CUMMING, Ga. - When the Winter Storm Pax struck Georgia in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Georgia National Guard was poised to offer support to citizens and local responders. Personnel and vehicles had been staged in anticipation of winter storm effects on Monday, and by Wednesday, more than 1,000 Guardsmen and vehicles were conducting missions in support of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
The cavalry scouts of Cumming’s Troop C, 3-108 Cavalry were especially well prepared for the call. With 20 troops on the ground, the scouts put their search and reconnaissance training to work conducting a dual-mission of area reconnaissance and medical personnel escort to nearby Northside Hospital.
“As a Long Range Surveillance (LRS) company, our primary mission is to provide timely, accurate intelligence and information to our higher headquarters,” said Sgt. 1st Class Dan Hurley of Atlanta. “This operation has given us the opportunity to practice our command and control and reporting procedures.” He adds, “Our LRS team leaders are getting the chance to practice interpreting command information priorities and utilizing reconnaissance techniques in a real-world mission.”
The 225 Guardsmen activated from the 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade traveled over 5,000 total miles in their area of operations and aided several stranded motorists in the first 24 hours of operations.