REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Nearly 13 years to the day that two 18th century cannons were placed at U.S. Army Security Assistance Command's headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Va., the cannons were reunited with the USASAC headquarters building as part of the command's 50th anniversary celebration at Redstone Arsenal.
The 3.2. caliber smooth bore projectile cannons are of Spanish origin. One was cast in 1792 at Seville, Spain, and the other was cast a year later in Manila, Philippines, then part of Spain's empire. They were employed to protect the harbor at Manila as part of the Spanish Water Battery along the Esplanade. The United States took possession of the weapons in 1901 as part of the Distribution of Guns stemming from the Spanish-American War of 1898.
After USASAC headquarters moved from Alexandria, Va., to Fort Belvoir, Va., in 2001, its then-commander, Maj. Gen. Bruce Scott, sought twin cannons for the concrete pads flanking the front steps of its new building, Flagler Hall. The building's previous cannons had moved with the previous occupants' organization to another building on Belvoir. The 7-ton, 12-foot long cannons that were found for Scott came from Letterkenny Army Depot, Pa., where they had been maintained in an ammunition tank.
On July 22, 2002, the two bronze Spanish field guns were placed at Fort Belvoir's Flagler Hall, where USASAC made its home until 2009, when it began its Base Realignment and Closure 2005-directed move to Redstone.
Flash forward to July 17, 2015, when the guns were placed at Redstone Arsenal's building 4402, in anticipation of the command's 50th anniversary observance that was held on July 21, a day short of 13 years when they were first moved to USASAC headquarters.
"I think having the cannons relocated from Fort Belvoir down to Redstone provides a great symbol of our past 50 years and I think it also represents a transition…to what I hope to be…another 50 years," Robert L. Moore, USASAC's deputy to the commanding general, stated.
Like Scott, USASAC's current commanding general, Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, was the driving force behind the cannons move to USASAC headquarters. Once planning began for the 50th anniversary celebration, McDonald decided to have the cannons moved to Redstone because of the history they represented for the workforce. USASAC's secretary of the general staff, Brenda Hatley, began coordinating with Fort Belvoir and Redstone Arsenal officials earlier this year to have the historical cannons in place in front of the building facing Martin Road, in time for the July observance.
At the 50th anniversary ceremony, McDonald encouraged everyone to go touch the cannons, "I've heard that's good luck!" he joked.
USASAC began its BRAC-directed move to Redstone Arsenal in 2009, and moved into its current facility, which is co-located with its major command, Army Materiel Command, in 2011. While it may have taken more than five years for its headquarters symbol to rejoin USASAC, the wait was well worth it, according to Moore.
"Cannons to me represent strength…so I think that sort of culminates what we have in our motto--'Strength in Cooperation,' and is a reminder to our workforce of our security assistance mission," Moore concluded.
USASAC's completes its first 50 years with its traditional headquarters cannons back in place, and a mission that continues to grow as it now provides materiel and services to more than 145 countries, and more than 5,000 foreign military sales cases worth more than $160 billion.
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