More Stimulus Money Coming to Georgia

Millions in additional stimulus dollars are heading to Georgia. The Department of defense received close to 6-billion dollars to fund construction projects here at homes as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Georgia's military bases will share in close to 130-million dollars of that money.

The money is separate from the stimulus funds the state is getting. Bert Brantley is with Governor Sonny Perdue's office. He says the money will flow directly to federal installations.

"Those funds will obviously be spent in the economy. They will improve federal buildings. They will go to improving the way the efficiency of some of those buildings, some energy projects, and be spent on defense projects as well, which is good for our economy."

Many of the projects are focused on making the military more energy independent. DOD construction planned in Georgia includes a 10-million dollar barracks renovation at Ft. Benning, 14-million for a new utility building at Ft. Gordon, and a 4-million dollar runway at Robins Air Force Base.

Ft. Benning soldier back in court

Coming up next week, Georgia's state Supreme Court will hear several high profile cases, including that of a Fort Benning soldier, charged with killing one of his army buddies. The court will hear the case of Alberto Martinez, charged with killing Richard Davis in 2003. He's one of two sentenced to life in prison for Davis' murder. The two soldiers were among a group from Fort Benning, enjoying a night out, after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. Sometime during the evening, things went wrong and Davis' friends began beating him. The group moved to a wooded area where the fighting continued. And, that's where witnesses say Alberto Martinez stabbed Davis thirty-three times. Now, Martinez wants the state supreme court to consider that his court appointed lawyers failed to include psychological evidence of post traumatic stress disorder. Attorneys for the state argue that Martinez's lawyers chose to accuse someone else of the murder rather than call their own expert. Georgia law however, does not yet allow expert testimony to establish a defense of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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.

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.

Trees for Troops Makes Delivery to Ft. Benning

ROTC students from Jackson High School load Christmas trees donated to the national Trees for Troops program by Georgia growers in 2006. (Georgia Farm Bureau)

The Trees for Troops program, sponsored by the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx Corp., stopped at Ft. Benning on Monday, to deliver some 700 Christmas Trees to troops and military families.

The program is a part of a nationwide organization that provides transportation and logistical assistance for community and non-profit organizations, according to a statement by the company.

This year, more than 11,000 trees from 27 states are expected to be delivered to 25 military bases in the United States and overseas. In 2005, the program delivered more than 4,300 trees to bases across the United States.

Click here for more GPB News about Ft. Benning.

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.

Ft. Benning already serving the turkey

Ft. Benning plans to serve festive Thanksgiving Day meals to some soldiers a day early, on Wednesday.

Troops and officers of the 11th Engineer Battalion will enjoy a meal with all the fixins', so -- as in years past -- the staff at one facility can spend the holiday off with their families.

The lunch will also include the tradition of officers in dress uniform serving the troops, according to a statement released by the post.

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.

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.

State study grants for Ft. Benning soldiers' spouses

The $2,296,638 Heroes at Home DOL/DOD Military Spouse initiative fund offers spouses of active duty military personnel at Fort Benning $6,000 over a two-year period.

The money is to enable them to complete post-secondary education at two-year community and technical colleges statewide.

“I applaud the strength shown by military spouses in times of war and peace,” Governor Sonny Perdue said of the program. “It is my hope that we are able to show our true appreciation for these heroes at home by aiding them in the advancement of their education and their careers,” Perdue said, according to a statement released by the Govenor's Office Wednesday.

Some 2,400 spouses at Ft. Benning are expected to be eligible for these grants.

More information on the program is available here and here.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Ft. Benning, and military affairs.

Congress okays $6M for Nat'l Infantry Museum

Officials attend installation ceremony of armored vehicle
at National Infantry Museum, June, 2007. (Dave Bender).

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to include $6 million for construction of a "Soldier Center" as part of the National Infantry Museum, currently under construction next to Ft. Benning in Columbus.

The funds will appear in the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill, officials with the museum's backers, the National Infantry Foundation (NIF), say. The facility is expected to open next year.

After a final vote by House and Senate, the appropriation then goes to President Bush for his approval, according to Second Congressional District representative Sanford Bishop (D). Bishop is a supporter of the project.

NIF President Jerry White said in a statement released on Wednesday,

"Together with the $5 million provided through Congressman Bishop’s work last year for the parade field component of the project, today’s conference committee action represents a very powerful vote of confidence by Congress in support of this long overdue tribute to Infantrymen."

NIF spokesperson Cyndy Cerbin says of the $86 million project:

"If the federal money is approved... we will have raised about $76 million to date."

Work crews set donated Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle, that saw
action in Iraq into display position at museum. (Dave Bender)

The project includes a 185,000-foot museum, a seven-acre parade field, a memorial walk of honor, an "authentic World War II Company Street," and a 3-D IMAX Theatre.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about the museum.

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)

Iraq: 3 Ft. Benning soldiers die in combat

The Department of Defense on Friday announced the death of three Ft. Benning soldiers in fighting in Iraq.

They died on October 30 of wounds sustained in combat in Salman Pak, when enemy forces engaged their unit with small arms fire and an improvised explosive device, according to the statement.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

They are:

• Sgt. Daniel L. McCall, 24, of Pace, Fla. He died in Baghdad.
• Pfc. Rush M. Jenkins, 22, of Clarksville, Tenn. He died in Salman Pak.
• Pvt. Cody M. Carver, 19, of Haskell, Okla. He died in Salman Pak.

McCall was born in Pace, Fla. on Nov. 25, 1982. He was awarded two Army Commendation Medals; a Good Conduct Medal; a National Defense Service Medal; an Iraqi Campaign Medal; a Global War on Terrorism Medal; a Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; an Army Service Ribbon and a Combat Infantryman Badge.

Jenkins was born in Clarksville, Tenn. on Oct. 30, 1985. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Iraqi Campaign Medal and a Combat Infantryman Badge.

Carver was born in Haskell, Okla. on June 23, 1988. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and an Iraqi Campaign Medal.

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.

Army pledges $1.4 billion to families

The Army is pledging 1.4 billion dollars to support and aid soldiers' families, in a ceremony to be held at Ft. Benning on Wednesday.

Calling it an “Army Family Covenant,” the assistance will be used to bolster free child-care hours for spouses of deployed soldiers, offer free youth sports programs, build new on-post child-care centers, barracks and other facilities.

Senior Ft. Benning officials will take part in the ceremony, along with post garrison commander, Col. Keith Lovejoy. Lovejoy says of the program:

"...we’re putting money toward programs that will truly impact families, because the Army now recognizes, now fully understands that this is an overall readiness issue. The Army understands the impact the family here has on the mission over there.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey announced the program earlier this month, and said that such ceremonies will be held at other army facilities.

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

I-85 dubbed 'Scenic Byway'

Georgia's interstate highway system. Click on the map for more information. (DOT)

The Georgia Department of Transportation has named I-185 a Scenic Byway, ensuring that billboards and other visual blight will not be allowed along the thoroughfare.

The highway passes through Troup, Harris and Muscogee counties, and ends at Ft. Benning, near Columbus.

GDOT Board member Sam Wellborn says of the move:

“This is a very important event for our entire region, not only will this designation preserve an already prestigious corridor but it will forever prevent billboards and will increase tourism.”

GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl will present a proclamation to Wellborn and Gloria Weston-Smart, Executive Director of Keep Columbus Beautiful Commission, in support of the I-185 Scenic Byway designation, at a ceremony in Atlanta on Thursday. A ceremony will be held Friday morning at a welcome center along exit 12.

The interstate joins seven other similarly-designated state roads, and the group says the title will be listed on state and federal maps.

Clikc here for more GPB News coverage of state transportation and infrastructure issues.

Chattahoochee Valley: BRAC meeting

The third and final round of public meetings to discuss the progress of the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) and its impact on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) will be held in late October and early November in each of the seven participating counties located within a five-mile zone around Fort Benning's perimeter: Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Stewart and Talbot in Georgia and Russell County in Alabama.

This round of meetings will be conducted in an open-house format with numerous maps for residents to view and experts available to answer specific JLUS questions, according to the organizers.

Details of the JLUS visit are here: http://www.thevalleypartnership.com/jlus/.

Click here for more GPB coverage of the BRAC plan, and here, for reports about Ft. Benning.

'Valley of Elah' gunman wants new trial

Lawyers for a former Fort Benning soldier convicted in the murder of a fellow infantryman asked the Georgia Supreme Court today to grant him a new trial.

Mario Navarrete of San Juan, Texas was one of four former soldiers sentenced in the murder of Specialist Richard Davis, who was killed four years ago after a scuffle at a Columbus nightclub. The case attracted national attention and served as inspiration for the film "In The Valley of Elah," a murder mystery that opened last month.

Navarrete and Alberto Martinez were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the death of Davis, a soldier from St. Charles, Missouri who was killed a day after their unit returned from Iraq.

Navarrete's attorneys say their client tried to stop the killing by urging Martinez to put away the knife that dealt the fatal blows. The lawyers contend that Navarrete's attorney during the 2006 trial was ineffective because he was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, which could have resulted in a "lack of concentration and a loss of memory," said Dawson.

(Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Army events and Ft. Benning.

Iraq: Ft. Benning soldier dies in firefight

Dillon (Image courtesy Army Special Operations Command)

A Ft. Benning soldier was killed in Iraq when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Cpl. Benjamin Dillon, 22, died Sunday in northern Iraq, according to a military statement.

Dillon had been assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He enlisted in the Army during his senior year at Southeast High School in Ravenna, Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland.

Dillon was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal. He is survived by his parents Terry and Linda Dillon, and brothers Nicholas and Steven all of Rootstown, Ohio.

Click on the links for more GPB News coverage of events in Iraq and at Ft. Benning.

(With the Associated Press)

Benning Ranger trying for nat'l award

A Ft. Benning Ranger is going up against 26 other troopers in a week-long "Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition," being held at Ft. Lee, Virginia.

4th Ranger Training Battalion Infantryman, St.-Sgt. Blake Simms, of Columbus is among the competitors who must excel in seven different trials. The meet represents 13 major army commands.

The event, which concludes today, includes physical drills, a written exam and essays, marksmanship, and Urban Warfare Orientation courses, according to the army's website.