Photo By Kendall James | State and city officials joined together during a ceremony held in Blackwell,...... read more read more
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BLACKWELL, Okla. – State and city officials joined together during a ceremony held in Blackwell, Oklahoma, Thursday, for the official transfer of the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s historical armory back to the city, which will now be used for their streets and parks department.
The 19,700 square-foot building, completed in 1938 as part of President Roosevelt’s Works Projects Administration (WPA), was one of 51 Oklahoma armories that were built by the WPA and has played a vital role in the history of the Oklahoma Army National Guard. Part of that history was Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 189th Field Artillery’s departure from the Blackwell armory during World War II, a moment depicted in a famous heritage painting by Mort Kunstler titled, ‘Goodbye Dear, I’ll Be Back In A Year”.
The painting illustrates loved ones bidding farewell to their Soldiers in September of 1940 before deploying for a year. Little did those loved ones and Soldiers know that their one-year deployment would turn into five due to increased tension in the war in Europe, the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and Germany’s declaration of war against the United States on Dec. 11, 1941.
The unit’s time during WWII was spent in North Africa and then landed in Sicily, Italy, as part of General Patton’s Seventh Army. From there, the unit landed on the beaches in Italy at Salerno, where they and their sister battalion, the 158th Field Artillery, were the only troops that stood between the Germans and the sea. Afterwards, Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, who led the German forces against the 45th Infantry Division in Italy, declared the 45th as one of the two finest allied divisions he had ever faced.
The fighting didn’t stop there, however, and the Soldiers of Blackwell continued movement throughout Europe until the War ended. It wasn’t until December of 1945 when the Soldiers finally returned home.
“It is highly appropriate that this armory, with its history and its heritage of service to the community, be returned to the community so it may continue that tradition and that history of service,” said Col. (Ret.) David Brown, director of the 45th Infantry Division Museum, who spoke at the ceremony.
The Blackwell armory was home to thousands of Guardsmen throughout times of war, including WWII and the Korean War.
Though the armory belonged to the Oklahoma Army National Guard, it was also open for civic gatherings, high school basketball games, roller-skating and dances.
With its unique, castle-like features, the Blackwell armory isn’t one that goes unnoticed. On the front of the building hangs an ornamental sign of the legendary Thunderbird patch that will remain in its place, preserving the building’s rich history and celebrating past Oklahoma Guardsmen who served.
“The legacy of the Soldiers who walked in this armory is now written in the history books of the United States and of the world,” Brown said. “For over 75 years, the Citizen-Soldiers from Blackwell have literally made a difference at home and throughout the entire world.”
One of those Guardsmen is Richard Jernigan, who trained at the Blackwell armory during the 1970s and is now a member of Blackwell’s street and parks department. According to Jernigan, walking through the doors each day is special, not only because of the building’s history, but also because of the memories it brings of his time as a Soldier.
Inside those doors lies a large drill hall with a spacious stage located at one end, a rifle and pistol target range underneath the stage with bulletproof side chambers, supply rooms, motor pools and administrative offices upstairs.
For the city’s street and parks department, the move is a drastic improvement.
“The building they were in was half the size of the basketball court here,” said Thomas Outhier, city manager for the City of Blackwell. “Our streets and parks department will use it to house their equipment and different things that they need to maintain our parks and streets.”
The ceremony for the transfer of the Blackwell armory was the last ceremony held for armory transfers within the Oklahoma Army National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2017 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 222745 |
| Location: | BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 337 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Historical Oklahoma Army National Guard armory transfers to city, by Leanna Maschino, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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