Photo By Sgt. Brian Johnson | The members of Alpha Company, 216th Engineer Battalion recently moved into and...... read more read more
Spc. Brian Johnson, unit public affairs representative
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - The members of Alpha Company, 216th Engineer Battalion recently moved into and dedicated their new armory. The unit, based in Chillicothe, consists of carpenters, electricians, plumbers and heavy equipment operators.
The new facility, located at Camp Sherman, includes a maintenance building, a 10,000 square foot barracks, and an over 38,000 square foot armory. The new armory will include a larger kitchen area, more office space, classrooms, and a larger drill floor.
The funding for the facility was made possible by coordination at the federal, state and local levels of government.
Col. Alan Rogers, USPFO Office, who helped do a lot of the coordination with the building of the new armory, said of both facilities, “There was a lot of history with the old facility. This new facility will be a link to the future. This will help the guard to be able to adapt to the new training that will be required for future missions. This truly was a partnership at all levels. This shows the community commitment to the OHARNG.”
The dedication brought out many dignitaries, including Maj. Gen. Wayt, Brig. Gen. Kambic, State Sen. Jon Carey; representatives from Sen. Voinovich’s and Sen. DeWine, and Congressman Bob Ney were all in attendance.
The new facility was very exciting for unit Commander Capt. Donald Westfall, who said, “Drilling in a state-of-the-art facility such as this is incredible. We have a great location, and I feel that the new facility will be great addition to the community and the Ohio Army National Guard. I’m looking forward to showing it off. It helps the troops understand how important we are to the community when they see that they are being moved into a facility that will be in operation for the next one hundred years. It’s an honor to be able to be here.”
The unit’s grand opening ceremonies brought in over 300 people from the community. Many with military ties, and a lot who are not affiliated with the military at all.
The 216th Engineer Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Ray Royster said of the turnout, “I was very encouraged by the community involvement and all the members of the community that were here today. This was a really good experience.”
Some of the local residents, like Dwight and Beth Flowers, Chillicothe residents, said about everything, “This facility is extremely impressive. There is a lot of space to it. It looks like they have really planned for the future with this facility.”
Jerry Byers, Ross County treasurer, said, “The fact that this facility was able to be built and the people on all levels who worked together to make it happen really shows the community commitment to the National Guard.”
Some local citizens with military ties, like John Barnhart, 1st vice commander, 7th District, American legion, said, “The ceremony was very well planned. There was good community involvement with this. It was nice to see the state show their support for the guard and the military in this area. It was also nice to see all the veterans here today.”
The ceremonies also brought in former unit members who had nothing but praise for the new facility and the ceremony.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Bob Scott, the unit's former readiness NCO, said, “The new Armory is a great place. The old armory will really be missed because of all the history with it. There will definitely be a chance to create a lot of new history here.”
Retired 1st Sgt. Ken Adkins, who was with the unit while they were deployed to Iraq, said, “Everything was great. The ceremony was beautiful. This makes me wish that I was still in the Guard to be able to enjoy the new facility.”
The unit members felt very good about the new facility and also the turnout for the grand opening.
Spc. Brett Lefler, who is a heavy equipment operator, said, “It was a very good ceremony. It was good to see all the community involvement with the guard. I was glad to see a lot of the higher ranking officers here today to open the facility. This was a good community interaction."
Unit Supply Sgt. Heather Newberry said about the new facility, “It is sad to move out of the old armory, which has so many memories and that we have called home for so many years. It is exciting to move into a new home and to be able to create many new memories.”
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2015 20:52 |
| Story ID: | 161073 |
| Location: | CHILLICOTHE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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