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DFCS building possible; still a long shot
DFACS1
Old equipment is stacked inside the current DFCS office. - photo by Photo by Andrea Washington
A memo delivered to state agencies could guarantee Liberty County gets a new Department of Family and Children Services building — or simply become the next chapter in the saga of Georgia lawmakers and Gov. Sonny Perdue.
The four-paragraph note, written by House and Senate leaders, was recently sent to department heads to urge them to appropriate funds from the state’s 2008 budget as outlined by the Legislature, instead of following Perdue’s orders to redirect spending based on priority and other terms.
Lawmakers cautioned that if agencies abide by the governor’s wishes, they could face funding troubles during the 2008 legislative session.
“You should be aware that any expenditure conflicting with the intent of the appropriation jeopardizes our confidence in your ability to act as a proper steward of public funds,” the memo read. “In writing the 2008 Amended Budget, we reserve the option of reducing or eliminating funding for your agency by that amount.”
According to Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), one of the six memo signers, the purpose of the letter was to reinforce legislators’ position on who controls the state’s budget.
“We wanted to make sure they knew the same thing that we’ve been communicating with the governor,” he said. “While we are trying to work out differences, we wanted to let (agency heads) know that we still believe that they should follow our intent.”
But Perdue responded with a letter to lawmakers reiterating his intentions for state agencies to follow his redirection policy. He wrote that the current disagreement between himself and General Assembly members over department spending needed to be resolved “together and amicably” to ensure “agency heads are not given conflicting directions from our two branches.”
Most agency officials have not publicly acknowledged which mandate they would follow, but if the Georgia Department of Human Resources adheres to the budget as set by lawmakers, it would be good news for Liberty County.
The county was allotted $257,000 in the DHR budget to begin work on a new DFCS building that would replace the current office and storage facility on North Main Street in Hinesville. Both buildings have been considered overcrowded and insufficient by both staff and residents for years.
But when Perdue approved the budget in May, he used his line-item veto to direct the agency to spend its total budget to expand, renovate and relocate buildings based on the state’s priority list, not the earmarks in the budget.
The county’s DFCS office, unfortunately, ranks a low 24th out of 53 buildings throughout Georgia. With the state only funding up to five buildings a year, it could be another five years before work would start on a new facility in the county if the DHR sticks with the governor’s guidelines.
Although the agency is currently revising its priority list, it is doubtful the county will move up far enough to receive financial support from the state this year.
“Per our memo, we still want them to spend (the money) in Liberty County this year,” Johnson said, commenting on the effectiveness of the letter. “But I’m not confident that will happen.”
Attempts to reach DHR officials for comments about where the department stands in the debate and an update on the county’s ranking were unsuccessful.
“In the meantime, workers at DFCS are subject to overcrowded working conditions. And these conditions continue to impact their ability to do their jobs,” Liberty County DFCS Director Cornelius McCrae said. “Bottom line is, Liberty County needs new offices.”
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UPDATE: Final missing soldier found
Lithaunia search Tuesday
A bulldozer moves gravel to pave a roadway within the area following the recovery of a U.S. Army M88 Hercules recovery vehicle that had been submerged under several meters of water in a swamp near a training area in Pabradė, Lithuania.

The fourth U.S. Army soldier assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division was found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1.  

The soldier’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin.  

The 3rd ID identified on its X account the other three soldiers as Sgt. Edvin Franco, Sgt. Jose Duenez and PFC Dante Taitano.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

The soldier was found after a search by hundreds of rescue workers from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Polish Armed Forces, Estonian Armed Forces, and many other elements of the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies. 

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen Soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

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