Georgia National Guard officer "mayor" in Afghanistan

Former Ga. officer keeps peace in Afghanistan
BY JOE JOHNSON
THE ATHENS BANNER-HERALD

ATHENS, Ga. -- He once helped keep the peace locally as an Athens-Clarke police officer. Now, Todd Perkins makes sure things run smoothly as a "mayor" in Afghanistan.

That's the title the Georgia National Guard lieutenant colonel was given as garrison commander of New Kabul Compound.

Like a mayor, the 41-year-old Oconee County resident's main job is to make sure the about 1,000 people living at the fortified outpost within Afghanistan's capital city are kept safe and receive essential services.

"We make quality of life improvements and we manage facilities that belong to the government, which I guess the mayor has a role in that kind of stuff," Perkins said during a satellite telephone interview last week.

A native of Florida, Perkins joined that state's National Guard while attending the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He followed up with a master's degree in public administration at Piedmont College. Perkins was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Guard in 1992.
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