2 days ago
New R.I. Air National Guard headquarters in Quonset ‘improves our readiness'
Plans to finally replace the complex moved forward after US Senator Jack Reed
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'We stepped up from an 84-year-old building, which was showing a little wear and tear, to the most modern facility that we have,' Reed said at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Quonset Air National Guard Base in North Kingstown.
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'This building is going to improve professionalism,' the Democratic senator added. 'It's going to inspire, I think, the air men and air women that work here, because they're working in the best facilities.'
The new, 43,000-square-foot headquarters – with offices, medical facilities, and a dining and multi-purpose area – will serve as central command for 143d Airlift Wing, and as an emergency operations center for Rhode Island in the event of a natural disaster or other crisis, according to officials.
The Rhode Island Air National Guard employs approximately 1,100 military and civilian personnel, including pilots, maintenance, operation, and support personnel, officials said.
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Major General Andrew J. Chevalier,
'In an ever-increasing, challenging, strategic environment with an increasing role of the National Guard in both our state and federal missions, it is imperative that we take a long look into the future to ensure that we are ready and equipped to deploy and win when called,' Chevalier said. 'This building is an investment to help us do that.'
From left, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, US Senator Jack Reed, Rhode Island Governor Dan McGee, and Colonel Adam Wiggins, commander of the 143rd Airlift Wing, listen to guest speakers during a ribbon cutting ceremony, Friday.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Dating back to 1915, the 143d Airlift Wing operates a fleet of C-130J Super Hercules, aircraft that is 'capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas,' according to its
During the Global War on Terror, 143d Airlift Wing has provided 'a bridge to and from' combat theaters, the website states.
US Representative Seth Magaziner touted on Friday how the unit was 'famously one of the most deployed to Afghanistan in the entire country.' The 143d is also called upon for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions across the United States and around the world, he said.
'If you all keep showing up for our country and doing your job, we will keep showing up for you,' Magaziner, a Democrat, told service members.
Next week, Magaziner plans to file a bill with US Representative Trent Kelly, a Mississippi Republican, that, if approved, will fix 'a glitch' in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program for members of the National Guard and US Army Reserve, he said.
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Currently, those members can only count time spent on active duty toward qualifying for loan forgiveness – not time spent on temporary assignments and completing other duties, including training, according to Magaziner. The bill, which came from a suggestion by a veteran of the Rhode Island National Guard, would change that, Magaziner said.
'That is one small example of a way that we can take your feedback to make sure that you are given what you are owed and what you have earned,' he told service members on Friday.
Members of the Rhode Island 143rd Airlift Wing listen to guest speakers during a ribbon cutting ceremony, Friday, celebrating the opening of a new, $46 million facility that will serve as a state-of-the-art command center at the Quonset Air National Guard Base.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
