FORT SILL, Okla. -- 2014 was a year of change at Fort Sill as new commanders took the reins of authority for prominent units and new facilities opened here.
Winter
About 200 returning Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery make their grand entrance to a roaring applause Jan. 12 at Rinehart Fitness Center during a welcome home ceremony. The Soldiers served a nine-month tour of duty in Southwest Asia.
Transitioning military personnel and veterans took part in a two-day Career Technical Training workshop Jan. 22-23 by the Veterans Affairs benefits office here. The primary focus was for Soldiers who weren't pursuing traditional college degree programs.
Four food servers from the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation added healthy menu options, part of the Healthy Base Initiative. The four were The Impact Zone, Patriot Club, the Strike Zone in Twin Oaks Bowling Center and Mulligan's at the golf course.
Fort Sill's railroad spur was filled with railcars Jan. 31 carrying M109A6 Paladins and ammo support vehicles from 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, bound for Anniston Army Depot, Ala. The battalion was the first unit to have the Paladins back in 1996, but is scheduled to deactivate this year.
The Fires Center of Excellence received a 98-percent average from Training and Doctrine Command's accreditation process. The rating was one of the highest given in TRADOC and across the Army.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Shannon won the 2013 Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Noncommissioned Officer of the Year title. Other winners were: Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year, Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Everett; Drill Sergeant of the Year, (Sgt. 1st Class) William Schmidt; and Soldier of the Year, Cpl. Jaypee Pardo.
Spring
About 260 family members from as far away as North Dakota and the East Coast visited Fort Sill for Gold Star Family Day, which honored families of Soldiers killed in service to the United States.
Pfc. Jeremy Nedd, a 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery combat medic, saved the life of a Lawton citizen who suffered a car crash where the vehicle flipped and went airborne before slamming to the ground.
The new Central Issue Facility in Bldg. 2120 Randolph Road opened April 7. The new facility included a large seated waiting room with a large-screen TV on the permanent party side, fitting rooms and a huge warehouse. It was later named Code Talker Hall.
The 2014 Fires Seminar opened in early May focusing on the futures for fires missions and battles.
Fort Sill opened its Hall of Remembrance in the Welcome Center during a ceremony May 16. The hall included photos of 153 Soldiers from the region who were killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001.
Unaccompanied children from Central and South America arrived at Fort Sill and were housed in vacant recruit-training barracks. Department of Health and Human Services officials worked with the children to link them with their families.
The $2.5 million Old Cavalry Post Community opened June 4 to serve Soldiers and their families who occupy some 500 Corvias Military Living housing units on the north side of the installation.
With 33,000 combat positions opened to women, a group of leaders met with Soldiers June 18 at Fort Sill to provide support and offer advice on integrating women into those roles.
Summer
Reynolds Army Community Hospital opened its urgent care clinic July 1. Emergency room visits transitioned to medical facilities at either of Lawton's two hospitals.
Tank Automotive Command Fort Sill Fleet Management Expansion won the 2013 Combined Logistics Excellence Award for superior performance of duty in maintenance excellence resulting in improved combat readiness.
Fall
Staff Sgt. Jon King, C Company, 434th Field Artillery Detachment, received the Soldier's Medal Oct. 7 for saving his own life and that of a Basic Combat Training Soldier at the Sgt. 1st Class Tony Burris Hand Grenade Complex. King's lightning fast reaction and calmness under pressure helped him to grab and throw a dropped, live hand grenade beyond the blast protection wall.
The new Industrial Training Center opened at the former RecPlex providing Soldiers leaving the service with another avenue toward training and hiring with national companies.
The installation initiated steps to increase security measures for those accessing post. The change comes as a result of assessments made by Rossi since taking command this summer. It is consistent with expectations from senior Defense Department leaders to bolster access control to installations worldwide.
To better meet the needs of the Fort Sill community, the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (commonly known as SHAR) Resource Center opened at Building 2870 Craig Road.
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