which places us under a binding

of honor, integrity, courage and

service to others (to name a few).

We have a history that

leads back over 375 years, with

the creation of militia units to

defend the colonies (principally,

the first militia unit organized in

the Massachusetts Bay Colony).

The Army Guard also dates history

in line with the Army’s age of 237

years, while the Air Guard also

claims history from the Air Force

(Aeronautical Division, US Signal

Corps, 1907) at 105 years. Our

history is very rich and developed,

and we rarely teach it fully to our

members.

We are not a broken organi-

zation. We are organization with

an incredible history, and a family

with awesome diversity and a

devout following of heroes.

Keep and renew the faith in

our Georgia National Guard.

Teach your Soldiers our history.

Invite your leadership to train

with you. Look closely at the

creed, values, ethos, and most

importantly, the Honor of our

organization, and learn to live by

the definitions of these, not your

own perceptions. Renew your

faith in family, team, state, and

country. Never forget the count-

less generations of members,

leaders, and heroes who got you

here, and their diversity of size,

shape, color and talent. Don’t

disregard those who are not like

you, as they were made that way,

and they make our family and

organization better for it. Diver-

sity in every way, improves us.

The one who isn’t like you may

have the answers you would

never divine from a circumstance,

and will certainly have skills you

will never attain. Use these tools,

and our rich history, to improve

the Guard, your unit, and yourself.

This is a question we sel-

dom ask about ourselves, either

as organizations or as individu-

als. If fact, it is very unlikely that

we truly view reality when we

ask this about ourselves. It is an

impartial lense we need, so that

we may view others without bias,

and an impartial mirror we need,

so that we can truly see our own

faults. We can take this ques-

tion from the highest echelons to

the lowest, or look up from the

bottom. We struggle, constantly,

to defeat the self-aggrandizing

assessments of our selves or our

organizations, and we struggle

to defeat the tendency to meas-

ure others by our perception of

good, bad, right and wrong, in-

stead of viewing the world from

the perspective of our units,

commands, staffs, etc. Leaders

will often look at their organiza-

tion in the best light to avoid

media issues, or they will look at

the personnel who don’t seem to

fit their personal ideas of perfec-

tion and consider getting rid of

them.

So, how do we judge our

people and our organization

through a lens that is clear of our

own personal motivations, and

how do we clean up the mess

while maintaining a “good face”

to the public.

We begin by teaching lead-

ers at the lowest level how to

assess their people by the true

ethical, moral, values, and mis-

sion driven standards proposed

by our organization, not by per-

sonal biases. Then, we teach

leaders at the top what it is like

to be at the lowest levels of our

organization by placing them in

true close contact with members

of those lowest groups without

biasing their view. It is impor-

tant, here, not to place them in

contact with special selectees,

or “planted” personnel. We must

have the fortitude to open our

organization to our leadership,

and the high level leaders must

have the fortitude to:

1. Avoid snap judg-

ments about any group.

2. Train with the troops

at the lowest level, and don’t just

observe.

3. Avoid possible plants

and place themselves at close

proximity with every Soldier.

4. Enforce the principle

of not allowing leaders to take

out any repercussions on any

level of Soldier or leader when

they point out our organizations’

true faults, and never allowing

leaders to restrict the speech/

actions of their troops in the view

of higher leadership. We want

personnel to feel free to speak.

If we do our jobs as leaders, we

have nothing to fear.

5. Evaluate faults fairly,

and reward successes heavily.

Who are we? As the Geor-

gia National Guard, we are a

portion of the greatest Armed

Forces in the entire world. As the

GA Department of Defense, we

are a part of the GA State Govern-

ment and we support the defense

of GA, and the GA Government

efforts to protect our population

against hostile environments,

storms, terrorist attacks, etc.

We have several sets of

overlapping creeds, ethos

(morally guided, transformative

ethical forms or constraints; the

distinguishing character, senti-

ment, moral nature, or guiding

beliefs of a person, group, or

institution, Webster’s Online

Dictionary, http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/ethos,

2012) and sets of values, each of

Who Are We? - Editorial: CW2 Barry D. Long

JOINT STAFF, GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

July 6, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 6

J-9 Focal Point! A Newsletter Production of the J-9 Joint and Family Services Directorate

Special points of

interest:

Who Are We?

NEW SHARP SYNC

ORDER

The GGCU

The Georgia Guard In-

surance Trust

What is the Cost?

FOUNDING FATHERS

SERIES

Honoring a Hero

Inside this issue:

EDITORIAL:

Who Are We?

1

NEW SHARP SYNC ORDER

2

The Georgia Guard Credit Un-ion

2

EDITORIAL: What is the Cost?

3

Founding Fathers:

George Washing-

ton

3

Honoring a Hero:

LTC Charles

“Buck” Bennett

4

NEW!! SEXUAL HARASSMENT/

ASSAULT RESPONSE AND PRE-

VENTION PROGRAM (SHARP)

SYNCHRONIZATION ORDER

(HQDA EXORD 221-12). From

the Army G1: Enacted in Decem-

ber 2011, the NDAA for FY12

and subsequent DoD policy di-

rected several key changes to the

DoD's Sexual Assault Response and Prevention (SAPR) programs.

These include changes to policy,

manning requirements, and train-

ing. The Army intends to utilize a

3-phased approach for imple-

menting the new requirements

into the Army's SHARP Program.

Phase 1 is to implement an in-

terim manning solution from ex-

isting manpower (bridging solu-

tion). The SHARP EXORD

(attached) provides immediate

guidance to implement an interim

all-military manning solution. Visit

the following link for more infor-

mation. https://forums.army.mil/SECURE/

CommunityBrowser.aspx?

id=1781002&lang=en-US

Note: You must have Army Knowledge Online access to register for this site. Civil-ians will require a military sponsor to get AKO access.

-issued if lost, stolen, broke, etc. A

replacement fee in increments of

$10 will apply, depending on how

many cards you have had.

DIRECT DEPOSIT:

Direct Deposit can be accepted

electronically from any employer or

other financial institution to be

deposited to your share account or

share draft account.

PAYROLL DEDUCTION:

You can set up a payroll deduction

through your employer and have it

distributed to as many other ac-

counts as needed to make your life

easier. You can also set up a set

amount to be direct deposited to

other accounts if you do not wish

for your full paycheck to be distrib-

uted to one account.

VISA CREDIT CARD:

Our Visa Credit Card is maintained

through Illinois Credit Union Sys-

tem in Naperville. ICUS will ap-

prove the cards and offers competi-

tive rates and benefits. Visit My

CU Card for details or call (888)

415-6154.

INDIVIDUAL RETRITEMENT

ACCOUNTS:

IRA’s can be set up with us or we

can accept transfers or rollovers.

Services Offered At GEORGIA

GUARD CREDIT UNION

SHARE ACCOUNTS:

Open with $25.00, $20 membership

fee and $5 minimum balance re-

quirement, which is required to be

eligible for any business transac-

tion within the credit union. Bal-

ance of $100 required to begin ac-

cruing interest.

CLUB ACCOUNTS:

Open with $25.00, $25.00 minimum

balance required. No monthly ser-

vice charges apply to this account.

Interest is paid quarterly when

$100 is kept as a minimum. Rates

on these accounts are set by the

Board of Directors.

SHARE DRAFT ACCOUNTS:

Open with $50.00, $25 minimum

balance required. There is a $4

monthly service charge for all

checking accounts unless member

is M-Day Active Duty or age 55 or

better and in this case, a $2

monthly service charge applies. No

service charge applies on either

checking account when a $500

minimum balance is maintained.

VISA DEBIT CARDS:

Debit cards are offered to custom-

ers with a checking account in good

financial standings. Cards can be re

CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSITS:

Certificate of Deposits can be

opened with a minimum deposit of

$500.00. Our rates are competitive

and we can usually match rates

from other financial institutions.

LOANS:

The credit union offers a number of

different kinds of loans including

Signature Loans, New & Used

Automobile Loans, Boats, Farm

Equipment, Recreational Vehicles,

Share Secured Loans, Personal

Loans. REFER TO RATES FOR

THE MOST CURRENT RATES.

RELOADABLE VISA CARDS:

Reloadable Visa Cards are now

available. These cards are main-

tained by ICUL (Illinois Credit

Union League). GGCU will order

the first initial card for you. We can

add funds to your card or you can

visit

CU Money's website direct. This

card does not require a checking

account or direct deposit. It is not

directly linked to your account so if

it is ever lost or stolen, your ac-

count will not be at risk. For Terms

& Conditions, please see our FAQ

page.

http://www.ggcu.org/

service.html

NEW SHARP SYNC ORDER - 26 JUNE 2012. (from S1 Net)

It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency. GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to Alexander Hamilton, May 2, 1783

Page 2 J-9 Focal Point!

HEALTH OF THE FORCE ALARACT 170/2012, FRAGO 1 TO ALARACT 105/2012 HQDA EXORD 152-12 TELLING THE ARMY STORY (HEALTH OF THE FORCE), DTG 230219Z JUN 12. Effective immediately, the Office of the Chief of Army Public Affairs coordi-nates a Health of the Force communication plan to en-able senior Army leaders and key spokespersons across the Army at the na-tional, regional, and local to plan, synchronize, execute and assess their communica-tion efforts with the objective of sustaining the trust and confidence of the American public. See the ALARACT for the concept of operations and coordinating instruc-tions. https://forums.army.mil/communitybrowser.aspx?id=1779828&lang=en-US

When I was 13 years old I wrote a letter to my Congressman after having seen a news story about the

return of a sol-dier’s remains from Vietnam. How could there be so many still unac-counted for from a war that was fought before I was born? My Congressman put me in touch with JoAnne Shirley of the National League of POW/MIA Fami-lies, and that began a friendship that has spanned over 25 years. The narrow, red aluminum band that I have worn since I was 13 bears the name of MAJ Bobby M. Jones, an Air Force Flight Surgeon who was also JoAnne’s brother. The plane carrying him and his pilot went down in a mon-

soon near DaNang in November of 1972. Emergency signals were heard, but the site was in enemy-held territory and the heavy storms hampered all rescue attempts. Search teams reached the area three days later, but found no sign of the two men. They were officially listed as “Missing In Action.” As of 03 JULY 2012 there are

still 1,664 Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Recently, a popular restaurant near Dobbins/CNGC was cited by a Marietta code enforcement official in June for flying the distinctive black and white POW/MIA flag and a flag supporting our troops. Negative press and public

outcry caused the city to back down. In actuality, the POW/MIA flag is permitted

to be flown beneath the US flag on post offices, government buildings, national cemeteries, memorials, and on military installations. Other than “Old Glory,” the POW/MIA flag is the only flag to ever fly over the White House, which it does each year on POW/MIA Recogni-tion Day. This flag is also flown, year-round, in front of the dome on our na-tion’s capitol. It is the duty of each of us to educate the public on the cost and meaning of our independence. From the Continen-tal Congress of 1776, to the trenches of WWI, to Pearl Harbor, to the 38th par-allel in Korea, to a plane crash in the jungles of Vietnam, to our brothers and sisters serving in harm’s way around the globe today . . . We owe it to all of them to set the record straight. To borrow a cliché, “Freedom isn’t free.” It is often said, “For those who’ve fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.” For more information, visit the website of the National League of POW/MIA Families: http://www.pow-miafamilies.org/

Custis, he devoted himself to a busy and happy life. But like his fellow planters, Washington felt himself exploited by British merchants and hampered by British regulations. As the quarrel with the mother country grew acute, he moderately but firmly voiced his resistance to the restrictions.

When the Second Continental Congress assem-

bled in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, one of the Virginia delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years.

He realized early that the best strategy was to

harass the British. He reported to Congress, "we should on all Occasions avoid a general Action, or put anything to the Risque, unless compelled by a neces-sity, into which we ought never to be drawn." Ensuing battles saw him fall back slowly, then strike unexpect-edly. Finally in 1781 with the aid of French allies--he forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Washington longed to retire to his fields at

Mount Vernon. But he soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps lead-ing to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President.

On April 30, 1789, George Washing-ton, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. "As the first of every

thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Prece-dent," he wrote James Madison, "it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles."

Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, he

learned the morals, manners, and body of knowl-edge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentle-man.

He pursued two intertwined interests: military

arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Com-missioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The next year, as an aide to Gen. Edward Braddock, he escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him.

From 1759 to the outbreak of the American

Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. Married to a widow, Martha Dandridge

He did not infringe upon the policy making powers that he felt the Constitution gave Congress. But the determination of foreign policy became preponderantly a Presidential concern. When the French Revolution led to a major war between France and England, Washington refused to accept entirely the recommendations of either his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who was pro-French, or his Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who was pro-British. Rather, he insisted upon a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger.

To his disappointment, two parties were

developing by the end of his first term. Wearied of politics, feeling old, he retired at the end of his second. In his Farewell Address, he urged his countrymen to forswear excessive party spirit and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term alliances.

Washington enjoyed less than three years of

retirement at Mount Vernon, for he died of a throat infection December 14, 1799. For months the Nation mourned him.

The Presidential biographies on White-

House.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Michael Beschloss and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2009 by the White House Histori-cal Association.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington

— An Article from CW2 Jennifer Long, CO, A Co, 4BN, 1BDE GSDF

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 6

I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the

State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens

to cultivate a spirit of subordina-tion and obedience to Govern-ment, to entertain a brotherly

affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particu-

larly for their brethren who have

served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do

Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Char-ity, humility and pacific temper of

mind, which were the Characteris-ticks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an

humble imitation of whose exam-ple in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, circu-lar to the states, Jun. 8, 1783

NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU Family Programs (NGB-FP) Mission: To establish and facilitate

ongoing communication, involvement,

support, and recognition between Na-tional Guard families and the National

Guard in a partnership that promotes

the best in both.

Family Programs Web Sites

GuardFamily.org - The National Guard

Family Program

GuardFamilyYouth.org - The National

Guard Family Youth Program

Newsletters

Air National Guard Family Guide [PDF]

Contact Information

Phone: (888)777-7731 Fax: 703-607-0762

Email: ngb.J1.fp@ng.army.mil

From April 25th to June 8th,

Wonder, in partnership with the USO, invited families across the country to nominate American heroes in their lives

for a chance to have $50,000 donated to the USO in the winning hero's name. Buck Bennett, who was nominated by

his wife, Joni, was chosen for his deep dedication to supporting active duty service men and women, veterans and military families. Buck volunteers his

time regularly for Gold Star Families and Wounded Warriors and provides personal financial assistance, counseling

and employment placement assistance for veterans. He also gathers and solic-

its items for care packages that he ships

personally to deployed soldiers over-seas to provide them with a few com-forts of home.

As the 2012 Wonder Bread Hero winner, Buck was given the opportunity to direct the $50,000 donation in his

name to four different USO programs: the United Through Reading® Military Program, Operation Phone Home, Sesame Street/USO Experience Tour

and the With You All the Way pro-gram. He has chosen to divide the funding equally among the programs,

which all focus on either keeping fami-lies connected during deployment or

Brunswick, GA Resident and Deco-

rated Veteran Will Have a Total of

$50,000 Donated in His Name to

Four USO Programs Supporting

American Troops and Their Fami-

lies IRVING, Texas, July 4, 2012 /

PRNewswire/ -- Wonder® bread has named Lt. Colonel Charles "Buck" Bennett, a Brunswick, GA resident and

decorated veteran, as the winner of the 2012 Wonder Bread Heroes pro-gram, which celebrates ordinary

Americans making extraordinary con-tributions to their families, communi-ties and country. Buck was selected

from 2,003 nominations submitted as

part of the program which, for the second year, benefits the USO and its

mission to lift the spirits of our nation's troops and their families.

"As Americans celebrate the July

4th holiday, it's a great time to thank our country's everyday heroes for the positive impact they have on the peo-ple around them and their local com-

munities," said Stephanie Fletcher, Brand Manager for the bakers of Won-der. "The Wonder Bread Heroes cam-

paign gives us a chance to honor Americans like Buck Bennett while supporting the USO's mission and the

wonderful programs it offers."

helping children cope with the stresses of

military life. Buck will also receive $2,500 and a year's supply of Wonder bread for his exceptional heroism.

"Everything I do is not because I have to but because I want to. For someone to think what I'm doing is

special humbles me greatly. It is espe-cially touching that my wife thought so much of me to nominate me for this prestigious recognition," said Mr.

(LTC) Bennett. "The USO has sup-ported me on two deployments so I appreciate just how wonderful the

organization is and am so grateful for this opportunity to give back thanks

to Wonder bread."

LTC Bennett added, "Growing up my mom would always buy Won-der bread and I have fond memories

of eating fresh tomatoes sandwiches from our farm on Wonder. I still grow tomatoes and as soon as I have

my first crop I always sit down to a Wonder bread, tomato and mayo sandwich."

http://

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lieutenant-colonel-charles-bennett-honored-as-2012

-wonder-bread-hero-161328465.html

Honoring a Hero! LTC Charles Buck

Bennett honored— IRVING, Texas, July 4, 2012

Serving the Georgia DoD, The U.S. Military, and our Veterans, One Family at a Time.

We are on the web:

www.georgiaguardfamilyprogram.org

J-9 JOINT AND

FAMILY SERVICES

DIRECTORATE

Georgia Department of Defense

1388 First Street, Bldg 840 (Finch Bldg)

1000 Halsey Avenue, Bldg 447,

Mailroom

Marietta, GA 30060

Point of Contact:

CW2 Barry D. Long

Human Resources/Systems/ATSO/

Safety Officer

barry.long@us.army.mil

“Military Personnel, Families, and Veterans First!”

Our directorate services the military community of Georgia, providing those

services, support and information that are vital to their care. Our staff is com-

mitted to providing the best care, in a timely manner, and followed-thru to a

successful conclusion so that Military Personnel, their families, and Veterans in

Georgia will have the resources, help, and information they need to thrive.

The J-9 Joint and Family Services Directorate and The Georgia Guard Family

Program: