along with 375th National Guard Birthday Celebration

What:             Governor Nathan Deal, Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth (The Adjutant General for Georgia) and other dignitaries will conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially declare the new Ga. DoD Joint Force Headquarters building open. The ceremony will also mark the 375th birthday of the National Guard.

When:             Wednesday, December 7, 2011 1:30 p.m.

Where:           Clay National Guard Center

                   1000 Halsey Avenue

                        Marietta, Ga., 30060

Who:               Governor Deal, Maj. Gen. Butterworth, former adjutants general, city, county, and community leaders, civilian employees of the Guard, and hundreds of members of the Georgia National Guard and Georgia State Defense Force.

Visuals:          First look at the new Headquarters. Ceremonies and celebrations of the Guard’s long history. Reading of the Oglethorpe proclamation establishing the colony of Georgia by a Guardsman in period costume. Ribbon-cutting ceremony including Governor, Adjutant General, and other state leaders.

Background: The state-of-the-art three-story, 220,000 square-foot facility will allow the state Department of Defense to consolidate in one location. Approximately 1,000 Guard Soldiers and Airmen will work in the new headquarters building.

Contact:        1st Lt. William Carraway, Media Relations Officer, Georgia Department of Defense: (404) 788-1487 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  to arrange for media escort.