January 2015 Edition

January 2015

New Leadership for the Georgia Guard

Plus: Operation Atlantic Resolve | 876th Engineers Return | And so much more

Contents ISSUE: January 2015

w w w. g a d o d . n e t

Features 05| Operation Atlantic Resolve

cover story

The 165th Airlift Wing conducts mission in Poland for Operation Atlantic Resolve.

03| Georgia’s New Leadership

06| Guard 378th Birthday

The Georgia National Guard welcomes the 42nd Adjutant General and commander, Georgia Army National Guard.

The Georgia National Guard celebrates 378th birthday.

07| Border Mission Complete

The Georgia National Guard completes Southwest border mission.

15| Blast from the past

This throwback story recounts the 56-hour Caribbean mission.

News

17

17| 876th Engineers REturn

The 876th Vertical Engineer Company returns home just in time for the holidays.

19| Priorities for GAARNG

Colonel Tom Cardern, commander, Georgia Army National Guard outlines priorities for 2015.

19

columns

11

09| Nco Notepad

The importance of development of the NCO in 2015.

10| Chaplain’s Corner

Welcoming new chaplains in 2015.

11| Historic Battle Review

Franklin: The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest.

20| Book Review

“The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman.

05

1 | The Georgia Guardsman

21| Around the Guard

Georgia National Guard Commander-in-Chief Gov. Nathan Deal Adjutant General Brig. Gen Joe Jarrard State Public Affairs Director Lt. Col. Thomas Lesnieski State Public Affairs Officer Capt. William Carraway Operations NCO SFC Gerard Brown Editorial Staff Managing Editor Sgt. Ashley Sutz Creative Director Desiree Bamba Contributors Elizabeth Blackstock SFC Gerard Brown Capt. William Carraway Maj. Will Cox Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Greene Ashlie Shrewsbury Lt. Col. Dave Simons Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith Chaplain Lt. Col. Michael Summers Staff Sgt. Amber Williams Contributing DOD Organizations 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs Office, Army National Guard Unit Public Affairs Representatives, Air National Guard Wing Public Affairs Representatives, Georgia State Defense Force Public Affairs.

Georgia National Guard Channels

Facebook

Twitter

Flickr

Youtube

Facebook.com/GeorgiaGuard Flickr.com/GaNatlGuard

Twitter.com/GeorgiaGuard Youtube.com/ GeorgiaNationalGuard

Disclaimer The Georgia Guardsman is published monthly under the provisions of AR 360-81 and AF 6-1 by the Georgia Department of Defense Public Affairs Office. The views and opinions expressed in the Georgia Guardsman are not necessarily those of the Departments of the Army, Air Force or the Adjutant General of Georgia. The Georgia Guardsman is distributed free-of-charge to members of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard, State Defense Force and other interested persons upon request.

January 2015 | 2

N E W L EA DERSH IP FOR THE GEORGIA N AT I O N A L G U A R D Welcoming the 42nd Adjutant General B : S S . T J. S |P A O |G D D y

taff gt racy

B

mith

ublic ffairs ffice

rigadier General Joe Jarrard was officially sworn in as the 42nd adjutant general of Georgia’s Department of Defense during a ceremony January 8, 2015 at the Clay National Guard Center. Colonel Tom Carden was sworn in as the new assistant adjutant general (Army).

Jar rard s er ve d as t he Ga. D oD’s assistant adjutant general (Army) under adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth. In December 2014, Butterworth was selected by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

“Jarrard has represented us well in his capacity here at the Ga. Army National Guard,” Gov. Deal said to Guardsmen and family members just before the change of command ceremony. “He brings a great tradition of public service in the military through his family who have represented and defended our country for several generations.”

As a graduate of North Georgia College and State University, Jarrard commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1988. During his 20 years of active duty service Jarrard completed two combat tours; the first in 2003 as executive officer of 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment supporting the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. In 2005, Jarrard deployed as the deputy brigade commander for 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne), as well as the deputy effects coordinator and chief of assessments for the 101st Airborne Division. Jarrard draws on his decades of service in active duty and the National Guard as he assumes his new responsibilities.

“I will work tirelessly to ensure we remain ready and continue to set the standards for readiness … while developing tomorrow’s

3 | The Georgia Guardsman

eorgia epartment of efense

leaders represented before us throughout this formation,” Jarrard said following the change of command.

Colonel Thomas Carden accepted the responsibilities of the assistant adjutant general (Army).

“I’m fired up,” Carden told the audience in his first address as commander of the Georgia Army National Guard. Carden’s career in the Georgia Guard began in 1986 when he enlisted as an infantry private. Since then, he has advanced through the ranks and has held company, battalion and brigade command. In 2005, Carden deployed to Iraq as the effects coordinator for the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Carden outlined his leadership style and priorities upon assuming command.

“Serving our State and Nation is the ultimate ‘team sport’,” Carden said. “And readiness is the ‘product’ we produce by recruiting and retaining the very best!”

With Georgia’s defense forces facing budget uncertainty in the future, Carden affirmed the new leadership team would continue to seek out efficiencies.

“The priorities with which Brig. Gen. Jarrard has led over the last three-and-one-half years will not change. What will change is how we achieve our objectives, keeping our Soldiers engaged, relevant and moving forward.” In his final address as Georgia’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth praised the new leadership team and asked them to continue raising the bar.

“The National Guard and the word relevance go hand-in-hand in the Army and Air Force of 2015,” Butterworth said. “Continue challenging yourself every single day by asking, ‘I’ve done a good job but can I do a little bit more?’ Because just doing the mission is no longer enough. You have to continue to seek relevance.”

Photo by: Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

January 2015 | 4

Operation Atlantic Resolve By: Lt. Col. Dave Simons | 165th Airlift Wing| Georgia Air National Guard

S

The 165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard concluded a four-week mission in Poland, as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, providing both quality training and a cementing a strong pact of friendship with our NATO ally.

To support the NATO allies and promote a gesture of military support, Operation Atlantic Resolve incorporates the role of mutual bilateral training, while sending a signal of support from the United States. The operation is part of the U.S. European Reassurance Initiative which seeks to reassure our NATO allies and bolster the security and capacity of our partners in the region.

Lieutenant Col. David White, a navigator with the 165th AW, served as mission commander for the nearly 50 men and women of the Savannah-based C-130 cargo aircraft wing during training operations at Powidz Air Base in central Poland. White said the mission to Eastern Europe was a success. While inclement weather hampered some of the training, the message of continually supporting and working with our strong ally was favorably received by members of the Polish Air Force.

For veteran 165th AW pilot Maj. Tim John, the training in Poland gave the seasoned wing leadership an opportunity to train their protégés in a deployed setting. According to John, the mission was crucial in providing support to NATO allies and training with

5 | The Georgia Guardsman

the Polish forces.

“I have relished this opportunity to train some of our newer pilots in working with our NATO allies while not in a war zone where tensions can run high,” said John. “If we can show the world our willingness to support our allies and, at the same time, train with our Polish friends while training our rookies, then it’s a winwin for all.

Technical Sergeant Taliqua Scott is a member of the 165th Logistics Readiness Squadron. She said Operation Atlantic Resolve provided her the opportunity to do something she enjoys: to give back to the community.

During Operation Atlantic Resolve, Major Scott led a delegation of 165th AW Airmen to a local Powidz Air Base school, Ponadgimnazjalnych, in the town of Kleczew. The Airmen addressed the school’s reserve officer training cadets about life in the military from the American perspective, and the importance of partnership with our Polish friends.

In the end, the mission was a success: training was accomplished, new friendships were made and a world made a little safer. Whereas the mission is complete for the Savannah airmen of the 165th the training goes on. The Kentucky Air National Guard will build on the successes of the 165th in working with the Polish Air Force.

Photo by: Staff Sgt. Amber Williams | 1 6 5 th Airlift Wing | Georgia Air National Guard

National Guard turns 378

By: Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

I

n Massachusetts, 378 years ago, a declaration for all ablebodied men to be part of a regional militia marked the birth of today’s National Guard.

That declaration led to the first muster which protected the colonists and the borders of their fledgling community. 378-years later, the audacious spirit of the first Citizen-Warrior has evolved into a sought after force that is tactically and technically savvy.

“This is our Georgia Guard today,” Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, Georgia Army National Guard commanding general said to the audience attending the National Guard birthday celebration hosted at the Clay National Guard Center.

The audience was a mix of military generations with the recognition of nearly four-centuries of service and appreciation for those who came before. Celebrating each other, retired, active and future Air Force and Army Guardsmen, listened as Jarrard gave an

Photos by: Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

overview of where we are and what is to come.

“Our (international) state partnership program with the country of Georgia allows us to train and build a relationship that serves us in the fight as they are one of the largest non-NATO contributors in our global war against terror,” Jarrard explained.

Continuing with his State-of-the Guard overview he expounded on developing global partnerships based on the military’s expeditionary force initiative.

“We continue to be very busy around the world and our efforts have been supported by our JSTARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System),” Jarrard said of the joint Air Force and Army target acquisition program. “I don’t know if our ground command could continue to do the job, and be successful, without our air assets.”

Jarrard explained the Regionally Aligned Forces concept that partnered Georgia’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team with other countries to reinforce their capabilities.

Jarrard pointed out the positive ripple effect that can be felt at home by reinforcing border defense capabilities.

“By training (Honduran and Guatemalan forces), we can reduce the amount of drugs coming into our country.”

The celebration also showed gratitude to those who have transitioned as civilians but continued to Soldier on.

The retiree appreciation luncheon reacquainted old Soldiers, introduced future Guardsmen with the state’s Youth Challenge Program and made central services, such as identification cards, processing, pay and education information available.

Air National Guard retired Chief Master Sgt. Barry Broadway served 30-years as an engine maintenance section supervisor before retiring in 1991.

During the celebration, Broadway reconnected with old friends and was grateful and honored to be recognized by his Georgia Guard family.

“When you commit your life in service to your communities it is nice to know your contributions are not forgotten,” said Broadway.

Jarrard, and keynote speaker Georgia National Guard Joint Staff Director Brig. Gen. John King, formally recognized a group of retired and active Guardsmen as well as DoD employees who continue to ‘be there’ for their Guard family through support services.

Yet, the moment that truly made the celebration an occasion was a realization that families would be together to light menorahs, trim trees and appreciate the joy of ringing in a new year.

Ackowledging the absence of key leadership, Brig. Gen. Jarrard announced that Chief of Staff, Col. Tom Carden and Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth, were welcoming the last of Georgia’s Citizen-Soldiers home from Afghanistan.

“This will be the first time in twelve years that all of our Georgia Army Guard will be home for Christmas,” Jarrard shared to thunderous applause. “That in itself is worthy of celebration!”

January 2015 | 6

Southwest Border Mission Complete By: Maj. Will Cox | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard 7 | The Georgia Guardsman

Photo by: Maj. Will Cox | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Army National Guard

O

n December 10, 2014 the Georgia Army National Guard completed more than 14 months of aerial detection and monitoring support to the U.S. Border Pa t r o l o n D e c e m b e r 10, 2014 along the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) surrounding Harlingen, Texas. While there, two LUH-72 Lakota helicopters and nine Georgia Army National Guardsmen assisted in apprehending more than 11,500 undocumented aliens and seized over 5,800 pounds of marijuana.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement calling the Georgia troops “an invaluable asset to the U.S. Border Patrol in its mission of securing America’s borders.”

In the fall of 2013, the Georgia Army National Guard became part of Operation River Watch II and was tasked to conduct aerial detection and monitoring to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking organizations in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Border Patrol Agents.

“Operation River Watch II, an air-centric surveillance approach to supporting the Border Patrol, saw significant improvements to the number of apprehensions and observations when compared to Operation River Watch I, a ground-centric surveillance approach,” said Capt. Scott Carden. “To put this in context, the RGV sector alone will have apprehended more illegal aliens in five months with an air-centric surveillance approach as compared to all of the sectors combined over a 30 month period when ground-centric surveillance was used.”

The RGV sector is one of the biggest, covering 34 counties, 316 river miles and 317 coastal miles. According to CBP’s website the RGV sector accounted for 154,453 apprehensions, 37 percent of all apprehensions in the country and the most Border Patrol apprehensions in any sector in 2013.

“It feels great to come home and to get my guys back to their families before Christmas,” said Capt. Rob Lowrance, commander, of Detachment 2, Company C, 2-151 Security and Support Battalion. “These guys did a great job making the mission happen every day. A commander could not ask for anything more than to bring his unit back home incident and accident free.”

The Georgia Guardsmen turned over the aerial detection and monitoring support mission to the North Dakota National Guard.

“As good as it feels to go home it also feels strange knowing the mission is not complete,” said Lowrance. “But I have full confidence the Border Patrol will be excellently supported because we turned the mission over to the capable hands of another National Guard unit.”

January 2015 | 8

NCO Notepad

By Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Greene State Command Chief Georgia Air National Guard

L

ess than 30 percent of the American population is eligible for military enlistment, and only 1 percent of those volunteer to take the oath. Our recruitment statistics are an indication of our organizational reputation in the communities we serve and our unit retention numbers measure how well we live up to the recruitment contract. Currently, 49 of the 54 states and territories are not meeting retention goals.

By focusing on the enlistement/reenlistment cycle and development of the workforce we can address these numbers.

The first three enlistment periods of an Airman’s career have different elements and retention challenges.

The first enlistment is centered on learning and gaining proficiency in your career field. During this stage, more hands-on core task training and job certification is essential for continued membership. During the past decade, the increasing number and priority of ancillary over core-task training was the number one driver for exiting Airmen. The new three-year test ANG ancillary training program was designed to allow Airmen to spend more time performing their primary jobs.

The second enlistment is when the trainee begins to train others as job knowledge, skills and task proficiency

9 | The Georgia Guardsman

increases. It is during this enlistment that members have to start competing for unit vacancy promotions. Entering the third enlistment, competition for promotion to senior NCO gets more difficult. At this stage, some members who are bypassed for promotion become disillusioned and unhappy with the organization.

Leadership has to understand the different milestones and accompanying expectations that each enlistment brings in order to perpetuate ownership and team membership. This is accomplished through better communication, follow-up, feedback, accountability, process transparency, varied opportunities and leadership development.

Deliberate development of the workforce is the second focus area for retention. Deliberate development is accomplished through a combination of core task training, professional military education, ancillary training, college education and a series of escalating duties, responsibilities and promotion that is based on organizational need, performance, knowledge, skills, abilities and future potential.

Three shortfalls to deliberate development are organizational cliques, dishonest feedback and lack of clear direction.

Cliques, by definition, exclude other people, often have competing personal agendas and care only about the welfare of its members.

Fear of confrontation can prevent a supervisor from giving honest, documented feedback and may result in poor performers being appraised as excellent or above.

The ANG is outstanding at taking a recruit off the street and making the Airman into a world class aircraft mechanic, but we do not invest the same level of effort into helping the mechanic become a highly effective supervisor capable of leading in the operational arena and able to think strategically.

Every Airman should know and understand their unit’s mission and vision. The only way to penetrate eight organizational layers is through clear, concise, small group, face to face, repeated communication of Commander’s intent and expectations.

The new Airman Comprehensive Feedback was created to ensure that Airmen receive the feedback they deserve. Although not every “well-done” or “you could have done this better” needs to be documented, every critical element that impacts performance, mission results or military promotion needs to be formally discussed and recorded.

Using the criteria of mission effectiveness, readiness, third party inspection results, awards/decorations and unit reputation, Georgia continually rates in the top echelon of the National Guard.

Chaplain’s corner

T

By: Chaplain Lt. Col. Michael Summers | Georgia National Guard

he Georgia Army National Guard received five new battalion chaplains following a pinning ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center Chapel December 7, 2014. For the past four years, these chaplain candidates have studied and trained under the supervision of the 139th Chaplain Detachment. In addition, each candidate completed the Master of Divinity degree at an institution recognized by the United States Army. The ceremony celebrated the end of the candidates’ long training and education and their accession as chaplains.

State Chaplain Lt. Col. Michael Summers directed the ceremony and charged the new chaplains to use wisdom and humility as they assume responsibilities for battalion chaplain services.

“This is a great day for the Chaplain Corps and for the Georgia Guard,” said Summers. He reminded them that their primary duty is to protect the free exercise of religion by Soldiers while remaining

in compliance with the church that endorsed them for chaplaincy in the National Guard.

Chaplain, Captain Andy Parker, the chaplains’ former supervisor from the 139th Chaplain Detachment, related memories about each of the new chaplains and congratulated each on the culmination of their spiritual journeys.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, family members and mentors were invited to pin the new chaplains with their branch insignia, replacing the insignia of the Chaplain Candidate branch.

The new chaplains are: • 1st Lt. Christy Marshall, 348th BSB • 1st Lt. Anthony Amos, 221st MI • 1st Lt. Charles Lovell, 48th BSTB • 1st Lt. Andee Courson, 2-121st Infantry Battalion • 1st Lt. Jeffery Charlton, 1-171st Aviation

January 2015 | 10

Franklin: The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest

By Capt. William Carraway | Military Historian | Georgia Army National Guard “Kind reader, right here my pen, and courage, and ability fail me. I shrink from butchery. Would to God I could tear the page from these memoirs and from my own memory. It is the blackest page in the history of (the war). It was the bloodiest battle of modern times in any war… I was there. I saw it. My flesh trembles, and creeps, and crawls when I think of it today. My heart almost ceases to beat at the horrid recollection. Would to God that I had never witnessed such a scene!”

Writing in his memoir, Co. Aytch, nearly 20 years after the Battle of Franklin, Watkins reveals the difficulty in discussing the battle, an experience shared by Veterans of 21st century conflicts: If you have participated in a staff ride at a Civil War battlefield, it is likely you learned of tactics employed, leadership tests and decisions made in the heat of conflict. A staff ride provides the opportunity to connect with leaders and great events of the past, to reveal the human dimension of war and to apply lessons of the past to present and future Army operations. One human dimension hitherto lacking in the staff ride experience, has been the roll of post-traumatic stress on the veterans of these great battles. We are left to assume that our generation is the only one to combat PTS, and yet, a study of Civil War letters reveals a connection between our experience and the experiences of the Civil War Soldier. It is critical that we make this connection, that our veterans know that they are not alone in their experiences.

This month’s Civil War battle review article focuses on the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin. Samuel Watkins, a private in the 1st Tennessee wrote of the Battle of Franklin: 11 | The Georgia Guardsman

“I cannot describe it. It beggars description. I will not attempt to describe it. I could not.

The death-angel was there to gather its last harvest. It was the grand coronation of death. Would that I could turn the page. But I feel, though I did so, that page would still be there, teeming with its scenes of horror and blood. I can only tell of what I saw.”

Situation As summarized in the November 2014 issue of the Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood had pursued the Federal army of Maj. Gen. John Schofield to the town of Franklin approximately 15 miles from Nashville, Tenn. Federal forces, arrived in the early hours of Nov. 30 and began improving defensive works left over from a previous battle. The division of Brig. Gen. George Wagner was the last Federal force to reach Franklin. Wagner ordered his three brigades to take up position about a half mile forward of the main entrenchments. Colonel Emerson

Turnpike while Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne’s Division would advance east of the turnpike. Major Gen. William Bate’s Division would attack to the left of Brown’s Division. Lieutenant Gen. Alexander P. Stewart’s Corps would assault east of Cleburne’s Division with the divisions of William Loring, Edward Walthall and Survey of the Battlefield Samuel French. Lieutenant Gen. Stephen D. Lee’s Corps, As the Confederate Army drew into a battle on the march from Spring Hill, would arrive with three formation on the crest of Winstead Hill its 20,000 additional divisions including nine Georgia regiments Soldiers looked down on two miles of open ground after the initial assault. Confederate cavalry under Maj. and Schofield’s 25,000-man army. The defensive Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest would harass and attempt line was anchored near the brick home of Fountain to turn the Federal flanks.

Branch Carter. The Columbia Turnpike pierced the Federal center adjacent to the Carter House. Running The Attack perpendicular, in a crescent shape, from the Carter With perhaps a half hour of daylight left, eighteen House and the turnpike, massive earthworks rose eight feet high topped with head logs. The lines on the Confederate brigades with over 100 regiments began Federal left were fronted by a grove of thorny trees. Fort the two mile march from Winstead Hill to destiny.

Granger, located on the opposite bank of the Harpeth Wagner’s 3,000 Soldiers watched as a vast gray tide River, overlooked the fields southeast of the Franklin surged towards them. Some of the veteran Soldiers began to run for the main line of defenses. The rest Line with guns that could range the field.

Rather than wait to consolidate and reconnoiter the waited until the Confederates were within 100 yards, lines, with daylight fading, Hood ordered an assault at then unleashed a volley. Cleburne’s men returned the 4:00 p.m. Major Gen. John C Brown’s Division with 10 volley and surged forward over the works. In moments Georgia regiments would advance west of the Columbia Wagner’s position was overrun. Worse than the loss of Opdycke of Ohio refused the order and marched his brigade to the rear of the Federal lines and went into camp. This decision would have far-reaching impact on the coming battle.

January 2015 | 12

more than 700 captured, Wagner’s fleeing men prevented the Federals from firing. Cries of “follow them into the works!” echoed across the field and a desperate footrace ensued. Unable to fire because of their fleeing comrades, Federal troops watched in horror as the full force of the frontal assault closed the distance and broke upon the earthworks. Confederate Soldiers surged unchecked onto the Carter House grounds clubbing and bayoneting in a ferocious melee. Those in the breach, both Federal and Confederate, were subject to a hailstorm of fire from all directions. One captured Federal recalled huddling in terror against a trench wall with his captor as bullets sailed above them. A captain of the 72nd Illinois recalled that the shriek of powder and lead was so loud that his orders could not be heard even as he shouted them to men within arm’s distance. Within moments, a 200-yard section of the Federal line had been swept away by a tsunami of Confederates.

Two hundred yards south of the pandemonium at the Carter House, Opdycke’s six regiments were resting and eating rations. Hearing the sounds of battle, these veteran Soldiers from Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin took up arms and charged south into the smoky hell of the Carter House lawn.

Opdycke’s charging westerners met Cleburne and Brown’s juggernaut at a dead run in a scene reminiscent of medieval hand-to-hand combat. Eyewitnesses recalled the two armies crashing together like a great wave.

Opdycke emptied his revolver then used the weapon as a club in close quarters. Major Arthur McArthur at the head of the 24th Wisconsin had reached the Carter House when he was shot by a Confederate officer.

MacArthur rose and ran the officer through with his sword. MacArthur survived his wound to become the father of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

Slowly, the counterattack pushed the enemy back, but the Confederates still held the outer trenches. Men clung to opposite sides of earthworks raising muskets and firing blindly and desperately over the opposite side. In the sixty yards between the inner and outer trenches a scene out of the bowels of hell played out as Federal officers and infantrymen serving the cannons of the 20th Ohio Battery raked the grounds between the trenches with canister, reaping men like a great iron scythe. Those who tried to surrender could not be heard over the din of musket and cannon fire. A Soldier of the 41st Tennessee had to stand on bodies of his comrades to fire over the trench. Handing him loaded muskets was his brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Otho Strahl, an Ohioan by birth. Struck in the neck, Strahl managed to crawl 20 feet across the bodies of his brigade before being fatally struck in the head.

Strahl was one of six southern generals killed at Franklin. Hiram Granbury had fallen in front of his Texas Brigade while his division commander, Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, had been shot through the heart while

The Carter House

13 13 || The The Georgia Georgia Guardsman Guardsman

on foot. Brig Gen. John Adams reached the works east of the Columbia Turnpike. Grasping the colors of the 65th Ohio, he was shot through both legs, mortally wounded.

To the west of the Carter House, Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist led his South Carolinians and Georgians forward when he too was fatally struck. Brigadier Gen. John C. Carter fell in front of his brigade while moving in support of Gist.

Within 60 minutes of the attack’s commencement, the sun had set, and the Confederates had suffered more casualties than the U.S. suffered in the 24 hours of D-Day. But the fighting was not over. Stephen Lee’s Corps arrived on the battlefield and began funneling troops into the fray. Marching forward in darkness, the troops used torches to align their ranks. By 7:00 p.m.

Their assault was broken with heavy loss and Hood decided to end the attack for the evening.

Firing continued through the frozen night air, breaking the constant wail of the wounded. Ghastly scenes greeted those brave enough to move about the field. John K. Shellenberger of the 64th Ohio wrote that the dead “were piled high as an artillery embrasure.”

Aftermath By 2:00 a.m., the Federal Army withdrew across the Harpeth River. The Confederates were in no shape to pursue. Fourteen Confederate generals had been killed or wounded and nearly sixty regimental commanders were casualties. Federal casualties were relatively light: 2,300 compared to 6,300 for the Confederates.

Nevertheless, Hood ordered his army to pursue Schofield to Nashville, where in an ill-conceived siege, his army would be annihilated by Maj. Gen. George Thomas.

Legacy Longstreet’s July 3, 1863 assault at Gettysburg, popularly remembered as “Pickett’s Charge” is perhaps the most famous attack of the American Civil War, but it paled in comparison to the assault at Franklin. Franklin witnessed nearly twice as many men charging twice the distance with no reconnaissance and one-battery of artillery support against three-lines of earthworks.

Yet, unlike Gettysburg, the Franklin battlefield is largely forgotten. Until recently, the ground on which Maj. Gen. Cleburne fell was occupied by a Pizza restaurant.

Gettysburg’s silent marble monuments invite visitors to celebrate the honor and valor of war. Franklin, meanwhile, seems to exist in a forgotten corner of our national memory not as a commemoration, but as a grim reminder us of the agony and misery of conflict. A Mississippi private wrote of the battle: “Franklin was the only battleground I ever saw where the faces of the majority of the dead expressed supreme fear and terror… Their very attitude as they lay prone upon the ground, with extended earth clutching fingers, and with their faces partially buried in the soil told the tale of the mental agony they had endured before death released them.”

The Civil War generation wrote about and experienced these memories just as our Veterans experience them now. But we must not allow the horror of war to be something left to the memory of our veterans. The experience of Franklin must be available for future generations just as surely as the experience of Gettysburg. We cannot allow ourselves to forget the savagery of war, lest, as Robert E. Lee admonished, “we should grow too fond of it.”

January 2015 | 14

B l a s t from the past Georgia Airmen conduct Caribbean mission By: Elizabeth Blackstock | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense 15 | The Georgia Guardsman

J

anuary, 1962 - During a 56- hour mission, the flight crew of the Air National Guard C-97 huddled over a myriad of radios, instruments, controls and toggle switches, guiding their goliath of the skies along their rout over the Atlantic Ocean.

Timeline: January 21, 1962: 2:25 p.m.

In dense fog and low visibility the four-engined aircraft takes off from Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

January 21, 1962: 7:09 p.m.

The 142,000 poundsof aircraft, fuel and cargo depart Charleston Air Force Base after receiving the flight plan, check points, radio frequencies, and other navigation aids. At this vital stop, confidential identification codes are obtained to positively identify the Georgia Guard aircraft should it be challenged by far-flung defense installations.

January 22, 1962: 12:05 a.m.

The plane touches down at Puerto Rico’s Strategic Air Command Base to unload cargo, refuel and complete future flight plans.

January 22, 1962: 2:35 a.m.

In spite of the light tropical showers, the plane takes off and heads towards the Panama Canal Zone. january 22, 1962: Dawn The Georgia Air National Guard plane swoops in for landing at Howard Air Force Base in Panama. january 23, 1962: Early Morning Another 8,328 pounds of cargo is loaded onto the jet for the return trip.

B y t h e t i m e t h e G e or g i a Guardsmen eased the oceanspanning cruiser back onto the blocks at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, they had been airborne for 20 hours and 35 minutes total trip time. During their many hours of flight, they circled Honduras, Nicaragua, the Caribbean sea, Cuba, the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico and various other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and Central America.

January 2015 | 16

An early christmas present:

876th Returns Home

By: Staff Sgt.Tracy J. Smith| Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

C

hristmas arrived for Georgia National Guard families even earlier in the small north Georgia community of Toccoa.

The Toccoa-based 876th Vertical Engineer Company deployed to Afghanistan in May 2014 and was not scheduled to return home until spring of 2015. Fortunately for the Soldiers and families, the unit was able to complete its mission and return home in time for Christmas.

Comprised of 150 men and women, commanded by Capt.

Tyler Cook, the 876th was chosen for their unique skill set as one of a specialty engineer units in the nation.

“Our team was responsible for repair, construction and deconstruction in Kandahar and Bagram,” Cook explained of their mission. “We also trained and worked alongside the Afghan Army’s 207th Kandak (the equivalent of a battalion sized element) in carpentry and masonry projects.”

The return of the engineers marks an historic milestone for the

17 | The Georgia Guardsman

state since the Global War on Terror began.

“For the first time in thirteen years their homecoming brings all Georgia Army National Guard units home for Christmas,” Brig.

Gen. Joe Jarrard, Georgia Army National Guard commanding general said. “It is a great time of the year to be coming home and we are thankful that you all made it home.”

Anaya Roman and her twin brother, Nathaniel, sat as patiently as nine-year olds could through the speeches, songs and well wishes. Eying their father, they pointed and smiled, waiting for the moment when they could rush to be by his side.

As Sgt. Damion Roman hugged his wife, Stacey, and their children he reflected on what coming home truly means.

“So much is expected of our family when we (are deployed),” Roman said. “Being home to spend Christmas with my children is a feeling no one can imagine.”

Having a strong family readiness group gave Spc. Valonta Cantrell the confidence to do his job knowing his expectant wife, and sons would have added support while he was a world away.

Photos by: Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

Cantrell received an early Christmas present in the form of his newborn son, Draydon, who arrived more than a month ago – on Veteran’s Day. Kissing and cradling his son he described meeting him for the first time.

“I couldn’t wait to meet him and he is sound asleep,” Cantrell, a native Toccoan, said feigning disappointment between hugs. “To be home, to share the first Christmas with him and my family ... I am never going to let them go.” The mother of Sgt. Daniel Perez-Perez, who works with a non-profit legal firm, would not let go of her son, and the emotion of seeing him was written on her face.

This was the second deployment for Sgt. Perez-Perez, and although this mission was shorter, the return could not have come

at a more opportune time.

“My wife is pregnant!” Perez-Perez said beaming. “She’s due soon and it is just great to be home!”

Georgia Army National Guard Command Sgt. Major Phillip A. Stringfield appreciated the moment and shared his pride in the Georgians who never waver when it is time to answer the call.

“Our families are what give us the strength to cross oceans and it is always difficult to be away from loved ones during the holidays,” Stringfield said. “I am even prouder of the continuous effort these men and women put into protecting our country and am truly thrilled they will have the opportunity to be with those they hold dear this holiday season.”

The 876th Vertical Engineer Company returned to family and hugs after a seven month deployment to Afghanistan.

January 2015 | 18

Commander Outlines GAARNG Priorities

By: Maj. Will Cox | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

C

olonel Tom Carden, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, met with subordinate units in Marietta and Macon January 11, 2015 to ensure the organizations’ training was focused on generating readiness and would retain the very best Guardsmen.

“Retention is our biggest challenge,” said Carden. “Our ability to retain quality Soldiers will determine our funding level, force structure and full-time manning for years to come. When I seniorrate battalion commanders, this is the first metric that I will use to compare them to their peers.”

The Georgia Army National Guard’s recruiting and retention battalion is one of the best in the nation, achieving 114 percent of their assigned mission and finishing as the #1 large National Guard state for enlisted accessions and training pipeline successes.

“Keeping Soldiers engaged through quality training is our best tool for retention. Reduced operational tempo along with reduced funding is a big part of the retention challenge,” said Carden.

“Soldier training must include weapons proficiency, first aid, land navigation, MOS specific training and fitness.”

To retain the very best and accomplish all of the requirements associated with building readiness in the Georgia Army National Guard, Carden has maintained four strategic priorities: quality strength, logistics excellence, preeminent facilities, and continuous improvement to guide the organization’s efforts and influence the allocation of resources.

“We have established a great record of success in medical readiness. Our process for achieving medical readiness will evolve as we use more of our own medics and less contract support,” said Carden.

In addition to continued emphasis on medical readiness, Carden plans to work on the organization’s command supply discipline programs.

“Accountability must be established from the staff officers down to the end user of each piece of equipment to maintain logistics excellence,” said Carden. “We must be aggressive in acquiring authorized equipment at the staff level and hold commanders and their Guardsmen accountable for maintaining equipment to standard.”

The Georgia Army National Guard completed construction of three new readiness centers in Macon, Atlanta and on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta. Three state-of-the-art maintenance buildings are currently under construction at the GAARNG maintenance and training equipment site at the Georgia Garrison Training Center. These projects bring a combined total of $53,000,000 in military construction federal funding that is matched with $4,000,000 in state funds.

19 | The Georgia Guardsman

“We have completed all the major military construction projects for the near future,” said Carden. “Now our primary focus will be on maintaining the preeminent facilities we have.”

The Georgia Army National Guard won the last Army Community Of Excellence competition the organization competed in, which recognized Georgia as having the best business practices in the country compared to its peers.

“In order to sustain continuous improvement we must function as a learning organization. Encouraging new initiatives will make us more adaptable,” said Carden.

Carden went on to say that yearly training plans need to focus on generating as much readiness as possible given 15 days of Annual Training and 48 drill periods.

“Almost every unit’s wartime mission includes tasks associated with local security, mission command, and alleviating human suffering,” said Carden. “If we are proficient and ready to conduct the tasks in a kinetic environment, we will be ready to help our communities in their times of need.”

Professional Development

reviews of books that teach us about our craft By: Capt. Will Carraway | Public Affairs Office | Georgia Department of Defense

T

he World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is Thomas Friedman’s analysis of globalization and the causal factors that have led to a general flattening of international business. Friedman uses the metaphor of the flattened world to describe how countries and individuals have increasing capacity for collaboration and competition in a global market. The book provides a starting point for understanding globalization’s opportunities and threats and the inherent need for business and employees to innovate to remain relevant in an increasingly crowded global market.

Friedman identifies ten “flatteners” which gave rise to a more level playing field for international actors. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism are perhaps his most obvious agents of international change, as are the rise of the internet and the democratization of information. Friedman also recounts some innovations such as open software development and global supplychain management, the latter illustrated by Wal-Mart’s massive international logistics network. The book also notes how a nexus of

factors has created both opportunities and threats for employees and business. Whereas technological enhancements have brought information to the fingertips of billions, those enhancements have also enabled offshoring of jobs and expertise. These enhancements have forever changed the way nations conduct business and war.

Friedman postulates that whereas entangling alliances may have led to global wars in the past, entangling businesses and codependent trade practices act as a global stabilizer to prevent large-scale conflicts like those of the 20th century. Friedman proposes the “Dell theory of conflict” which suggests that if two countries are partners in the same supply chain, they will be more apt to choose diplomacy over force of arms in resolving conflicts Friedman identifies winners and losers in global flattening.

Whereas eastern nations such as China and India have welcomed and exploited the technological and informational boon, the nations of the Middle East continue to fall behind largely due to cultural insularity. Al-Qaeda, and other terrorists actors not only take advantage of the perceived marginalization of the Middle East by the west, their actions and ideology, according to Friedman’s analysis, actually enhance the very marginalization they decry.

The Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army has selected The World is Flat for his professional reading list. The book provides an introduction to global economics from Friedman’s perspective as a New York Times foreign affairs correspondent. Written in a narrative style, the book provides food for thought on the future of economics and war.

“If two countries are partners in the same supply chain, they will be more apt to choose diplomacy over force of arms in resolving conflict.”

January 2015 | 20

Around the Georgia Guard Gubernatorial Inauguration Being sworn in as the 82nd Governor of the state of Georgia, the Honorable Nathan Deal began his second term. Deal, with his wife Sandra by his side, installed newly elected and appointed state officers and laid out his plan for the next 4 years. Reinforcing his commitment to the safety of the citizens, the Governor closed the ceremony with leadership of the Ga. National Guard and public safety escorting a review of troops.

1-169th GSAB Return Home Savannah’s Georgia Army National Guard Chinook helicopter unit returned from Afghanistan to family members at Hunter Army Airfield in time for Christmas. The Citizen-Soldiers could only take a few steps off the bus before they were overwhelmed with hugs by waiting family and friends.

21 | The Georgia Guardsman

joint Ramp Jump Georgia Army Guardsmen with the 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade conduct a ramp jump out of a Georgia Air National Guard C-130 as part of airborne operations in Savannah, Ga. December 9, 2014. The Georgia National Guard regularly conducts joint operations training in Georgia to better prepare both components for combat operations overseas.

Clark’s Christmas Kids Sergeant Vicki Anderson with the Georgia State Defense Force’s 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion, tags and ships a brand new tricycle for the 24th annual “Clark’s Christmas Kids” toy drive. The holiday campaign is run by radio personality and Georgia State Defense Force member Capt. Clark Howard and aims to provide Christmas for thousands of Georgia foster children.

July 2014 | 22

$1M Upgrade to Hartwell Armory Complete 1-214th Field Artillery Battalion returns to armory after renovations

Public Affairs Office Georgia Department of Defense 1000 Halsey Ave. Bldg. 447 Marietta, Ga. 30060