Newspaper Page Text
The Upson Beacon
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Page 5A
Colonel Dan Brue Retires After 34 Years of Service
Colonel Dan Brue Photo Submitted
Colonel Dan Roger
Brue II of Thomaston re
tired Tuesday after serv
ing 34 years in the United
States Army.
Colonel Brue’s retire
ment ceremony was held
on the deck of the USS
Missouri at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii and was lives-
treamed by the 311th Sig
nal Command on
Facebook at
https: //fb. me / e/ 2I17WUI
WH8. Brue said he and
his wife, Dana, will return
home Friday to “start our
next chapters.”
Brue is a native of
Bainbridge. He enlisted in
the Army in February
1987, serving as a com
munications security
equipment repairer and as
an intelligence analyst
with assignments with
Signal Support Company,
Berlin Brigade, Berlin,
Germany; Headquarters
and Headquarters Com
pany, 501st Signal Batta
lion, 101st Airborne
Division (Air Assault),
Fort Campbell, Ky., where
he deployed as part of Op
erations Desert Shield and
Desert Storm, and the
Joint Intelligence Center
- Pacific, Pearl Harbor.
After completing Officer
Candidate School, he was
commissioned as a 2nd
lieutenant in the Signal
Corps in January 1996.
Brue’s first assignment
as a signal officer was with
Alpha Company, 123rd
Signal Battalion, 3rd In
fantry Division, Fort Ste
wart, Ga., where he served
as a platoon leader and
then as an executive of
ficer. In 1998, he was re
assigned to the 103d
Military Intelligence Bat
talion, as a Battalion S6,
where he deployed to Ku
wait as part of Operation
Desert Thunder. His next
assignment was as the ex
ecutive officer for the
385th Signal Company at
Camp Doha, Kuwait.
Brue then commanded
Headquarters and Head
quarters Company, 63rd
Signal Battalion before
commanding Alpha Com
pany, 63rd Signal Batta
lion at Fort Gordon, Ga.
Next, he served as a plans
officer for the 335th Sig
nal Command (Theater),
East Point, Ga., where he
deployed to Kuwait as
part of Operation Iraqi
Freedom. After redeploy
ing, he served as a combat
signal trainer at the Na
tional Training Center,
Fort Irwin, Cal.
In 2006, Brue was re
assigned to Okinawa,
Japan where he served as
the S3 and later as ex
ecutive officer for the 58th
Signal Battalion. In 2010,
he was assigned to United
States Army Africa in
Vicenza, Italy where he
served as chief, G6 Plans
and Exercises Branch.
While in Italy, he de
ployed to Baghdad, Iraq
with United States Forces
- Iraq as advisor for the
Iraq Ministry of Defense
Director General of Com
munications. Upon re
turning to Italy, he served
as G6 chief, Current Oper
ations Branch. Brue next
served as the deputy G3
for Operations with Head
quarters, 7th Signal Com
mand (Theater) at Fort
Gordon, Ga.
In June 2014, Brue as
sumed command of the
41st Signal Battalion in
Yongsan, Korea. After a
successful command, he
transferred back to Fort
Gordon to serve as the
deputy commander of the
Army’s Cyber Protection
Brigade. Brue culminated
his career as assistant
chief of staff for opera
tions (G3/5) of the 311th
Signal Command (The
ater) at Fort Shafter, Ha
waii.
Brue holds a bach
elor’s degree in historical
and political studies from
Pleas Accepted
By Judge Sams
The following pleas were ac
cepted March 24 by Judge W.
Fletcher Sams:
Jacob Derick Thaxton, posses
sion of heroin, three years’ proba
tion, 20 hours community service,
$1,000 fine, conditional discharge;
James Warren Krivan, two
counts of sexual exploitation of
children, 20 years (seven to serve
followed by 13 on probation), 80
hours community service, sex of
fender conditions, and $1,000 fine
(20 years’ probation on count two,
to mn concurrently with count
one);
Roy Junior White, possession
of a controlled substance, three
years’ probation, 80 hours com
munity service, $1,000 fine, con
ditional discharge;
Taylor Nicole Cogbum, pos
session of methamphetamine,
three years’ probation and $1,000
fine (first offender);
Dustin Andrew McDaniel,
theft by taking, 12 months’ proba
tion, 60 days to serve (credit for
time served), and $1,000 fine;
Saharon Quebec Barnes, bat
tery (Family Violence Act), 12
months’ probation (credit for time
served), 40 hours community serv
ice, and $250 fine.
Pleas Accepted
By Judge Ballard
The following pleas were accepted April 1 by
Judge Scott L. Ballard:
Darien Cantrell Harris, obstruction of law
enforcement officers, 12 months’ probation and
fines (credit for time served);
Rodney Oneal Gray, possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon, three years to serve, fol
lowed by seven years’ probation and fines, and
80 hours community service; possession of
methamphetamine, three years to serve (con
currently);
Cedric Miller, theft by shoplifting, 12
months’ probation and fine (60 days to serve),
40 hours community service; theft by shoplift
ing, 12 months’ probation and fines, and 40
hours community service (consecutive).
Comm. Relations,
Continued from Front
tributing to the local debate.
“It’s also about race rela
tions,” Smith said. “You’re
denying what’s really going
on in America right now. It’s
about how all ethnicities re
late to one another in this
community.”
City Manager Russell
Thompson charged the
newly formed committee
with tackling the R.E. Lee
conflict as its top priority,
but added, “We do not want
to be pigeon-holed into that
specific issue.” Thompson
said the committee should
“serve as a liaison between
the general public and
council - a conduit for in
formation coming in and
going out - plus an advisory
role to make recommenda
tions.”
Despite the broad re
sponsibility defined by
Thompson, racial concerns
remained at the forefront.
“Everyone’s not a histo
rian,” Smith responded to
McGill. “We have to under
stand the spirit of what’s
happening in all com
munities, not just this one.
We’re not unique. It’s hap
pening in rural com
munities and cities.
“We haven’t dealt with a
lot of these things histori
cally,” Smith continued.
“There comes a time when
there needs to be change,
and we need to be able to sit
down at a table and talk
about how [change can
work] for all of us together.”
Thompson distributed a
copy of Georgia’s ordinance
regarding monuments, in
cluding City Attorney
DeAnn Wheeler’s interpre
tation of the law as it applies
to the R.E. Lee name, por
traits, and curtains in the
government complex. Ac
cording to Wheeler’s opin
ion, “the items that are
sought to be removed are
items that are specifically
protected by [law] and can
not be removed.”
“It’s a highly complex,
highly emotional, highly de
liberated situation,”
Thompson said. “My prefer
ence is that it’s not played
UPSON COUNTY
OFFICE OF VOTER REGISTRATION
Public Meeting
The Upson County Election Board will have their
regular scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday,
April 20th at 2pm. The meeting will be held in the
basement of the Government Complex located at
106 East Lee Street Thomaston, Ga 30286.
For more information, please contact the
Election’s Office at 706-647-6259.
out in social media, rather
that we have intelligent con
versation among our
selves... and come to some
resolution that benefits all.”
In addition to McGill
and Smith, the committee is
comprised of Jack Grubb,
Sheila Hall, and Priscilla
McCoy. When asked for
suggestions regarding other
areas of concern, members
listed crime, education,
homelessness, affordable
housing, tourism, youth
summer programs, and
code enforcement relative to
blight properties.
“Why is [the R.E. Lee
issue] a priority?” Grubb
asked, pointing to crime and
education as more urgent
matters which could be tar
geted by the committee.
Hall agreed, stating that
there is a lack of certified
teachers in the Thomaston-
Upson school system, test
scores are not published,
and students are not dis
ciplined appropriately.
“When I look at this
committee, I think every
body is over 60 years old,
and we don’t represent this
community in that regard,”
Smith said. “So we’re not
going to have the forward
thinking... in some strategic
areas.”
City council members
Doug Head, Jeff Middle-
brooks, and Lakeitha
Reeves attended the meet
ing. Head said, “This is
about the beginning of a
conversation about what’s
important to our com
munity.”
Thompson told commit
tee members to seek an
swers to three questions:
“Where are we failing?
What are we missing?
What’s the next step?”
The next meeting of the
community relations com
mittee is tentatively sched
uled for l p.m. Monday,
May 3.
City of Thomaston
Office of City Manager
106 East Lee Street, Thomaston, GA 30286
Public Notice
The Mayor and City Council will hold multiple hearings to
determine whether or not to suspend alcohol licenses on
certain businesses located inside city limits. The hearings
will be held Friday, April 16,2021, beginning at 9 a.m. and
on Friday, April 23, 2021, beginning at 9 a.m. in the city-
county meeting room of the Thomaston-Upson Govern
ment Complex.
The public may attend said hearings virtually by logging
onto the following address link:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCRIF8V106i-67NYbOysNwg
Should you have any questions or need additional infor
mation, please call 706-647-4242 ext. 4.
Chaminade University of
Honolulu, a masters in
educational leadership
from Touro University,
and a masters in infor
mation technology man
agement from Webster
University.
He is a graduate of the
Signal Officer Basic
Course, Signal Captain’s
Career Course, Combined
Arms and Services Staff
College, Command and
General Staff College, and
served as a War College
Fellow at the Sam Nunn
School of International
Affairs at the Georgia In
stitute of Technology. He
is also a graduate of the
Air Assault School and
Airborne School.
Brue’s awards and dec
orations include the Le
gion of Merit, Bronze Star
Medal, Defense Meritori
ous Service Medal, Meri
torious Service Medal
(6th award), Joint Service
Commendation Medal,
Army Commendation
Medal (5th award), Joint
Service Achievement
Medal, Army Achieve
ment Medal (7th award),
Army Good Conduct
Medal (2nd award), Army
Occupation Medal, Na
tional Defense Service
Medal (2nd award),
Armed Forces Expedition
ary Medal, Southwest Asia
Service Medal (two cam
paign stars), Iraq Cam
paign Medal (one
campaign star), Global
War on Terrorism Expedi
tionary Medal, Global
War on Terrorism Service
Medal, Military Outstand
ing Volunteer Service
Medal, NCO Professional
Development Ribbon
(with numeral 2), Army
Service Ribbon, Overseas
Service Ribbon (with nu
meral 7), Saudi Arabia -
Kuwait Liberation Medal,
Kuwait - Kuwait Libera
tion Medal, Joint Merito
rious Unit Award (3rd
award), Army Superior
Unit Award, Air Assault
Badge, and Parachutist
Badge. He has also been
awarded the Signal Corps
Regimental Association’s
Bronze Order of Mercury.
He is married to the
former Dana Elise Wil
liams of Fayetteville.
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