Heads Up July 2010

JUL Y 2010

V OL . 6 I S S UE 2

CTT TESTING AT CONFEDERATE HEADQUARTERS Common Task Testing or Comedy, Tragedy and Trauma?

- Story and Photos by CPT Arni Katz, HQ PAO Soldiers and officers from GSDF Headquarters Company participated in the required CTT (Common Task Testing) program on 2 May 2010 amidst drama and pathos when an unexpected Microburst flattened tents and sent CPT Clark Howard airborne with an unceremonious landing on his head.

The CTT testing, required for all active GSDF soldiers was designed to assure all personnel were capable of basic soldier skills involving land navigation, voice communication, first aid and search and rescue.

The land navigation section required function use of a lensatic compass, shooting two azimuths using waist and eye-level viewing. Additionally the timed testing required identification of topographic land features on a map and determining a map location using a protractor to a 6 digit grid coordinate in a 1:50000 scale map.

INSIDE

THIS ISSUE:

WWII Heritage Days page 2

This task was particularly challenging after the aforementioned microburst as there were intense and unpredictable wind gusts across the now exposed testing area which provided the added challenge of “chase the map” which was quite disconcerting especially during a timed test.

The first aid testing involved applying pressure dressings and then a tourniquet to a simulated victim’s bleeding extremity. A verbal test was also performed regarding proper procedure for treating heat stroke conditions by level of severity.

The search and rescue portion of the test involved the correct tying of at least three knots, crucial to SAR activities. The second section of the test required correct use of FEMA marking for searching a structure during a disaster and documenting the conditions found during the search.

The challenging and unpredictable environmental circumstances provided an effective stress factor, which although possibly causing sections of the test to be failed also added a sense of realism, which most certainly would be encountered in a field operation.

All GSDF soldiers are required to pass all stations to be qualified for operational status in State defense Force or joint GSDF and National Guard missions.

Retesting will occur at the annual AT in November for any soldiers failing specific section of the test.

Promotion featured on News page 2

Yellow Ribbon Program page 4

The Spirit of World War II Comes to Peachtree City during WWII Heritage Days - Story and Photos by PVT Eric Tedder, HQ PAO The Dixie Wing and the Commemorative Air Force brought World War II back to life on March 24th and 25th with the sounds of vintage war planes, gunfire, and “big band” music at the Eighth Annual World War II Heritage Days at Falcon Field Regional Airport in Peachtree City.

Crowds estimated around two thousand from throughout the Southeast gathered at Falcon Field in Peachtree City to recall the significant moments of the war, and to educate younger generations on the lives lived and sacrifices made by many known as America’s “greatest generation”.

World War II reenactors portraying American, German, Russian, Italian, and Japanese soldiers were on hand for the

annual Heritage Day activities.

With authentic uniforms, gear and equipment used in combat in the European and Pacific theatres of the War, the reenactors offered curious guests a glimpse of life on the frontlines and at home. Actual battle reenactments between American and Axis forces were staged, and rides in legendary warbirds of the era were offered. Static displays and war memorabilia filled an airport hangar.

On hand for the weekend event were members of the Georgia State Defense Force recruiting detachment. According to Private Chris Alasa, of the State Defense Force recruiting detachment, “The uniformed members of the Georgia State Defense Force generated significant interest among the visiting public which we believe could result in patriotic minded men and women volunteering for the State Defense Force.”

The Georgia State Defense Force, strove to participate and capture the patriotic spirit of World War II Heritage Days, encouraging the volunteer spirit which forms the foundation of the Georgia State Defense Force.

GSDF 1LT Promotion Featured on 11 Alive News - Story and Photo by CPL Jim Zegers Dr. Mike O’Rear became the oldest first lieutenant in the Georgia State Defense Force in March 2010.

“Usually a first lieutenant is 22 years old, so I’m just a little over the age limit,” O’Rear said. It’s a good thing. I’m proud of my age; proud to have made it that far.

Born in Chattanooga, TN in 1940, 1LT O’Rear has waited a long time to become an officer. He enlisted in the Army in 1959 and was based at Ft Jackson. After completing basic training, he qualified for OCS (Officer Candidate School) but was shipped off to Germany until 1962 when he retired from the military as a corporal. “Forty-eight years later, I finished OCS”, said Dr. O’Rear.

However, 1LT O’Rear is no stranger to schools. He is a professor at Chattahoochee Technical College in Acworth where he is an instructor in Electronic & Computer Engineering Technology and has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

He also serves as the Vice-President of the Georgia Bio Medical Instrumentation Society. In addition, he is a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans and serves on the honor guard for funerals in Pickens County.

ILT Mike O’Rear promotion being covered by Atlanta’s In 2005, 1LT O’Rear had the desire to serve again and wanted to re-enlist in the 11Alive News Team.

Army, but fortunately for the GSDF, he was over the age limit so he joined The Force. 1LT O’Rear serves in 1st MEDCO in the 1st Brigade. He has been married for 48 years, “to the same women” he pointed out. He has two children and three grandchildren. 1LT O’Rear’s promotion was featured on 11Alive News and can be viewed athttp://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=143216&catid=3.

2

HEADS-UP | July 2010

Timothy Hardegree promoted to Headquarters Company Sergeant Major - Story and Photo by PVT Eric Tedder, HQ PAO SGM Hardegree began his extensive military career after high school when he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1973 as a field wireman. After serving in this position for several years, Hardegree trained and later served as a “red eye” missile operator with the Marines until his discharge in 1979.

Following several years in the civilian workforce, SGM Hardegree rejoined the military through the Marine Corps Reserve in 1987. He served in numerous positions including section leader, platoon leader and training chief for the Stinger missile, a short range defense missile system. He later served as career planning non-commissioned officer (NCO), and the family readiness NCO. SGM Hardegree was activated in the early 1990s as part of the Second Marine Division and was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. While deployed, he was appointed as detachment commander of a Stinger missile section with responsibilities for safeguarding for forward headquarters positions.

SGM Hardegree retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2002 and settled in Carrollton with his wife, Deborah Hardegree.

Joining the Georgia State Defense Force in 2002, he served as

the training NCO until 2004 and later moved up the ranks within the State Defense Force from Master Sergeant to Headquarters First Sergeant and in January of 2010 was promoted to Sergeant Major.

SGM Hardegree works at Sony Music in Carrollton. He has three sons; Justin, a Corporal serving in the Marine Reserves, Scott, a Sergeant who was recently discharged from the Marines, and Jason, who currently works for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

R E C E N T

P R O M O T I O N S

Michael Worthington to LTC James Siniard to MAJ James Hayden to MAJ John Hinson to SSG Eugene Ken Miller to SSG Jarrard Doyle to SFC

Clarence Grear to 1LT Delbert Moorhead to SFC Richard Mattson to SFC Anthony Bagdonis to CPT Hugo Bryan-Porter to PFC

Chief Wilson Joins GSDF and G2 Gets a Boost - Story and Photo by PVT Mike Carey, HQ PAO CW4 Gordon “John” Wilson has recently joined the HQ G2 Unit of GSDF in order to provide his extensive technical expertise to the intelligence section.

Effective with the May drill weekend, the CG has decided to once again form a G2 (Intelligence Staff Office) separate from the combined G3/G2 office which has existed for the last couple of years.

The new G2 is LTC Dirk Daube who is adding the G2 Staff function to his existing Safety office duties. He will be assisted by MAJ Combs and CW4 Wilson, formerly members of the G3/G2 staff, and CPL Rainwater who was on the Safety Office staff. The new G2 staff will develop an SOP for G2 and S2 functions at all staff levels, with emphasis on operations security (OPSEC), communications security (COMSEC), physical security, and personal security (PERSEC).

Chief Wilson’s impressive background prepares him well for his new duties. In the US Army from 1967 – 1992 he held the post of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Technician, specifically as an order of battle analyst and prisoner interrogator. During this time he was also trained the Vietnamese, Romanian and German languages, obtaining operational fluency in each of them.

The highest level assignment in which he served was from 1987 – 1990 as the only warrant officer on the staff of the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, HQ, Department of the Army in the HEADS-UP | July 2010

Pentagon. He was the primary staff action officer responsible for the Army Foreign Language Program. In that role he represented the Army on various committees at the Department of Defense, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Central Intelligence Agency.

Chief Wilson’s military awards include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medals (3), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medals (2), Vietnam Service Medal.

Since retiring from the Army, Chief Wilson has been active in various security-related and investigative endeavors, including the formation of his own company, Five Star Investigations and Training in 1993 in Jonesboro, GA. In addition to his work, Chief Wilson enjoys small plot gardening, sport shooting and photography as well as sharing time with his wife, Janet, a former major in Military Intelligence, in their home near Jonesboro.

Chief Wilson is glad to be a GSDF team member and is eager to get started on his new mission of “raising the security consciousness of the GSDF.

3

Yellow Ribbon Program for 48th BDE at Ft Stewart - by Cpl Jim Zegers, HQ PAO Georgia State Defense Force soldiers volunteered 3860 hours in the Yellow Ribbon Program at Ft. Stewart in March.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is a federal funded mandate designed to benefit National Guard and Reserve members and their families by helping to give them access to necessary support and guide them to the approMAJ Peter Catlin, JAG HQ working the priate information, phones at Operation Yellow Ribbon 2010 at services, benefits, FT Stewart. - photo by COL McDonald proactive outreach, and referrals to help Service members to “reintegrate” following an operational deployment. The Expectation Training is designed to assist family and friends to reconnect with returning soldiers.

Family and friends are reimbursed for hotel and travel expenses to the base.

COL McDonald and COL Hightower acted as co-OICs for the Yellow Ribbon Program where 67 GSDF soldiers, colonials down to privates, worked 12 to 18 hours days tracking down thousands of family and friends of the returning 48th BDE from Afghanistan.

The team spent 321 man days contacting family members and

I N

M E M O R I A M

friends of deployed soldiers to invite them to a two day Expectation Training a day prior to the soldiers’ return.

GSDF volunteers received a manifest of the returning soldiers and then would contact, leave messages and take incoming calls that resulted in positive feedback from family members and friends. The GSDF soldiers had an astounding success rate of 95% of connecting with family and friends.

2LT Ritchie at FT Stewart Yellow Ribbon Mission 2010 - photo by COL McDonald

Georgia’s 48th Infantry Brigade began mobilizing for its yearlong deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2009. By June of that year, the brigade was in Southern Afghanistan, carrying out its mission of mentoring and training the Afghan Army and Afghan National Security Force. Six months into the deployment, the basic mission hadn’t changed. Elements of the 48th found themselves living, working and fighting alongside the soldiers and police they had trained. Eight members of the BDE were lost in the deployment.

Returning 48th BDE soldiers were trucked out of Afghanistan to an airbase in Uzbekistan, where most of them returned via chartered flight to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. It took a few hours to process the troops and get them back to Ft. Stewart to reunite with their families and friends. After reunion, soldiers receive a five day debriefing and return to civilian life.

WO1 Ralph McGill

Warrant Officer One Ralph Emerson McGill Jr., passed away 1 June 2010 after suffering a heart attack at home. He was 65.

Chief McGill was appointed acting GSDF Public Affairs Officer on 12 March 2005 by then COL Michael McGuinn. McGill was a vital asset to the PAO HQ unit prior to being appointed acting PAO. He received an Honorable Discharge from GSDF in 2006 after 4 years service.

A gifted writer and son of the late Pulitzer Prize winning publisher and editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Ralph McGill Sr., Chief McGill was a well-established and gifted writer with a legendary career in the Atlanta advertising community for over 40 years.

Chief McGill served honorably in the USMC Reserves from 19641970 and achieved the rank of E5 with the 4th MT BN 4th 105 mm Howitzer.

McGill is survived Mary Welch McGill, his wife of 21 years and his son Grady McGill of Atlanta.

4

HEADS UP is the official newsletter of The Georgia State Defense Force PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE PAO

CPT Arni Katz

DEPUTY PAO

CPT Clark Howard

HEADS UP L AY OUT & DES I GN HI S TO R I AN / J OUR NAL I S T AS S I S TANT HI S TO R I AN / J OUR NAL I S T W EBM AS TER / J OUR NAL I S T R EP OR TER / L EGI S L ATI V E L I AI S ON V I DEO CAM ER AM AN P HO TO GR AP HER P HOTOGR AP HER / J O UR NAL I S TS

PVT Will Taylor MAJ Rich Elwell PV2 Eric Tedder CPT Andy Creed CPT Sandra Kinney CW2 Mario do Carvalho CW2 Mario de Carvalho CPL Jim Zegers PV2 Mike Carey

HEADS UP CONTENT SUBMISSION

Submit articles & photos to CPT Arni Katz at arnikatz@yahoo.com. Articles are intended for publicizing unit missions, activities and events and to highlight GSDF members. Provide details: date, time, location and a brief description. Photos are encouraged. Photos with GSDF personnel should include the rank and full name of the person(s). Provide a point-of-contact and phone number or email address with any submissions.

HEADS-UP | July 2010