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| Soldiers of the 202nd Ordnance Company Supported Operation Spartan Shield in the Central Command area of operations from October 2021 to August 2022. Photo courtesy of the 202nd Ordnance Co. |
By Major William Carraway
Historian, Georgia Army National Guard
The 202nd Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) was organized June 1, 1987,[1]
and federally recognized September 15, 1987, in Decatur, Ga.[2]
Upon organization, the unit was assigned to the 78th Troop Command. The
202nd relocated to Forest Park, Ga. March 1, 1990, and on September 1, 1998,
the unit was redesignated the 202nd Ordnance Company.[3]
The Soldiers
of the 202nd are capable of eliminating explosive hazards such as improvised
explosive devices. To become an explosives ordnance disposal specialist,
Soldiers must complete nearly one year of specialized training covering
chemistry, robotics and methods used to detect and neutralize explosive
threats.
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| A 202nd Soldier prepares to X-Ray an IED during team leader certification in April 2014. Photo Courtesy of the 202nd Ordnance Co. |
In March
1999, the 202nd conducted a two-week overseas mission in Panama where it helped
clear unexploded ammunition from small-arms and artillery ranges.[5]
In December 2002, the 202nd entered federal service for Operation Noble Eagle
and served on active duty through June 15, 2004, in support of security
operations in the United States.[6]
Upon its demobilization at Fort Bragg and subsequent return to Georgia, the
202nd relocated from Forest Park to Marietta.[7]
When the
78th TC received the Region IV Homeland Response Force mission assignment in
2010, the 202nd capabilities augmented the mission of saving lives in the event
of a domestic terrorist or natural emergency. The 202nd participated in a
series of exercises beginning with a joint exercise at Naval Air Station
Jacksonville, Florida, in February 2010.
On July 21,
2011, the 202nd mobilized to Afghanistan, where its skillset helped protect
coalition forces and Afghan civilians from the threat of unexploded IEDs and
mines. The unit returned to Georgia August 24, 2012.[8]
An October
2013 reorganization of the Georgia National Guard resulted in the transfer of
the 202nd from the 78th TC to the newly established 201st Regional Support
Group. Assigned to the Marietta-based Joint Task Force 781st Chemical,
Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive Enhanced Response Force-Package
(CERFP), the 202nd supported Exercise Vigilant Guard from March
27-April 2, 2017. In September 2017 Soldiers of the 202nd mobilized
with JTF 781 to Florida in response to Hurricane Irma. In March 2019, the 202nd
was assigned to the 265th Chemical Battalion, part of the 201st RSG. Later that
year, a team of marksmen from the 202nd placed first in the Andrew
Sullens Marksmanship Competition.[9]
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| The 202nd supported the 2nd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La. in September 2015. Photo courtesy of the 202nd Ordnance Co. |
On March 27,
2020, the 202nd moved to its current armory in Waynesboro, Georgia.[10]
Since that time, personnel of the 202nd supported the state’s coordinated
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, augmented law enforcement in response to
civil unrest and mobilized to Washington D.C. to support security operations
for the presidential inauguration. On October 16, 2021, the 202nd
mobilized in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The unit returned from
operations in the Central Command area of operations August 15, 2022.[11]
[1]
National Guard Bureau, “Organizational Authority 79-87," June 1, 1987, effective
September 1, 1987, amended December 31, 1987.
[2]
National Guard Bureau, “Organizational Authority 233-87,” September 30, 1987.
[3]
National Guard Bureau, “Organizational Authority 41-90,” February 20, 1990,
effective March 1, 1990.
[4]
Kenneth Davis, “After the Storm,” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Fall 1991,
7.
[5]
“EOD is an Explosive Business, Georgia National Guard Magazine, Summer,
1999, 8-9.
[6] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2004, Atlanta: 2004, 11.
[7]
National Guard Bureau, “Organizational Authority 181-04," September 24, 2004,
effective December 1, 2004.
[8]
U.S. Army Center for Military History, “Lineage and Honors of the 202nd
Ordnance Company,” December 21, 2012.
[9]
Tori Miller, “Andrew Sullens Marksmanship Competition, 2019,” Georgia
Guardsman Magazine, Q1 2019, 6-7.
[10]
National Guard Bureau, “Organizational Authority 134-20,” July 4, 2020,
effective July 1, 2020.
[11]
William Carraway, “Citizen Soldiers of the 202nd Ordnance Company
embark on overseas deployment,” DVIDS, October 16, 2021, https://www.dvidshub.net/news/407409/citizen-soldiers-202nd-ordnance-company-embark-overseas-deployment
