By Kevin Young/The Cannoneer
FORT SILL, Okla. (TRADOC News Service, Sept. 4, 2007) -- Fort Sill took a step into the future with a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new Air Defense Artillery School Aug. 27.
This school construction marks the beginning of the move of the Army's ADA school to Fort Sill from Fort Bliss, Texas. That move was mandated by the 2005 Base Alignment and Realignment Committee report.
"The groundbreaking that we celebrate this afternoon is a watershed event for Fort Sill and southwest Oklahoma." Maj. Gen. David C. Ralston, commanding general for the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill. "What a great summer it's been and what a great future it represents."
"From the ADA perspective, we're looking forward to this move," said Col. Heidi Brown, assistant commandant of the ADA school. Brown represented the school commandant, who couldn't attend the ceremony. "We feel very welcome to southwest Oklahoma and this was just a great start today. We look forward to the ribbon cutting and then actually moving into the facilities here."
Brown gave high marks to John Purcell, mayor of Lawton, and other civic leaders who showed their support for Fort Sill and Lawton. Purcell and others went to Fort Bliss and gave an information briefing about the Lawton-Ft. Sill area to help introduce the area to those unfamiliar with southwest Oklahoma.
The $215 million school complex will occupy the fields south of the Shoppette on Fort Sill Boulevard. Construction started before the groundbreaking, and Ringgold Road was closed and demolished in early August as crews started earth work and put in drainage systems.