Fort Benning units deploying

Entrance gate to Fort Benning. (Dave Bender/file)

In news about Georgia military affairs, some 270 soldiers from Fort Benning in southwest Georgia are set to deploy to Iraq.

The troops are part of a military police, and a transportation company.

They will leave on Tuesday for a twelve month tour-of-duty, according to an Army statement.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of events at Fort Benning.

Traffic-fighting Group Focusing on Military Drivers

Georgia's Clean Air Campaign, which has been setting up car pools for Atlanta commuters for over a decade is setting their sites on another target: The soldiers and civilians packing state military bases.

Military officials at Warner Robins Air Force Base near Macon, and at Fort Benning near Columbus say the response to the new RideShare program has been strong.

Polly Gustafson of Fort Benning’s Public Directorate, which administers the program says they are looking ahead to the over 30,000 personnel due as a part of a nationwide base relocation program:

"Fort Benning, of course, is going to grow because of BRAC and the coming of the armor school, and so we need to work on our transportation demand and get some of these cars off the road which will, in turn benefit our air quality here by reducing our air emissions."

Gustafson says 115 of Fort Benning’s civilian commuters signed up with the program this month, and that they intend to expand the program to military personnel in January. Over 1,500 soldiers and employees at Robins signed on during a weeklong event in October.

Clean Air Campaign spokesman Candace Mccaffery says the RideShare program pays carpoolers three dollars a day, up to $180 over three months.

(With The Associated Press)

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Fort Benning: Beware of low-flying robots

Georgia Tech teammates wrestle the probe boom and attached robot (seen in the metal cage at the bottom of the image) into place on the underside of the helicopter. (Dave Bender)

Two Georgia universities are among ten college engineering teams from the US and other countries at Fort Benning near Columbus this week. They’re all taking part in an annual aerial robotics competition.

The Georgia Tech helicopter takes flight. In the background is the mock village it will autonomously reconnoiter. (Dave Bender)

The scene: an open field deep in the piney woods of the massive Army infantry training base. The target: hidden in a two-story building, somewhere in a full-sized mock up of a small village.

The teams are here with miniature helicopters and a small fixed-wing plane, chests full of electronic testing and radio gear, and control trucks nearby.

But these aren’t your dad’s old radio-controlled planes: over the next three days they’ll take off and fly their craft, which carry different tries at the same goal: a small, self-guided robot probe.


A team member checks the charge on the internal battery on the robot probe, "Rover," after its sortie. (Dave Bender)

The aircraft drop the robots near the entrance to the targeted building. From there, they’ll send back recon data via cameras and microphones -- all without human intervention, and in 15 minutes.

Georgia Tech team member Nimrod Roos described the scene, as their gold and white helicopter buzzed by just a hundred feet overhead after takeoff:

“There’s a bunch of waypoints around, and it’s basically flying the waypoints, and this would represent if you were flying to your destination… they want to see that they can actually give us points, and we can follow them and traverse.”

GT and the other teams have four tries to win the $80,000 grand prize. But Roos says getting the prize will take a very clever robot:

“We want some kind of an autonomous vehicle that can go in, survey the site and make it’s own decisions about where to look for stuff.”

The helicopter, unaided and correcting for wind skewing the boom aside, cautiously lowers the robot probe on a dual electric winch. (Dave Bender)

The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International began the competition in 1991 at Georgia Tech. The organizers say the craft are meant to be used in biohazard and nuclear inspections missions, search and rescue, and military hostage rescue, intelligence and reconnaissance missions.

But successfully designing, programming, building and flying an autonomous robot is a lot harder than playing Wii or PS3.

Georgia Tech team leader Claus Christmann talked about their second time trial on Tuesday, as they recovered the helicopter and two-wheeled, football-sized probe:

“We successfully released the Rover; it came out, unfortunately, on the outside – but it did what it’s supposed to be doing. Immediately after the drop, it self-righted itself, and then started doing a 360-degree panorama shot for the first glimpse of where we are – but it was on the outside, so [there was] no chance of getting a picture done.”

Claus Christmann and team members reset the probe boom, and carefully rewind the rope onto the winch after the flight. (Dave Bender)

The vehicle was stopped cold by a four-inch step in front of an open doorway.

But while Georgia Tech's team didn't fully succeed, at least they're still in the running. Southern Georgia Polytechnic's entry crashed on takeoff, and they pulled out of the race.

Later in the day West Virginia Tech's helicopter got a little too autonomous, and flew away up to 1,800 feet. The approved flight ceiling is 500 feet.

The craft flew a seemingly random path around the field, and over the crews, as worried teammates and bemused judges looked on.

But crews and judges alike ran for cover when the craft started a drunken roll, and appeared to be nosing down into the center of the testing area. After the mock dive, a team member took manual control of the craft via a standard radio control box, and brought the craft to a safe landing to applause from the other teams.

The competition continues through Thursday, when the winning team will be announced.

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Returning troops expected to boost economy

Sign of the times in Columbus: a dry cleaning service near Fort Benning welcomes the 3rd ID home. (Dave Bender)

The return of several thousand troops from Iraq in coming weeks, is expected to give a boost to businesses around Columbus in western Georgia. The hoped-for economic shot-in-the-arm will come from some 3,800 combat soldiers of the US Army's Third Brigade, who served in the Baghdad area.

Several units recently redeployed to nearby Fort Benning, in order to prepare families and the post for the main force. But the brigade's year-long absence was felt far beyond the gates of the base.

Mike Gaymon of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce:

“When the Third Brigade left, the growth of Chattahoochee County became the worst in the 159 counties in Georgia, and then when the third comes back, they will lead the state in growth.”

Gaymon says apartments complexes, car dealerships, and furniture and appliance stores are among those eagerly awaiting the “boots on the ground.”

Billboard near Ft. Benning pitches studies at Columbus State University for returning troops. (Dave Bender)

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Ft. Benning going whole hog over feral pigs

Maj. Bobby Toon posing in October 2007 with a feral pig he killed at Fort Benning. (AP Photo/Fort Benning)

Maj. Bobby Toon is known as the Pig Czar at the huge army post on Georgia's western edge.

He has been assigned to help rid Fort Benning of its unwanted guests: an estimated 6,000 feral pigs that roam the 184,000-acre installation.

The animals, common throughout Georgia, are known for tearing up woodlands and farms. They are aggressive foragers, gobbling up native vegetation and endangered species.

"These pigs feed and breed," Toon said. "That's all they care about. I've been here off and on for 17 years, and I can never remember a pig population as big as it is now."

Since July, more than 900 pigs have been killed.

"These animals can smell a turkey egg three miles away," Toon said. "They're also a danger to tortoises and woodpeckers."

The former 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment company commander, who now instructs a course at the Maneuver Captains Career Course, has personally brought down 68 pigs in the past year.

He's not the only pig hunter at work.

About 2,000 people who are authorized to hunt on the post have been encouraged to go after the feral pigs. They must be active-duty, retired military or civilian workers at Benning and must have a license from the base.

The post is offering a $40 bounty for every pig tail that's brought in.

"We did a cost estimate with civilian contractors, but they wanted way too much money for the job," Toon said.

(The Associated Press)

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Ft. Benning: Soldier Mom, Kids Plan to Report for Duty

Lisa Pagan with her husband, Travis, and her children Elizabeth, 4, and Eric, 3, at their home in Davidson, N.C., on Friday. The mom has spent more than a year fighting her recall to active duty. (Chuck Burton/AP)

When Lisa Pagan reports for duty Sunday, four long years after she was honorably discharged from the Army, she will arrive with more than her old uniform. She is bringing her kids, too.

"I have to bring them with me," she said. "I don't have a choice."

Pagan is among thousands of former service members who have left active duty since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, only to later receive orders to return to service. They are not in training, they are not getting a Defense Department salary, but as long as they have time left on their original enlistment contracts, they are on "individual ready reserve" status — eligible to be recalled at any time.

Soldiers can appeal, and some have won permission to remain in civilian life. Pagan filed several appeals, arguing that because her husband travels for business, no one else can take care of her kids. All were rejected, leaving Pagan with what she says is a choice between deploying to Iraq and abandoning her family, or refusing her orders and potentially facing charges.

Then she hit on the idea of showing up Sunday at Fort Benning, Georgia, with her children in tow.

"I guess they'll have to contact the highest person at the base, and they'll have to decide from there what to do," Pagan said. "I either report and bring the children with me or don't report and face dishonorable discharge and possibly being arrested. I guess I'll just have to make my case while I'm there."

'Obligations and commitments'
Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, an Army spokesman in St. Louis, said the commander at Fort Benning will decide how to handle the situation.

"The Army tries to look at the whole picture and they definitely don't want to do anything that jeopardizes the family or jeopardizes the children," O'Donnell said. "At the same time, these are individuals who made obligations and commitments to the country."

Of the 25,000 individual ready reserve troops recalled since September 2001, more than 7,500 have been granted deferments or exemptions, O'Donnell said. About 1,000 have failed to report. O'Donnell said most of those cases are still under investigation, while 360 soldiers have been separated from the Army either through "other than honorable" discharges or general discharges.

He said Pagan is not likely to face charges, since none of the individual ready reserve soldiers who have failed to report faced a court-martial.

Pagan, who grew up near Camden, N.J., was working in a department store when she made her commitment in September 2002. She learned how to drive a truck, and met Travis while stationed in Hawaii. She had her first child while in uniform, and they left the service in 2005 when their enlistments were up.

She always knew there was a chance she could be recalled, so she buried the thought in the back of her mind.

"When I enlisted, they said almost nobody gets called back when you're in the IRR," she said.

The young family settled outside of Charlotte in the college town of Davidson, where Travis landed a job as a salesman. It required lots of travel, but that was OK — Pagan enjoyed her life as a stay-at-home mom to their son Eric and second child, a daughter named Elizabeth.

She opened a child-care center in her home, and started taking classes at nearby Fayetteville State.

Mom makes her plea
The orders to return to active duty arrived in December 2007. She told the Army there was no one to take care of her children: Her husband spent most of his time on the road, and they believe quitting his job is a sure path to bankruptcy and foreclosure. Her parents live in New Jersey and her husband's parents live in Texas. Neither are able to help out. The Army was not persuaded.

Pagan hired attorney Mark Waple, who filed another appeal, which included a letter from Travis Pagan's employer that said bluntly: "In order for Travis to remain an employee, he will be required to travel." In December 2008, her appeal was again rejected.

"It's the obligation of commanders to make certain that service members have a valid family care plan and that clearly has not happened in Lisa's case," Waple said.

Tom Tarantino, a policy associate with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit group that helps veterans, said the Army has taken a hard line on many of these cases.

"Usually the only way that someone can get out of the deployment or get out of the military due to a family hardship is if they get into a situation where the kids will be put into foster care," Tarantino said.

"That's how serious it has to be, and I'm sure what the military is telling her — and I'm not saying that this is exactly the right answer — but the fact that it is inconvenient for her husband's job is not the military's problem. It's very harsh."

(AP)

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Fort Benning remembers its fallen

The stars and stripes, and a bouquet of tulips in a vase alongside gravestones at Fort Benning's military cemetery, on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Memorial services for soldiers died in war were held at Fort Benning near Columbus today.

Over two hundred family members of fallen soldiers; along with veterans, officers and local officials took part in the ceremony, held at the post cemetery.

Benning commander Major-General Walter Wojdakowski says the fallen did not die in vain:

“In our hearts we know that we can't fully discharge our solemn obligation to these men and women, with mere words and gestures. for they did not die for words or wreaths alone; they died to preserve the freedoms that we so much enjoy.”

A color guard fired off three rounds saluting the fallen, a lone bugler played taps and the visitors walked among the thousands of gravestones, in remembrance.

The Army says over 80 soldiers have died in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Ray, Wendy, John and David Shisler of Columbus look out over the rows of gravestones during the Memorial Day ceremony, held at Fort Benning, May 26, 2008. (Dave Bender)

GPB Radio will air a special Memorial Day edition of Georgia Gazette this evening 6 pm, 7 pm in Athens. This evening at 8 pm, join GPB Radio for a specially produced program recapping the state Memorial Day commemoration of last Thursday.

GAO Report: Sharp Spike in Army Move Costs

Maneuver Center of Excellence. (Fort Benning)

A new report says the massive military relocation project for Fort Benning will have a much larger price tag than previous estimates.

The Base Realignment and Closure Program – BRAC, for short – was projected to cost taxpayers 21-billion dollars. Now, the figure is nearly 700 million dollars higher.

The Army says the added costs are for roads, sewers and infrastructure for the BRAC project which includes opening some bases, closing others, and moving 123,000 service personnel nationwide.

Georgia is the focus of a major BRAC initiative — moving the Army's Armor school from Ft. Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, near Columbus. It involves bringing some 30,000 troops and their families to the Columbus area.

The GAO says it may be the most expensive move in US military history. A Pentagon official says nationwide BRAC will, in his words, “enhance defense capabilities."

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US Army Sec'y attends Columbus event

Fort Benning Commanding General Walter Wojdakowski, Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington, and US Army Secretary Peter Geren at the "Army Community Covenant" signing ceremony in Columbus, April 17, 2008. (Dave Bender)

US Army Secretary, Peter Geren, and officials from Fort Benning, Columbus and Phenix City, Ala., took part in a dedication on Thursday supporting the bond between soldiers' families and the surrounding civilian communities.

An infantry soldier and family members of service personnel took part in the signing the "Army Community Covenant" document.

Some 200 soldiers, families, local and state officials attended the ceremony, which was held at the Columbus RiverCenter complex.

Fort Benning and the surrounding community are the first in a series of such signings at bases and surrounding areas across the country.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of events at Fort Benning, and other military affairs in Georgia.

Ga. priest facing excommunication will appeal

School of the Americans Watch founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois holding what he says is an Army-censored list of students attending WHISC. (Dave Bender/file)

Georgia priest facing excommunication for supporting the ordination of women said Friday he plans to visit the Vatican with a contingent of fellow priests and a bishop to appeal the decision.

Roy Bourgeois, 69, a Maryknoll priest and nationally known peace activist, ran afoul of Vatican doctrine by participating in an Aug. 9 ceremony in Lexington, Ky., to ordain Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a member of a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Recent popes have said the Roman Catholic Church cannot ordain women because Christ chose only males as apostles.

"Who are we as men to say to women that our call to the priesthood is valid, but yours is not?" Bourgeois said in a telephone interview.

"As Catholics we profess that the invitation to priesthood comes from God, and I believe that we are hampering with the sacred when we say that women must be excluded from being priests. That invitation is from God."

Bourgeois said the toughest part of the ordeal was informing his 95-year-old father, a devout Roman Catholic. He said he drove to his family's home in Lutcher, La., near New Orleans, to tell him, and that his father shed tears and then told his family that God had protected Bourgeois before, and would continue to today.

"When he said God will take care of him, I wept," said Bourgeois.

Bourgeois' excommunication likely would be automatic, requiring no further action from the Holy See, said the chief Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Excommunication is the most severe penalty under church law, cutting off a Catholic from receiving or administering sacraments. The ordained woman, Sevre-Duszynska, also faces excommunication.

Bourgeois said that he recently received a letter from the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, offering him a chance to recant within 30 days to avoid excommunication. But Lombardi said he did not know of such a letter, and Bourgeois said he has informed the Vatican he will not repent.

Bourgeois, a Vietnam veteran, served as a missionary in Bolivia and El Salvador. Concerned by what he had witnessed, he returned to the United States and formed School of Americas Watch, a group that holds annual demonstrations against a Fort Benning school that is now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. He lives in an apartment outside Fort Benning's main gate.


Bourgeois (blue shirt), and Ohio Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich comfort a Guatemalan mother and daughter sobbing against a entrance fence at Fort Benning during annual SOA Watch protest in 2007. The two women, who now live in Chicago said they were grieving over the loss of seven members of their family to military forces in their country in 1981. (Dave Bender/file)

The deadline for his excommunication is Nov. 21, Bourgeois said - just one day before the start of the 19th annual protest at the school by the group. Even if he is excommunicated, Bourgeois said he will remain active in SOA Watch and the church.

"I won't be able to say Mass in Catholic churches, but my ministry in SOA Watch and speaking at colleges and churches will continue," he said.

Bourgeois unpacking fliers and other protest paraphernalia at his apartment and office alongside the gates of Fort Benning, before the 2007 SOA Watch rally. (Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB News coverage about Fr. Bourgeois and SOA Watch.

(AP)

GA Gets $5 Million Workforce Development Grant

The funding will support two Georgia Work Ready regions affected by the Army's multi-year Base Realignment and Closure program (BRAC).

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao gave the grant to Governor Sonny Perdue, U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R), and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson(R) in a ceremony in Atlanta.

The funds will assist in planned expansion of Fort Benning and the transitions of Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson and the Navy Supply Corps School, as part of regional workforce development projects.

“Over the years, Georgia has shown its deep commitment to support our military troops and their families,” Perdue said. “This grant will help ensure that Georgia’s bases impacted by the BRAC process continue to be valuable assets for our state.”

• Fort Benning will get $3 million to develop a workforce for industrial construction; automotive maintenance and aerospace advanced manufacturing; and information and communication technologies
• Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson, Navy Supply Corps School will get the remaining $2 million to transition the workforce at these facilities with a focus on new jobs associated with the life sciences industry cluster, according to a statement from the Governor's Office.
  

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the BRAC project, and its effect on the state.

State gets $5,000,000 for job training

The state of Georgia received $5 million dollars today to train workers affected by the base closings and realignment.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Three million dollars is earmarked for the Columbus area where Fort Benning will undergo an expansion that is expected to bring 35 thousand people to the area.

$2 million dollars is meant for job training in Athens and Atlanta where Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson and The Navy Supply Corp school are closing. Governor Perdue accepted the check in a ceremony at Fort McPherson today

Overall, Georgia gained troops in the Base Realignment and Closure process. But in Metro Atlanta about 6000 people will have to find new jobs. The closed facilities will be re-developed. Plans in Atlanta include a technology park and housing and a health sciences center in Athens.

Here are experts from the Governor's Press release.

The grant provides funding for regional workforce development projects
tied to military base transitions associated with the federal Base
Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). Specifically, it will fund
two regional initiatives over 36 months:

* Fort Benning: $3 million to develop workforce for industrial
construction; automotive maintenance and aerospace advanced
manufacturing; and information and communication technologies

* Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson, Navy Supply Corps School: $2
million to transition the workforce at these facilities with a focus on
new jobs associated with the life sciences industry cluster

3rd Brigade prepping for homecoming

Several thousand American troops now in Iraq are due back in Georgia next month, and they're sending an advance party to prepare.

Some 250 soldiers of the US Army's Third Brigade are expected to arrive at Fort Benning early this week. They're working with rearguard units, spouses and families preparing for the over 3,000 troops due here early next month.

The army says it's planning a much bigger reception than just flags and bands. Army chaplains will host a three-day pre-arrival retreat to prepare spouses and families. Soldiers will take a series of classes on issues of domestic violence and suicide prevention before they can take a month-long leave.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Fort Benning and Georgia military affairs.

Columbus: brass tacks at Ft. Benning BRAC session

Military and civilian officials at BRAC session.
(Dave Bender)
Over 100 Georgia and Alabama officials, and federal and military representatives met in Columbus on Monday to discuss the army's planned Base Realignment and Closure program (BRAC).

The army plans to move an armor school, currently based at Ft. Knox, KY to Ft. Benning within the next three to five years.

The comprehensive morning session met at Columbus State University's Cunningham Center for Leadership. On the agenda were schools, housing, health care, transportation, public services, ecological, economic impact, as well as funding issues related to the move.

Colonel Keith Lovejoy, Fort Benning Garrison Commander of Fort Benning, told GPB News they planned to cover issues of anticipated base growth: “in terms of soldiers coming to the base; what kind of construction we're going to do; effects on the local roads, the networks... the different utilities... basically just making sure the community is aware of what's coming and when it's going to be here – and then also, to answer some of the concerns of the local community.”

The army expects over 30,000 troops, and their families, contractors and service providers to move into the Columbus and Chattahoochee Valley area.

Military Kids Get Scholarship Boost

Children whose parents are in the military will have an easier time changing Georgia schools under a bill signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue. In a visit to Fort Benning on Thursday, Perdue also signed a separate bill that allows children of soldiers stationed in Georgia to qualify for Georgia's HOPE scholarship. The new law waives the one-year HOPE residency requirement for children of active-duty military personnel. The school transfer law is designed to make the transition easier for military children sometimes caught in conflicting mandates as they shuffle from school to school.

(Associated Press)

Columbus Job Fair: Officials Optimistic, Despite Cuts

Applicants looking for work throng the hall of the Columbus Trade and Convention Center, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 1009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

More than 2,500 job-seekers attended a job fair held in Columbus Thursday. Employers from the area, as well as out-of-state and national firms were at the event, held at the city’s convention center.

Department of Labor officials say some 55 companies, from Aflac and local hospitals, to local and Atlanta MARTA police departments, to Georgia Power and employment agencies are taking job applications.


Miguel Flores (facing) of Fort Benning assists a job-seeker at the Columbus job fair, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Fort Benning's Warrior Transition Battalion has a representative here as well, to aid troops in making the sometimes complex conversion from uniform to civvies.

There are also representatives from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in nearby Lumpkin, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

The large-scale fair is held several times a year, and Labor Department officials say while the turnout by employers is a little more than half last year's showing – they’re optimistic that employers and applicants will be introduced to each other.


Applicants submitting resumes to company online websites. (Photo: Dave Bender)

To that end, they’ve set up a bank of computers for applicants to go directly to the companies’ websites, and set up interviews there, as well.

Many of the job-seekers are either in, or soon after college, and some have recently completed military service.

Celeste Edge of Columbus is looking has a degree in Communications and wants a position in her field:

"It’s been ok; I’ve talked to a couple of people who seem a little promising, like the hospital and one of the staffing agencies who thinks they might be able to place me – but, you know – I’m just hoping for the best."

There were many resumes and handshakes, and many people filled in applications online.

Jim Huntzinger of the DOL is one of the fair’s organizers, and says they’re trying hard to lower jobless rates:

"We have 55 employers here, with, as i say, with the economic situation, is, I think, fantastic. And it’s 55 employers that have jobs."

Some came away frustrated from the experience, though.

Eric Harris of Columbus recently finished the Army and is studying criminal law at Troy University; he got a lot of what he calls “headnoes”:

"...that’s everybody shaking their heads, saying, ‘No; go online; we don’t have any applications, we’re not hiring…so it’s like, I’m very discouraged at this point so I’m just thinking about dropping school and going back in the military – and I’m, not the only one feeling like this. There’s a lot of others in there stressing the same thing about their feeling the same disappointment at this job fair – they need to do better."

About 3,000 people turned out for last year's job fair, and Department of Labor officials say they’ll hold a similar job fair in May.

Kia Motors' tier-one supplier, Sewon American, will accept applications for 400 to 600 production workers for a car parts factory that will open in a few months.

They'll be taking applications next week in Lagrange.

The Kia plant in West Point is about half an hour north of Columbus, and is set to open its doors in the late fall.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the job situation.

ATF Doubles Reward on Ft. Benning Blaze Info

Remains of the JAG office. Click on the image for more photos. (Photo: Lily Gordon, Ledger-Enquirer.com)

Federal and military authorities are probing a suspicious blaze that destroyed the Judge Advocate General’s office at Fort Benning, near Columbus in West Georgia.

Investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are looking for evidence in the charred remains of the 10,000 sq.-ft. building, which went up in flames on Friday.

The ATF announced Tuesday afternoon that they are adding an additional $5,000 to the $5,000 reward offered earlier by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) for information on the fire.

Special agent Scott Sweetlow of the BATF National Response Team says the're looking for what sparked the blaze:

“...we're trying to develop a full picture with the use of our accelerant-detection canines, and our chemists. We're collecting evidence, but as a general principle we don't make any sort of a determination until we've got all of the facts in hand.”

If investigators find traces of an accelerant, it may indicate arson.

Former staff judge advocate and former Columbus mayor Bob Poydasheff worked at the office in the 1960's and 70's. He was stunned by the loss:

"It's just absolutely devastating to see. ...an historic building destroyed for what purpose? ... it's just unfair; it's stupid, it's just unfair."

Fort Benning emergency service director Lt. Col. Kevin Clarke says 35 Columbus and Fort Benning firefighters battled the fire, which they got under control around 1 a.m. Saturday.

After viewing the site on Sunday, and speaking with officials, Poydasheff says he has little doubt as to the cause:

"I've been told that there were some propane tanks, and so the way it presented itself - the entire building - there's no doubt in my mind; it was arson."

Sweetow declined to confirm or deny whether propane tanks were found among the ruins of the building.

Sweetow says they expect to conclude their investigation by Friday.

Senior JAG attorney Col. Tracy Barnes believe they'll be able to recover most of their digitally-stored files on the office's network server, computers and e-mail.

"We're certainly aware, that as part of the justice system - the federal court system, there's some critical records that are there," Sweetow said.

Barnes says no evidence was kept in the structure, and that the fire will not affect pending cases.

Post officials have relocated basic legal services to another office for the interim.

The 10,000 sq.-ft. JAG office is the second oldest building on post, and provides legal services for infantry troops and their families at the 184,000-acre training base.

The structure houses a law library, archives, and the courtroom where Army Lt. William Calley was convicted in the murder of 22 Vietnamese citizens at My Lai in 1968. That case was later overturned.

Officials have requested that anyone with information regarding the incident contact CID at 706-545-8915 or e-mail CID at crimetips@conus.army.mil, or ATF's 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-888-ATF-FIRE (1-888-283-3473).

Click here for more GPB News coverage about Fort Benning.

A Soldier's Next Best Friend Might Be... a Robot

Military officials at Fort Benning near Columbus in southwest Georgia are testing out a "pack-bot," to heft troopers' loads, allowing them greater mobility in the field.


Video courtesy Fort Benning PAO.

From the manufacturer, Boston Dynamics:

"BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog’s legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight."

Ft. Benning Protesters Sentenced

Five protesters have been ordered to spend 60 days in prison on federal trespassing charges after a rally in Georgia last November to demand the closing of the former School of the Americas.

Demonstrators blame the school, which trained generations of military officials, for human rights abuses in Latin America. They have rallied at Fort Benning every November for years against the school, currently known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

Eric LeCompte, with the group School of the Americas Watch, says an Episcopal priest from New York and a Roman Catholic nun from Ohio were among those sentenced Monday in federal court in Georgia. He says a sixth protester, age 68, was given six months of house arrest because of medical problems.

(AP)

Martin slams Chambliss over veterans benefits

Martin shaking hands with supporters at Democratic Party headquarters in Columbus, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The Senate candidates used the weekend to emphasize their messages and try to get out the vote for Tuesday’s runoff.

Democrat Jim Martin spent time in Macon and Savannah on Saturday, and met with about 50 people on Sunday in Columbus.

Martin tailored his Columbus appearance on what he said were Chambliss’ failings to improve benefits for veterans and military personnel:

“It troubles me that he voted 23 times not to increase health care benefits for veterans. “Well, we’re trying to balance our budget,” well, if you’re going to balance your budget, don’t give 700 billion dollars to Wall Street and refuse to give money to the veterans – don’t do it.”

Columbus has a large veteran population, due to the Army’s nearby Fort Benning infantry post.

On the Republican side, Saxby Chambliss attended the Georgia - Georgia Tech game on Saturday, and on Fox News Sunday that the race would not be a referendum on President-Elect Barack Obama.

Georgia is one of only two Senate races still to be decided in this election cycle. Results of the Minnesota race are still in dispute.

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