FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Nov. 21, 2018) -- What was once a motor pool called "Bay 70" is now a shrine to two Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
More than that, the Ligons-Allton Fitness Center will serve to keep the students and cadre of the 428th Field Artillery (FA) Brigade and the 30th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade "Army Strong."
Located in the southwest corner of Summerall Hall, Building 840 on Geronimo Road, the fitness center has Alpha Warrior Rigs similar to those in Goldner Fitness Center, except that the fluorescent green uprights are mounted on what were previously warming stalls. Mechanics used these when they revved up the motor of a vehicle to see how it was running. Look closely, and you can see the wall still has cylindrical openings to vent the exhaust.
The center is already in use, as evidenced by two photo collages of young lieutenants working out on the functional fitness equipment. But it's a work in progress. Lt. Col. Terry Hilt, commander of 1st Battalion, 30th FA, said Maj. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, commanding general of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, has devoted $1.3 million to a complete upgrade of the facility.
When the dust clears, the Ligons-Allton Fitness Center will look like all the other high-class gyms across post, with drop-down ceilings, LED lights, sealed-up doors and a dedicated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, Hilt said.
The fitness center bears the names of two brave men who died 37 years apart, in two very different wars fought in different parts of Asia.
1st Lt. Daryl Lee Ligons was born to Dazettia Ligons Nov. 11, 1944, in Los Angeles. He joined the Army Reserve and completed Field Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill in 1966. He served briefly as a training activities coordinator (TAC) officer at Officer Candidate School (OCS) before deploying to Vietnam in 1967.
Although he was a brand-new officer himself, Ligons had the reputation of being a very strict TAC officer, demanding the best from the officer candidates he was training.
Assigned to 1-30th FA and serving with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, he was just months into his deployment in the Binh Dinh Province of South Vietnam when the rear rotor broke loose from the CH-47 helicopter in which he was riding. The lieutenant was one of eight Soldiers who perished in the crash. His mother received the tragic news of her son's death on Christmas Day 1967.
Ligons was part of the first 155mm airmobile-capable battalion deployed to Vietnam. He was only 23 when he died; he would have been 74 this past Veterans Day. His mother received the Bronze Star on his behalf in 1968.
Capt. Eric Lewis Allton was born to Laurette and Harry Allton on April 15, 1970, in Alton, Ill. His stepfather, Dan Dennis, himself an active-duty serviceman, helped raise Allton from childhood.
When Allton was young, his family moved to Houston, where he completed middle and high school.
Allton was an active member of his community, participating in the Royal Ambassadors, Indian Guides, and Cub Scouts and mentoring children at his local church. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland. In 1994 he enlisted in the Army.
Allton spent five years in Germany working in military intelligence and rose to the rank of staff sergeant. There, he met his wife, Christina. They married Aug. 11, 2001.
He attended and completed OCS, branching Field Artillery. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 17th FA, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. During a 2004 deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the captain was struck by mortar fire in Ramadi, Iraq.
"I was about 7 or 8 years old," recalled his son, Hunter Allton of Dallas, who attended the dedication ceremony Nov. 16 with his mother, Christian Allton of Meridian, Idaho.
They enjoyed good times together: "A lot of pizza, a lot of ice cream. Mint chocolate chip was the biggest thing."
"Oh, my God, yes," Christina Allton agreed.
"She got sick of it. We didn't ... Let's see. A lot of running."
"Swimming," his mother prompted him.
"Rockets. Bottle rockets, model rockets, everything rockets," said Hunter, noting that his father trained both him and his older brother Harrison to observe everything each time they walk into a room.
"Eric tried to spend as much time as possible with his children doing a lot of fun things with them," Christina Allton said.
The ceremony awakened many feelings and emotions from that time, the mother and son agreed.
"That will never go away. But we're both proud," Hunter Allton said.
"And very grateful," added his mom. "I know Eric would have appreciated it a lot, to be remembered like this. He was very much into fitness and loved running and exercising. So I know this would be something he would enjoy, being able to give a place for Soldiers to work out and get trained up, so they're ready for whatever they might be called upon to do "I know Eric came here for training when he became an officer, and so it's almost like he's able to give back for his training and everything to the military, because he really did love the military very, very much. And loved serving his country, protecting not just our rights but trying to give those same rights and freedoms to other people.
"And so I think this was a great way for him to give back, from beyond, and help train future Soldiers, because he cared very much about taking care of the Soldiers underneath him."
Retired Col. Ted Janosko, president of the 30th FA Regiment, said at the ceremony, "As I look around this facility, I would have loved to use something like this when I was here at Fort Sill preparing for Ranger School some 43 years ago. The Army has definitely changed from the daily dozen, the airborne shuffle, and the five-event PT test "The emphasis on cross-fit and military occupational specialty-specific training by both the Army and the commanding general, Maj. Gen. Shoffner, is great. I am sure that the BOLC (Basic Officer Leader Course) and CCC (Captains Career Course) students will enjoy this facility for years to come, especially after they complete the renovation."
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