Atlanta, GA - Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced plans for a Command visit of the Georgia National Guard Task Force at the U.S. Southern Border in Texas. He will be accompanied by Lt. Governor Burt Jones; Speaker Jon Burns; Chairman Chuck Payne of the Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee; and Chairman Josh Bonner and Representative Chas Cannon from the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee. The group of elected officials will visit the roughly 85 Georgia Guardsmen stationed in Texas on Friday to thank them for their service and sacrifices, especially as Americans prepare to celebrate the holidays in the upcoming weeks while these brave servicemembers spend them away from home and loved ones.

"Since 2019, through every holiday and with constant vigilance and professionalism, our Georgia Guardsmen have maintained the longest continuous presence at the U.S. Southern border of any state in the country,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “As Georgia and the nation celebrate Christmas and the New Year, the devoted young men and women currently stationed there will continue to put the security of our border, our communities, and our families ahead of their own comfort and time with family and friends. I look forward to thanking them personally on behalf of all Georgians for their service, bravery, and dedication.”

"I want to thank Governor Kemp for inviting me to join him for a visit to our border," said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. "It is an honor to have the chance to personally thank the brave men and women of the Georgia National Guard for all they are doing to ensure our border is secure. These heroes are putting their lives on the line so that we can remain a safe country, and we can never thank them enough. We are proud they call Georgia home and we will continue to support them until they are back home safely."

"Our heroes in the Georgia National Guard sacrifice immeasurably to protect our communities and citizens across the nation," said Speaker of the House Jon Burns. "It is an honor to join Governor Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Jones in Texas to visit with the guardsmen who are defending our southern border, and deliver a few gifts to remind them of home. We join alongside every Georgian in thanking them for their dedicated service and praying for their continued safety this holiday season." 

For more information on this particular visit, please reach out to Edd Natividad, Director of Public Affairs for the Joint Task Force North, U.S. Northern Command (contact info below).

For more information on the Georgia Guard presence on the U.S. southern border, please reach out to the Georgia Guard. 

About the Georgia Guard U.S. Southern Border Mission:

Members of the Georgia National Guard are currently deployed in support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mission along the Southwest border. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command and Joint Task Force North, their mission is to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations by providing detection and monitoring support. Approximately 85 Georgia National Guardsmen are providing mission enhancing support to CBP’s border security operations to enable CBP agents to conduct their law enforcement mission more efficiently.