Photo By Maj. William Carraway | Georgia Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major William Scaggs, senior enlisted...... read more read more
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The Georgia Army National Guard’s 348th Brigade Support Battalion, a unit of the Columbus-based 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, was inactivated during a ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Ga. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. Colonel Brian Ellis, commander of the 648th MEB, was the key-note speaker at the ceremony.
“Today is a somber day as we case the colors of the Trailblazer Battalion, even though it reflects the normal process of change the Army makes year in and year out,” said Ellis. “That is the mechanical and unsentimental process of the Army. Units, however, are more than capabilities and effects that can be achieved on the battlefield. This is especially true of units in the National Guard… Units in the National Guard not only reflect the people that make up the units but the cities, towns and states in which they are organized.”
During the ceremony, the battalion command team of Lt. Col. Charles Newton and Command Sgt. Major William Scaggs cased the battalion colors. Captain April Johnson and 1st Sgt. Eric Yates cased the colors of Headquarters Company while the colors of Company A were cased by Capt. Reggie Corbett and 1st Sgt. Olivia Singleton. Each of the commanders addressed the ceremony.
“I don’t look at it as an inactivation, said Corbett. “To me, we are dispersing excellence throughout the state. We will be able to carry on what we learned here in the rest of the Georgia National Guard.”
In his remarks, Newton recognized the Soldiers of the Trailblazer Battalion.
“I am immensely humbled to have been your commander,” said Newton. “We come from a proud legacy. We have never dropped a mission; we have served on foreign soil and frequently in partnership with civil authorities. As we complete our last milestone and the Trailblazer colors fly for the last time, I encourage you to remember the experiences and relationships you developed in the 348th. Deliver the Strike. Trailblazer Six signing off.”
The 348th BSB served as the support element for the 648th MEB throughout its existence. In addition to a headquarters company, the 348th BSB was comprised of Company A, a distribution company, and Company B, a maintenance Company.
The inactivation of the 348th is part of an Army-wide force restructuring and affects all maneuver enhancement brigades. The 348th Brigade Support Battalion was constituted September 1, 2009 in the Georgia Army National Guard with headquarters in Cumming, Ga., Headquarters Company and Company A were federally recognized June 3, 2010, while Company B maintained federal recognition and the lineage and honors of the Liberty Independent Troop of Hinesville. One of the oldest units in the Ga. ARNG, this company carries on the lineage of the Liberty Independent Troop, which was formed in Hinesville, Ga. in 1788, fought in World War I, and served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Company B was reorganized as the 1788th Quartermaster Company Oct. 10, 2019 and was transferred from the 348th BSB to the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion April 15, 2020.
Throughout its history, the 348th BSB has supported the 648th MEB in training exercises at home and overseas, traveling to Korea, Romania and the country of Georgia. The 348th provided critical assistance to the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during its train-up for its 2018 Afghanistan deployment and has provided logistical support during hurricane responses in Georgia and Florida. In the final days before its inactivation, Soldiers of the 348th continued to support COVID-19 response operations.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2020 12:52 |
| Story ID: | 376612 |
| Location: | MARIETTA, GA, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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