By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Weekend Editor

When natural disasters strike, along with all of the well-known community service oriented groups that help out, the Georgia State Defense Force is there.

The group is a volunteer component of the state of Georgia Department of Defense and under the command of the Governor. In addition to opening shelters for people affected by floods or hurricanes, they assist in crowd control during major events, help perform search and rescue operations and also assist the Red Cross with CPR classes.

Originating in 1733 under the command of Gen. James Oglethorpe, the Georgia State Defense Force had troops to fight in both world wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. In both World Wars, the GSDF protected the coast of the state. There are local assistance detachments all throughout the state that can provide assistance to a community in need. During the Olympics, most of the detachments were used for crowd control and transportation, but because of the numerous possibilities in which they might have been needed, they underwent intensive training to prepare.

Like the National Guard or the reserves for any branch of the armed services, members of the GSDF meet twice a month at armories across the state, depending upon which detachment they are nearest to.

They also meet two weekends a year for intensive training. The Fifth Brigade, the brigade nearest here, is based out of Columbus, but members meet at armories either in Newnan or Griffin. Members participate in continuous training to prepare for any type of emergency and learn a number of skills that are useful in any facet of their lives.

Much like the Minutemen who fought during the Revolutionary War, the GSDF is a well organized state militia. It is open to any citizen 17 to 60 who wishes to assist the community. Officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel are drawn from three groups; those with prior military service, Georgians with prior military training, like Civil Air Patrol cadets, or volunteers with no prior military training or experience. They also recruit staff professionals, like lawyers or doctors.

Recruits do not have to meet the physical standards of the armed services, but a police check is required to make sure there are no prior convictions.

Currently, the Fifth Brigade has approximately 110 members, but the more volunteers they have, the more missions there are that can be accomplished. Volunteering with the GSDF can be enjoyable as well as gratifying; one needs only the heart to do something and a sense of patriotism.

If you are committed to service, excellence and continued improvement and are interested in volunteering with the GSDF, call Lt. Col. John Slapak at 770-461-6562 or LTC Folds at 770-403-9339 or 770-719-8276.