Warrior Transition Battalion Complex meeting needs of soldiers

TOPIC: Warrior Transition Battalion Complex
OUR VIEW: Our soldiers deserve the best
 

Sherry Brinegar will have a constant reminder in her duties at Fort Knox about the recently unveiled Warrior Transition Battalion Complex on post.

Brinegar is a nurse case manager at the $46 million facility. The complex, which will temporarily house wounded soldiers as they rehabilitate and transition back to active duty or civilian life, is named after her late father.

The Sgt. Maj. William E. Sumner Complex is named after Brinegar’s father, infantryman and logistics leader William E. Sumner. He served in the 1960s at the U.S. Army Armor School at Fort Knox as the chief logistics non-commissioned officer and sergeant major of the Logistics Management Division.

Sumner died in 2005. His military service spanned World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Brinegar said she was overwhelmed at the recent opening. It should be that way for soldiers who return from combat, too. It is the least that can be done to secure a pleasing environment on their road to recovery.

The series of structures consist of three-story barracks, a headquarters building, a dining hall, and a Soldier and Family Assistance Center. The nearly 135,000-square foot barracks has 224 beds.

The Soldier and Family Assistance Center offers, among other things, a day care, computers, classrooms, and resume and tuition assistance. It is a state-of-the-art facility.

The complex is a small slice of a $1.2 billion effort by this country to meet the needs of our fighting men and women by assisting them physically and emotionally.

More than two dozen similar structures across the country are to be constructed.

Soldiers who return and are in need of this type of assistance are a byproduct of the reality of war.

The complex also has closed access to Ireland Army Community Hospital, nestled across the street from it as another added convenience.

As more soldiers return, their needs must be met. This complex is just one way those needs are being met.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise editorial board.