Command and Staff Course Graduation

Lt. Col. Allen Vance, Deputy Commander, TRADOC (left), introduced GSDF Commander Brig. Gen. Thomas Danielson (right, foreground), who addressed 2015–2016 graduates of the GSDF Command and Staff Course. Georgia State Defense Force photo by Pvt. Beverly Shepard, Public Affairs Office

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Georgia, February 21, 2016 – The Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF) recently held a ceremony for graduates of the GSDF Command and Staff Course (CSC). The ceremony honored graduates who completed a 10-month course that marked the capstone of the Professional Military Education (PME) series for field grade officers.

Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) conducts the course which provides intermediate level education for officers to support the missions and goals of the GSDF. The curriculum includes instruction on leadership philosophy, planning, and military decision-making processes. The course is a combination of residency and virtual training.

“They represent the best the GSDF has to offer,” Lt. Col. Allen Vance, Deputy Commander, TRADOC, said during the graduation ceremony. “I couldn’t be more proud or more pleased to work with them.”

The intensive CSC training involved the following courses:
◾History, Mission, and Organization of the GSDF
◾Operations, Training, and Leadership at Battalion and Brigade Levels
◾Multi-Agency Incident Command
◾Force Management, including Soldier Recruiting, Retention, Development, Discipline, and Assignment

Graduates also received a research project. The project was based on the Barnesville, Georgia tornado of 2011 and included the GSDF response mission.
GSDF Commander Brig. Gen. Thomas Danielson attended the ceremony. Gen. Danielson commended graduates for successfully completing the course, and remarked, “It was an honor to attend the ceremony.”

Family and friends also attended, as did other members of the GSDF.

Cadre and graduates of the GSDF Command and Staff Course during the ceremony.
Georgia State Defense Force photo.

The 11 graduates of the CSC Class 2015–2016 are:
Maj. Tony Bagdonis, S3, 76th Support Brigade
Maj. Mario Cesar, CO, 911th Support Battalion, 76th Support Brigade
Capt. Thomas Givens, CO, 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade
Maj. Herb Jones, CO, 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade
Maj. Steve Knezo, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate
Maj. Donald Lankford, XO, 5th Brigade
Lt. Col. Jim Moore, S2, 5th Brigade
Maj. Bob Pence, CO, 3rdBattalion,1st Brigade
Maj. Debbie Redling, CO,132nd Medical Battalion, 76th Support Brigade
Maj. Ron Russell, XO,132nd Medical Battalion, 76th Support Brigade
Chief Warrant Officer 3, Tim Wimberley, IT Unit Commander, G6