sman Fall 2001/Winter 2002 'Do I get a reciept? ' Staff Sgt. Bobby Tippins, a Valdosta resident with Company A, 121st Infantry Regiment, sorts through his gear and removes what he must turn-in to Fort Stewart's Central Issue Facility. Tippins and other 48th Infantry Brigade soldiers had to return equipment they had been issued before finally heading home. (Photo.by.;;:,,,, __,_....,.~ Roy Henry, I 24th MPAD) On The Cover Four-year-old Isaiah Ricks and his mom Thomsine Ricks, both of Waycross, welcome home Staff Sgt. Alphonso Ricks of Company C, 648th Engineer Battalion based in Douglas. Ricks is among the 1,200 members ofthe 48th Jnfa ntly Brigade who returned ji-om Bosnia after a six-month deployment. (Photo by Sgt. Roy He111y, 124th MPAD) Georgia Guardsman Fall 2001 Features 4 A Bosnian Diary Excerpts from Col. Tommy Stewart's journal telling the story ofthe Balkan deployment from his perspective 6-7 Photos Tell the Story A photographic essay ofthe Bosnia mission from the train-up to the return home. 9 Back to Business A returning Guardsman talks about his return to the family business he left behind. 10 Getting Reacquainted Soldiers and their spouses discuss the challenge of coming together as a family again after the deployment. 12 After the mission 48th Infantly Brigade commander gives his assessment of the unit's perf01mance. Departments 2 From the Editor's Desk 3 Command Focus 12 The Last Page Georgia Guardsman From the Editor's Desk Vol 3 No. I The Georgia Guardsman is published quarterly under the provisions of AR 360-81 and AF 6-1 by the Directorate of Communications, Georgia Department ofDefense. The views and opinions expressed in the Georgia Guardsman are not necessarily those of the Departments of the Army and Air Force or the Adjutaljlt General of Georgia. The Georgia Guardsman is distributed free to members of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard, State Defense Force and other interested persons at their request. Commander-In-Chief Gov. Roy E. Barnes Jr. Adjutant General of Georgia Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress Director of Communications Lt. Col. Jim Driscoll Associate Publisher Lt. Col. Kenneth R. Baldowski Managing Editor I st Lt. Thomas C. Meeks Deputy Editor Sgt. Roy Henry Assistant Editor Spc. J. M. Lowry National Guard Correspondents !24th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Unit Public Affa irs Officers Unit Public Affairs Reprsentati ves Send comments, articles, photo suggestions or contributions to: The Georgia Guardsman c/o Directorate of Communications Georgia Department of Defense P.O. Box 17965 Atlanta, Ga. 303 16-0965 . E-mail comments or suggestions to: DOC@ga.ngb.army.mil I n this special edition of your Georgia Guardsman we welcome home the soldiers of the 48th Infantry Brigade from Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the following pages you'll see stories about how its soldiers plan to get back to theirs lives and what lessons they learned from their experiences halfway around the world. Our center section is filled with photos of the brigade before, during and after its deployment. Colonel Thomas Stewart's journal, excerpted on pages four and five , offers a valuable operational overview, as well as a unique insight into what life was like for U.S. peacekeepers serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This issue is also about those who supported the brigade during its demobilization. They were there to help their fellow Guardsmen get through the process of returning to their reserve status and their civilian jobs. As you begin to read this issue of the Guardsman, reflect a bit on the history of this monumental endeavor. With the SFOR-9 call-up, the 48th Infantry Brigade became the largest National Guard unit federalized into active duty since Desert Storm. And there's even more significance. National Guard units have played a key role in the Balkans since the U.S. began peacekeeping operations there in the mid90s. In fact two Georgia Guard units served rotations there in 1996 and 97. But the brigade's mission to the Balkans was unique in that the unit assumed a greater responsibility than any of its Guard and Reserve predecessors. The brigade staff and leadership were integral parts of the command and control structure at Multi-National Division North headquarters. And just as important, Task Force 2121 was the first National Guard entity to be a maneuver unit providing presence patrols and engaging in peacekeeping operations in a very contentious part of the war-tom country. The accomplishments of the logistics task force, guard mounts, engineers and support elements have been well documented. The mission was accomplished with unqualified success and has surely paved the way for increased involvement by other National Guard units in the future. To gain another perspective on what the soldiers of the 48th Brigade accomplished over the past year, we invite to you to read Brig. Gen. Robley Rigdon's special column on page 12. The staff of the Georgia Guardsman is proud to salute each and every member of the 48th Brigade task force for a job well done. And we hope that in a small way, this special issue will help commemorate the success of that mission. On a final note, as we go to press with this issue of the Georgia Guardsman, we are all busy responding to a new crisis. In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, Georgia Air and Army National Guardsmen have responded to the calls of our president and governor. More than 700 have been federalized into active service, and hundreds more are serving in our state's airports or are pro- tecting our own facilities. We wish each ofour deployed colleagues well, and invite everyone to watch for stories and photos ofthe Georgia National Guard's response in an upcoming issue ofthe Georgia Guardsman. Georgia C11ards11w11 1 Command Focus i Major General David B. Poythress, The Adjutant General Well Done! These two words do not adequately describe the 48th Infantry Brigade's successful tour in the Balkans. In a hot bed of political and ethnic tunnoil, the professionalism and coolheaded judgment of Georgia's citizensoldiers kept the peace. In a sometimes dreary, cold region, Georgia's 48th brought a little wannth and friendship . "Trying to keep a sense of nonnalcy," is the way Lt. Col. Larry McClendon of the 148th Forward Support Battalion explained it. Sarajevo isn't Macon, but people in both locations share similar experiences. Take for example the story of Spc. Willie Glover of Augusta who, while standing his post, held regular conversations with a local Bosnian. "We basically talked about how his mother is doing," he said. "He tells me everything that is going on in the neighborhood and how peaceful it is, and how thankful he is that the Americans are here." It's somehow ironic that a conversation held thousands of miles away can sound just like one that might be held over a backyard fence in Macon or Barnesville. Veterans of the Bosnia tour will tell you that the mission was sometimes boring, sometimes daunting and sometimes dangerous. The scars of "ethnic cleansing "- the campaign by the Serbian paramilitary to "cleanse" Bosnia of its Muslim population - are still evident. They will be for decades to come. Yet today many families displaced by civil war are returning to their homes and rebuilding, because as one man said: "I feel safe now." The men and women ofthe 48th Brigade can take pride in the fact they had a hand in the rebuilding of a nation and a people. Just as important, the training and professionalism of the men and women of the 48th proved that the National Guard of Georgia takes a backseat to no one. Theirs was the first National Guard combat sized element to deploy to the region and almost without exception it was flawless. Was it tough for the guys in green camo? At times it was. As one soldier put it, "I'm a war fighter, not a peacekeeper. " But the 1,200 soldiers of the 48th Brigade accepted the job, trained for it and accomplished the mission Their jobs "over there" were made easier by the stalwart support of their families here. Without the support of wives, spouses, children, cousins, friends, and employers; without their patience, understanding and words of encouragement, this mission would not have been successful. On a lonely watch in a lonely place, knowing that your family waits for you, prays for you and misses you makes life more bearable. With their families behind them and their professionalism and training guiding them, these Georgians could not fail. Because of their hard work, the future of the Brigade, indeed the future prospect of peace in the Balkans, is a little brighter today than it was nine months ago , when the first member of the 48th Infantry Brigade stepped offan airplane in that land of tunnoil and tumult. About 60 years ago, Georgia Guardsmen from Macon, from Albany, from small towns dotting a rural landscape helped restore peace to a world tom by war. Today, soldiers from similar areas have come marching home having kept a peace in a region shattered by violence. And like their forebears they share a respected motto that when given a task: " It Shall Be Done." These men and women of48th Infantry Brigade can say with pride, "It has been done." Georgia Guardsman 3 A Bosnia n Diary by Colonel Thomas Stewart Editor's note: Colonel Thoma s Stewart is Sounded close so it scared the you know what out of me. By deputy commander ofthe 48th lnfant1y Brigade, the time I got back to my qua1ters I had heard two or three more and during SFOR-9 was commander oftroops bursts. Evidentially someone had gotten married or drunk or for Multi-National Division North. Throughout both and decided to fire off a few rounds. th e deploy ment to Bosnia-Herzegovina, he kept Weather here sucks. It rains one minute, then sunny the next, family, fi'iends and colleagues abreast ofhis ex- and then back to rain. And it may change three of four times in periences through a series of weekly journals the course of a day. Also the temperature may vary 20 degrees distributed by email. These entries not only pro- from one hour to the next. It is a wonder everyone is not sick. vide an interesting operational overview, but also offer a unique perspective into life for the April 29, 2001 peacekeepers servilfg in th e Balkans. Belo w are I cannot describe the work our great soldiers are doing. They excerpts'fiwn his journal. are really making a difference in this part of the world. They are not perfotming "drive by" patrolling or diplomacy. They are April 5, 2001 getting out of their veh ic les and talking to the people. It makes It 's hard to imagine that our last load of soldiers left Fort Stewart one such a treme~dou s difference. Very inspiring to see them work . month ago. Many have been here for 45-plus days and a few have already been here two months. Time here really flies by. You seem to lose track of days because they are all so very simi lar. Its kind of interesting to hear a soldier from the mountains of north Georgia or the flat lands of south Georgia try to converse through an interpreter to a local Bosnian. Interpreters tend to There are Guard and Am1y Reserve soldiers here from Georgia and 11 have a few problems understanding some words when they are other states, not to mention the soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division pronounced with that distinct southern charm. They have yet to and other active component units. All are working together and perform- figure out what " yonder" means. ing as one team. Truly a multi-component force . 148th is decisively engaged in providing maintenance support 2-121 Infanh)' had an interesting week this for the Division. They have changed week. They aiTested an alleged Serbian war their unit motto to the "Eliminators" criminal, so all the Serbs got upset. Every day I am amazed by what our because they eliminate logistical Their claim is that SFOR is arresting only Serbs soldiers are doing. They are building problems. They have done remark- and not arresting Bosniacs and Croats. So to show their displeasure they decided to hold some demon_strations in the town of Zvornic. They held a small one last Sunday and had about 700 people attend and then another one Friday and had several thousand people. The demonstration was very peaceful. There were a few sp.eeches and some cheering. And then the rain came. relationships with the people of Bosnia and having an impact on the future of this country... They are at the tip of the spear of U.S. diplomacy in the region and they are excelling. able work keeping this ragged fleet of HMMWVs running. They work 24 hours a day when necessary. C Company, 648 Engineers are a bunch of busy bees . They have been working on several roads and bridges. One bridge in the Russian sector got a lot of attention because it was a joint project with the Russians . Aside from that they are So much for the demonstration. The rain made everyone get back on repairing bridges almost daily. They are getting ready to get their buses and leave. 2-121 had to provide an overwatch to the local started on repairing two bridges in the Lukavac area. These police who handled the situation with out a problem. bridges are on the only road into an area where about 500 people The l 48th Logistics Task Force continues to do good work. At last count they had completed over 300 direct support jobs and over 500 AVUM level jobs. Those guys and gals are busting their butts to keep everything live. The current ones are not so good to say the least. C/648 will tear them out (down to the pilings) and then completely rebuild them. running. We have been in the green every day but one for ground equip- Every day I am amazed by what our soldiers are doing. We ment and two for aircraft. have company commanders out talking with mayors, police Shops are running 24 hours per day with soldiers working 12 and 14hour shifts. All this is even more remarkable considering that our ground operations tempo has been about 1.5 times that of SFOR-7 and twice that of SFOR-8. 1-121 had shots outside the wire a few nights ago. I was running at 0500 when I heard what sounded like a 10-15 round burst of AK fire. chiefs and even canton governors. Our platoon sergeants and squad leaders are also in the communities talking with the people and local officials. They are building relationships with the people of Bosnia and having an impact on the future of this country that we never dreamed of before we got here. They are at the tip of the spear of U .S. diplomacy in the region and they are excelling. Georgia Guardsman 4 May20,2001 Police Task Force, SFOR, and Bosnian leaders. The purpose is to C Company, 1-121 's area of responsibility is centered around the discuss the security planning for our 11 July ceremony in Sebrenica. town of Hans Pijeskik and is very mountainous. It looks almost After attending a couple of these meetings I fully understand why exactly like north Georgia. We visited a couple of returnee settle- this country is having problems. The three entities hate each other ments. One was in a very beautiful valley with pastures along both so much they won ' t even acknowledge the others are in the same sides of the road. The leader of the village told us that they were room. No one wants to be responsible for anything and everyone going to rebuild a school that was destroyed during the war. The wants to blame someone else for the problems. Very interesting valley had been a point of some very hard fighting and it was littered personal dynamics but very dysfunctional. with mines. We walked to the edge of a field and we could follow the mines and pick out the army's defensive positions. The gentleman had lost seven cows last week. I shutter when I think of them bringing families and 400 children to the valley. July 8 The 648th Engineers are about finished with the repairs of the bridges that were damaged by the flood. I have been so proud of that unit. They came in here a little unsure of themselves but they May27, 2001 have really grown and the 3rd Division Engineer says the 648th is As I started writing this I realized I one of the best engineer units he has have been here nine weeks. Time is ever seen. fl ying by for most ofthe guys and gals here because they are staying so busy. Weather for the week has been the usual for this place. Raining one minute and sunny the next. I - I 21 , in my opinion, has the hardest job here. They are responsible for Eagle Base and seldom get outside the wire. It is like being the garrison HQ and the HHC all rolled into one. Lots of requirements . Augusts The next thing we face is the opening of schools in September. Typically that would be a non-event but this year the schools in the city of Brcko are going to be integrated for the first time. Cun-ently Serb, Croat and Bosniac children go to separate schools. Actually, they go to the same school but the Serb kids go in the morning and the Croat/Bosniac kids go in the after- June 17, 2001 The 2-121 is knee-deep in preparing for the Sebrenica Commemorative Memorial Ceremony. In July, 1995 the 48th Brigade peackeepers on patrol in the city of Sebrenica. Serb army rounded up all the Moslem residents of Sebrenica and noon. When school opens on 3 September they will all go to the same . school at the same time. This integration is expected to cause trouble and some potential student disturbances. put them in a battery factory in the little village of Potocari . On 11 Our redeployment and reintegration plan should be finalized soon. July they separated the men (about 7,000) then took them off and The intent is to get soldiers home, go through the process and get killed them. They put them in several mass graves throughout that them off active duty as quickly and efficiently as possible. A lot of area. The ceremony will honor the victims of this event. They will people are really working hard to get this all pulled together and I place a marker stone across the road from the battery factory and personally thank them. plan several speeches and prayers. This thing is a really big deal because the area is about 100 percent Serbian and the attendees will be mostly Moslem. The international community is really showing a lot of interest and they want to make sure it is conducted without incident. So we are getting a lot of help June 24 We have had rain for three days and nights-well over 12 inches. Many of the roads are flooded. Most of our main supply/patrol routes are flooded and impassable and the route between Eagle and Comanche is completely blocked with the flood waters . I went to Sarajevo for a meeting and almost did not get back. It is normally a two and a half hour drive from here to Sarajevo but because of the flooding it took us almost seven hours. This place is like Macon and Albany in 1994- all main roads are cut by the flood waters. There was one local fatality and there are about a thousand people out of their homes. The city ofBratunac is without a water system, at least ten bridges are out and one main road has a section of about an eighth mile that is gone. I have been attending a meeting every Wednesday in Sarajevo at the United Nations Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is a meeting ofrepresentatives from the United Nations, the International August 26 , Everyone has started counting days ... .But as far as operations are concerned, things have been pretty much steady state operations. B Company, 1-108 Armor uncovered a large weapons cache not too far from Comanche base. They had gotten some tips a couple months ago and decided to watch it to see if they could catch someone on it. We never caught anyone on it so we decided to take it down. It contained some mortars, a couple of AT rockets, some small arms and a ton ofammo. We think they were gong to smuggle it to Kosovo or Montenegro. September 23 The deployment has flown by. It is very hard to believe that we are less than two weeks from redeployment. This has been a great experience for the brigade and will set the conditions for success for years to come. Our NCO's have grown so much in the past six months it is unbelievable. Our challenge as leaders now will be to capitalize on their growth and utilize them as NCOs should be used. The soldiers returning from this deployment are far better soldiers that we came here with. They have grown and matured exponentially. Without a doubt these are the best soldiers I have ever had the privilege of serving with. Georgia Guardsman 5 48th Brigade Keeps Bosnia at Peaee Georgia s 48th Infantry Brigade successfully and safely deployed more than 1,200 Guardsmen to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Their mission was to help keep the peace in the war torn region. The rotation lasted more than six months, and in total the Georgia Guardsmen were away from families, communities and civilian employers for nearly a year. The photos on these pages tell the story of their deployment. There are images of operations at Camp Eagle, Camp Comanche and Forward Operating Base Connor. Here, too , are photos of a training exercise during crisp sunny winter days in south Georgia and of the Mission Readiness Exercise at Fort Polk under cloudy, rainy skies. You II also find memories of our Guardsmen interacting with the local population and returning home to families and fri ends. Photos by the Directorate of Communications and I24thMPAD Peacekeepers and the Bosnian people Soldiers, civilians face-to-face Georgia Guardsman 8 Photos by the I 24th MPAD Guardsman back at the helm ofthe family business Story and photo by Sgt. Roy Henry 124th MPAD T here isn 't an individual among the 1,200 soldiers of the 48th Infantry Brigade who didn't put some portion of his life on hold or ask others to step in and take his place at work because of the deployment to Bosnia. All of them, like Spc. Jason Troupe a combat engineer with Company C, 648th Engineer Battalion, stationed in Augusta, were glad to do that without reservation. Troupe, 27, is part owner of The Sign Shop, a manufacturer of small and large commercial signs in Douglas. He co-owns the business with his 21 -year-old wife, Anna. Tr9upe has since returned from deployment and is back home picking up where he left off in the sign company. "My being gone meant that tota l responsibility for the business fell squarely on her shoulders," he said. "But I was confident she cou ld handle things during my absence." Troupe said the only problem they had to work out was fi nding someone to assist her with filling customer orders and getting them delivered on time. His mother-in-law and sister-in-law filled those jobs. About the only things they could not do was lifting and delivering the larger signs, he said. Those jobs were done by someone else or waited until he returned. " I never let life back home interfere with the mission . Anna was taking care of things and that helped me keep my mind on what I needed to be doing," he explained. "There were things, how- ever, we needed to discuss that simply couldn ' t be put off until I returned," Troupe added. Spc. Jason Troupe talks with his wife Anna about their small business while waiting to out-process at Fort Stewart. "Those that could wait, did, and now that I'm back, we' ll work on getting those things accomplished." "Both have a great sense of the busi- Some of the objectives Troupe said he ness because they helped out when the com- and wife had before the deployment were to pany belonged to Anna's father," Troupe said: expand the company's production rate, its cus- The Troupes took over the 35-year-old tomer base and possibly its staff. They con- business earlier this year when his father-in- tinued working on those goals and the busi- law Emory Walker retired. Walker, however, ness' day-to-day operations through telephone stepped out ofretirement a time or two to give conversations even while he was out-process- his daughter a hand, Troupe said. ing at Fort Stewart. Not being at home didn 't mean being "Being away from home is never easy out of touch. Th.rough e-mail, telephone calls for anyone but it's a tolerable situation be- and the traditional letter home, his wife kept cause of today's technology," Troupe added. him informed about how things were going at "It's especially true for the Guardsman the office. who must leave and ask others to stand in for If something was wrong, though, he him while he's answering his coU11try's call," didn 't let it bother him, Troupe said. he said. 'On the road again' Trooper brings lessons learned in Bosnia back home. Story and photo by Sgt. Roy Henry 124thMPAD Among the Guardsmen who deployed o Bosnia were hundreds of law nforcement officers from city, county and state agencies across Georgia. Because the mission was one of peacekeeping and stabilization, their knowledge was invaluable. Sgt. Ivan Strickland, a traditional Guardsman and a scout assigned to Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 121 st Infantry Regiment, was one of those professionals. Nine months ago the Georgia State Patrol veteran from Tifton traded hi s badge and troopers' wlifonn for BDUs and an M-16 rifle. Now he's back in Geor- gia patrolling state high- ways again. Strickland said he seems to be more alert to what's happening around him "It's not that I was ever lax before I left about my own safety, that of my fe llow officers or the public's," he explained. "It feels as if I've come away from Bosnia with a Sgt. Ivan Strickland (center) out-processes at Fort Stewart. With him are Spc. Joy Overrocker (left) and Spc. Martha Verastequi, both ofHeadquarters Co., 2nd Bn., 121st Inf greater sense of why it's important to remain alert to what's going on Strickland said he seems more confident than around m e," Strickland added. " The ever before. It's a sensation that makes him deployment has helped me become a better feel good about who he is and what he does. trooper and greater asset to the public." "I think I've come away w ith a better sense Now that he 's completed his transition of who I am as a law enforcement officer and from full-time soldier to back to full-time trooper, as a soldier," he said. Georgia Guardsman 9 'Getting to know you,' again Soldiers and their families face new challenges now that they are reunited. Story and photos by Sgt. Roy Henry 124thMPAD B efore his deployment to Bosnia, Spc. David Roberson of Douglas and his wife Diane faced being separated for nine, long months. "We each had things we were responsible for in making our household run smoothly," Roberson said. "From the time I was first called up, throughout our train-up and on through the deployment Diane has had to 'hold down the fort ' and take care of everything." Roberson is a combat engineer with Company B, 648th Engineer Battalion based in Montezuma. He was among the 48th Infantry Brigade soldiers who were greeted by family and friends in the early morning of Sept. 15 outside Fort Stewart's Jordan Gym. Now that he's back, Roberson and his wife find themselves facing yet another test of their relationship; trying to pick up where they left off in their lives before the call up. "We're going to have to get reacquainted with one another and try to get back to the way things were," Diane said. "There will be times when we will disagree about how things should be done but we' II work through those situations and apply the art of compromise so we can resume our life." "Besides," she added, "We have our love for each other and our faith to fall back on and guide us. " The Robersons are not the only family having to work on their relationship after such a long separation. Staff Sgt. Alphonso Ricks is also with the 648th 's Company B and lives in Waycross. He and his wife Thomasine also have to confront that task. During his absence, his wife took over family responsibilities he normally deals with, Ricks said. It was a task she handled quite well while he was gone, he said. But now that he's back, they'll have to sit down and talk about what they need to do to become a family again, he said. "I don't know that reuniting after being apart like this is going to be as difficult for Family members andfriends ofGeorgia Guardsmen cheer soldiers returningfrom Bosnia. us, however, as it will be for Isaiah, our fouryear-old son," Thomasine said while the youngster ran to greet his father. "He's not going to want to be away from his dad anytime soon," she added . As the Robersons and the Ricks got into their vehicles and prepared to head home, each noted they did everything they could while they were separated to make their coming back together easier. The Ricks said they had prepared for their reunion long before it happend. "Thomasine and I knew there would be things that would have to wait until I got back," Ricks said. "Now that I'm back we can take care of those things and try to get back to a normal life," he said before driving away. Spc. David Roberson greets his wife Diane. Like other couples, the Robersons will have to get reaquainted now that they are together again. Georgia Guardsman 10 Out-processing soldiers requires patience Story and Photos by Sgt. Roy Henry 124thMPAD F01i Stewart's Jordan Gym was the first stop on the way home for the SFOR 9 soldiers returning from the Balkans, but it wasn't their last. After their initial "welcome back," the Georgia Guard's newest Bosnian veterans lined up outside facilities at the National Guard Training Center to take care of some last admini strative matters before reuniting with their families, friends and emp loyers. Filling out forms and the "hurry up and wait" are all part of the military life. It asks much of everyone involved. "It may seems tedious process to some," said Master Sgt. Walter Bush, NCOIC of the military pay section, "but it's necessary for ensuring pay, personnel and medical issues are taken care of the right way." For these returning Guardsmen the outprocessing day began early. Separated into several groups, some of them tended to business concerning their pay or line up to take care of administrative matters. Others 'smiled big ' for the photo that goes on the identification card that validated their move back to reserve status. Military Pay In one of the more popular lines, finance experts didn ' t just deal with pay issues. "We assisted the soldiers with their pay records, travel vouchers, clothing allowances and getting their military leave settled," said Rich Brown of the state military pay section. The long lines may have foreshadowed long waits, but it actually only takes a few short minutes to take care of most problems. "It's not an exciting 13 minutes, but it will keep problems from happening down the road, or at the very least, it reduces the possibility," Bush said. Administrative Other than their awards and a few memor- ies, the only proof the soldiers of the 48th Infan- try Brigade had that proved they served in the Balkans was their DD Form214. "What make the 214 so significant is that it confirms the time they've From the left Sgt. 1st Class Rufford Bennett of Company B, l 48th Forward Support Battalion, goes over his retirement points with STARC's Sgt. Joyce Miranda and Sgt. 1st Class Barbara Jones. served ," said Sgt. Andy Tanner of calling on medical and dental personnel. Headquarters Company, STARC. Such a visit is more of a question and Tanner added that the DD Form 214 also answer session than it is a standard check assists guardsmen in getting veterans up, said Lt. Col. Patrick Walters ofSTARC's benefits such as home loans, and education Medical Detachment. Its purpose is to find medical assistance. out what health problems the returning For Sgt. 1st Class Barbara Jones, one of Guardsmen may have encountered during two retirement points specialists working for their deployment. the Guard, the DD Form 214 ensures Those who have medical and dental retirement points are accounted for properly. issues are sent to Fort Stewart's Wynn "We use the 214 to monitor and ensure Regional Medical Center. Or they are each soldier has the correct amount ofpoints referred to a specialist, Walters explained. entered into our computer," Jones said. "Anyone found 'fit to fight' is one step "Without that document, it's closer to going home," he said. difficult for us to keep track of When their three days of "hurry up and those import-ant points." wait" are over, the Guardsmen leave Fort Medical Stewart and return the lives they put on hold No transfer back to reserve for Bosnia. status is complete without Sgt. Andy Tanne1~ with STARCs Automated Services Branch. works with Spc. Latisha Gray of Co. C, l 48th FSB on her discharge from acti ve duty. Sgt. Shelton Williams (left) shoots a digital photo for a new ident(fication cardf01: Sgt. Richard Wasso n ofCo. B, 148th FSB. Georgia Guardsman I I [ The Last Page Rigdon reflects on unit's performance Brigpde, others reap benefits fro n; Bosni N ow the men and women of the 48tli hi antry Brigade have returned frot Bosnia, e should reflect on health problems. Only 27 soldiers from among the 1,228 that were peacekeeping skills. It also means we have an experienced and what was g ed by o participation in the deployed had to be sent knowledgeable NCO corps SFOR-9 mis ion. Stateside early. This shows that takes care of soldiers. The Ba peacekeeping mission was a the medical screening our And it's a co s that takes huge undertaking that made it necessary for people received before they charge of a situation and the brigade t operate 24-hours-a-day, seven- left was excellent, and it makes things happen. days-a-wee . Our soldiers set new highs clearly shows our sddiers These o tstanding concering tHe number of patrols that were stayed focused on safety indiv.duals are the future conducted, t e operational readiness of our issues while they were "in- leaders of the brigade and equipment and our overall efficiency as a country." the Anny National Guard. bri gade . It also demonstrates the They are, by far, our proud- During ur six months with the NATO Stabilization orce, ourjunior enlisted, NCOs and officer were confronted daily with great job our family support groups did in helping with problems at home. Their BRIG. GEN. ROBLEYS. RIGDON est achievement. The brigade, its soldiers and the Guard aren't the difficult ope fons and situations. Our area assistance to the families only ones to benefit from ofoperation Multi-National Division North, helped our soldiers stay focused on the the Balkans mission. was charge with maintaining a safe and mission. Civilian employers have also gained a secure envir nment for civilians and soldiers With the Bosnia operation completed and great deal. As our soldiers step back into alike, and every day our soldiers met that om soldiers safely home again, we reflect on their civilian lives, these competent, well- challenge wth unbridled detennination and the benefits that have been gained. developed individuals return to their civilian professional" m. We have shown the 48th is a leader among jobs as better-trained and more experienced As peac keepers , the 48th Brigade's the reserve components. It can stand toe-to- people. citizen soldi rs brought a variety of special toe with any active duty unit and perfonn any As Georgia Guardsmen, we are proud to ski lls to the ssion. mission it's assigned. have taken up the challenges the mission Among t ose was their ability to relate to And we have also demonstrated that we continually presented us. We' re even prouder the civilian p,opulation. It's a talent unique to National Gu rdsmen because of their status as full-time c"vilians, pmttime soldiers. Becaus they are traditional Guardsmen, they brought to the mission valua le civilian job sk ills, uch as advanced law enforcement experien e and special engineering kills, not possessed by their act ive duty terparts. Another unbelievab le fact about our have a National Guard force that is trained and highly profici ent in its combat and knowing we did our jobs and did them with the highest degree of safety and s ucce ss. To the families and fr iends we've come home to, I wou ld say "thank you for keeping us in your beaits and in your prayers." I thank Georgia's employers for understanding why their employees had to go, for suppo1ting them while they were gone an d for welcoming them back. Because of their support, we were able to get the job done. And to each and every soldier of the 48th Infantry Brigade I say, deployment was the small "Mission accomp li shed; Well- nwnber of soldiers who returned home for -- Brig Gen. Robley S. Rigdon is personal reasons or Members of the '18th Infantry Brigade at the unit s Oct. commander of the 48th Infantry beca use of they faced ceremony at Fort Stewar . Brigade Georgia Cuards111a11 12 Dad's back! A look ofsatisfaction on the face ofDustin McMinn, 6, says it all about having his dad, StaffSgt. Steven McMinn, back home after six months in Bosnia. McMinn, whose family lives in Moultrie, is with Company C, 648th Engineer Battalion in Douglas. "As much as I was glad to go, I'm that much happier to be home and have my son near me again, " he said. (Photo by Sgt. Roy Henry, 124th MPAD) One more patrol A 48th Inf'ant1y Brigade soldier wi 1 Task Force 2- I 21, watches the road ahead while the resence patrol he is on in a Bosnianrto wn takes Defense photo} Georgia Guard s man C/O Directorate ofCommunications Georgia Department ofDef ense P 0. Box 17965 Atlanta, Ga., 30316-0965 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 7050