The future is upon us
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Committee made the decision to relocate the Armor School from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Benning, Ga., in order to form the Maneuver Center of Excellence. The logic behind this decision was based on the fact that our Infantry Soldiers and our Armor Soldiers fight together on the battlefield so they should train together here at home. The deadline for the relocation is September 2011 and great changes at Fort Benning are already underway. The below blog post was written by Bridgett Siter, the Maneuver Center Public Affairs Spokesman.
The most exciting news to come out of the most recent BRAC Community Update was the announcement that Fort Benning will drop the “future” from its new title. Effective Oct.1, the post will become the Maneuver Center of Excellence. Call it the MCOE, Maneuver Center or Home of Infantry and Armor – call it what you will.
The most exciting news to come out of the most recent BRAC Community Update was the announcement that Fort Benning will drop the “future” from its new title. Effective Oct.1, the post will become the Maneuver Center of Excellence. Call it the MCOE, Maneuver Center or Home of Infantry and Armor – call it what you will.
The question is: What difference does it make? Other than the fact that Old Bill will join the Infantryman (that fellow perched atop the Follow Me Statue) in front of Building 35, not much will change for you and I come the first of October. We’ll see new signs and subtle changes here and there, but for the most part, it will be business as usual on Fort Benning, and that’s a good thing. We’ll continue to focus on the mission of training great Soldiers.
Those who are responsible for the move of the Armor School (and the construction on post in preparation thereof) will continue to fight that good fight, just as they’ve done from the get go. The logistics of this transformation, with the immense build-up all around post and the move of Armor School facilities and populations equal to the size of a small town – LaGrange, for instance – boggles the average mind. I’m speaking for my average perspective here. I can appreciate, if not fully grasp, the sheer genius this project requires.
It’s my job, as a Maneuver Center spokesman, to share with you our progress every step of the way. That’s my job, and I enjoy it. But my other contribution to the cause is the continuous exercise of patience. That’s my duty. And yours. Over the coming months, we will experience greater traffic congestion as we upgrade infrastructure, improve interchanges and widen the main arteries on post and off. Expect long delays and plan accordingly. Give yourself extra time to travel, pack a snack and purchase a hands-free cell phone device.
There’s not a thing we can do to avoid the turbulence ahead, but we can certainly face it with resolve and a good attitude. It’s not often one gets a front row seat to the kind of historical changes we’re experiencing at the Maneuver Center of Excellence. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Fort Benning community. Try to remember that when the going gets tough.