The National Guard and the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Left: Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. Shane Obanion, pauses for a picture with a patriotic citizen before participating in the Olympic Torch Relay
near Fort McPherson. Obanion is  member of the National Guard marathon team.  Photo by Spc. Jeff Lowry. Right: Opening ceremonies of the
Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games. Photo by Sgt. Thomas Meeks.

On July 19, 1996, the opening ceremony of the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta welcomed more than 10,000 athletes from nearly 200 nations.[1]  Nearly 14,000 National Guardsmen from 47 states supported the Olympic Games in the largest National Guard peacetime support mission of the 20th Century.[2] Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard worked with civilian volunteers as well as state and federal agencies supporting Olympic events from the Tennessee border to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Lieutenant General Edward D. Baca, chief of the National Guard Bureau addresses Georgia National Guardsmen of the 190th Military Police Company
before the start of their duty day. Photo by Staff Sgt. Gail Parnelle

Securing the Games

Preparations began shortly after the International Olympic Commission announced the awarding of the Olympic Games to Atlanta in September 1990. Initial plans called for the activation of 2,000 to 3,000 Georgia Guardsmen and assignment of 8,000 Army Soldiers to bolster civilian security efforts; however, the Department of Defense General Counsel ruled that the use of active military personnel in security roles might violate the Posse Comitatus Act which limits the use of federal military forces in law enforcement activities.[3] The security gap would ultimately be filled by the National Guard and its Citizen Soldiers and Airmen. Initially, National Guard personnel were to be mobilized in state active-duty status; however, due to myriad state laws, NGB authorized the use of annual training status which cleared the way for all participating states to equally fund their assigned units.[4]

 

Under the direction of Maj. Gen. William P. Bland, Georgia’s Adjutant General, The Georgia National Guard established two task forces: TF Centennial Guard and TF 165.

 

ATLANTA, July 31, 1996 – Sergeant 1st Class Randall Webb of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 121st Infantry Regiment directs visitors to events near the
Georgia Dome during the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games. Photo by Staff Sgt. Gail Parnelle.

TF Centennial Guard

Aviation support, equipment and facility use, liaison and venue security were key mission elements of TF Centennial, commanded by Ga. ARNG Col. Robert Hughes. Task Force Centennial Guard established military venue officers to liaise with law enforcement and augment venue security. Base support officers helped coordinate support for National Guard personnel from other states who would provide critical support to security operations. Over the course of the Olympic Games, more than 11,000 National Guard personnel were assigned to TF Centennial with a peak strength of 7,000.[5]

 

An air crew of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 148th Medical Company (Air Ambulance). Conducts a medical evacuation training exercise in support of
the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in July 1996. photo by Spc. Jeff Lowry.

National Guard aviation assets were key to TF Centennial Guard. Guard aviators provided aerial reconnaissance to help coordinate traffic flow on the ground and stood ready to provide medical evacuation in the event of an emergency. Aviators from Arizona, Indiana, New Mexico and Tennessee joined Georgia Guardsmen in flying more than 600 mission hours in 22 aircraft, in addition to 700 hours in the days preceding the Games.[6]

 

In addition to the federal missions, TF Centennial Guard fielded two missions at the direction of the Governor of Georgia. These state active-duty missions were Team Hotel and TF 121.

 

ATLANTA, July 1996 – Georgia Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Patrick McNaughton of Company H, 121st Infantry,
Long Range Surveillance Unit checks security points and ensures his Soldiers have food and water for the day’s duties
during the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games. Photo by Staff Sgt. Fred Baker

Team Hotel was a 275-member special unit of Georgia Guardsmen tasked to secure the Olympic Village from July 1 to August 5, 1996. Team Hotel was comprised of Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment, Long Range Surveillance Unit; 178th Military Police Company and the 190th MP Company.[7] 

 

Following the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park, TF 121 was established to augment security at Olympic venues across the state. The task force was composed of more than 450 Georgia Guardsmen of the 48th Infantry Brigade, recently returned from a Fort Irwin National Training Center mobilization. Units of the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment with units based in Winder, Gainesville, Covington, Lawrenceville, Eatonton and Milledgeville were supplemented by cavalry scouts of the Griffin-based Troop E, 108th Cavalry and received training at the Georgia State Patrol Training Center in Forsyth, Ga. They performed security operations in conjunction with Soldiers of the Indiana National Guard operating metal detectors and staffing baggage check stations.[8]

 

TF 165

ATLANTA, July, 1996 – Georgia Air National Guard Major
Randy Scamihorn goes over security requirements with Olympic volunteer
Debra Johnson. Georgia National Guard photo by TSgt. Rick Cowan

Task Force 165 was commanded by Georgia Air National Guard Col. Steve Westgate, commander of the 165th Airlift Wing. In addition to providing military support for Olympic events in the Savannah vicinity, TF 165 established satellite communication networks in support of events statewide. Leading the communications effort was the 283rd Communications Squadron along with personnel and equipment from the 117th Air Control Squadron and 224th Joint Communication Support Squadron. [9]

 

The Ga. ANG’s Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah hosted 600 U.S. Coast Guard personnel who supported Olympic marina events. The CRTC and other base camps of TF 165 offered medical, transportation and laundry services 24 hours a day throughout the games.[10]

Perhaps the greatest challenge faced by TF 165 was the approach of Hurricane Bertha which prompted the evacuation of personnel and athletes from the Olympic marina on July 10, 1996. Events were delayed two days until the track of Hurricane Bertha carried it away from the Georgia Coast.[11] 

 

Department of Defense Support

The National Guard Bureau coordinated personnel and equipment resources for the Centennial Olympic Games that were beyond Georgia’s capability. A primary contributor was the 38th Infantry Division with units from Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Major General Robert Mitchell, commander of the 38th Infantry Division recalled the Olympic mission.

 

“The real value of (the Olympics mission) was the performance of the individual Guardsman,” said Mitchell. “Each was a true ambassador of goodwill representative of the games.”[12] 

 

Colonel Walter Corish, commander of the Ga. ANG, speaks with Army National Guard Soldiers of the 38th Infantry Division during operations supporting the
Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in July 1996. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The U.S. Army Forces Command established a joint task force to coordinate all federal support to the Olympic Games by the Department of Defense. Commanded by Maj. Gen. Robert Hicks, Joint Task Force Olympics received and approved support requests, provided support to 10 base camps and assisted in the transportation of military personnel from base camps to Olympic venues. The JTFO tasked the Army’s 24th Corps Support Group to convert an abandoned Delta Airlines hangar into a main billeting area for Guardsmen. More than 4,000 Guardsmen and other military personnel stayed at the facility throughout the games.[13] 

 

Major General Hicks praised the efforts of the National Guard at the end of Olympic support operations.

 

“All National Guard members performed superbly,” said Hicks. “The world focused on our country as the host of the Olympic Games, and it was the National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who made it possible to host the largest peacetime event in history.”[14]

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[1] Jere Longman. “ATLANTA 1996: THE GAMES BEGIN; In Atlanta, Festivities Touched by Sorrow.” The New York Times, July 19, 1996 B13.

 

[2] Georgia National Guard. After Action Report Operation Centennial Guard: June 1, 1996-August 26, 1996. NP, Dec 20, 1996, 1.

 

[3] Georgia National Guard. After Action Report Operation Centennial Guard: June 1, 1996-August 26, 1996. 5.

 

[4] Georgia National Guard. After Action Report Operation Centennial Guard: June 1, 1996-August 26, 1996. 5.

 

[5] Georgia National Guard. 1996 Olympic Games Executive Summary. ND, NP, 2.

 

[6] Georgia National Guard. 1996 Olympic Games Executive Summary. 2.

 

[7] Fred Baker and Thomas Meeks. “Team Hotel Protects Olympic Athletes.” The Georgia Guardsman, Summer 1996, 19-22.

 

[8] Susan Kirkland. “Bombing Gives Guardsmen Double Duty.” The Georgia Guardsman. Summer 1996, 12.

 

[9] Wendy Thompson. “GSU’s Provide Communication Link.” The Georgia Guardsman. Summer 1996, 28.

 

[10] Wendy Thompson. “Task Force 165 a Huge Success.” The Georgia Guardsman, Summer 1996, 26-27.

 

[11] Georgia National Guard. 1996 Olympic Games Executive Summary. 1.

 

[12] Georgia National Guard. 1996 Olympic Games Executive Summary. 5.

 

[13] Toby Moore. “’A Massive Job’ The Guard’s Olympic Involvement.” The Georgia Guardsman, Summer 1996, 4-5.

[14] Georgia National Guard. 1996 Olympic Games Executive Summary. 5.

The Macon Volunteers at Gettysburg July 2, 1863

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Note: This article is an excerpt of a history of the Macon Volunteers currently in progress.

 

Logo of the Macon Volunteers and Map of the Actions of Anderson's Division July 2, 1863 by Hal Jespersen

Gettysburg

In the reorganization of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia following Chancellorsville, the Division of Brig. Gen. Robert H. Anderson was assigned to the newly created 3^rd Corps under Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill. The Macon Volunteers, as part of the 2^nd Georgia Battalion were assigned to the brigade of Brig. Gen. Ambrose Wright, Anderson’s Division.

 

Array of forces July 2, 1863. LOC

In support of Gen. Lee’s second attempt to take the war to the North, the Macon Volunteers took up the march on June 14 1863 and entered Pennsylvania on June 26.[1] Alerted to the presence of Federal forces at Gettysburg July 1, Anderson’s Division, then in Cashtown, marched to the battlefield and assembled on Herr Ridge by 5:00 that evening.[2]

 

On the morning of July 2, Hill ordered Anderson to advance and occupy positions on Seminary Ridge preparatory to an assault on Federal lines. The Confederate assault proceeded en echelon from the right as Longstreet’s 1^st Corps initiated the assault with an artillery barrage at 2:00 pm. It would take more than three hours for the units to the right of Anderson’s Division to be committed.

 

With the advance of Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws immediately to his right, Anderson ordered his brigades forward.[3] Wright positioned his regiments with the 28^th on the right adjacent to the 2^nd Florida of Lang’s Brigade. The 3^rd advanced in the center with the 48^th Georgia to their left. Wright ordered the 2^nd Georgia Battalion to advance forward of the brigade as skirmishers. Rushing forward, the battalion posted behind a split rail fence northwest of the Codori Farm and the Emmitsburg Road.[4] Two Federal regiments, the 82^nd New York and 15^th Massachusetts were on the opposite side of the road supported by the Battery B, 1^st Rhode Island Artillery commanded by Capt. Thomas Brown.

 

The fence bordering the Emmitsburg Road behind which the Macon Volunteers formed on July 2, 1863. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

The Macon Volunteers and others of the battalion passed several tense minutes in their forward exposed position before Wright’s regiments reached them. Whereas the 2^nd Battalion was supposed to fall into the marching order on the left of the 48^th, Ga. its soldiers were disrupted as the brigade passed through its ranks and the Volunteers were compelled to fall in with the advancing regiments. Though undulating terrain and tall grass obscured their early advance, the Georgians were exposed to a galling fire from three brigades of infantry and three artillery batteries as they approached the Emmitsburg Road. Nevertheless, Wright’s advance was so swift that by the time Brown observed them he scarcely had time bring two of his sections to bear. Unleashing a devastating volley that sent “scores of Wright’s men sprawling in the grass,”[5] the New Yorkers realized with horror that Wright’s line, three regiment’s wide, would presently envelop their left flank. Reading the tactical situation, the veterans of the 82^nd N.Y. began to withdraw and with them followed the 15^th Mass. As its infantry support melted away, Brown’s battery was engulfed by the 48^th Georgia which captured the guns and mortally wounded Brown. Seizing the opportunity afforded by the fleeing Federals, the 22^nd and 3^rd Georgia, supported by elements of the 2^nd Battalion swiftly advanced as the Federal units to their front could not fire for fear of hitting their own men. Wright regarded this opportunity while casting fleeting glimpses to his left. Posey’s brigade had failed to match the advance of Wright’s Georgians leaving their left flank exposed. Into this flank 1^st Lt. Alonzo Cushing’s Battery A, 4^th U.S. Artillery, poured a murderous fire of grapeshot and cannister. In the maelstrom of combat, Capt. George S. Jones, commanding Macon Volunteers, was desperately wounded in the face, side and arm and collapsed to the ground. He was captured and sent to Johnson’s Island. Subsequently exchanged, Jones rejoined the Volunteers and fought on until the surrender at Appomattox Court House.[6]  

Command of the Macon Volunteers devolved to 1^st Lt. Edward Grannis, but he scarce had time to execute command before he fell mortally wounded not far from his captain. He died the following day. Second Lieutenant Thomas Kennedy Campbell, the sole remaining officer of the Macon Volunteers was shot through the lower abdomen by cannister fire. He was captured, treated at a Federal field hospital, and dispatched to Fort McHenry, Md.[7]

 

The Codori Farm viewed from the position of Cushing's Battery. The Macon Volunteers passed over this ground July 2, 1863. Photo by William Carraway

Wright’s Georgians had penetrated the Federal line and advanced farther than any Confederate troops that day, farther indeed than any of the soldiers who would cross over the same fields the next day as part of Maj. Gen. George’s Pickett’s doomed charge. Nevertheless, surveying the murderous scene, Wright realized that his gains were unsustainable. Seething at the absence of support from adjacent units, Wright ordered his troops to withdraw to their pre-assault position on Seminary Ridge where they remained until called forward to help cover the retreat of Pickett’s shattered units the next day. On the evening of July 4, the 87^th anniversary of the independence of the United States, Wright’s Brigade, and what remained of the Macon Volunteers quietly marched away From Gettysburg. Ten days later, they crossed the Potomac with half the men they had taken north just 19 days earlier.[8]

 

In his report on the Gettysburg Campaign, Wright bitterly lamented the sacrifice his troops had made for naught. He credited his troops with capturing 25 artillery pieces, noting that the 2^nd Battalion had accounted for “as many as 5 or 6 pieces.”[9] The cannons came at a high price. Wright reported 688 killed or wounded and a casualty rate of nearly 51 percent. Three of Wright’s four regimental and battalion commanders fell including Maj. George Ross of the 2^nd Battalion who was mortally wounded and captured at the crest of Cemetery Ridge.[10] The 2^nd Battalion lost 82 out of 173 who went into action.[11]

 

Analysis of the Macon Volunteers service records finds that of an aggregate strength of 52, 16 were killed, wounded or captured including all the company’s officers. In a rear-guard action at Manassas Gap, July 23, 1863, the company lost five of its remaining 36 Solders to a superior Federal force.[12]

 

Postscript

On Aug. 4, 1864, more than one year after being shot through the bowels by cannister at Gettysburg, and long after other prisoners from Gettysburg had been exchanged, Lt. Thomas Campbell of the Macon Volunteers penned the following letter to Col. William Hoffman, commissary general of prisoners from his cell at Fort McHenry hospital:

Sir,

I have the honor to submit my care to you for your human consideration. I was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg July 2, 1863. Ball entering the left side of the bowel, passing through making its exit near the spinal column. I have been confined to the bed ever since... I feel quite sure from the condition I am in at this time that my stay upon the earth will be short. My only desire is to be permitted to return to my home and spend the few days left me in this life in the bosom of my family where their kind attention may soothe my journey to the grave. Hoping this application may meet with your approval and early considerations.

I am, colonel, your most obt. svt.

 

Thos. K Campbell

Lt. Co. B 2^nd Ga Batt[13]

 

Lieutenant Campbell died from the effects of his wound Sept, 23, 1864 at Fort McHenry. He was 31 years old.

The headstone of 2nd Lt. Thomas K. Campbell in Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Ga. Photo by Jimmy Allen.

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[1] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1889) 613.

 

[2] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. 622.

 

[3] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. 614.

 

[4] Bradley M. Gottfried, The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 (New York: Savas Beatie, 2010), 204-205.

 

[5] Bradley M. Gottfried, The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863, 206.

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[6] National Archives Microfilm Publications Microcopy No. 266. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia. The Second Battalion Infantry. Roll 159-162.

[7] National Archives Microfilm Publications Microcopy No. 266. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia. The Second Battalion Infantry. Roll 159-162.

 

[8] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. 615.

 

[9] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. 624.

 

[10] U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1 / v. 27, Part 2: Reports. 625.

 

[11] J. David. Petruzzi and Steven Stanley, The Gettysburg Campaign in Numbers and Losses: Synopses, Orders of Battle, Strengths, Casualties, and Maps, June 9-July 14, 1863 (El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2013) 130.

 

[12] National Archives Microfilm Publications Microcopy No. 266. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia. The Second Battalion Infantry. Roll 159-162.

[13] National Archives Microfilm Publications Microcopy No. 266. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia. The Second Battalion Infantry. Thomas Campbell.

Reorganization of 1959: Bracing the Guard for Nuclear War

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

More than 200 M-48 Patton medium tanks of the 48th Armored Division’s tank battalions are parked in the National Guard Concentration Site
at Fort Stewart, Ga. in 1964 Photo by Fort Stewart PIO.

On July 1, 1959, the Georgia Army National Guard reorganized as part of a US Army plan to prepare ground formations for the possibility of atomic warfare and the employment of tactical nuclear devices.[1] It was the second major reorganization of the Georgia Army National Guard following the conversion of the 48^th Infantry Division to Armor in October 1955.[2]

The 1959 reorganization had its genesis in 1954 when then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Matthew Ridgway directed the Army to develop solutions to make Army divisions more maneuverable and mobile. Army divisions of 1954 had greater firepower but were more unwieldy than in World War II. Ridgway therefore tasked leaders to develop solutions to make divisions more flexible, mobile and survivable on the battlefield with greater combat to support unit ratios while maximizing technological advances and developing new doctrine in support of the changes which were to be implemented by January 1, 1956.[3] The Army field tested new division designs dubbed Atomic Field Army divisions; however, on April 10, 1956, the new Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Maxwell Taylor, called a halt to the study without implementing design recommendations. Over the next three years, several modifications were tested and on Dec. 29, 1958 the Army approved a divisional reorganization plan.[4]

FORT STEWART, Ga. July 19 to August 2, 1959 – Georgia Guardsmen of the Savannah-based Battery B, 1st Howitzer Battalion, 118th Field Artillery
admire their new M52 105 mm self-propelled howitzer. Left to right: Cpl. Ronnie Huggins, Pvt. Donald Bell, Pvt. James Cannon,
Sgt. Joe Pritchard and 1st Lt. Emmet Bridges. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Senior leaders of the Georgia Army National Guard provided input on reorganization and stationing to Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General, who briefed the plan to the National Guard Bureau in April 1959. By June 10, NGB had formally accepted Georgia’s reorganization plans.[5]

Georgia realized several successes as part of the reorganization. Not only did the Ga. ARNG maintain strength in all of its 66 communities it received an additional 287 personnel allocations.

FORT STEWART, Ga., 1962 - An M-41 of Troop B, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron moves up flanked by Infantrymen. 
Image courtesy of National Guard Educational Foundation, Washington, D.C

The core of the new 48^th Armored Division structure was comprised of four tank battalions of 719 personnel each. Georgia supplied the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th Medium Tank Battalions, 108^th Armored while the Florida National Guard supplied a fourth tank battalion. The Calhoun-based 163^rd Tank Battalion reorganized to form the 2^nd Medium Tank Battalion while Macon’s 162^nd Tank Battalion formed the 3^rd Medium Tank Battalion. The 190^th Tank Battalion, based in Americus reorganized to form the 4^th Medium Tank Battalion.[6]

Four armored infantry battalions of 1,022 personnel supported the tank battalions. The Florida National Guard’s 124^th Infantry Regiment supplied personnel to form two of the battalions. The Dublin-based 160^th Tank Battalion was redesignated the 1^st Armored Rifled Battalion 121^st Infantry while Albany’s 121^st Armored Infantry Battalion was redesignated the 2^nd Armored Rifle Battalion, 121^st Infantry.

The 560^th Engineer Battalion retained its designation in the 48^th AD but the 48^th Reconnaissance Battalion was redesignated the 1^st Recon Squadron, 108^th Armored with headquarters in Newnan, Ga.

November 1959 - Sergeant J. D. Jones, Specialist 5 Grady Bragg and Specialist 4 E. W. Thomas of the Savannah-based 248th Transportation Detachment
put one of the 48th Armored Division's L-20 Beaver aircraft back into flying shape. Georgia National Guard Archives

New units to the 48^th AD included the Atlanta-based 248^th Signal Battalion, the 148^th Aviation Company and 548^th Admin Company in Macon and the Savannah-based Headquarters Detachment, 202^nd Medium Battalion.

FORT STEWART, Ga.  1959 - Two M55 8-inch self-propelled howitzers of the 1st Rocket/Howitzer Battalion, 179th Artillery from Atlanta, Ga.
during annual training of the 48th Armored Division at Fort Stewart, Ga.  Image courtesy of the National Guard Educational Foundation, Washington D.C.

Division Artillery remained based in Savannah but was authorized additional firepower in the form of an Honest John missile battery. Battery C of the Atlanta-based 179th Field Artillery was the intended recipient of the weapon system; however, the missiles would subsequently be authorized to the 4th Gun Battalion which would field four different artillery and air defense platforms over the next four years. The 179th continued to field 155 mm self-propelled howitzers as well as the massive M55 9-inch self-propelled howitzer which was capable of firing nuclear rounds. Rounding out Division Artillery, the 1^st and 2^nd Howitzer Battalion, 118^th Field Artillery based in Savannah and Waycross, respectively were equipped with 105 mm self-propelled howitzers.

FORT STEWART Ga. 1960 - A 75 mm Skysweeper emplaced behind sandbags at Fort Stewart, Ga.  The Skysweeper is part of the Hartwell-based
Battery B, 4th Gun Battalion, 214th Artillery. National Guard, 1960.  Courtesy of the National Guard Education Foundation, Washington, D.C.

The units of the 160^th Armored Group were absorbed into the 48^th Division but other non-divisional units carried on under the reorganization. The Winder-based 108^th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade retained its battalions under new designations as the 1^st-4^th Gun Battalions. Batteries of the 1^st Gun Battalion were based in Augusta, Thomson and Sparta while the 2^nd Gun Battalion equipped batteries in Statesboro, Swainsboro, Lyons and Reidsville. The 1^st and 2^nd Gun Battalion was equipped with 90 mm antiaircraft guns while the 4^th Gun Battalion, with armories in Elberton, Hartwell and Toccoa fielded the 75 mm Skysweeper platform. The 3^rd Automatic Weapons Battalion, a newly constituted unit, was based in Milledgeville with batteries in Monroe, Forsyth, Eatonton and Thomaston. Its batteries were armed with the M42 self-propelled antiaircraft gun. The gun and automatic weapons battalions formed the 214^th Artillery. The 216^th Radio Controlled Aerial Target Detachment continued to fly target drones for anti-aircraft artillery training as the 5^th Detachment, Air Target based in Washington, Ga.

FORT STEWART, June 26-July 10, 1960 - Twin 40 mm cannons of these M42 Dusters blast skyward at a target craft streaking overhead.
Manned by Guardsmen of the 3rd Automatic Weapons Battalion, 214th Artillery, the guns on these self-propelled mounts are capable of devastating
a target with up to 250 rounds per minute. Georgia National Guard Archives

Other state units established by the reorganization included the Hinesville-based 406^th Ordnance Company and 110^th and 111^th Signal Battalions headquartered in Brunswick and Washington, Ga. respectively. 

The Georgia Army National Guard would remain under the 1959 organizational structure until the 1963 reorganization prompted by the Reorganization Objective Army Division 1961-1965 plan.

 

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[1] “Army Guard Reorganization July 1^st Boosts Strength of State Force by 287.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, May, June 1959, 6-7.

[2] William Carraway. “65 Years Ago: Birth of the 48^th Armor Division.” Georgiaguardhistory.com http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2020/10/65-years-ago-birth-of-48th-armor.html

[3] John B. Wilson. Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades. (Washington: Center for Military History, 1998), 265.

[4] John B. Wilson. Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades, 284.

[5] “Army Guard Reorganization July 1^st Boosts Strength of State Force by 287.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, May, June 1959, 6.

[6] RA 73-59. National Guard Bureau, June 10, 1959.