U.S. Army Central Invites Community Leaders to Patton Hall

Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Britton | Members of U.S. Army Central and community leaders socialize during a community leader orientation at the command’s headquarters, Patton Hall, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Oct. 2, 2019. The orientation started with an ice-breaker social that allowed the leaders to engage with USARCENT personnel and learn more about their role within the command. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Matt Britton)  

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, UNITED STATES

10.02.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Matthew Britton 

U.S. Army Central   

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – U.S. Army Central hosted a community leader orientation Wednesday evening at the Main Command Post’s headquarters, Patton Hall.
The orientation started with an ice-breaker social that allowed the leaders to engage with USARCENT personnel and learn more about their role within the command.
Lt. Gen. Terry Ferrell, USARCENT commanding general, welcomed the guests as they arrived and expressed appreciation for their attendance.
“Before we get started, we’re going to do a little history,” said Ferrell. “Many of you know who we are as Third Army and USARCENT, you need to know where we came from and how we got here.”
Mr. Michael Clauss, USARCENT’s historian, gave the leaders a brief timeline of the command’s legacies throughout history. Ferrell brought the guests back to the present and led them to the Operation Center; a room that is typically closed off to the public.
“We’re going to put you in there to see what we see every day,” said Ferrell. “The way we operate here in this headquarters and in the Middle East. We’ll walk you through the screens, what our operations look like, and most importantly, answer any of your questions. It’s an opportunity tonight to see who we are and what we do.”
In the Operations Center, Ferrell allowed the community leaders the opportunity to sit in the “battle stations” that members of USARCENT occupy every day. This room is the command and control center for almost all operations conducted by the U.S. Army in the U.S. Central Command’s Area of Responsibility, which spans three continents. From the Operations Center, the command can control logistics, high-scale operations while sustaining three of the five ongoing U.S. military operations.
Ferrell and his staff gave an in-depth description of the bigger picture and USARCENT’s role in the Middle East before the floor was opened up for questions from the community leaders.
“As a community leader, we wonder what the mission is,” said David Merchant, a Sumter city councilmember. “When a lot of folks think of the Army, they think of tanks, guns, ranges, and training, something similar to Fort Jackson (S.C.). It’s real vague and understandably so, a lot of it is classified that you do. But to get out and share with the community the bigger picture of how this supports the mission downrange, I think it would be great to continue to do these types of things as the Army can allow.”
Merchant went on to discuss the vastness of area that USARCENT covers.
“It’s overwhelming, just the amount of area that Third Army and Central Command is over,” said Merchant. “It’s overwhelming to take in how that’s all done here. We’re very glad and fortunate that you’re here to help strengthen the community.”
At the conclusion of the presentation, community leaders thanked USARCENT staff and said they looked forward to future engagements.
“Sumter has been what I would call a military town for over 75 years,” said Joseph McElveen, city of Sumter, S.C. Mayor. “We’ve had the Air Force here and we’re very proud to get U.S. Army Central here. Nights like this let us know that the Army is receptive and wants to improve the relationship and we’ll work at that harder. We’re proud to have U.S. Army Central here; it’s our way of supporting our country.”

• Date Taken: 10.02.2019
• Date Posted: 10.04.2019 17:26
• Story ID: 346120
• Location: SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, US