Georgia guardsman [Vol. 1, Issue 6 (July 2009)]

Contents Vol. 1, No. 6

Georgia DoD videos for download

3

A `Peachtree' in Afghanistan: 2009 road race honors fallen warriors

4

The Georgia

State employees earn service award

7

Guardsman

Intel unit trains hard, displays `can do attitude'

8

Send comments,

Immersion in Taiwan

9

suggestions, articles, photos or other

Guard History

10

contributions to:

Georgia engineers in Guyana for humanitarian operation

11

gaguardpao@gmail.com Chavers, Johnson laid to rest honored for service, sacrifice

13

The Georgia Guardsman is

Not Just another AT for JTF 781

14

published monthly under the provisions of AR 360-81 and

Legislator visits Air Guard

17

AF 6-1 by the Georgia Department of Defense Public Affairs

Wood turns over 110th CCSB to Goss

18

Office. The views and opin-

ions expressed in the Georgia

Guardsman are not necessarily

those of the Departments of

the Army and Air Force or the

Adjutant General of Georgia.

The Georgia Guardsman is dis-

tributed free to members of the

Georgia Army and Air National

Guard, State Defense Force

and other interested persons at

their request.

Want to submit a story for your unit?
All submissions for the Georgia Guardsman can be sent to Amanda Kenny at gaguardpao@gmail.com. Please submit your stories in a Word document. All photos should be in a JPEG format and NOT embedded in the document. Online at www.gadod.net

Georgia Guardsman : 2 : No. 6

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Georgia DoD videos for download

To see videos, click on the name of the story.
Col Daniel Zachman Talks About Formation of Joint Task Force Georgia COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Joint Staff Formation Status COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Evolution of the Joint Staff COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Joint Force Scenarios COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Ready to Assist COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Air Guard Contribution to the Joint Task Force COL Daniel Zachman Interview - Communication Between the Air and Army Guard A Message from CSM Mike Herndon Memorial Service for 1SG John Blair Georgia's Adjutant General Speaks at Memorial Ceremony for SGT Chavers Suicide Prevention: A Message from the leadership of the Georgia National Guard Celebrating the life of SGT Brock Chavers, senior SPC Isaac Johnson Memorial Video Package (includes BG Britt speaking to the mourners and presenting SPC Johnson's family with his Purple Heart and Bronze Star) BG Britt Speaks at Memorial Day Ceremony Sgt. Chavers Memorial Service Convoy Operations Training Freedom Salute Ceremony 1 BN 121 INF Regt Family Day
Social Networking
The Georgia Guardsman is now on: Twitter Facebook

Commander-In-Chief Gov. Sonny Perdue
Adjutant General of Georgia MG Terry Nesbitt
Publisher Lt Col (Ret) Kenneth R. Baldowski
Editor/Historian Dr. Beryl Diamond
Managing Editor Amanda Kenny
Assistant Editor SFC Class Roy Henry
Video-Audio Editor David Howell
Contributing writers MAJ Eddie Williams - GSDF
SPC Adam Dean SPC Mike Perry
National Guard Correspondents 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office
Army National Guard Unit Public Affairs Officers and Representatives
Air National Guard Wing Public Affairs Officers and Representatives

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A Peachtree in Afghanistan:
2009 Roadrace honors Jenrette, fallen warriors

Story and photos by Sgt. Tracy J. Smith CJTF IX-48th IBCT PAO

ANA TRAINING CAMP

BLACKHORSE,

POL-E-CHARKI,

Afghanistan, July

2009 MAJ Kevin

Jenrette and his

wife, Shannon,

usually marked

their July 3 wed-

ding anniversary

by making the trek

from their North

Georgia home to

downtown At-

lanta; taking in a

show and enjoying

each other. The

next morning they

put on their run-

ning clothes and

shoes, and hit the

pavement for the

Peachtree Road

Race.

In May 2009,

"Push it Good!" - (left to right) SPC Jeremy C. Hickman a Radio and Communications Specialist and 2LT Michael G. Mallon, a signal officer, both with 108th Cavalry Regiment based in Calhoun, Ga., sprint toward the finish line of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team sponsored leg of the 2009 Peachtree Road Race in Afghanistan.

Jenrette wrote to his friend and "brother-at-arms," CPT Timothy Tatem, a signal officer for 1st Battalion,

108th Cavalry (for-

merly 1st Battalion,

108th RSTA) that, "My wife and I have

run (the Atlanta Journal Constitution

(AJC) Peachtree Road Race) for the

last five years."

However, Jenrette didn't make the

2009 race. One, because he was here,

doing his duty, and two because he and

two fellow troopers died June 4, from

injuries they sustained when an IED

exploded near the Humvee in which

they were riding.

"Jenrette embodied what it meant to be a (108th Cavalry) Roughrider," Tatem said describing his friend as he adjusted the box on his desk that holds Jenrette's Stetson, the coveted hat traditionally worn by mounted U.S. cavalry, and that modern "Cav Soldiers" continue to wear; part homage to cavalry history and part deference to the motto "If you ain't Cav, you ain't..."
"He was tough, but fair," Tatem recalled, "always looking to do what would motivate his Soldiers."
With a new training mission being planned with his Afghan army counterparts taking him away from the Roughrider's base camp, Jenrette ended his message almost tellingly by saying. "I might not be there, but knowing we're having it (the 108th's version of the Peachtree) at Blackhorse does make it (missing a chance to celebrate with his bride) easier."
When Jenrette, SGT Jeffrey Jordan, SFC John Beale and California Army Guardsman MAJ Rocco M. Barnes lost their lives, Tatem pushed on, just as his comrades did that day. Their memory would be honored through the strength needed to endure 10-kilometers at 6,500 feet above sea level, a world away from Atlanta's Peachtree Street.
At 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (July 2 in the U.S.), while state-side runners rested in preparation for the Independence Day celebration, a small contingent of American and NATO warriors assigned as mentors to the Afghan National Army's 201st Afghanistan Corps, stepped to the heavily fortified entrance of Camp Blackhorse and clocked-in as the first to complete the 2009 leg of the Peachtree Road Race as Time Group 11.
Some of the coalition Soldiers had never heard of the Peachtree but knew

Georgia Guardsman : 4 : No. 6

5

the Soldiers being honored. The small camp was perfect for building close acquaintances even with language presenting its own unique challenge.
French army CPL Said MeJalad, a transmissions and communications specialist, manages English well enough. Of course, the French translation for

"y'all" may prove just as formidable as running the 6.2 miles at 6,500 feet above sea level.
"I know it is very good for me because I get to run with my American friends and I have not been training for some time," MeJalad explained. "I run quite often in France and here the mis-

"Raising the colors with pride" - Portugese army LTC Paulo Santos, a senior officer mentor with the Camp Blackhorse Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT), raises the top finisher award banner during the awards ceremony of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team sponsored leg of the 2009 Peachtree Road Race in Afghanistan July 3. The presentation from CPT Timothy Tatem (left) and race director, MSG Carl P. Allen (uniform, center) was designed to give the Soldiers at the training facility a taste of home.
Georgia Guardsman : 5 : No. 6

sion does not al-

low much time so

this will be very

good for me."

Others have a

been-there-done-

that mentality

when it comes to

the Peachtree.

Walt W. Har-

dy, a retired avia-

tion command

sergeant major

and now ANA senior NCO mentor for the 201st Afghanistan Corps

"Badge of Honor" A Soldier reviews the `bib' that were worn by runners, July 3, at Camp Blackhorse in Afghanistan during the 2009 Peachtree Road Race Time Group 11: Afghanistan.

with the profes-

sional contracting firm MPRI, works most important, though, is that these

alongside the multinational Mentor and guys are focused on the camaraderie

Liaison Teams (OMLTs).

piece, and on making sure they bring a

The Suffolk, Va., resident also has bit of home to this environment."

run the Atlanta A thought of home was where 2LT

race, and proud- Michael G. Mallon found himself as he

ly donned his recalled the first time he met Jenrette.

coveted 2006 "He was the first person I met when I

shirt that hon- joined the 108th," the Boston native

ors the 48th said. Being new to the Officer Corps,

IBCT's return "He made sure I was squared away, co-

from Iraq that ordinating my paperwork and making

year. The Bri- sure I had my courses completed before

gade marched this deployment. As for Jordan, he was

down Peachtree one of the guys in my shop, and he was

Street during the good! I miss them both very much."

now defunct an-

"I'm sure they would be running

nual Fourth of with us if they could," he said of his

July Parade, and fellow Soldiers. "They are definitely

celebrated being running with us in spirit. I hope I can

home along side do them justice and `bring one home'

w e l l - w i s h e r s for the 108th team."

from across the Mallon lived up to that statement,

state.

running an impressive 45 minutes, 16

"I was excited seconds, thereby beating MeJalad by

to see this new just over 5 minutes. He didn't win the

group of high- race, however, coming in minutes be-

speed guys, and hind Portuguese army LTC Paulo San-

yet saddened tos, who whipped through the dusty,

at their loss so gravel impaired course at 41 minutes,

"Bring it on!" - CPL Said MeJalad, a French Army Soldier based at Camp Blackhorse in Afghanistan, prepares to take on the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team sponsored leg of the 2009 Peachtree Road Race.

soon after arriving in Afghanistan," Hardy said. "What's

26 seconds.

Georgia Guardsman : 6 : No. 6

State employees earn service award

Georgia National Guard Public Affairs Office
ATLANTA, July 22, 2009 Two staff members of the Georgia National Guard Youth Challenge Academy (YCA) campus at Fort Stewart in Hinesville have been named winners of the Governor's Excellence in Customer Service Award for the current quarter.
Employees Lydia Witherspoon and Tina Rose were honored at a campus ceremony for their "innovation and contribution to the mission of the southeast Georgia institution," according to the award citations.
Witherspoon, in particular, was cited for reorganizing the supply ordering procedure used by the Fort Stewart campus, and for creating a dressing room in which cadets can receive their uniforms.
Rose is recognized for her work with the estimated 600 mentors statewide

who work with Youth Challenge cadets.

According to her citation, she ensures

that mentors are properly screened, and

that relationships

between cadets and

mentors are initi-

ated through let-

ter writing or tele-

phone phone calls.

The Excellence

in Customer Ser-

vice Award is given

to those individuals

who demonstrate

outstanding service

to the citizens of

Georgia. Their ac-

tions reflect all five

of the state's cus-

tomer service attri-

butes: helpfulness,

courteousness, accessibility, respon-

Tina Rose

sive-

ness and knowledge-

able.

Georgia has two

Youth Challenge cam-

puses: one at Fort Stew-

art, the other at Fort

Gordon in Augusta. The

mission of the YCA pro-

gram is to "intervene in

and reclaim the lives of

at-risk youth, and then

produce program gradu-

ates with the values,

skills, education and

self-discipline necessary

for them to succeed as

adults."

Lydia Witherspoon

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Soldiers, leaders hone skills
Intel unit trains hard, displays `can do attitude'

Dust blurs the image of two Company C members one playing a possible enemy fighter, the other the Soldier detaining him in a simulated village.
A member of Company C puts "boots on the ground" after having made it safely down a Fort Gordon rappelling tower.

Story and photos provided by Company C, 221st Military Intelligence Battalion
FORT GORDON, AUGUSTA, June 2009 When Ellenwood's Company C, 221st Military Intelligence Battalion, conducts annual training, its spends those two weeks not only honing its "intel" gathering skills, but also learning new skills and staying qualified on its weapons systems.
"Which is as it should be," said CPT John Fuchko III, the unit's commander. "Our Soldiers not only `meet the standard,' but they stepped-up and stepped-out in training new leaders and building esprit de corps among the company.
"Our non-commissioned officers developed their Soldiers and built teams capable of carrying out any mission given them. I couldn't be prouder of them," he added.
1SG Pedro Lopez, Company C's senior enlisted Soldier agreed with his boss. "Our people displayed a true `can-do' attitude throughout their training. Whether they were running an obstacle course, working a weapons range or helping each other move into or clear their barracks, they showed the kind of ambition, eagerness and confidence every Soldier should have.
"Charlie Company leads the way," Lopez proudly shouted.
Among the events Company C conducted during an-

nual training was vehicle roll-over safety. Using the Army' Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT) built to resemble the body of a Humvee, complete with an enclosed gunner's position unit members climbed in, strapped in and got a taste of

Movement from building to building or room to room takes time, patience and the sense for being ready for anything as these two Soldiers demonstrate during MOUT training. (Photo Illustration by SPC Mike Perry)
Georgia Guardsman : 8 : No. 6

what it's like to be inside one that's turned

over onto its top.

Roll-overs are something the Army

active, Guard and Reserve has been

training its people to survive for several

years now. Soldiers are taught how to

react goes "inverted," and then safely,

but quickly, extract themselves and their

comrades from the vehicle.

Other Soldier tasks Company C

worked on during its annual training in-

cluded Military Operations on Urban

Terrain (MOUT) going from building

to building, and room to room in a mock

town, clearing it of "enemy fighters"

rappelling and weapons qualification.

"Firing the 9-mm [semiautomatic pis-

tol] was quite an experience," said SPC

Amber Jackson, a human intelligence

(HUMINT) collection team member.

"While I do carry, and qualify, with

the M16 rifle, firing the `nine mil,' gives me the ability to handle that weapon with confidence should I ever have to use it," added Jackson.

Company C Soldiers are briefed by LTC Raquel Durden (left) and CPT John M Fuchko III (her left), the company commander, on the importance of "roll-over" training in keeping vehicle occupants alive.

As part of the 221st, Fort Gillem based

Company C is a human intelligence (HU-

MINT) collection unit. It and the 221st are elements of Georgia's 560th Battlefield

Surveillance Brigade (BFSB). Over the past few years, Company C and the 221st

have deployed in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Immersion in Taiwan

During the month of June, Company C, 221st Military Intelligence Battalion, coordinated with U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC), to send a Soldier for language immersion training. This coordination was made possible through the joint effort of the 221st and 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade staff and with the support of the J-3. The purpose of the training was language refresher for a Defense Language Institute graduate in the language of Mandarin Chinese. SPC Crystal Navarro, was first sent to USARPAC in Fort Shafter, Hawaii, and afterwards to Taipei, Taiwan for three weeks.
The first week of training was con- week Navarro was briefed on the misducted at Fort Shafter. During this sion's goals and objectives, as well as
Georgia Guardsman : 9 : No. 6

SPC Crystal Navarro (right) spent three weeks in a language refresher course in Tiawan.

the customs and courtesies of Taiwan. The second and third week of training was spent working with USARPAC, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Army in Taiwan. USARPAC went to attend the Taiwan Mid-Planning Conference to discuss, and plan, a five-year list of events to achieve the goals set out by Taiwan.
During this trip, Navarro was afforded the opportunity to continuously speak her target language. She was placed as a working linguist, where she studied how linguists translated quickly between one language and another,

and was able to practice her own skill with the language. There she also was able to study the dialect differences between Mandarin spoken in Taiwan versus Mandarin spoken in mainland China.
Overall, the trip not only furthered the Navarro's language abilities, but also contributed to her knowledge of international relations. Working closely with high ranking officers, she was able to view how the U.S. maintains relations with other countries. It provided first-hand practice for rapport building skills essential for MI Soldier.

Guard History

1900 "For the first time the state has furnished the men with uniforms" (1900 Adjutant Generals Report). Enlisted men, or their company organizations, owned the uniforms in the respective commands until 1900. A change occurred following the 1898 Spanish-American War due to the fact
that Georgia state troops wore their uniforms into federal service, creating a company loss and a lack of uniforms for the company. In the AG's report, it was noted that the enlisted men would now be clothed for the next four or five years.
1933 Company H, 122d Infantry, GaNG won their regimental athletic banner. The competition was under the guidance of 1LT Er-
Officers from Compnay H hold up the athletics flag the unit won.

nest A. Nealy, regimental athletic officer with other regimental officers in charge of the individual sports. There were eight events: tennis; golf; boxing with four weight divisions, lightweight, welterweight, light heavy weight and heavyweight; wrestling; swimming to include free style, breaststroke, backstroke and relays; track and field; tugof-war; baseball.
The regimental commander was COL Thomas Alexander, and the athletic banner was given to the winner with the most accrued points "BY OOTER OF KURNEL ALEXANDER."
the above information is from the 122nd Regiment's 1933 yearbook
August, 1951 Ration pay for National Guardsmen drilling eight hours or more a day was one of the components of the appropriations bill passed by Congress. Among other provisions in the law passed then were medical and hospital treatment of Guardsmen who suffered injury or disease in the line of duty and attendance of Guardsmen at military service schools. Also, though some of the requested funding amount was cut, the National Guard received all of the monies asked for the construction of new armories and the expansion of others.

Georgia Guardsman : 10 : No. 6

Georgia engineers in Guyana for humanitarian operation

Story by SFC Roy Henry

northeast coast.

Georgia National Guard Public Affairs Office

New Horizons is the U.S. Southern Command's ongoing humanitarian ef-

ATLANTA, July 17, 2009 As members of the Georgia Army Guard, Soldiers of Augusta's 878th Engineer Battalion pride themselves in giving a hand to the citizens of their state, as well as extending it to those who need help in places far from home.
In this case the Guardsmen, who not only come from the unit headquarters on Milledge Road, but also the battalion's 876th Engineer Company in Toccoa and Hartwell, and its 175th Engineer Company at Fort Stewart in

fort to help developing countries across Central and South America and the Caribbean build schools, community centers and medical clinics, dig wells and provide medical care for a host country's people. There are two major construction projects going on right now.
The building of a new clinic in la Penitence, a suburb of Georgetown, belongs to the 878th.
"This unit saw the destruction of war during Operation Iraqi Freedom," said LTC David Silver, the 878th command-
er. "This time, we're putting

our talents to work in a hu-

manitarian endeavor.

"As a man once said, `I

hope being good at the one

[making war], makes me

better at the other,' and we

know we can do the war

fighter mission. But we're

also good at the other, and

our people are excited about

enhancing someone else's

quality of life," Silver added.

So far, one rotation,

which left June 25, 2009,

has returned and another

took its place on July 15. A

third and final rotation will

Members of the Guyana Defense Force (center) replace the second some

work along side Augusta's 878th on the la Penitence time in early August.

site.

A "duration party," han-

dling equipment and mate-

Hinesville, are among the more than 650 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen participating in Operation New Horizons for their annual training. For the next 75 days, they are living, and working, in and around Georgetown, Guyana's capital city on the country's

rial needs, as well as incoming and outgoing personnel for the 878th, was on the ground before the first rotation of masons, carpenters and electricians arrived. It will remain in-country until the project is complete.
"My husband, SGT Jeremy Webb,

Georgia Guardsman : 11 : No. 6

Guyana Quick Facts:
Is in Northern South America
Borders the North Atlantic Ocean Lies between the countries of Suriname and Venezuela
Is slightly smaller than the state of Idaho
Was a Dutch colony in the 17th Century, and then a British possession from the mid 1800s until 1966 when it won its independence from Britain
Saw the abolition of slavery and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the country's sugar plantations.
Counts bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp and fish among its natural resources
The Guyanese people (a population of about 772,298) speak English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi) and Urdu
Has a defense force (the GDF), formed in November 1965 out of what was the British Guyana Volunteer Force, Special Service Unit and British Guiana Police Force, and that it accepts enlistees from among the civilian population.

is with that group," said

PFC Christina Webb. The

Webbs, who live in Colum-

bia, S.C., are electricians

with the 876th Engineers.

"While our training serves

us well for the war fighter

mission, its missions like

this [New Horizons] that

really gives us a chance

to spotlight who we are as

Citizen-Soldiers."

The unit's first rotation

began putting up the walls

of the 30-foot by 90-foot

structure. Silver noted that

the concrete pad on which

the clinic will stand had

been poured earlier.

The next group, which

just arrived in George-

town, finishes the outer

walls, and then starts on the roof and interior walls [to include electrical wiring], said CSM Lynnward

Soldiers of the 878th construct one of the la Penitence medical clinic outer walls as construction on the site begins.

Hall, the 878th's com-

mand sergeant major.

ect, the keys to the building will be

That third, and final, rotation picks it handed over to Guyanese representa-

up from there and completes the build- tives during a ceremony scheduled for

ing.

mid September.

Since the clinic is a "turn-key" proj- "That's gonna be a great day," said

SPC Lionel Palmer. A heavy equip-

ment operator with the 175th

Engineers, Palmer is from

Savannah. "There's nothing

better, in this case, than hav-

ing someone benefit from the

fruits of your labor."

(Photos for this story were

provided by Joint Task Force

Guyana Public Affairs)

Two members of the 878th move material needed by fellow engineers to the far side of the clinic.
Georgia Guardsman : 12 : No. 6

Chavers, Johnson laid to rest; honored for service, sacrifice

Georgia National Guard Public Affairs Office
Atlanta - "Their deaths are a devastating loss for the nation, the state, the Georgia Guard, and most of all, the families of these fine men. The news of their loss reminds us again, that the cost of freedom is very high."
MG Terry Nesbitt, Georgia's Adjutant General, in this short statement echoed the loss felt by many Georgia Guardsmen upon the news of the recent deaths of SGT Brock H. Chavers of Statesboro and SPC Isaac Lee Johnson of Columbus.
The two were killed in action July 6, 2009, when they sustained injuries from the explosion of an improvised explosive device near Kunduz, Afghanistan.
Chavers and Johnson bring to seven the number of Soldiers from Georgia's 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team who have died since the unit deployed in mid-June.
As these losses are announced, communities of the fallen across Georgia have shown exceptional sympathy and support for the Guardsmen and their families. Private citizens turn out in huge numbers when the bodies of the fallen are taken from their arrival at the local airport, and often driven through downtown in a procession to the funeral homes. The outpouring of support continues at the funeral services and the interments. Buildings are adorned by American flags all along the route taken by the funeral processions, and hundreds of local citizens show their respect for the Soldiers and pride in their country by waving flags, saluting the passing casket, or simply bowing their heads in reverence with their hands covering their hearts.

Governor Sonny Perdue said, that Chavers and Johnson's passing so soon after the fourth of July, that "celebrating out independence also means remembering the long line of heroes who have laid down their lives so that our country and countries around the world can enjoy freedom. Mary (Perdue) and I encourage all Georgians to join us
MG Terry Nesbitt presents military honors to SGT Brock Chavers' family at his memorial service in Statesboro.
in praying for these families of these brave Soldiers."
Chavers was laid to rest with full military honors, Saturday, July 18, 2009, in his hometown of Statesboro. He was a member of Americus' Company D, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry.
An estimated 500 family, friends and well-wishers packed Statesboro's Fletcher Memorial Baptist Church for the two and a half hour "celebration of the life" of Chavers.
General Nesbitt, acknowledged the

Georgia Guardsman : 13 : No. 6

Chavers family, which includes four brothers, all serving in the military, and Chavers' wife, Minnie, who also is a Georgia National Guardsman. "This family has truly understood the enormous sacrifices that come with keeping our nation strong." Chavers was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart at the service.
Following the ceremonial 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and a flyover by two Black Hawk helicopters, Chavers' flag-draped casket was laid to rest at Bulloch Memorial Garden Cemetery in the presence of hundreds of Statesboro residents.
Columbus, Johnson's hometown, also showed its respect for the 24-year old soldier by turning out in great numbers to honor its fallen hero during funeral services, Friday, July 17, 2009.

Johnson was assigned to Company A, 48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Statesboro.
BG Maria Britt, Georgia Army National commander, told hundreds of friends and family during services at Cusetta Road Church of Christ, that Johnson was a highly respected young Soldier who took his responsibility to his fellow Guardsmen, his unit and his nation very seriously.
"Specialist Johnson understood what it meant to be a Soldier, and that the price of freedom is never free," she noted. Britt presented the Johnson family with his Bronze Star and the Purple Heart at the service.
Johnson, like Chavers, also received full military honors while being laid to rest at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Ala.

Not Just another AT for JTF 781
Georgia Soldiers, Airmen earn disaster response accolades

Members of Kennesaw's Joint Task Force 781 load vehicles at Dobbins Air Reserve Base aboard a Tennessee Air National Guard C-5 Galaxy for the trip to Volk Field, Wisc.

Story and photos by SPC Mike Perry and SPC Tekoa Burns
VOLK FIELD, Wisc. A Georgia National Guard special response force has received validation of its capability to support civilian first responders and civil authorities should a domestic attack involving high-explosives, chemical, radiological or nuclear weapon occur.
Kennesaw's Joint Task Force 781 CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Enhanced Response Force) conducted an "external evaluation" at the Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) here, July 8 to 14, 2009.
The evaluation and the JTF were part of Patriot '09, an annual homeland security exercise. With its validation, JTF 781 is considered ready to respond to any crisis.
Joint Task Force 781 is comprised of more than 250 Soldiers and Airmen from Marietta's 202nd Explosive Ord-

nance Disposal, 248th Medical Company, 877th Engineer Company and 4th Civil Support Team, and Warner Robin's 116th Medical wing.
One of the most important pieces of the validation process was the movement of JTF 781 CBRNE assets to the CRTC, said the JTF commander, MAJ Jeff Carlyle. It's the first time any CBRNE unit has attempted such a feat, he added.
Using assistance from New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee Air Guard units, the 781st and its supporting elements were able to airlift more than 350,000 pounds of equipment and personnel using three C-5 Galaxy heavylift cargo jets and three C-130J Hercules cargo transports.
"I feel very confident now that we can respond to a scene and assure the public that we can take care of business," Carlyle said. "Moving 100 percent of our assets by air is something of which I'm quite proud. The fact that we

Georgia Guardsman : 14 : No. 6

move to the incident site

and fall under control of

the on-scene commander.

In most situations, local

authorities would already

have established some

sort of decontamination

site immediately after the

attack. The JTF would

augment the existing site,

or establish a new site to

increase the number of ca-

sualties that can be treated.

In the scenario for its

external evaluation, the

781st deployed because of

two large explosions re-

ported in Juneau County,

Wisc., and the discovery

of a possible chemical

lab in the basement of an

apartment building in that

Citizen-Soldiers from Marietta-based Joint Task Force 781 CBRNE, lower a rope to assist with the recovery of a "victim" from a rooftop.

area. The task force extraction team simulated rescuing causalities, while the unit command and

[Georgia] are the first state to validate the air mobility piece means we're able to respond faster and assist out of state

control, decontamination and medical triage elements set up operations about 200 yards away from

agencies during a disaster."

Joint Task Force 781's mis-

sion is to provide an imme-

diate response capability to

Georgia's governor. Specially

trained and equipped ele-

ments of the unit are capable

of searching an incident site,

rescuing any casualties from

damaged buildings and rubble

piles, decontaminating citi-

zens caught in an attack and

performing initial treatment

to stabilize them for transfer

to a medical facility.

In the event of an attack

with a weapon of mass de-

struction, for example, the

state would make a request to

the Georgia Guard's Joint Op-

erations Center. From there,

JTF 781 personnel would Members of the 138th Chemical Company extract a "casualty" from a simulated exploded building.

Georgia Guardsman : 15 : No. 6

ground zero.

The Task Force is

able to respond to inci-

dents outside Georgia

under the terms agreed

to in an Emergency

Mutual Aid Compact.

After arriving on site,

the command and con-

trol team and the ele-

ment commanders co-

ordinate with the on-

scene commander and

joint task force com-

mander to determine

how to most effectively

employ the unit.

The task force

trained for months to

prepare for it's evalu-

ation by West Virgin-

ia's Joint Interagency

Training Education

Center. Joint Task

Force 781 was first certified for service in

Members of Marietta's 138th Chemical Company secure a "casualty" in a Skedco mobile stretcher to a gurney be-

2007. Since that time, fore moving him to a waiting vehicle.

its Soldiers and Airmen

have undergone exten-

sive training and equipping to better Johnson also explained that there

prepare them for their mission.

are major tasks the unit had to accom-

More than 140 role players were on plish establish an area of operations

hand for the evaluation. To add to the and communications, conduct search

realism, those role players were outfit- and extraction operations, establish a

ted with Hollywood style make up to decontamination and medical response

realistically represent injuries JTF per- site, and establish a hazardous waste

sonnel might see in real life.

site to name a few.

Each element of the 781st has a spe- For SFC Carol Caldwell, who heads

cific mission: search and extraction, the "decon" element's maintenance

mass casualty decontamination, mass team, it means showing that his section

casualty triage and command and con- can establish, and then maintain, water

trol. The command and control team and power to three decontamination

for example, directs the overall unit's lines.

activities and coordinates with the joint "Too much `flow' is as bad as too

task force and the incident commander. little, so we constantly check to make

"The command element as an ex- sure the right amount of both are going

ample has a excellent grasp of their where it needs to be," said Caldwell,

tasks, trigger points and actions needed who lives in Woodstock, and is a full-

be taken to forecast for future opera- time shop supervisor at Atlanta's Field

tions," said MSG Rob Johnson, prima- Maintenance Shop No. 1. "We train

ry trainer-observer for the command constantly on this task, and we know

and control Element.

what needs to be done."

Georgia Guardsman : 16 : No. 6

TSGT Hansen Greenidge, an aerospace medical services specialist with the 116th, and her team are tested on how they handle "hot triage," those patients coming out of the disaster area and may have been exposed to some kind of contaminant.
"We're being looked at, for example, on how we prioritize their injuries and then `tag and treat' them before sending them on to a medical facility,"

said Greenidge, who lives in Columbus. "Our team is also evaluated on the setup and safety of our operation, our efficiency in conducting that operation and our recovery time."
Overall, JTF 781's evaluators rated it "fully trained" on all its tasks.
"I'm very, very pleased with the unit's performance," said Johnson. "I would work with this unit anytime, anywhere."

Legislator visits Air Guard

DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, July 20, 2009 State Sen. John Douglas (left), Senate Military Affairs Committee chairman, talks with Lt Col Tom Dixon, commander 283rd Combat Communications Squadron, about the unit's recent five-day training exercise. The unit conducted the exercise just outside the base near Georgia Tech Research Facility in preparation for the squadron's upcoming operational readiness inspection. The usually tranquil environment was temporarily disrupted over the course of the exercise by the sounds of bird cannons going off and

smokes grenades. To further add to the realism of the exercise, a public address system broadcast the Islamic call to prayer to simulate "in-country conditions."
During his visit with the 283rd, Douglas witnessed the unit setting up its sophisticated communications equipment and going through a series of scenarios designed to test, and validate, the reliability of communications links established by the squadron. (Georgia National Guard photo by SPC Mike Perry)

Georgia Guardsman : 17 : No. 6

Wood turns over 110th CCSB to Goss
TIFTON, July 12, 2009 Georgia's 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) welcomed aboard its new commander, while saying farewell to its previous leader in a ceremony at the unit armory. As is the time-honored tradition of the Change-of-Command, LTC Roy W. Wood (center left) accepts the 110th guidon from his command sergeant major, CSM Ed Andrews. Wood as the outgoing commander then passed the guidon to COL Tom Blackstock, who commands Decatur's 78th Troop Command (the CCSB's higher headquarters). LTC Lawrence Goss III to signify acceptance of his responsibility as the battalion's new commander then accepted the guidon and returned it to Andrews.
Among the guests to attend the ceremony, and to praise the new and old commanders for their service, was MG Terry Nesbitt, Georgia's Adjutant General.
Wood, who began his Guard career with the 110th nearly 21 years ago as its operations and intelligence sergeant, has moved on to become director of logistics chief surface maintenance for the Combined Support Maintenance Shop in Atlanta. Goss, who first served as a medical specialist with the Army Guard's Atlanta-based 138th Medical Company (now Marietta's 138th Chemical Company) in 1990, comes to the CSSB from his job as executive officer for Metter's 265th Regional Support Group.(Georgia National Guard Photo by SGT Gary Hone)
Georgia Guardsman : 18 : No.5