MARCH 2006 ~ PUBLISHED BY GSDF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE ~
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School Commandant GSDF in Very first GSDF Officer Capt. James Clifton led most of the classroom Candidate Class graduates counterinstruction for the OCS
2005, local authorities residences of from Nineteen GSDF troopers alerted were thethe first-ever graduates Forsyth, Georgia of an Anthrax Bio-terror attack, the State Defense Force’s Officer Candidate School onof unknown origin. erupted. Citizens January 22nd. TheImmediately, OCS students,panic who were selected from were unaware of what by to adoboard and/or whereofficers, to go…” different GSDF brigades of senior had to complete a program that included six consecutive
This couldofbeclassroom the headline on training any given day, but, due weekends and field at the Georgia to the careful planning of state and local authorities, Military Institute/122nd Regiment RTI facility in Macon. Monroe County is one step closer to having a well thought-out plan for dealing with such disasters.
(right) while the officer candidates of Class 06By01 Garry Moon, HDQ PAO took copious notes (below). The students received instruction outside the classroom as well, such as an STX involving a post-natural disaster scenario (bottom).
A Mock Exercise was set up on April 2 under the guidance of state and local government agencies, in conjunction with the 5BDE of the Georgia State Defense Force, the Monroe County Sheriff’s H and many other volunteers, as well as the media and role players. The four-hour exercise consisted of “victims” reporting to a medical facility and being diagnosed for treatment or further evaluation. Monroe Co. Sheriff’s Deputy Jarred Duncan said, “It is outstanding that all the groups and agencies worke d well together. We don’t see that very much. BioThe nineteen officer candidates of GSDF OCS Class 06-01 Terrorism is real life and small need to prepare.” received their commissions fromtowns BG Mike McGuinn in a ceremony at the Georgia Military Institute on Jan. 22nd, which was attended by nearly two hundred family members, friends, and other guests.
GSDF’s State Command Sergeant Major Bardoul also praised the exercise, saying the drill “helps us to learn Classroom training focused at the GSDF OCS focused on inleadership, a controlled environment.” land navigation, first aid, radio procedures, conducting militaryofbriefings, after action risk The coordinator the exercise, Mrs.reporting, Janet Freeman, management, management, METL Monroe Co. emergency EMA Director, commented on the development, and more. In addition to traditional drill and professionalism and military decorum displayed by the ceremony, field training included guard duty, leading GSDF troopers. She referred to the GSDF as their physical training classes, and disaster response, the latter “partners in community praising involving a situational trainingservice”, exercise where the it as an organization that will always be there to help the candidates performed search & rescue, triage, and citizens of Georgia. command operations as prescribed by FEMA’s Incident Command System procedures.
The 5BDE, known as “The Ravens”, is under the The next GSDF OCSDick classLockert. begins in May, with boarding for command of COL new candidates currently ongoing.
Photos: 2LT Catherine Bates
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