Georgia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

The Army says a citizen-soldier in the Georgia National Guard has been killed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says 1st Sgt. John D. Blair of Calhoun died Saturday after a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle. Blair was deployed with the Georgia Guard's 48th Brigade. He was assigned to the brigade's 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry based in Lawrenceville.

A Guard spokesman says the 38-year-old Blair is the fourth member of the Brigade killed since its soldiers began arriving in Afghanistan in May. More than 2,000 guardsmen from the Georgia brigade have deployed to Afghanistan to help train the country's police and security forces.

Georgia Gazette Thursday, June 4, 2009

Join host Rickey Bevington tonight for Georgia Gazette. On tonight's show ... The Environmental Protection Agency looks for a likely carcinogen in Northwest Georgia’s drinking water supply. Nine Georgia banks have closed already this year but credit unions continue to perform well. How soldiers from Georgia’s 48th brigade are training to survive real-life scenarios they will face in Afghanistan... Plus, we preview tonight's Atlanta Symphony Orchestra broadcast on GPB and give you another chance to win our weekly giveaway. These stories and more tonight on Georgia Gazette at 6, 7 in Athens, re-broadcast at 11, hear our show any time at www.gpb.org/georgiagazette , and download a free podcast on iTunes.

48th Brigade prepares to deploy to Afghanistan

Members of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Brigade, based in Macon, have begun mobilizing to deploy to Afghanistan. The 48th is made up of smaller units spread across the state. The 108th squad from North Georgia was mobilized this week. Over the next four months several other units will be activated. About 75-percent of the Guard's 4-thousand soldiers will go to Afghanistan where they will help train Afghan national security forces. The 48th was last deployed to Iraq in May of 2005. Twenty-six of their soldiers died during that deployment.