This week, the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will celebrate its bicentennial with a ceremony recognizing two hundred years of dedication and valor.
The Macon-based The biggest unit within Georgia’s National Guard, this brigade has been involved in almost every significant U.S. military engagement since it was established in 1825, including conflicts like the Mexican-American War as well as more contemporary missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The festivities take place on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at the brigade’s Volunteer Headquarters located on Shurling Drive in Macon. During this occasion, a monument will be revealed to honor the brigade’s legacy.
Every aspect of the building commemorates a distinct conflict the division has been involved in, and officials state that it will serve as an enduring homage to both the soldiers who served and those who did not return home.
Lt. Col. Jace Walden, who served in Afghanistan, is one of many soldiers helping prepare for the ceremony.
“You’ve got Afghanistan from the Afghanistan deployment here,” Walden said. “It’s part about honoring those that came before us and living in a way that brings credit upon them.”
Since 2001, the 48th IBCT has been sent out several times. In 2005, this unit was stationed in southwestern Baghdad, which military personnel often referred to as the "Triangle of Death."
In 2009, they were sent back to Afghanistan. During these periods between deployments, it was reported that approximately 30 soldiers from the brigade were lost.
“I was in Iraq during that mobilization as well,” Command Sgt. Maj. Ray Kinney said. “Three of my good friends are going to be memorialized on that wall.”
Kinney has been with the 48th for 31 years. He mentioned that this achievement is important not only for present soldiers but also for their families and communities throughout Georgia.
It isn’t about all of us," Kinney stated, "but rather every person who has ever dedicated a fragment of their love, a part of their kinship, or moments from their life in service to the 48th IBCT and the United States of America.