Son of Newnan native named to key Guard post

Thursday, September 29, 2011
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From STAFF REPORTS news@newnan.com Retired Lt. Col. Joe F. Jarrard, whose father was born in Newnan, has been appointed deputy adjutant general of the Georgia Army National Guard. Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Jarrard, 44, to the post on Sept. 18. Jarrard will take command Sept. 30. A ceremony will be held at a later date.

"Lt. Col. Jarrard takes this post with a long and distinguished history of service to the country, including two active tours of duty in Iraq and 25 months of civilian service in Afghanistan," said Deal. "With his proven leadership skills and knowledge of military forces overseas, I am confident he will lead Georgia's Army National Guard in the right direction while always keeping the security of our homeland priority number one." The deputy adjutant general -- Army, Georgia National Guard -- is responsible for directing, coordinating, organizing and stationing the Georgia Army National Guard to ensure readiness to perform state and national missions. The Georgia Army National Guard makes up more than 75 percent of the Georgia National Guard. Jarrard will serve under the command of incoming Adjutant Gen. Jim Butterworth. "I am pleased to welcome Lt. Col. Jarrard as the deputy adjutant general," said Butterworth. "He brings extensive wartime experience, including time most recently with the Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team. I look forward to seeing the positive impact he makes on the critical mission of preparing our guardsmen for both wartime and domestic service." Jarrard graduated from North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1988. He served on active duty for more than 20 years and retired a lieutenant colonel in April 2009. Jarrard has served in Afghanistan for the past 25 months, most recently with the Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team, formerly under the command of Gen. David Petraeus. This team works directly for the commander of International Assistance Forces Afghanistan advising and assisting commanders at all levels on counterinsurgency operations. While on active duty, Jarrard served at numerous duty stations including Germany, Fort Stewart, Fort Riley and Fort Bragg. He was deployed to Iraq twice. In 2003, he deployed as the battalion executive officer of 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two years later, he deployed to Iraq as the deputy brigade commander of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne) in support of the 101st Air Assault Division. Jarrard's awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal. Jarrard and his twin brother, who also is an Army officer, were born in 1966 in Nurnberg, Germany, while their father, Tom Jarrard, was stationed there. Tom Jarrard, who also served in Vietnam, later studied at the University of Georgia Law School and practiced law in Gainesville for many years before his death in 2007. Tom Jarrard's brother, John Jarrard, was a Nashville songwriter who died in 2001 and was named to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame along with Charles Wadsworth last year. Tom Jarrard was born in Newnan and spent his infancy at the south Coweta farm where his mother, Virginia Trammell Jarrard, had grown up. Tom Jarrard's father, Bonnell Jarrard, was in the U.S. Navy at the time of his son's birth. Bonnell Jarrard's uncles, Henry Grady Jarrard and Juan Marcus Jarrard, were Baptist ministers who pastored churches in Coweta and Meriwether counties in the 1930s and 1940s. Joe Jarrard resides in Dahlonega with his wife, Susan, and their three boys, Ben, Will and Joseph. His sister, Amy Coffee, and her husband, Jason, and family live in the Stricklandtown community near Luthersville. Their mother, Nancy Jarrard, lives near Gainesville.

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Son of Newnan native named to key Guard post

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