Georgia's 48th Infantry Brigade to get new mission

<p>ALBANY, Ga. _ Georgia's 48th Infantry Brigade -- which lost 15 soldiers in July and August during combat patrols in Iraq -- will get a new mission in mid-November.</p><p>The brigade's commander -- Brigadier General Stewart Rodeheaver -- says the 48th will be responsible for theater security throughout Iraq. He says this could include protecting U.S. camps and convoys and other missions he's NOT at liberty to discuss.</p><p>The 43-hundred-member brigade is the largest in the Georgia Army National Guard. It has been engaged in "in-your-face" combat south of Baghdad since its arrival in May.</p><p>The Georgia Guard members set a milestone today by completing their thirteen-thousandth combat patrol. Rodeheaver says that's more patrols than any other brigade serving in Iraq during the same five-month period.</p><p>Given the hazards the brigade has faced, Rodeheaver says the 48th's casualties are -- quote -- "very, very, very small," -- but they nonetheless have been hard on his soldiers.</p><p>But he says morale remains high. In his words, the soldiers are -- quote -- "proud of what they're doing and they do a great job."</p><p>The brigade also has opened health clinics and schools and brought drinking water and electricity to communities that never had such amenities.</p><p>The general says some Iraqis cry and hug them when informed that the 48th will have to leave for the new mission.</p>