It was more than five years ago that the federal government unveiled plans to relocate the U.S. Army Armor School and Center to Fort Benning, launching an expansion not seen at the post since the buildup to the Vietnam War.
And it’s taken time to put the pieces in place for the moment when a small city of soldiers and civilians arrive from Fort Knox, Ky., and other installations around the world to staff an infantry/armor-blended organization called the Maneuver Center of Excellence.
Gary Jones, the military affairs executive with the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, understands the frustration that some in the local community felt -- housing developers and businesses in particular -- when soldiers didn’t start rolling in just after the Army’s November 2005 Base Realignment and Closure announcement.
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