On July 8, 1994,
downtown Montezuma
to the rooftops, leaving
approximately 2,000
residents stranded.
Georgia Guardsmen
with the LaGrangebased
Company
C, 560th Engineer
Battalion repaired
bridges so that water
and food could be
delivered. (Georgia
National Guard photo
by Spc. Rob Hainer)
Real Hero Report |
With trucks and tactical vehicles capable of negotiating
damaged and debris-strewn roads, transportation became a key
component of the GNG response. In areas such as Leesburg,
delivered relief supplies and transported residents and medical
personnel.
operations in Dougherty County.
The Engineer
Retired Lt. Col. Matthew Shannon was a captain with the
Statesboro-based 648th Engineer Battalion (now the 177th
Brigade Engineer Battalion of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat
Shannon relayed assignments to units within the battalion after
they came down from the 48th Infantry Brigade.
we were tasked to assist local police,” Shannon said. “Part of
the mission was recovering bodies that had come up through the
Shannon described how the Soldiers of his unit not only
recovered bodies dating back to the Civil War, but also ensured
artifacts were recovered. “I remember them saying they recovered
a lot of sabers, other weapons and artifacts from the Civil War,”
Shannon said. “They would then take everything to a central
location for graves registration. Their goal was to try to put as
much back together for re-burial.”
in the south when much of the rain had fallen in the north of
the state. “It was such an oddity because there was a lot of sun
and a lot of water,” he said. “It’s not something you would have
expected to see.”
Engineer units of the GNG were pressed into service surveying
damage and repairing roads. Soldiers of the Columbus-based
560th Engineer Battalion worked around the clock to construct
breached the berm, the entire town would have had to evacuate.
By July 18, command and control of response operations
shifted from the 48th Infantry Brigade to the 265th Engineer
Group. Throughout their portion of the response, the Soldiers of
55,000 sandbags and transported more than 400,000 bottles of
drinking water.
The Operations Sergeant Major
The GNG coordinated the statewide response from the tactical
operation center in Atlanta. Retired Sgt. Major Jacqueline
McKennie was assigned to the TOC Emergency Operations
“The EOC was the central command and control facility over
all of the National Guard units—both Air Guard and Army
Guard—throughout the state of Georgia,” said McKennie.
McKennie was responsible for personnel control. She assisted
with the mobilization of units and made sure the units knew
where they were supposed to go while maintaining accountability
for personnel. Once the units were dispatched, the EOC handled
the command and control for each of them.
From July 6 to August 5, a myriad of units with specialized
equipment and capabilities were dispatched across the state. The
Decatur-based 170th Military Police Battalion augmented law
enforcement in impacted areas. The Georgia Air National Guard’s
116th Civil Engineer Squadron was dispatched to Macon after
the city’s drinking water source was overwhelmed at the city’s
operations with the assistance of 20 Alabama National Guard
Soldiers of the 1200th Quartermaster Company as well as the
Fort Stewart-based 559th Quartermaster Battalion. The massive
residents.
and so fast that it caused so much death and destruction,” said
McKennie. “But things eventually returned to normal once we got
people into place where help was needed.”
The Aftermath
Tropical Storm Alberto claimed 31 lives in Georgia. The ages of
the victims ranged from two to eighty-four years old. The storm
forced more than 35,000 citizens from their homes and caused
more than $203 million in infrastructure damage. The GNG
the state’s force. In the weeks that followed, these Guardsmen,
impacted counties, distributed more than 10.2 million gallons of
water, served 154,000 meals, and repaired hundreds of miles of
damaged road. For those who served, the memory of the response
remains, and the lessons learned have been applied to ensure that
the GNG remains ready to respond.
its ability to respond to natural disasters. From Hurricane Katrina
in 2005 to Hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Michael of recent
memory, the GNG has responded and partnered with state and
local agencies to assist Georgia’s citizens in times of emergencies
and to minimize the impact of natural disasters. For those who
participated in the response in 1994, the memory of Operation
Crested River remains fresh.
“It does not seem like it was so long ago,” said Carden.
“Helping our fellow citizens is one of the most rewarding things
we do in the National Guard.”