Conyers resident and commanding officer Brigadier General Maria L. Britt, head of the Georgia Army National Guard, was guest speaker for East Side Scottish Rite Association meeting on Sept. 24. Having graduated from West Point, she is now the first female Commanding Officer of the Georgia Army National Guard in the guards 273 year history.

Britt said that Georgia currently has a total of 11,250 enlisted in the Army Georgia National Guard, of which 3100 are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. She spoke of the sacrifices made by the men and women deployed and their families. She noted that the United States was fighting a three pronged campaign: Iraq, Afghanistan, and defending the United States against a terrorist attack. She also described the new strategy called Smart Power being used in Afghanistan, which consists of three goals. Those goals are winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, finding a replacement cash crops for poppy fields and bringing literacy to the Afghan people.

East Side Scottish Rite President Ben Polston said Brig.Gen. 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 said how proud and thankful the Scottish Rite was are of the volunteer service men and women and their families and the sacrifice that they make each and every day.