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Army Reserve names new training facility for WWII Soldier

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris
  • 99th Regional Support Command
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. --  Nearly 100 Soldiers, family members, elected officials and community leaders gathered Dec. 13, 2014, to commemorate the grand opening and memorialization of the 1st Lt. Paul A. Doble Army Reserve Center here.

The event was hosted by Maj. Gen. Margaret W. Boor, commanding general of the Army Reserve's 99th Regional Support Command, headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

"Right now, we have 16,000 Army Reserve Soldiers deployed around the world providing life-saving and life-sustaining capabilities for the Army, and it is facilities such as this that prepare these men and women for success," Boor said. "Maintaining a well-trained and well-prepared force is key, because when we are called upon, we must be ready to go and deliver the capabilities when and wherever they are needed."

Also speaking at the event were the New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, Portsmouth Mayor Robert Lister and representatives for U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte and U.S. Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster.

"It is fitting that this facility bears 1st Lt. Doble's name because his courage, dedication and commitment to defending the values we all hold dear exemplify the rich tradition of service in New Hampshire, a tradition that the Reservists who will use this facility will continue to carry on," Hassan said.

The new facility is named for Doble, who served with the Army's 180th Infantry Regiment during World War II and was killed in action in France Sept. 25, 1944, earning a Purple Heart and Silver Star.

This facility replaces the Army Reserve Center in Pease that was built in 1958 and was also named for Doble. When this new facility was under construction, Doble's family completed the process to have the new building named for him as well.

Many of those family members attended the ceremony.

When people say thank you for my service, I'm very humbled because I served in peacetime ... but any of us at any time could be called up" said Kathleen Barry, Doble's niece and four-year Army veteran who swore her oath of enlistment at the Pease facility formerly named for her uncle. "I'm really happy for you all to have this beautiful facility."

The new Army Reserve Center measures just over 20,000 square feet on 6.33 acres and is home to Soldiers of the Army Reserve's 399th Combat Support Hospital and 3rd Legal Operations Detachment. This $6.4 million project was completed by GM2 Associates Inc. and the Army Corps of Engineers as a direct result of the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations made in 2005.

"This facility is a long-term investment for the future," Boor said. "This construction will serve the citizen-Soldiers of Portsmouth for decades to come as they continue to meet worldwide threats to our nation."