"The Fighting 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan"

The 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) of the Georgia Army National Guard deployed to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the spring of 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Organized as Task Force Volunteer, the mission of the 48th IBCT was to train, mentor, & partner with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) thru "combined action" conducting combat operations against the insurgent Taliban forces. The ANSF consisted of the Afghan National Army, Afghan Uniformed Police, & Afghan Border Police with the focus of operations "by, with, & thru" the Afghan forces. The end-state was to develop the ANSF into a well-trained, self-sufficient, & relevant combined-arms combat force capable of decisively defeating its current & future enemies, while maintaining national security for its citizens.

The print Closing the Distance by Larry Selman is officially dedicated to the "Fallen Eight of the Fighting 48th" who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2009, the 49 "Volunteers" that were also wounded in action, and all their sacrificing families. These brothers-in-arms that lived, fought, & gave all for a cause much greater than themselves will never be forgotten:
MAJ Kevin M. Jenrette - SFC John C. Beale, - SGT Jeffery W. Jordan -1SG - John D. Blair - SGT Brock H. Chavers
SGT Isaac L. Johnson, Jr. - SGT Raymundo P. Morales - SSG Alex French.