U.S. Senator Katie Britt Delivers Remarks at Fort Rucker Barracks Ribbon Cutting Completed with $41.2 Million She Secured

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) delivered remarks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Fort Rucker’s new PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Training Complex. Fort Rucker is the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence, and this new facility will serve as housing and support facilities for over 300 Army Aviation Soldiers going through training on the base. In the FY24 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, Senator Britt, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a critical $41.2 million to finish the construction of these barracks. Senator Britt participates in the AIT barracks ribbon cutting on Fort Rucker In her remarks, Senator Britt stated in part, “ The men and women … that serve here are heroes. They deserve the quality of life and experience that their sacrifice put forth … I know that this is going to modernize the living conditions for aviation soldiers in training, and it’s going to provide them with the facilities they have long awaited. Look, this has been a long time coming. I’m grateful to our military leaders and grateful to our communities, and grateful to those who continue to bring attention to this.” … “This year, America celebrates 250 years of freedom as a land of enduring opportunity. We also recently celebrated 251 years of the United States Army … For longer than our nation has existed, American soldiers have answered the call to defend our freedoms, to preserve peace through strength, and to protect our nation.” … “I am grateful for the leadership of President Trump and for our Secretary of War and the men and women sitting in front of us. There has never been a more important time to invest in America’s military and national defense … I remain committed to ensuring that our warfighter is the best trained, equipped, and ready across the planet, and I could not be more grateful to this administration and President Trump and his efforts to rebuild America’s military and strengthen our national defense. “It is an honor to celebrate this ribbon cutting with all of you today … I look forward to seeing our soldiers move into these new barracks and in the next chapter of Army Aviation, maintaining and staying here in the Wiregrass. Thank you for what you do. It is an honor to represent you and work shoulder to shoulder with so many of you here. God Bless our troops. God Bless our Army. God Bless our Army Aviators. And God Bless the United States of America.” Senator Britt grew up just outside of the gates of historic Fort Rucker in Enterprise and has proudly supported construction, training, and operations on the base throughout her time in the Senate. In the FY26 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act , Senator Britt secured an additional $28.4 million in funding for Fort Rucker including construction of flight control towers, a medical evacuation support facility, an aircraft maintenance hangar, and more. In total, Senator Britt has directly secured $86.55 million for Fort Rucker. Background: PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Training Complex is Fort Rucker’s first new barracks since 1998 and will modernize living conditions for Army Aviation Soldiers in training. Previously, Soldiers experienced failed sanitary sewer infrastructure, electrical hazards, gas leaks, HVAC failures, mold mitigation, fire protection systems, and more. In FY19, this project because the base’s top Military Construction, Army (MCA) priority. Soldiers will be expected to move in later this fall. With the oversight of the Mobile District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, around 760 contract personnel were employed in the creation of this state-of-the-art facility. The complex will house around 320 Soldiers and hold integrated command centers. Army PFC Garfield M. Langhorn, whom the Barracks is named after, was a Vietnam War hero and Medal of Honor recipient inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. He was killed when he threw himself on a grenade, protecting the lives of his fellow soldiers. Born in New York, he was just 20 years old when he died. President Nixon posthumously awarded his family the Medal of Honor in 1970. ###