Conyers Resident Commanding officer Brigadier General Maria L. Britt (Georgia Army National Guard Commanding Officer) was guest speaker for East Side Scottish Rite Association meeting on Sept. 24. She graduated from West Point and now is the first Female Commanding Officer of the Georgia Army National Guard in the guard’s 273 year history.

Brig. General Britt said that Georgia currently has a total of 11,250 enlisted in the Army Georgia National Guard, 3100 of which are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. She spoke of the sacrifices made by the men and women deployed and their families. She also spoke of the harsh realities of war and that the Georgia National Guard had lost seven soldiers killed in action since the deployment in March 2009.

Brigadier General Britt also noted that the United States was fighting a three pronged campaign: Iraq, Afghanistan and defending United States against a terrorist attack. She also noted that concerning Afghanistan we are using a new strategy called Smart Power and consisted of three goals. Those goals being are winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, finding replacement cash crops for the poppy fields and literacy of the
Afghan people.

East Side Scottish Rite President Ben Polston said Britt understands the sacrifices that are being made; her husband and Conyers native Col. Tim Britt just returned from a 10-month service stint in Afghanistan.

She also noted that her husband would soon be promoted to General. East Side Scottish Rite President Ben Polston also stated how proud and thankful we are of our volunteer service men and women and their families and the sacrifice that they make each and every day.