Kentucky and Tennessee lawmakers joined U.S. Army officers at Fort Campbell on Tuesday as they opened the first in a series of renovated barracks originally built more than 40 years ago at the military base.
Senators Mitch McConnell and Marsha Blackburn and Congressmen James Comer and Mark Green spoke at the ceremony alongside Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia.
Originally built in the late 1970s and the early 1980s for the Volunteer Army, the barracks came into use as the U.S. was transitioning away from using a drafted, or conscripted, army.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader McConnell, of Kentucky, called these “extremely important and dangerous times” for the United States and said it’s important for the nation to have the best military and facilities in the world.
“I’m proud to say that these new and improved barracks meet the mark,” McConnell said. “Indeed, this project and others underway at Fort Campbell are essential to equip the 101st Airborne for its next rendezvous with destiny, one that may prove even more challenging.”