A lot has been going on in the military as of late, and I guess that means I owe y’all a post about it. But in the meantime, I wanted to highlight something that caught my eye as of late. The AJC had a story this past weekend about Air Force Lt. Colonel Stan Brown’s recent tour in Iraq. He also happens to be Oakwood, Ga’s city manager.
Talk about multi-tasking: In Iraq, Brown managed to helped smooth the transition of British troops heading home, replacing them with American soldiers. At the same time, he kept tabs on a sewer project, land acquisition and a highway job back home.
When he returned to his job June 29, city officials, friends and others in this town 40 miles north of Atlanta turned out for Stan Brown Day. To applause and clicking cameras, Brown sliced a yellow ribbon encircling an old pecan tree outside City Hall that had been placed there in his honor. Then he affixed a new one to commemorate those who still fight, eight time zones away, in a place far removed from the rolling terrain of North Georgia.
It’s an interesting piece, primarily because Lt. Col. Brown was able to barely accomplish what many of his peers could not. In fact, Chamblee city manager Jim Gleason had to resign his manager job in Woodstock for the very same reason. If anything, it underscores many of the sacrifices those who serve in the Reserves or National Guard face when they prepare to deploy, despite being unfairly ridiculed as “weekend warriors”. In other words, it’s much more than a part time job, and once you get the call, it becomes your livelihood.
It’s a disruptive process, and I often wonder how mentally prepared the families of those servicemen and women are when it comes time for them to deploy overseas, especially when they pay the ultimate sacrifice. Being a Georgia native, it’s especially disheartening considering that the Georgia National Guard, only deployed since May, has already seen seven of her sons killed over in Afghanistan (Sgt. Brock Henry Chavers Sr. of Statesboro, Spc. Isaac Lee Johnson Jr. of Columbus, and Spc. Raymundo P. Morales of Dalton have unfortunately passed since I’ve last posted; condolences to their respective families).
So if anything, take this post as an appreciation for our men and women who serve in the various Reserve components and the National Guard.
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