Meridian, Miss., May 16, 2011 – Georgia Army Guardsmen with Douglas’ 848th Engineer Company, the search and extraction element for Kennesaw’s Joint Task Force 781, are here at the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Safety Training Center as part of Operation Vigilant Guard 2011.

They and more than 500 Soldiers and Airmen from other states, including Florida and Mississippi, civilian first responders and role players who have converged on the training center to “stress and test” policies, procedures and best practices to be used in support of civil authority during natural or manmade disaster –large or small. Here some of the 848th combat engineers begin checking the victims of a simulated building collapse caused by an earthquake, and then begin search for who may have become trapped among the steel and concrete debris of the fallen building.

Operation Vigilant Guard 2011 is multi-state exercise that provides an opportunity for State National Guard headquarters, State joint task forces like the 781st and its elements to improve command and control, and operational relationships with local, state and federal emergency responders. (Photos by Capt. Jacqueline Wren 648th MEB Public Affairs Office)