By Staff Sgt. Katrina Timmons
Joint Force Headquarters - Alabama National Guard
FORT MCCLELLAN, Alabama - The Alabama Military Academy's first commandant, retired Col. Alton "The Rock" Barnes, has been honored at Fort McClellan.
A commemorative memorial honoring Barnes was dedicated on the "Quad" outside AMA's headquarters building at the Army National Guard Training Center.
"Holy Cow," Barnes said boisterously. "I've never been so shocked over anything in my life."
Barnes is now 84 and lives in Montgomery. He was present at the ceremony along with his wife, Mary Joe, daughter and son-in-law Nancy and Mike Lacey, and other family members.
As the Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Abner C. Blalock, addressed an audience of friends, family, Soldiers and officer candidates with the history behind the Alabama Military Academy, he literally explained the history and military career that is Col. Barnes.
In 1956, then Capt. Alton R. Barnes was asked to develop and stand up an academy to commission officers in the Alabama Army National Guard. He started with a staff of one - himself, said Blalock. Through selfless service and dedication, he fought and scraped and the academy's motto "It Shall Be Done" evolved because of his success.
"His spirit and his will are all summed up in those four words," said Blalock.
Barnes began Class 1 of AMA in 1957 and served as commandant from 1957 to 1977. He became known for his standards of excellence and "rock" solid mentorship, said Col. Charles Keith, current commandant at AMA.
"Col. Barnes is the epitome of Onward Ever – Backward Never; It Shall Be Done," boasted Keith.
Class 52 of the Officer Candidate School chose the Barnes memorial as their class project almost a year ago.
The location of the memorial is fitting, said Keith. It's at a focal point where we can recognize someone who has been very instrumental in getting us from where we started to where we are today.
Keith explained that many activities occur on a daily basis on the "Quad." He said many are special actions that officer candidates love to remember and tell stories about later on in life.
One of the most memorable activities is the 'mock' funeral. A ceremonial graveyard is located in the "Quad" and each OCS class must conduct a 'mock' funeral. The funeral simulates the candidate's bidding goodbye as an officer candidate and saying hello to the beginning of their new career as a Second Lieutenant.
Keith explained that Col. Barnes started this tradition as a training event to teach each class how to properly conduct a military funeral.
"It all started one day, when a tactical officer came out the back door of an officer candidate's quarters and found a cigarette butt that had not been properly field stripped."
"Col. Barnes and the TAC officer discussed the terrible lack of the state of police call and it was suggested that the class should give it a funeral."
"So that's what they did," said Keith. "They buried that cigarette butt to serve as a reminder to do things right!"