Dunwoody grad retires from Army as First Sergeant, receives Legion of Merit

From Dunwoody Crier, News, 10/04/06, no byline

Legion of Merit awarded to First Sargeant (sic) Smallwood

From the story:

“When we moved here, Tal was in the sixth grade, and even then he knew he wanted to be a soldier,” said father Bob Smallwood. “We called him ‘Tal’ because that’s short for Talmadge, his middle name. He spent hours running around our neighborhood with his friends, being soldiers.”

Tal Smallwood held on to his dream after graduation from Dunwoody High in 1979, and enrolled at North Georgia College in Dahlonega before leaving in 1982 to join the Army. He immediately selected a career path as an infantryman with special Airborne Ranger training.

Twenty-four years later, at a ceremony at Ft. Bragg, First Sergeant Robert Talmadge Smallwood received the Legion of Merit Award for his years of service as a soldier.

According to the citation, “First Sergeant Smallwood consistently manifested outstanding leadership, professionalism, and devotion to duty. His personal motivation and high standards of excellence ensured mission accomplishment.”