LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
A groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 17 marked the beginning of the largest military construction program in the Air Force as Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog, 2nd Air Force commander, and other dignitaries turned over the first shovels of dirt.
The ceremony signals that construction is ready to start on the first of eight Airmen Training Complexes and four associated dining-classroom facilities for basic military training.
With an estimated cost of $900 million, the new facilities will replace existing 1,000-man Recruit Housing and Training buildings currently scattered around Lackland. The RH and Ts were constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s to replace the World War II-era military open-bay barracks.
"This was an historic event," said Capt. Anthony Knight, 323rd Training Squadron operations officer, who was in charge of the ceremony. "It signifies the beginning of a new era for basic training."
The first of four dormitories and two dining-classroom facilities for the new campus will be built west of the main Gateway Gate entrance off Military Drive at Gary Avenue and Kirtland Street, adjacent to the current 323rd TRS dormitory.
Fences identifying the construction area have already been erected. The project has forced the closure of all north-south streets on that side of base; Carswell Avenue serves as the only north-south thoroughfare for approximately the next four years.
The current timeline for completing the two campuses stretches out over nine years. The second campus will be located on the southwest side of Truemper and Carswell Avenues where current RH and Ts now stand.
Though working around the project will present its challenges in the coming months, it has potential for a large payoff.
"It will help recruitment," said Captain Knight, a former military training instructor in the 323rd TRS. "Once recruits start seeing the Air Force has modernized not only the aircraft but our bases and facilities as well, it will enhance the recruiting process."
Lt. Col. Matthew Whiat, 323rd TRS commander, echoed Captain Knight's comments.
"You're going to see the new ATCs from a long distance," said Colonel Whiat. "They will bring attention and with that, it will give us a great opportunity to showcase BMT and the dedication of the MTI corps.
"Visitors will come to see a new facility and they will leave impressed with the people."
The 323rd TRS, housed in the oldest RH and T, will occupy the first dormitory. The scheduled completion date for that facility is winter 2011.
While the new campus will have amenities helpful to leadership and trainees, it is the MTI corps that will continue to shape present and future Airmen, not the facilities.
"At some point there's a cost benefit analysis that says we can't keep repairing these facilities indefinitely," he said. "But regardless of what buildings we're in, the Airmen we produce will still have the same qualities and core values."