgt. Beverly Isik 116th ACW Public Affairs
A dusty old storage building tucked away behind an old farm house in the sleepy southern town of Byron, Ga, isn't exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find dangerous explosives. But, in this business explosive ordnance technicians say they never assume, unless they are assuming "worst case scenario." The 116th EOD responded to a call from the Peach County Sheriff's Department, in January. Before they entered the old shop, Master Sgt. John Bell and Staff Sgt. Joseph Fletcher climbed into their 75-pound explosion protection suits and forced on the helmets. More

Brigade's Best Shine During
Soldier/NCO of the Year Competition
While training, planning and preparation for the 48th Brigade's impending departure for Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism, the 48th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) continued the tradition of selecting the best of the best within its ranks with its Soldier of the Year and Non Commissioned Officer of the Year competition. Specialist Amie Linville (pictured above) is the Soldier of the Year, while Sgt. Chad Mercer is named Non Commissioned Officer of the Year for the 48th Brigade Combat Team. More

USO Donates 5,000 Phone Cards
To Help Brigade Soldiers
Stay in Touch With Families Ask a group of Soldier's what's important to them, especially when they're deployed and they'll give a variety of answers. The most important to many, it seems, is their ability to stay in touch with family and friends. For troops of the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Brigade Combat Team, that ability to stay in touch with families and friends got a boost when the brigade's top enlisted Soldier received around 5,000 pre-paid telephone cards from the USO's Savannah chapter in Januar at the Fort Stewart Education Center. Command Sgt. Maj. James Nelson accepted the cards on behalf of the troops, some of who joined him for the presentation by Savannah Chapter president Mitchell Bush. More

A look at what happened in February in Georgia National Guard history:
1951 - General Henry D. Russell, commander
of the 48th Infantry Division, retired from active military service. He was instrumental in the organization of the 48th Infantry Division after WWII and assumed command of the 30th Infantry Division upon his promotion to Maj. Gen. in 1932.
1954 -Governor Talmadge and Maj. Gen.
Vandiver, The Adjutant General, announced funds for the construction of eleven armories and a USPFO building. The USPFO, which had been located at Dobbins, moved to Confederate Ave. when the new building was completed six months later
1972 - LTC Phillips E. Hamilton, a WWII
veteran and one of the original members of the 165th Military Airlift Group after the war, took command of the Savannah unit. He was also a Korean War veteran and after his release from active duty in 1953, he served with the 116th Fighter Wing, Georgia Air National Guard.
Complied by Staff Sgt. Gail Parnelle, GaARNG Historical Section

Lt. Gen. David B. Poythress The Adjutant General of Georgia

April 3, 2007 Time: 1:50 pm Security Notice

Army National Guard FAQ The latest news from the Georgia Army National Guard. | 2007 NCO, soldier Named | Hurricane Exercise Tests Readines | Guard Deploys to Americus to Aid Relief Effort | G-RAP Pays Off for Guardsman | CERFP Unit Ramps Up With Joint Training Exercise | Lt. Col. Wood Earns Bronze Star | 4th CST Welcomes New commander | Warren Promoted | 221st Welcomes New Commander | Gober Earns Eagles | Artillerymen Honored During Saint Barbara Day Celebration | Calhoun Resident Receives Medals... 60 Years Late |

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48th BCT In Iraq

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171st Aviation Battalion Returns Following Year-Long Deployment.
See photo gallery of the 171st CASB departure in December 2003
The Georgia Army Guard's 171st Combat Aviation Support Battalion is back on home soil and is processing off active duty after a year deployed. The 225-member unit arrived at Hunter Army Air Field earlier this week and the Soldiers will return to home station at Dobbins ARB this weekend. The unit, which flies UH-60 Black Hawks, was assigned to two air fields in Kuwait and flew more than 3,800 accident-free hours throughout Kuwait and southern Iraq. In addition to the unit's organic Black Hawks, the 171st CACB had command and control of CH-47 Chinooks along with UC-35 and C-12 fixed wing aircraft in direct support of the combined force land component commander (CFLCC).
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48th Brigade is First Unit To Get Army's New Combat Uniform

Read more about the new ACUs

Members of Georgia's 48th Brigade Combat Team have begin receiving the new Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and its accessories.

The 48th, which is at Fort Stewart near Hinesville, training for its up coming deployment to Iraq, is the first brigade, Army wide, to get the uniform. Personnel, known as Team Soldier, from Program Executive Office Soldier and a Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) team from Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), began issuing the new gear Feb. 1. They will continue assisting the brigade through Feb. 10.

Specialist Kevin Corum of Co. C, 148th Forward Support Battalion, "gears up" in the new Army Combat Uniform and its newly designed light-weight boots. (Georgia National Guard photo by Sgt.
Roy Henry)

Among the items being picked up by the Georgia troops are new boots, gloves, water-wicking underwear (for male and female Soldiers), T-shirts and socks, the service's new "advance combat helmets," new belt and, of course the newly designed combat uniform. There are also new patches and name tapes and the Army's Modular Light-weight Load-bearing Equipment, or MOLLE.
Comments from most of the Soldiers who, so far, have received the new issue have been positive. Specialist Kevin Corum, a combat medic with Forsyth's Company C, 148th Forward Support Battalion is one of those who likes the ACU.

"That fact that it's light-weight makes it more comfortable than even the Summer BDU, and the way the pockets have been arranged and redesigned are, to me, an plus," Corum said while lacing up his new boots.

The boots, too, are lighter, almost like wearing tennis shoes, and easier to care for, as far as he's concerned, he said.

In the end, time will tell how well the uniform does in the combat environment, but for now, it's a change for which many like Corum say they're ready.

While most of the Soldiers are getting everything they need of the RFI items, some may come away without a piece of equipment here or there, said Chuck Cooley, MPRI's team leader.

If, for example, the right size boot isn't available for a Soldier, he isn't just given a pair and told to move on, Cooley explained.

"What the Soldier doesn't get here, he'll pick up at the Reception Staging and Onward Intergration site [RSOI] in Kuwait," he said. "One way or another, every Soldier will have everything they need, whether they get it here or once they're in-country."

Paul Rivera, PEO Soldier's team leader, said it works a bit differently with the combat uniform. Should a Soldier be an odd size or the team is unable to issue the proper size, that person will get what he needs before he leaves Fort Stewart.

"While we're getting all the ACU pants and jackets that we need to make this issue a success, there may be someone we can't help now," Rivera said. "That means that Soldier will be taken care of when our team returns in April."

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116th Earns 12th Outstanding Unit Award
by Senior Airman Tim Beckham 116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs
The 116th Air Control Wing was presented the Outstanding Unit Award January 3, for exceptionally meritorious service from October 1, 2002 to August 1, 2004 .
The 116th Bomb Wing won 11 Outstanding Unit Awards, but this is the first Outstanding Unit Award it has received since the wing blended Air National Guard and active duty members in October 2002.
"This recognition is not only for the outstanding performance of the wing in contingency operations - but also for successfully implementing the transformational Total Force concept in an operational wing," said Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, 116th ACW commander.
"The performance of the men and women of the 116th ACW, under the stellar leadership of General Lynn, truly deserve this distinguished and coveted recognition," said Maj. Gen. David Poythress, Georgia ANG adjutant general.
Not only did the 116th ACW blend two years ahead of schedule but it took on multiple deployments in support of four different operations, including the largest in Air Control Wing history, flying in seven different orbits.
"The men and women of the 116th have excelled at 'thinking outside the box' to make this transitional concept a reality and a template for future wings," said General Poythress. "And, to top off their blending challenge with an absolutely outstanding performance during Operations Noble Eagle, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom, is the ultimate proof of what the 116th ACW is made of."
The Outstanding Unit Award is presented for exceptionally outstanding achievement that clearly sets the unit above and apart from similar units. The 116th ACW will be presented the award in the near future and then every member in the wing can officially wear the ribbon.
"This AFOUA is a direct reflection on the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the 116th. It is their award and I am extremely proud of them," said General Lynn.
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Macon Air Guard Engineers Prepare for Kabel Fest 2005
Macon Air Guardsmen of the 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron will soon be involved in one the largest Air Force command, control , communications and computer (C4) exercises this year, Kabel Fest 2005.
Kabel Fest 2005 is a massive project where the combined strength of the EI community is being concentrated to provide much need communications infrastructure at Ramstein AP.
More than 70 personnel from 17 Air National Guard EI squadrons an one civil engineering squadron will combine for this 120-day project.
"We will play host along with the CRTC to a number of EI units arriving in Savannah to prepare for the schedule deployment to Germany," said Major Eric Jones, Detachment Commander of Macon's 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron.
"Kabel Fest is designed to concentrate engineering support for more than 22 projects over a three-month period. Projects will be engineered at Ramstein AB, Germany, Camp Darby, Italy, and Aviano AB, Italy.
Personnel and cargo from the 17 EI units across the country will begin staging at Georgia's Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah. At the CRTC, arriving engineering teams will be provided billeting, training and logistic support activities while materials will be palletized and made ready for air shipment by C5 transport to the various project locations.
Nine members of the 202nd and four members from the 241st EI unit from Chattanooga TN will facilitate the cargo preparation, palletization, passenger manifesting and support of personnel while at CRTC awaiting deployment.
"Kabel Fest will be conducted in two distinct rotations," according to Maj Jones, "the first includes a management team which will oversee all engineering operations with the second rotation to include cable installation teams." It is estimated that more that 4.5 million feet of fiber and copper cable will the installed during this operation.
According to Air Force sources, Kabel Fest '05 will be a win-win for both USAFE and the EI community. USAFE gains 22 facilities that have modernized communications that should not require any additional upgrades for 5-years. Additionally, every EI person involved in the Total Force effort will walk away knowing they were part of one of the largest ever peacetime communication infrastructure efforts while improving wartime skill sets.
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Letters Home from Iraq

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Capt. Steven Givler reads J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" on the roof of the palace that once belonged to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's daughter.
(Editor's note: Capt. Steven Givler, a member of the 116th Air Control Wing, is currently deployed to the Middle East for the second time. He writes to friends and family about his experiences on a daily basis. He is sharing these letters so people can see what it's like in a deployed location. This is the first of a three part series. Captain Givler should be home in early February.)
Reprinted from 116th ACW "Eye in the Sky"
Something about this place, or the circumstances that brought me here, has scrubbed away a layer or two of whatever experience covers us with. I am more aware of emotion and more susceptible to beauty than I have ever been. When I woke this morning I turned on my radio, hoping for the news. Instead, a Bach violin concerto filled my little room with every note of sadness, joy and longing appreciable by the human ear. It so seized me that I had to quit making my bunk so I could sit and listen. And yesterday as I waited at the gate to be admitted to the compound where I work, my eye perceived an abrupt movement in what had been an empty sky. A small falcon hovered. Pointed wingtips flashed against cerulean sky, folded, plummeted, until the line of its descent carried it behind tall barriers. Somewhere on the other side a lizard or mouse ceased to be. Two days ago, I ran in early morning. The stars, normally profuse and brilliant, were obscured by a thin layer of cloud. Later, on the way to work, from my elevated position on the bus, I saw the desert mottled by cloudcast shadows. These two observations did not raise themselves to the level of consciousness until later, when someone burst into our office to announce that it was raining outside. You could not have cleared the area more quickly if there had been a fire. To a man, we rushed outside and gaped at the fat raindrops leaving We climbed a ramp and craned our necks to the north, where a line of black cloud advanced like the onset of night. Lightening brightened the bottom of the line and thunder boomed in the distance. A towering cloud of dust raced before the storm. In no time, the dust passed over and the storm was upon us. We stood with our heads thrown back, rain lashing our faces, and I remembered a story about domestic turkeys. The story has it that they must be kept out of the rain. Otherwise they stand in stupid amazement, beaks open, staring up at the sky, until their throats fill with water and they drown. We were saved from that fate by a searing purple flash followed immediately by a peal of thunder that seamed to rip the fabric of the sky. The spell broken, we filed inside, carrying with us the smell of rain. On the way in I caught sight of the general. His stern face was coursed with raindrops. He was smiling. Bach, a bird and a thunderstorm, each of which I've seen at other times, in other places. Somehow here they fall on raw nerves and seem more rare, more precious than they have ever been. This leaves me oddly thankful for the chance to be here.
I'm thankful too for your many emails, your prayers for my family, my brothers and sisters in arms and me. Keep them coming.
I'll write again soon,

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118th Personnel Service Company On the Ground in Kuwait
The 118th Personnel Service Company (Ellenwood) arrived in-theater two days before Christmas. The -- -member unit reported to Camp Doha, Kuwait where (pictured above) Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steve Reece (left), Spc. Byron McNeill, and other members of the unit were presented coins by Lt. Gen Helmly, Chief, Army Reserve (Photo taken by SFC Larken Reese)
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Georgia Air Guard Unit Will Link With 48th in Deployment to Iraq
Brunswick's 165th Air Control Operations Squadron (ASOS), Georgia Air National Guard will join their brothers in green with the 48th Infantry Brigade when the brigade deploys to Iraq in the spring.
"We will accompany the 48th Brigade during their National Training Center rotation in April, " says Lt Col John Haley, Commander of the 165th ASOS, "and we anticipate continuing with the brigade into Iraq."
While the actual numbers of deploying Air Guardsmen are not confirmed, Haley estimates that from six to fifteen joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACs) will join with the Army once the 48th mission in Iraq is defined. "We are planning on twelve individuals on a series of four-month rotations," suggests Haley.
This plan would allow JTACs to be with the assigned to the 48th Brigade should they be divided and work out of separate locations. Although a request to mobilize a brigade package ( up to 25 Air Guardsmen) have been submitted, it has not been approved by JFCOM.
The 165th ASOS provides close air support for designated Army Brigade or Battalion Maneuver units. Since 9-11, more than half the 120-person Air Guard unit has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
"We are fully trained and qualified to deploy today with no additional training or equipment required, "continued Haley.
In a related story, five JTACs have recently been sent to forward operating bases in Afghanistan replacing six Georgia Air Guardsmen who will be returning home next week. The returning ASOS airmen have all been nominated to receive the Bronze Star for their action in Afghanistan.
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Brigade's Best Shine During Soldier/NCO of the Year Competition

Story by Sgt. David Bill 48th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

While training, planning and preparation for the 48th Brigade impending departure for Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism, the 48th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) continued the tradition of selecting the best of the best within its ranks with its Soldier of the Year and Non Commissioned Officer of the Year competition here.

Specialist Amie Linville is the Soldier of the Year, while Sgt. Chad Mercer is named Non Commissioned Officer of the Year for the 48th Brigade Combat Team.

Linville, a tank mechanic with Hinesville's Company B, 148th Forward

Support Battalion said, "It gives me confidence that will help me in Iraq."

Mercer, a team leader with Cordele's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 121st

Specialist Amie Linville of Co. B, Infantry, added, "Soldiers should study hard and make it look good", and

148th FSB shows off the

that learning the material will help me in my MOS as an infantryman."

command coins she received for

being named the brigade's Soldier

of the Year. (Georgia National

Seven enlisted Soldiers and eight NCOs came together to represent their

Guard photo by Sgt. David Bill) respective units before a board of brigade sergeants major in a formal

question and answer format. And the first time, board members also

evaluated Common Task Testing (CTT) proficiency.

The competing Soldiers had to complete tasks involving care of the M16 rifle, evaluating a casualty, first aid to prevent shock and reacting to a chemical or biological attack. The NCOs also had to perform the task of issuing a warning order.

48th BCT Command Sgt. Maj. James Nelson said he asked Brig.

Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, the 48th's commander, about

conducting this "friendly competition" while at Fort Stewart. This,

Nelson said, "continues the tradition of selecting the outstanding

Brigade Soldier and NCO for competition at the state level in

Macon later this year." General Rodeheaver agreed to his request, Nelson added.

Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver congratulates Sergeant Chad Mercer of

Co. B, 2/121, for being chosen the 48th

With Rodeheaver, his staff and the 48th's battalion commanders in Brigade NCO of the Year. (Georgia attendance, Nelson announced the winners. General Rodeheaver National Guard photo by Sgt. David Bill)

presented brigade coins to each board participant. As he did, the audience applauded enthusiasticly and

shouted "hooah" to their fellow Soldiers. Nelson said that a more formal presentation of awards for the

Soldier and NCO of the Year is forthcoming.

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Air Combat Command Commander Visits 116th ACW
Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, commander Air Combat Command, visited the 116th Air Control Wing in January at Robins Air Force Base. The General received a orientation flight briefing, toured a Joint STARS aircraft and met with troops. Pictured above, General Wright (center) talks with with Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, 116th ACW commander, during his visit.
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USO Donates 5,000 Phone Cards To Help Brigade Stay in Touch With Families
Ask a group of Soldier's what's important to them, especially when they're deployed and they'll give a variety of answers. The most important to many, it seems, is their ability to stay in touch with family and friends.

For troops of the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Brigade

Combat Team, that ability to stay in touch with families and friends

got a boost when the brigade's top enlisted Soldier received

Mitchell Bush (left), president of the USO's Savannah chapter, tells Soldiers of Georgia's 48th BCT that he hopes the 5,000 pre-paid phone cards he's given their senior NCO, Command Sgt. Maj. James Nelson, will help bring them closer to their families and friends. (Roy Henry) (Georgia National Guard photo by Sgt.
Roy Henry)

around 5,000 pre-paid telephone cards from the USO's Savannah chapter Jan. 26 at the Fort Stewart Education Center on General Stewart Way.
Command Sgt. Maj. James Nelson accepted the cards on behalf of the troops, some of who joined him for the presentation by Savannah Chapter president Mitchell Bush.

The USO, Bush said, knows that, whether the troops are here or overseas, they're getting food, water and everything else they need. What the organization doesn't know, he added, is whether they're getting the opportunity to stay in touch with the ones they love.

"The 48th isn't ready to leave, just yet. So, in the mean time," Bush said as he held one of the 200-minute phone cards for everyone to see, "but with these, we're going to make sure its Soldiers are able to call the folks at home."

He added that if the brigade found that those 5,000 cards were not enough, there was no need to worry. Another 10,000 Bush explained had been ordered.

Nelson, a smile on his face, accepted the small, long cardboard box containing the plastic credit-card size gifts from Bush, assuring him that the cards would be distributed among the brigade elements for dispersion to every Soldier.

"This," Nelson said as he cradled the box in his arms, "is just another example of how groups like the USO take care of our men and women in uniform. We [the 48th Brigade] greatly appreciate all the organization does for us."

After the presentation of the phone cards, the 48th Soldiers and members of 3rd Infantry Division, who also attended the event, received bags of personal hygiene items and other goodies from USO volunteers. The troops also took time to sample baked goods and other refreshments made available by the volunteers.

Sergeant Brian Franklin, an ammunition handler for the 48th's Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery, said he has always appreciated the USO.

"They give so much to us in the military, and the donation of the phone cards is just another example of that," Franklin said. "And the baked goods aren't bad either."

Sergeant Angela Gowen, a medic and the NCOIC for the Advance Trauma Life Support element of the brigade's Company C, 148th Forward Support Battalion, agreed.

Items like the "goodie bags" are well received by the troops, she said. Everything the USO does helps make her and other Soldiers not miss home so much.

"Knowing that there are people out there who care and are proud of us for who we are and what we do," she said, while checking out the items she received in her own bag, "makes me that much prouder of who I am.

It also takes away a bit of that loneliness one feels when they are away from the ones they love," she added.

More than 4,000 members of the 48th Brigade Combat Team are here training up for a yearlong deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While many of the Soldiers are from Georgia, others from Illinois, Maryland and Missouri have joined the brigade for its upcoming mission.

The 48th will spend the next two months here at Fort Stewart, then move on in the spring to the Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, Calif., for additional training. No time line has been announced for the brigade's eventual deployment to Iraq.

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Diffusing the Situation
116th EOD Finds Explosive Device in Byron Barn

By Tech. Sgt. Beverly Isik 116th ACW Public Affairs

January 31, 2005 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. A dusty old storage building tucked away behind an old farm house in the sleepy southern town of Byron , Ga. , isn't exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find dangerous explosives.

But, in this business, explosive ordnance technicians say they never assume, unless they are assuming "worst case scenario". They never leave anything to chance. They respond to every call armed with state-of-the-art tools of the trade and countless hours of training under their belt - ready to eliminate the hazard.

The team responded to a call from the Peach County Sheriff's Department, Jan. 12. Before they entered the old shop, Master Sgt. John Bell and Staff Sgt. Joseph Fletcher climbed into their 75-pound explosion protection suits and forced on the helmets.

As they inched their way into the shop, the air was thick with fumes from degreasers, lubricants and old weathered wood. By the fading light of late afternoon, amongst the forgotten engine parts,

Staff Sgt. Joseph Fletcher, explosive ordnance disposal technician, poses with the explosive device EOD found Jan. 12 in a barn in Byron , Ga. Photo by Senior Airman Tim Beckham.

rusty tools and oil stained floors, they found two high-explosive anti-tank projectiles just inside the door. One was propped against the wall on the right. The other lay on the ground beneath it. Both were covered with a thick layer of dust and cob webs.
The EOD team's mission - maneuver the remote x-ray machine to take real-time pictures and check the ordnance for live components.
This time, they were fortunate. A remnant of the 1970s placed in the barn by a now deceased, former employee of the San Diego Munitions Depot, the 106 millimeter projectiles contained no live components.
"The man used to work in the depot and somehow he managed to get a hold of the HEAT rounds and kept them as souvenirs," Bell explained. "He moved a few times and then stuck them in the barn. His wife was out going through the old stuff and found them."
This type of call isn't unusual for EOD technicians from the 116th Civil Engineer Squadron who responded to about 26 calls last year some of which were from civil authorities concerning citizens who just happened upon some vintage munitions lying around their property.
This is not a job for everyone. The extra $150 each month would be of little consolation to the majority of airmen.
However, contrary to what some people might believe, the Air Force's nearly 1,000 EOD troops are more than just thrill-seekers who like blowing stuff up. The Air Force only accepts volunteers and conducts extensive background checks, as well as physical and psychological exams on everyone who applies. Many applicants are rejected because they're not suited for the job.
Sometimes, suspicious packages and munitions like the one found in Byron turn out to be false alarms. Other times, things are more volatile.
For example, last year, as they were wrapping up a response to a suspicious package on base, the EOD team got a call to support local authorities with a suspect package at a video rental store on Russell Parkway .
"It turned out to be an actual improvised incendiary device that was designed to burn down the building," Fletcher explained.
They remotely rendered it safe with a percussion actuated neutralizer, or water cannon. "We try not to go hands on," Fletcher said. "We only do that as a last resort. We have certain tools we use and procedures we follow to do everything as remotely as possible."
The EOD team responds with about $500,000 in equipment designed to make their job as safe as possible, Bell explained. The inventory ranges from robots that poke around packages to metal cannons that shoot steel slugs or bursts of water that shred through devices, Fletcher explained. There's even a remote x-ray system used for evaluating internal components.
"We still have to go down range sometimes to set up equipment depending on what we're trying to x-ray," he said. "If it's something we can't move with the robot or if it's going to be a tight fit to get the x-ray equipment behind it and get an image on film, then we have to go down range."
That's why he said they have the bomb suits, flack vests and helmets. "The bomb suit provides minimal protection from explosives point blank," Fletcher explained. "It's actually designed for protection on the way in and on the way out."
Dressed in the Kevlar-like bomb suits that resemble something from a science fiction movie, and armed with state-of-the-art technology and nearly 4,000 technical orders that describe every conceivable manufactured explosive device and defusing instructions, this group of professional destroyers are trained to handle everything from match heads to atomic bombs.
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