Georgia Army National Guard Unit Deploys to Afghanistan

Story and photos by Maj. Will Cox, Georgia Army National Guard

Soldiers and families of Georgia National Guard's Detachment 9, Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) gathered for one last meal before the Guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan in their C26 Metroliner from Clay National Guard Center in Marietta Sunday.

Det. 9, OSACOM will provide VIP transport from Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan to other bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirate (UAE), and other location in support of senior leader movement.

Detachment 9, OSACOM is one of 10 Georgia Army National Guard units mobilized right now, totaling to over 950 Georgia Guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan, the Country of Georgia, or along the South West Border.

The Georgia Army National Guard trains to support the combatant commander abroad and trains to support the Governor in times of emergency right here at home.

Detachment 9 will spend a few weeks in Texas, conducting theatre specific training prior to their flight to Afghanistan. Families of deployed Guardsmen will meet about a month after their spouse departs to receive training on how to adjust to the new normal of a deployed spouse.

"Families know the Georgia Guard is here to support you while your spouse is deployed," said Col. Brock Gaston, 78th Aviation Troop Command, Commander. He continued, "please call us if you have any issues, because we have a lot of resources at our disposal to help you deal with common problems encountered while your Guardsman is deployed."

Spouses and families have resources available to them including reintegration training 30 days prior to the return of their Guardsman from Afghanistan as well. But one of the best resources families of deployed Guardsmen have is the support found in the shared experiences of their friends with deployed spouses.

"It is important for the spouses to know that they are not alone. All of us need to lean on each other, supporting each other's emotional needs. Deployments are hard, it is a sacrifice, but it is not impossible. That is why the FRG will call each family routinely checking on them to make sure they are receiving the support they need," said Stacy Hughens, Detachment 9 Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader.

She continued, "no one really understands what you are going through like someone who has or is experiencing the same separation that a deployed spouse has. So we are each other's greatest resource."