Troop Talk
During my morning run with 1st Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery, Soldiers attending the 88M course had the following questions regarding facilities and growth at Fort Bliss:
Why are they closing down the Metro Club (located downstairs in the Centennial Club on Biggs Army Airfield) early during the NFL football season instead of keeping it open until after the NFL season ends?
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, will be using the entire Metro area for reintegration training from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4. Only the Metro is wired for DirecTV for the games, so we cannot move to another area. As an alternative, the Officers’ Club Down Under Lounge has the same DirecTV setup as the Metro and can be used by all units on post.
Why do we not have an area dedicated to Soldiers attending advanced individual training to watch sports, play pool or for other recreational activities like the BOSS program has?
There is not a dedicated facility for BOSS on the installation. The old BOSS facility was converted to house the USO. AIT Soldiers have been using the bowling center for some time, and we welcome them to continue. As far as establishing a facility for AIT students within their area, we are willing to take this on and explore the feasibility. Funding would be of concern to accomplish this fiscal year, as our budget has already been set. The first step would be to meet with the leadership to determine where the facility would be, identify the types of services that could be provided and determine the cost of going forward. Another concern would be setting in motion all of these resources in light of the move to Fort Sill, Okla.
When will the 88M course move to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.?
The 88M course movement timeline has not been approved, but the transition to Fort Leonard Wood, as scheduled, will begin within the next two years, and should be completed no later than fiscal 2011.
There was discussion about the enormous amount of traffic that will be plaguing Biggs Army Airfield once the 4-1 Cav. Returns, and because of all the construction happening in the area. What actions are being taken to address this influx of traffic?
Texas Department of Transportation construction at the entrance of Biggs Main Gate will be completed by early February 2008. Construction of a six-lane road from the Biggs Water Park along Sergeant Major Boulevard to Long Knife Village and the new brigade combat team complex will near completion, except for median work and lighting, by January 2008. The Founders Road gate is also open to handle the increased traffic from the return of 4-1 Cav. Soldiers and the growth of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, next summer. Also, a new gate will open at the intersection of Global Reach and Walter Jones immediately adjacent to Long Knife Village by August 2008, providing increased access from east El Paso.
What changes in the next eight months will have a big impact on the installation with the increase of troops coming to Fort Bliss?
Over the next year, a number of initiatives will occur in support of the growth at Fort Bliss. Work has already started on a second, permanent brigade combat team facility. Construction will start on a new gym near the Biggs expansion, a dental clinic near the Biggs expansion, combat aviation brigade facilities along the flight line and SSG Simms Road, a major expansion to the AAFES Main Exchange area adding a number of facilities that will create a “Lifestyle Center” on Pleasonton Road, an AAFES Mini-Mall adjacent to Long Knife Village, and continued construction of homes by GMH Military Housing in Aero Vista, Paso del Norte and on south main post.
Maj. Gen. Robert P. Lennox
Fort Bliss Commanding General