Ballenger Honored, Deal Introduced as Newest Georgia Army National Guard State Command Sgt. Maj.

U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Lafayette Deal assumed responsibility as the twelfth Georgia Army National Guard State Command Sergeant Major during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Georgia on October 25, 2026. Deal takes on this role from U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Ballenger, who is retiring after 32 years of service.

“The State Command Sgt. Maj. is more than a position,” explained U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason Fryman, Commanding General of the Georgia Army National Guard. “It’s a responsibility. A responsibility to our Soldiers. A responsibility to our families. A responsibility to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps. And a responsibility to uphold the standards and traditions.”

The change of responsibility ceremony is a tradition in which the passing of the noncommissioned officer’s sword symbolizes the relinquishing of responsibility from the outgoing to the incoming senior enlisted leader of an organization. As the new Georgia Army National Guard State Command Sergeant Major, Deal has been given the responsibility and care for all Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers.

“Leadership is not about the authority we possess,” said Deal. “It is about the responsibility we accept and the difference we make in the lives of others.

The ceremony highlighted the career of both the outgoing and incoming command sergeants major.

“A change of responsibility is one of the most meaningful traditions in our Army,” Fryman began. “It symbolizes trust, continuity, and the transfer of responsibility from one proven leader to another.”

Deal began his career in the Army National Guard in 1999 and was initially assigned to the 648th Engineer Battalion in Statesboro, GA. During this time, he was deployed in support to Iraq as a team lead.

Deal’s most recent assignment was as the Georgia Army National Guard Operations Senior Enlisted Leader. Previously, he served as the Senior Enlisted Leader for the 201st Regional Support Group in support of Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce (EADR) in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

In his speech during the ceremony, Fryman addressed Ballenger’s commitment to the formation.

“Serving as State Command Sgt. Maj. requires representing over eleven thousand Soldiers, advising senior leaders, safeguarding standards, and serving as the voice of the enlisted force. You (Ballenger) fulfilled those responsibilities with distinction.”

Ballenger was appointed state Command Sergeant Major in May of 2023. Prior to this appointment, he held a number of key leadership and staff positions ranging from squad leader to Senior Enlisted Leader of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Senior Enlisted Leader of the 1st Squadron 108th Cavalry, Battle Operations noncommissioned officer of the 3-108th Cavalry Regiment, Logistics noncommissioned officer of the 201st Homeland Response Force, the Branch Chief for the 122nd Regiment, Georgia Operations Senior Enlisted Leader, and as the State Training noncommissioned officer of Georgia.

To honor Ballenger’s commitment to the Georgia Army National Guard, he was awarded a flag, in part of a time honored military tradition where the American flag is passed sequentially through representatives for each rank, or chapter, of an outgoing service member’s career.

“It is more than a position, it is more than a calling to me. It’s who I am,” Ballenger began. “All I ever wanted to be was a Soldier. The Georgia Army National Guard gave me that opportunity, just to be a Soldier like everybody else. And I have loved every second of it, and it’s my family and will always be my family. I am so proud to have been able to serve.”

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