Blue Grass Army Depot dedicates its newly renovated Himes Shooting Range

By Mary MosesMarch 1, 2012

Blue Grass Army Depot Himes Range 1
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From right.) Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong, Kentucky National Guard, and Lois Himes, spouse of the late Sgt. Raymond Himes, cut the ribbon to the newly renovated Himes Shooting Range with Blue Grass Army Depot Commander Col. Brian L. Rogers at th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Blue Grass Army Depot Himes Shooting Range 2
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left.) Blue Grass Army Depot Commander Col. Brian L. Rogers and Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong, Kentucky National Guard, engage in a friendly shooting competition on the newly renovated Himes Shooting Range during the Himes Range Dedication C... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Blue Grass Army Depot Shooting Range 3
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left.) Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) Commander Col. Brian L. Rogers; Troy Wallen, BGAD Military Affairs Office; and Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong, Kentucky National Guard, compare Rogers' and Armstrong's marksmanship after their friendly shoo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Family of Sgt. Raymond Himes
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left) Blue Grass Army Depot Commander Col. Brian L. Rogers and Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong, Kentucky National Guard, stand with family members of the late Sgt. Raymond Himes during the Himes Shooting Range dedication ceremony on Monday, Fe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Blue Grass Army Depot held the dedication ceremony for the newly renovated Himes Shooting Range at Lake Buck Lodge on Monday, February 13. BGAD Commander Col. Brian L. Rogers, Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong, Kentucky National Guard, and Lois R. Himes, widow of Sgt. Raymond Himes, also conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the range during the event.

Himes Range began renovations in July 2011, and will finish renovations in the spring of 2012. The $600,000 renovation of the range will save the depot approximately $200,000 in overtime each year.

"The new Himes Range is an exemplary model of the depot's 'increasing revenue while decreasing costs' mentality," said Rogers.

"In three years the range will pay for itself," Rogers also said.

In the past, the BGAD security workforce traveled to the Department of Criminal Justice Range at Fort Boonesboro, Ky., on government overtime to conduct weapons training. Now security personnel can conduct weapons training right here on the depot.

The newly renovated Himes Shooting Range includes six lanes, 9 mm, for the Military Police Pistol Qualification Course; twelve lanes for the M-16 Rifle Qualification; lanes for 40 mm, less-than-lethal familiarization; and lanes for shotgun, .410 to 12 gage qualifications. In the future, the depot also hopes to have a capability for 7.62mm Sniper Rifle Qualification.

The range is currently open to all active duty military, National Guardsmen, Army Reservists, JROTC and ROTC units, and Department of Defense components.

Armstrong said he was very excited about having a new and convenient location for his Kentucky Soldiers to train.

"We have a lot of Soldiers within a 50-70 mile radius of Blue Grass Army Depot, and having the range here now, and the accommodations that are available…offers them an immense opportunity. It's a training enabler for our Soldiers," said Armstrong.

Armstrong said that the Kentucky National Guard's closest range is 3 or 4 hours away in western Kentucky.

"So this new range is quite a benefit," said Armstrong. "It expands our horizons, allows us to bring Soldiers in here, and actually qualify on those ranges…it's a cost-savings for us, because we can get them here quick, get them qualified on the ranges, and back to their stations.

"You'll see us doing some training here in the near future," he added.

Depot Soldiers, civilians, retirees, and family members of Sgt. Himes all attended the afternoon event.

Himes was a former depot employee who helped renovate the original range back in the 1980s. In 1986, Himes contracted an illness and shortly afterwards passed away. The depot later named Himes Range in his honor.

"Sgt. Himes' efforts on the old renovation were instrumental in bringing us the range we have today," said Rogers. "Himes operated the heavy equipment and helped build the range house…He accomplished something that continues to benefit our depot 26 years later."

Rogers and Armstrong fired the first rounds at the renovated range in a friendly competition. Who won, no one will ever know. The resounding shots of their pistols welcomed a new era of diverse weapons training on the depot.

"The depot security personnel work in all kinds of weather and circumstances to protect and defend our depot, every hour of the day, every day of the year. Himes Shooting Range will once again give our security personnel a great place to train, keeping our depot, and therefore our local communities safe," said Rogers.