FORT BRAGG, N.C., Aug. 1, 2011 -- The U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command dedicated their new combined headquarters complex during a ceremony here today in honor of General of the Army George C. Marshall, Army chief of staff from 1939 to 1945. As part of the ceremony, the two commands also uncased their command colors.
Upon becoming Army chief of staff in 1939, Marshall established the organizational structure for the Army, which would go on to win the Second World War. A key component of his plan for the Army was the establishment of Army Ground Forces, the predecessor of U.S. Army Forces Command, or FORSCOM. After the war, Winston Churchill called Marshall the organizer of victory.
“Naming the new FORSCOM /USARC headquarters building 'Marshall Hall' exemplifies the Army’s leadership heritage and modern mission providing victorious land forces and Soldiers who are disciplined, properly trained, equipped and well-led, from World War II to today,” said Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, FORSCOM’s acting commanding general.
Fort Bragg’s new Marshall Hall is a state-of-the-art 631,000 square-foot facility designed to provide command and control for the Army of the future. It was turned over to the U.S. Army June 20, 2011, one day ahead of the scheduled contract completion date.
The building dedication ceremony featured a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, followed by the traditional uncasing of FORSCOM and USARC’s command colors, signifying the arrival of each headquarters and the commencement of their operations at this new location.
“As we settle in this new Marshall Hall and continue our mission at Fort Bragg, it is appropriate to reflect on our purpose and rededicate ourselves as professionals as we dedicate this building,” Bromberg told the audience of more than 500 people attending the ceremony.
“During his first year as Army chief of staff, General Marshall said, ‘we’re going to take care of troops first, last and all the time.’ And today the U.S. Army Reserve and Army Forces Command continue that mission.”
The co-host of the event, Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of USARC, added, “There is great symbolism for me and my Soldiers serving around the world that the Army and the nation have provided a headquarters like this because it shows a commitment to 'One Army' by placing the Army Reserve and FORSCOM side by side, working together.”
Both units moved to Fort Bragg to comply with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation. BRAC directed their relocation here and the closure of their former home at Fort McPherson, Ga., not later than Sept. 15, 2011. More than 1,550 FORSCOM and USARC Soldiers and civilian employees have followed with their respective units to work here.
FORSCOM is the Army’s largest command and the generating force provider for combatant commanders worldwide. USARC is the nation’s premier provider of Citizen-Soldiers for planned and emerging missions at home and abroad.
For more about FORSCOM, visit http://www.forscom.army.mil/; for USARC http://www.usar.army.mil/arweb/organization/commandstructure/usarc/pages/default.aspx
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