At the Creekview-Northview game on Oct. 10, the Falcons and the National Guard honored Jerry Waldrop, a veteran of the Georgia National Guard. The pregame ceremony is part of a year-long Falcons tribute to our heroes in the military.
Jerry Waldrop has been a member of the National Guard since 1990, and he has been in the recruiting and retention program since 2003. Waldrop is “not one for the limelight”, but his story is really interesting for such a humble person. He has a laundry list of medals, including two Army Commendation awards, three Army Achievement awards and three Georgia Commendation awards. Initially, he joined the National Guard for the opportunity to serve his country while also being able to serve his community.
He spent basic training in Fort Ward, Calif., now Monterrey, and also went through heavy-wheeled training. After two weeks back home in Georgia, Desert Storm began.
“I was home about two weeks before my unit was activated for Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Waldrop explained. “Then we trained in California doing simulations.”
According to Waldrop, the training simulations were set up exactly like the environment they would have deployed to in Iraq. Using satellites, the National Guard could set up an exact replica of minefields so that trainees could get real experience breaching these fields.
Waldrop’s unit was never deployed, and he did not spend anytime overseas during his service. Instead, he has helped the National Guard in his community including helping during the winter storm of 1993 in north Georgia.
“We had 23 inches in 24 hours,” Waldrop said. “We went out and did rescue and recovery and part of my job was to go pull tractor trailers off 75.”
They checked all vehicles on the highway and helped more than 200 people find shelter in the armory in Calhoun where Waldrop was serving. They provided these families with food and shelter for the length of the storm.
Waldrop is now serving in the recruiting and retention area of the National Guard. The National Guard was initially set up to help with issues on U.S. soil, and with the wars winding down it is getting back to that type of work. Over the past few years the Guard has been asked to help with combat situations, but as they are needed less overseas they are needed more here. In the National Guard, soldiers fulfill a variety of tasks. But Waldrop is perfect for that job as he is willing to do whatever he can to help his country and his community.
Loading ...
