48th IBCT Bids
Farewell to Col.
Matthew Smith,
Welcomes 28th
Commander
Colonel Matthew Smith relinquished command of the
Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade
Combat Team (IBCT) to Col. Anthony Fournier during a
ceremony at the Macon Readiness Center on December 7, 2019.
Smith, who led the brigade since December 2016, passed the
power for the 48th IBCT Volunteers, an organization of more than
4,000 Georgia Guardsmen. Smith’s tour of command culminated
with the successful deployment of the 48th to Afghanistan in
2019. It was the brigade’s fourth overseas combat deployment
since September 11, 2001.
Smith led the 48th through a period of transition and increased
partnership with the 3rd Infantry Division (ID). Assuming
command just six months into the brigade’s associated unit pilot
with the 3rd ID, Smith integrated the IBCT training with the Fort
Stewart-based division. From June 5 to 25, 2017, the Volunteers
endured extreme temperatures and long training days in the humid
Capability exercise. A joint command post training exercise held
at Fort Stewart in April 2018 further cemented the relationship
between the 48th IBCT and 3rd ID before the brigade headed to
Fort Polk, Louisiana. for a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training
Center. The 48th returned to Fort Stewart for pre-mobilization
the brigade had completed the transfer of authority for its new
mission and served for the next six months before returning to
Fort Stewart in July.
Following the change of command ceremony, Smith was
promoted to brigadier general. His next assignment is as the
Deputy Director of Operations, Readiness and Mobilization,
Headquarters, Department of the Army.
Fournier has served more than 30 years in the Georgia National
Guard. Fournier enlisted as a private in 1989 and commissioned
in 1994 as an infantry lieutenant. He served as a platoon leader
18 | January 2020 | Real Hero Report
Colonel Anthony Fournier accepts the colors of the 48th Infantry Brigade
Combat Team during a change of command ceremony at the Macon
Regional Readiness Center December 7, 2019. Colonel Fournier is the
28th commander of the 48th IBCT. (Photo by Maj. William Carraway)
in the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment and in Troop E,
108th Cavalry, both of the 48th Infantry Brigade. In 2000, he
Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment. Upon returning from Bosnia,
Fournier assumed command of Company C, 1st Battalion, 121st
Infantry Regiment and lead the company through the 2005-2006
deployment to Iraq. Fournier also deployed to Afghanistan with
the 48th IBCT, serving as the chief of operations for Task Force
Phoenix, which consisted of more than 11,000 Soldiers from 27
countries, charged with training the Afghan Army, Police, and
Border Police. From 2012 to 2015, Fournier commanded the 2nd
Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment. In 2014, Fournier deployed
to Guatemala as the task force commander of a joint, interagency,
multinational training team, charged with training a specialized
Guatemalan unit in combating transnational organized crime. In
his most recent assignments, Fournier served as Chief of Future
Operations and then Chief of Exercise Branch for U.S. Army
Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany in 2018 and 2019.
The 48th IBCT is comprised of units, with its history and
battle honors predating the American Revolution. Its colors bear
the campaign streamers of the Revolutionary War, the War of
1812, the Civil War, the Seminole War, both World Wars, Iraq
and Afghanistan. The list of commanders for the 48th IBCT
encompass those of the 48th Infantry Division (1946 to 1955);
48th Armor Division (1956 to 1968); 3rd Brigade, 30th Infantry
Division (1968-1973) and the 48th Brigade (1973 to present).