Photo By Maj. Charles Emmons | Maj. Brian Nadolne, a physician with the 248th Medical Company, shakes hands with Ga....... read more read more
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The Georgia Army National Guard’s 248th Medical Company hosted a deployment ceremony for their 55 departing Soldiers on November 30, 2019 in a packed drill hall at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Ga.
Families, friends and service members attended the event to see their Soldiers off as they mobilize to conduct a nine-month deployment to multiple mission locations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Senior leaders of the Georgia National Guard attended the ceremony, including the Adjutant General of Georgia, Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, who has worked with the company’s commander, Capt. Latonya Hicks, since she was a private.
“I know these Soldiers,” said Carden. “I know what is in their heart and I know how hard they’ve worked.”
The deploying Soldiers range in rank and experience from junior enlisted Soldiers who recently joined the medical field, through field grade officers with years of professional medical experience.
Among them is Maj. Brian Nadolne, a physician who practices in Marietta, Ga. at East Cobb Family Medicine. Despite his positions as president and board chair of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, he wanted to seek out other leadership roles. He joined the Georgia Guard three years ago, at age 49 and now looks forward to deploying with the 248th.
“I’m definitely looking forward to helping our young Soldiers who deserve to have a family physician while abroad,” said Dr. Nadolne. "There’s going to be a lot of opportunities to help them.”
Nadolne will rotate with another doctor after three months and return to work for his employer, Northside Hospital, who has been extremely supportive of his commitment to deploy and serve overseas.
“They have gone above and beyond to make sure this deployment was easy, and to make sure I had coverage for the practice,” said Nadolne.
The company has trained for the mission by conducting health service support and force health protection tasks to prepare for their mission to assist, enable and advise medical forces in their area of operations. They will support a battalion aid station and perform surgeries for patients as well.
“We’ve seen the growth over the last twelve months. We have training over and over again with mass casualty exercises,” said Hicks. She expressed that she was very confident in their trauma training and preparation for the mission.
Sergeant Steven Bellamy will be continuing a family tradition of service like his father and brother before him. His father served in Vietnam and his brother was an Army Ranger. Bellamy will deploy as a medic.
“It feels real good to carry on that tradition,” said Bellamy. “Now I get my chance to serve as well. We all had different jobs and we all walked different paths, but it feels good to continue on that tradition.”
The 248th Medical Company deployed to Iraq in 2009. In 2015, the unit deployed to Egypt as part of the Multinational Force and Observers.
| Date Taken: | 11.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.30.2019 13:18 |
| Story ID: | 353933 |
| Location: | MARIETTA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 368 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Georgia National Guard Medics Deploy, by MAJ Charles Emmons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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