‘Change the world’: Georgia’s National Guard leader speaks to Northeast Cobb Business Association

By Annie Mayne

amayne@mdjonline.com

EAST COBB — The sun never sets on the Georgia National Guard. That was the main message of a talk given by Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden Jr. at the Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon at Piedmont Church this week.

Carden, a Kennesaw resident who has served for 38 years in the force, was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in January 2019 as the 43rd adjutant general of the state’s Department of Defense.

He spoke to the crowd of business leaders about the tireless efforts of national guardsmen, which he said make up 21% of the United States Armed Forces, and the importance of recruiting youth into the military.

“(The Georgia National Guard is) an outstanding leadership and potential factory for young men and women across this state,” Carden said. “These kids want to change the world. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So we’ve got to make the case to them, that we can do those things for them.”

The Georgia National Guard has over 11,000 members, and is headquartered at the General Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center, neighboring Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.

The National Guard responds to both federal and state emergencies, acts as

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Maj. Gen Thomas Carden Jr. was the keynote speaker at the Northeast Cobb Business Association’s luncheon, held at Piedmont Church this week.

Annie Mayne

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a reserve for overseas deployments, and can be contracted by Kemp to respond to various crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m so proud of what the Georgia National Guard has done in a full range of domestic missions. And, if you’re wondering what we’ve been doing particularly in the last five years ... COVID-19 (came) along in the mix, so it’s been an interesting five years,” Carden said. “In April 2020 (Georgia National Guard soldiers) were fogging somebody’s grandmother’s nursing home. So, I don’t know how many lives we saved during that period, but I can tell you, it was more than one.”

Carden runs a couple different youth programs to try and push recruitment efforts, including the “Youth Challenge Program,” which puts at-risk youth from ages 16 to 18 with an alternative education program shaped by the military model.

“We don’t call it the ‘youth easy program,’” Carden said. “But I’ll tell you, we’re making a huge difference through that program. Out of the 27 years of that existence, we’ve graduated more than 19,000 young men and women through that program that deserve a second chance.”

Carden also advocated for wider military aptitude testing among high school students, stating only 11% of Georgia’s junior and senior high school students take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which evaluates young people’s strengths in potential military careers.

“In my generation, it was not a question. Everybody took it,” Carden said. “We’re mandating every test on the planet except for the one that guarantees our right to breathe.”

Rusty Phillips, a member of the Northeast Cobb Business Association, said he was happy to learn more about the National Guard, which he said doesn’t have as much visibility as the other branches of the military. He added that he thinks military recruitment efforts for the youth are particularly important.

“I think youth have heard a lot of stuff of how bad the armed services is, or how bad this job is or how bad that job is. We’ve got to do a better job of communicating the truth,” Phillips said. “I think that’s what a lot of kids need that they don’t get, is the truth about things. We’d see a lot of attitudes change.”

The lunch was sponsored by Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who is also the 2024 co-president of the NCBA alongside Rosan Hall.

The two co-presidents also presented the 2023 Businessperson of the Year Award to Frank Wigington, a charter member of the organization and owner of Frank Wigington Landscaping company.

Wigington, who has served on countless boards including the Cobb Schools Foundation, the Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation, and the North Georgia State Fair, said he was humbled to accept.

“Being a part of the community and doing what I can here is always a pleasure,” Wigington said. “It’s been an honor to serve this county and this board in the few things that I have done. I’m humbled by this, and I certainly appreciate everyone here.”

Frank Wigington (center) is the Northeast Cobb Business Association’s Businessperson of the Year. Here, he stands with the organization’s 2024 co-presidents, Rosan Hall (left) and Commissioner JoAnn Birrell.

Annie Mayne

Members of the Pope High School orchestra were the music entertainment for the Northeast Cobb Business Association’s luncheon, held at Piedmont Church this week.

Frank Wigington speaks after receiving the Northeast Cobb Business Association’s Businessperson of the Year Award.