ATLANTA - Nearly 4,000 members of the Georgia Army National Guard, some from Gainesville and Winder, have been alerted for possible deployment to the Middle East.
They are members of Macon's 48th Infantry Brigade, which has units in 30 cities and towns.
Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Ken Baldowski says they will be used in "support of the Global War on Terrorism."
"More than 1,200 Guardsmen will report for duty in December, followed by another 2,300 after the first of the year," Col. Baldowski said. "The unit is expected to report initially to Fort Stewart near Savannah followed by exercises at the U.S. Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California."
Baldowski said the Brigade is expected to deploy for a 12-month rotation beginning next spring.
The last mobilization for the 48th Brigade was in 2001 when 1,200 members served eight months as part of the peacekeeping force in
Bosnia.
The 48th Brigade is Georgia's largest Army National Guard unit.
"Gainesville's Company C (1st Battalion, 121st Infantry) is very much a part of the callup," Baldowski said. "This is probably the largest call up of strictly Georgia Army National Guard
since the first Gulf War."
Monday
October 21st, 2024
7:37AM
