New training complex benefits Airmen, Air Force

  • Published
  • By Mike Joseph
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Public Affairs
12/14/2012 --  JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force ushered in a new era for basic military training with the first new recruit housing facilities opened in 36 years at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland during ceremonies Dec. 7.

The 37th Training Wing opened Airman Training Complex No. 1 and Dining/Classroom Facility No. 1 with a ribbon cutting and re-dedication before a crowd of nearly 300.

The facilities are the first completion of a two-phase, $900 million construction project begun three years ago. The new buildings are mission-specific facilities designed to house, educate, train and feed 1,200 recruits at any given time.

Phase one construction comprises the east campus - ATC No. 1 and DCF No. 1, as well as three other ATCs and another DCF.

The four ATCs and two DCFs of phase one will replace eight Recruit Housing and Training buildings built in the late 1960s and early 1970s that are scattered around Lackland. Each new ATC is a four-story structure with a running track, drill pad, war skills area and each campus has its own utility infrastructure.

"These are great facilities. Our wing, our Air Force and our nation will benefit from their use for decades to come," said Col. Mark Camerer, 37th TRW commander.

ATC No. 2 is scheduled to open in early 2013; ATC No. 3 and DCF No. 2 are targeted for completion in 2014. The east campus fronts Military Highway and is located directly behind the 737th Training Group headquarters building.

The second phase, a duplicate west campus located across from the east complex, is scheduled to begin construction in 2014. An overhead troop walk on Carswell Avenue will connect the two campuses.

A new BMT reception center and parking area under construction is adjacent to group headquarters and the east campus, all part of an overall plan to centralize BMT facilities.

"The planning actually began 10 years ago," said Army Col. Charles Klinge, commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth district, the project manager for the Air Force.

"It has been a very challenging and complex project."

Retired Chief Master Sgt. Robert Gaylor, the fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force, was impressed by the new training facilities.

"I know they cost a lot of money, but it's worth every penny," Gaylor, keynote speaker for the event, told the audience prior to cutting the ribbon.

The first training squadron, the 323rd TRS, moves Dec. 14 into ATC No. 1. In a re-dedication ceremony following the ribbon cutting, the name "Etchberger Training Complex" moves from the 323rd TRS' soon-to-be demolished recruit housing and training complex to ATC No. 1.

The new complex honors Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger, who was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross in 1968 for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing enemy force during the Vietnam War. The award was upgraded in 2010 to the Medal of Honor.

"Education means a lot to us," said Cory Etchberger, a son of the fallen Airman who spoke on behalf of the family. "This facility is the most inspirational thing I've seen in my life. We are especially proud to have our name associated with it."

Tech. Sgt. Justin Cook, 323rd TRS military drill and ceremonies NCO, said the Air Force and trainees will both benefit from efficiencies created by the new complexes.

"With these new buildings, we've got room to train like we need to train," Cook said. "We won't have the transit times like before, and those times will be given back to the military training instructors.

"Because the buildings are mission specific and from the efficiencies created in their design, we are going to have better trained Airmen," Cook said. "They are absolutely worth their weight in gold."