Ground Broken for New National Guard Facilities
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Officials Break Ground Friday For A New Readiness Center For The 35Th Infantry Division Headquarters At Fort Leavenworth. Ground Also Was Broken For A New Transient Training Barracks For The Mission Training Complex-Leavenworth.
With the shoveling of dirt, ground was officially broken Friday for two new National Guard facilities at Fort Leavenworth.
One the projects will result in a new readiness center for the 35th Infantry Division headquarters. The other project will provide barracks for enlisted soldiers who train at the Mission Training Complex- Leavenworth. Both facilities will be constructed on the existing grounds of the 35th Infantry Division headquarters and Mission Training Complex located off of Sherman Avenue at Fort Leavenworth.
Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, director of the Army National Guard, said about 12,500 people train each year at the MTC and 35th Infantry Division headquarters.
The readiness center for the 35th Infantry Division headquarters will include office space, classrooms, physical training areas, a locker room, an auditorium, assembly hall, arms vaults and a medical unit as well as a vehicle maintenance work bay. The facility will encompass about 101,000 square feet.
“The soldiers of the 35th deserve the best the nation can provide,” Kadavy said.
The transient training barracks for the Mission Training Complex will have 10 bed bays that can accommodate 540 soldiers as well as laundry facilities. The barracks will encompass more than 72,000 square feet.
Maj. Gen Lee E. Tafanelli, adjutant general of the Kansas National Guard, said the new facilities represent the latest example of the continuing investment in Fort Leavenworth, which is sometimes referred as the intellectual center of the Army.
He said the facilities will serve the 35th Infantry Division and Mission Training Complex for decades to come.
Maj. Gen. Victor J. Braden, commander of the 35th Infantry Division, said the new readiness center will serve a division that must continue to build and sustain readiness.
“We’re ready when called,” he said.
Lt. Col. Kurt A. Rorvik, commander of MTC-Leavenworth, said the pride people have in the Mission Training Complex is well known.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, also spoke during the ceremony. Moran thanked the soldiers in attendance for the inspiration they provide.
John Richmeier
Leavenworth Times jrichmeier@leavenworthtimes.com