Georgia National Guard to celebrate Guard’s 386th birthday

MARIETTA — The Georgia National Guard will hold a ceremony Dec. 13 celebrating the National Guard’s 386th birthday and honoring its units from WWII that received the Presidential Unit Citation.

The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the Clay National Guard Center here. The event will be streamed live on Facebook @georgiaguard.

Among the dignitaries scheduled to attend the event are Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, the Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard; Maj. Gen. Thomas Grabowski, commander of the Georgia Air National Guard; and Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, commanding general of the Georgia Army National Guard.

The National Guard is the oldest armed service in the United States. Today, the Guard consists of nearly 450,000 soldiers and airmen and has the capability and capacity to respond wherever or whenever their state or nation requires.

The Georgia National Guard also will honor its units from WW II that received the Presidential Unit Citation while serving with the 30th Division during the August 1944 Battle of Mortain. The award will be presented to Headquarters Company, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; the 1st Battalion 118th Field Artillery Regiment and 122nd Tactical Support Detachment, whose predecessor units were present at the battle.

Special Illustration