Group Offers Soldiers Low-Cost Housing Loans

"Soldiers who protect the American dream can now get help buying into the American dream," according to a Columbus housing association.

NeighborWorks Columbus, a local organization that supports low-cost housing, says the organization's new Hallock Soldiers Fund offers counseling, down-payment assistance and low-interest loans.

NeighborWorks President Kathy Williams says the aid is specifically aimed at Ft. Benning personnel:

"We're trying to assist the lower-ranking soldier families, especially those who are going to be coming to Ft. Benning through the BRAC process. moving around from base-to-base for soldiers can often create for soldiers, obstacles to home ownership... it gives them an opportunity to really be able to invest in the community and build an asset for their family.”

Williams says none of the 483 Columbus residents who have taken part in the Neighborworks assistance program in the last five years have fallen into foreclosure.

Military homebuyers who have utilized the fund, NeighborWorks and Ft. Benning officials will be available for details at a press conference on-post on Friday at 1:30 pm. The event will be held at 7371 Ingersoll Street.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Ft. Benning and the BRAC realignment.

New air service to Columbus

The Eclipse 500 is part of a new airplane category called "very light jets," and carries three passengers at speeds up to 425 mph — faster than the average propeller plane its size. (Wilfredo Lee/AP file)

A regional business air-carrier has just added Columbus to its roster of destinations in Georgia and across the southeast. DayJet bills itself as the world's first per-seat, on-demand jet service.

The carrier currently serves 45 destinations across the southeast, catering to business travelers able to pay premium prices. For example, a hop between just-added destinations, Columbus and Savannah, runs between $300 and $1,000 dollars.

While DayJet is aimed chiefly at Columbus's executive clientèle like AFLAC and Synovus, Georgia Third District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland says the increased flight options will bolster smaller industries, as well:

"With the hassle of airports and major hubs, now, we just think this is going to be the access for a lot of businesses; some of these businesses in outlying areas to have a chance of promoting business and getting people to come to their area, because they'll now have this transportation for people within the business."

Westmoreland, who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the aviation subcommittee says Ft. Benning's planned expansion will also benefit from the increased air traffic.

The training post is expected to see over 30,000 troops and dependents moving to the area over the next three years, as part of the Army's base relocation project:

"With the expansion of Ft. Benning, and all the things that Ft. Benning is doing, and the armor division coming down, and the new infantry museum... we just think that there needs to be just a little bit better regional service to the Columbus area. I think, right now, Delta has maybe two flights a day."

Westmoreland says DayJet may create a market more attractive to carriers like Delta, Airtran or Southwest.

A company spokesman says they'll be announcing other Georgia destinations in coming weeks.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of transportation issues.

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.

Army seen backing Ft. Benning armor center eco-study

An environmental study on constructing armor school facilities at Ft. Benning, that would bring a major influx of military personnel to the area has been released to the public.

The study, part of the military's Base Realignment and Closure Commission's recommendations include relocating the Army's armor center, currently based at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

An estimated 30,000 troops and family, civilian employees and contractors would be relocated to the Columbus area.

Linda Veenstra, environmental counsel for Ft. Benning's Judge Advocate's office says that while the project would cause some negative impact, the army was taking steps to limit the damage.

“We've tried to avoid areas that we know have important resources on them, whether it be federally listed species or wetlands, or historic properties such as archaeological sites.”

Construction could start late this summer, pending army approval, base commander Maj. Gen. Walt Wojdakowski told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

The Department of the Army, however, has yet to officially approve the Environmental Impact Statement document.

A public discussion on the study is set for May 10 at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, and copies are available at several local libraries and online.

Feds detain illegal workers at Nat'l Infantry Museum

National Infantry Museum, under construction in June, 2007.
(Dave Bender)

Federal law-enforcement officials arrested 30 undocumented workers at Columbus's National Infantry Museum, under construction adjacent to Ft. Benning earlier this week.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained the construction workers at the site on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Agents caught two who tried to flee.

Museum spokesperson Cyndy Cerbin says the workers were not on the base itself:

“The National Infantry Museum is being built on property owned by the National Infantry Foundation, and it is not federal property – part of Ft. Benning.”

Ft. Benning's Public Affairs Office refused to comment on the case, and directed all inquires to Batson-Cook, general contractors for the museum.

Eddie Sanders, site project manager for Batson-Cook, says his company is cooperating with federal authorities on the case. Sanders says the workers were employed by subcontractors "to perform various trades on the project," and not by Batson-Cook:

"Batson-Cook files all federal, state and local laws, as well as our subcontractors regarding hiring practices."

Sanders says the workers "are innocent until proven guilty," and were not on Ft. Benning property at any time. He declined to name the subcontractors, only saying that, "Since they [ICE] are conducting an investigation, we would not be able to release that information at this time."

Project Executive Paul Meadows told the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper that those arrested worked as masons, fireproofing, and metal stud tradesmen and included local and out-of-town subcontractors.

Referring to the subcontractors, Sanders said, "There are several contractors we work with frequently," adding, "...they abide by the federal, state and local laws and regulations."

Sanders said that the number of workers, including subcontractors and employees on-site averaged "from 75 to 90 -- right around there. It kind of fluctuates from day-to-day."

Richard Rocha, a spokesman for ICE says the detainees are mostly from Mexico:

“Most of the people apprehended on Tuesday are from Mexico. There are 27 from Mexico, three from Guatemala, Those individuals will be processed throught the immigration court system...”

Seven of them were arraigned today, several on charges that included illegal re-entry, misuse of a social security number, and fraudulent use of an alien registration card, according to US Georgia Middle District attorney Max Wood in Macon.

The detainees were taken to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, and will face deportation hearings in coming days.

The museum is set to open next year.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the National Infantry Museum.

Click here for GPB coverage of immigrant affairs.

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.

Ft. Benning: cutting water usage

Water level at Upatoi Creek, Ft. Benning. (Nat'l Weather Service)

Ft. Benning officials say the post, which uses an estimated six million gallons of water daily, is taking steps to slash that use, in light of the statewide, 10-percent cutback ordinance.

The post, which has an on-site water purification plant, is working with Columbus Water Works officials to adjust its usage, according to Garrison Commander, Col. Keith Lovejoy:

"We are in close coordination with Columbus Water Works to mirror exactly what the local community is doing to conserve resources -- no watering of lawns, no washing of cars. We are also looking at other measures to conserve water at our commercial operations."

In related news, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Lake Lanier, expects the lake will be nearly 21 feet below full by December 7th. That will be its lowest point since the lake was built in the 1950s.

Meanwhile, however, Georgia is withdrawing its lawsuit against the Corps over how the group releases water from Georgia reservoirs.

Click here to read more on that and other GPB News drought coverage.

(With The Associated Press)

Iraqi man, family start new life in Columbus

Maj. Britton Yount, Iraqi interpreter Ammar Mahdi Hadi at Ft. Benning. (Courtesy of The Bayonet/Bridgett Siter)

An Iraqi interpreter who worked hand-in-hand with a Ft. Benning-based US Army major and coalition forces throughout Iraq, is now making a new home in Columbus, together with his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

29-year-old Ammar Mahdi Hadi, in his three years working as an interpreter, says he saw 20 friends and colleagues killed for such duty:

"People were starting to get suspicious. If they recognize I love Americans, we would not be safe," he said. "I want better for my daughter. I wish for her that she does not live in that bloody world."

Major James Yount worked closely with Hadi, who fled Iraq several weeks ago with his family, according to a just-released report in the post newspaper, The Bayonet.

Hadi is now employed as a construction worker at Ft. Benning. He, his wife and baby girl are learning the sights, sounds, and tastes of a new life in America.

'Warfighters' gather at Ft. Benning

Ft. Benning: honor guard at Airborne Walk, with jump towers in background. (Dave Bender)

Fort Benning gears up to host the annual Infantry Warfighting Conference this Tuesday through Thursday. Top Army brass will be in attendance, as well as a bevy of military guests.

A Columbus resident, who is recognized in the Ranger Hall of Fame, will receive an award. Post commander Maj. Gen. Walt Wojdakowski is slated to deliver an address on the "State of the Infantry."

Other senior and field commanders are set to discuss, inter alia, the coming BRAC realignment project, and their experiences in combat with renovated, "modular" force deployments. Over a hundred distributors and organizations will display their wares during the event.

Click here for more on the conference. Click here for more GPB News coverage and features about Ft. Benning.

Cindy Sheehan, counter-protesters face-off at Ft. Benning

Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and a small group of supporters demonstrated against the US military outside of Ft. Benning's main gate midmorning Saturday.

Sheehan, speaking before reporters, termed the army post, “a cancer on our country,” and called for impeaching President George W. Bush.

Police stood between Sheehan's group and a similar-sized group of protesters, who rallied in support of American troops. There were no reports of disturbances, or violence between the two.

Sheehan's entourage was on a bus-tour headed towards Washington, DC, when they made the brief stopover. One protester from her group was seen arguing with a police officer over whether the group required a permit for the demonstration.

Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed in action in Iraq in 2004.

Meanwhile, another small group held a vigil in support of US troops near the government center in downtown Columbus.

World War II veteran Jim Rhodes, who led that protest, told the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper, "I just thought we ought to have a turnout here in Columbus on the other side of this thing, showing our support for these men and women who train and everything here in Columbus, Ga., at Fort Benning, and go to Iraq."

Kucinich calls for closing Ft. Benning school

Kucinich addressing the rally. (Dave Bender)

Ohio Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told protesters outside the gates of Fort Benning, today that, if elected, he would close an on-post school that trains Latin American military personnel.

"Today I'm here in solidarity with people from all over the world, who are, who are demanding... that America take a new direction."

Opponents of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation – once known as the School of the Americas - charge that it trains personnel that have been involved in killings and human rights abuses in their home countries.

SOA founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois (blue shirt), and Kucinich comfort a Guatemalan woman, Adriana Bartow and her daughter, Sarina Carrillo sobbing against the fence. 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)

The weekend-long event, organized by the School of the Americas Watch, culminated with Sunday's march, a mock funeral procession, and a mass "die-in," along the post perimeter fence.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren said that Ft. Benning military police detained 10 protesters for trying to infiltrate onto the post. They were caught climbing over the perimeter fence at two locations, both of which were near the construction site of the National Infantry Museum on Lumpkin Road, Boren said.

Two protesters demonstrate "waterboarding," a controversial interrogation technique, opponents consider a form of torture. The willing subject of this simulation was unrestrained, and emerged unharmed from the brief exhibition. (Dave Bender)

Local officials said that on Saturday a similar number of residents and soldiers attended a day-long counter-rally downtown, calling it God Bless Fort Benning (GBFB), in a show of support for the infantry training facility.

Columbus Mayor Jim Weatherington who took an active part in the previous day's activities at GBFB, commented on the SOA Watch rally, saying:

"...We don't support it, but it's our job to make sure that folks can demonstrate -- but they can demonstrate peacefully."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the SOA Watch protest.

Ft. Benning SOA protesters sentenced

SOA Watch founder, Reverend Fr. Roy Bourgeois, talks with members and defendants outside of Columbus District Court after the sentencing. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Demonstrators who illegally trespassed on the Fort Benning Army base during a protest were sentenced today in Columbus District Court.

This past November, eleven men and women protested at the School of the Americas Watch. Thousands of protesters annually demonstrate against the training school, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.


Baghuan after sentencing. (Photo: Dave Bender)

U.S. Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth gave 33-year-old Ozone Baghuan of Duluth, Minnesota a three-month sentence, but did fine him:

“This is my second offense and I'm very happy with my sentence.”
Interviewer: When are you going to start serving your sentence?
“I asked for self-report, and hopefully in the spring, once the Bureau of Prisons have made a bed for me.”

Faircloth handed down the group members - whose ages ranged from the 20s to the 70s - sentences including upwards of 90-days prison terms, and fines reaching $500 dollars.

SOA Watch Founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who was at the hearings, say the accused were proud of their deeds:

“You know, they embrace this. I mean, they're not trying to look for a loophole, they know the implications when the cross the line onto Fort Benning.”

Bourgeois says the protesters are following their conscience:

“True, they're breaking a law of Ft. Benning; a law of the state – but – like the Dr. Martin Luther King said, they're trying to follow a higher law.”

SOA Watch says the facility, located on the base, trains Latin American security forces in torture techniques – an allegation the school vehemently denies.


Rials during a tour of the facility, Nov., 2007. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Lee Rials, spokesman for WHINSEC said the facility's doors and classes were open to any visitor. Commenting on the sentencing, he said:

“Visitors are welcome to come see what we are and what we do before making such a life-changing decision.”

Military personnel at a training session at WHINSEC. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of WHINSEC, and SOA Watch.

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)

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

SOA Watch revving up for weekend protests

Fr. Bourgeois unpacking posters and protest material at his apartment outside Ft. Benning in preparation for upcoming demonstrations. (Dave Bender)

The SOA Watch group is gearing up for their annual demonstrations outside of Ft. Benning, and they are planning big.

Father Roy Bourgeois, who founded the organization in 1990, says they're expecting 20,000 supporters to flood Columbus this weekend:

“We are gathering here in peace. We are gathering here to speak for countless brothers and sisters in Latin America who have been the victims of this school and the violence - the graduates - who have returned to their home countries, especially in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and many other countries – Columbia, where most of them are coming from today.”

The movement wants the federal government to close down the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation – once known as the School of the Americas – which is located at the army post.

Fr. Bourgeois holding a list of WHINSEC students, with names blacked-out for security reasons, according to the school. (Dave Bender)

Bourgeois says the school is training military and law-enforcement groups that are culpable of human rights abuses in their home countries.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about Ft. Benning.

Columbus soldier killed in Iraq

Sgt. Darren Dhanoolal. (Photo: Kynesha Dhanoolal)

Sgt. Darren Dhanoolal, of Columbus was killed on Monday in the Baghdad area when a roadside bomb exploded by an armored vehicle he was driving.

The Army has not yet released an official statement of Dhanoolal's death, although his family has been notified.

Dhanoolal and his wife were last together during Christmas, and was due back in the States in several weeks, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

His body was flown back to the States on Wednesday, and funeral arrangements are being made.

Dhanoolal was 26-year-old.

Ft. Benning officials say 74 of their soldiers have been killed since their first deployment to Iraq five years ago, and 25 from Dhanoolal's brigade since last March.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of events at Ft. Benning and other military installations in Georgia.

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."

Click here for more GPB coverage about Ft. Benning.

Ft. Benning vets top U.S. Border Patrol 'get list'

The U.S. Border patrol will hold a job fair in Columbus on Friday and Saturday.

A 10-member team will be signing up potential recruits at The Columbus Convention & Trade Center from 9 nine am to five pm.

Agency officials say military vets from nearby Ft. Benning are at the top of their recruiting lists, according to a report in the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

The event is part of a hiring drive at several US bases, aimed at attracting military personnel. Discharged vets have the background and job skills the agency wants.

On Tuesday, President George Bush visited the organization's training facility at Glynco, GA and met with officers and recruits.

After training, agents will be stationed along the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California borders with Mexico. They will also take an intensive, Spanish-language course.

The agency wants to add 6,000 personnel to its staff, and hopes to field a total force of 20,000 by the end of 2008.

Click here for more information.

Ft. Benning: one wounded in shooting

A man was wounded in a shooting at Ft. Benning on Monday, May 14. The 19-year-old was shot by a 22-year-old man, according to the FBI.

Public Affairs Office Spokesperson Elsie Jackson told GPB News that the victim's injuries were "not life threatening." The victim is in stable condition at a Columbus Hospital.

The gunman turned himself in to the Columbus Police, and is being charged with assault with intent to commit murder.

Ft. Benning: more water for BRAC

Secondary settling basin at one of the post's three aging water-treatment plants. (Dave Bender)

Fort Benning near Columbus today inaugurated an upgraded, higher-flow water treatment system, fed from the Chattahoochee River. But officials say the post's use won't affect the river's drought-strained water levels upstream.

The step is part of an upgrade for the post's three aging water treatment facilities, which had previously only drawn water from the nearby Upatoi Creek.

Army officials say they expect a sharp increase in usage in coming years: 30,000 troops and their families that will join their ranks, as an entire armor school from Fort Knox transfers here as part of the nationwide Base Realignment and Closure program (BRAC).

Post garrison Commander Colonel Keith Lovejoy is responsible for coordinating the project with state and local agencies.

Lovejoy says he doesn't foresee future water usage conflicts with the Army Corps of Engineers, and says they are planning their water usage together:

“They are controlling all of our growth here. they're the ones that are issuing the contracts here; they're the ones making sure the pipes are right, they're making sure that we have enough water.”

Lovejoy adds that all of the agencies dealing with the issue, meet regularly to ensure the 184,000 acre training base has enough water for the nearly 110,000 troops that pass through it's gates annually:

“...As a matter of fact, once a month we get everybody together: the Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Columbus Water Works, Flint Electricity; just put everybody together in the same room to make sure that the impact, and what everybody's doing to everybody else is working.”

Dr. Carol Couch of the Environmental Protection Division says the post's water needs won't significantly affect the Chattahoochee's water levels.

Couch says the area has six-to-10 times the water flow of upstream communities in the Atlanta area. She says state meteorologists see the drought continuing this summer, and is encouraging Georgia's residents make conserving water a regular part of their life:

“Conserving ought to be something we do every day, and adapting and modifying how we use water. and it isn't really a radical change in lifestyle; it's just something that ought to be as natural as – for most people today – clipping a seat belt together.”

Columbus Water Works officials say the city purifies and returns about 90 percent of the water it uses to the river, and don't foresee the post's expected usage to be a problem.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of events at Fort Benning, and the effects of the expected BRAC move to the area.

2008 State budget earmarks $21M for Columbus projects

Two Columbus projects got a serious financial boost when Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the 2008 Georgia budget into law late Wednesday.

Just over $16 million dollars went to Columbus Technical College's health sciences building, and five million was set aside for the National Infantry Museum. The $85 million project is under construction at Ft. Benning.

"We are very lucky that we have $21 million coming to Columbus," said state Rep. Richard Smith, R-Columbus told the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper. "If you look at the numbers, Columbus did quite well."

National Infantry Museum Foundation Executive Director Ben Williams: "[Perdue] knew we were attempting to not only raise money here, but also nationally," adding, "Having the state of Georgia support the project at this level is a wonderful stamp of approval for us."

The museum installed a Bradley Fighting Vehicle among the facilities' steel construction girders in a ceremony on Friday.


Crane hoists vehicle into place
(Dave Bender)