$56 million Warrior Transition Battalion Complex will treat soldiers' severe wounds, speed recovery

FORT BLISS -- Wounded soldiers on this post soon will have a new place to heal -- a place designed with crutches and wheelchairs in mind.

What is now the Warrior Transition Battalion started at Fort Bliss in 2004 as a small unit for wounded National Guard and Reserve soldiers. They lived in temporary buildings on Biggs Army Airfield while recovering from their injuries.

In 2007, soon after Fort Bliss sent a cavalry brigade to fight in Iraq, the unit began taking active-duty soldiers and was moved into revamped 1950s barracks on the main post.

Today, officials will break ground on a $56 million Warrior Transition Battalion Complex that is expected to provide high-quality living quarters for soldiers whose injuries are severe enough to require an extended recovery or intensive treatment. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2010, and the opening is anticipated in early 2011.

"We want to put them in the best possible facilities," said Col. Edward Manning, the post's garrison commander.

It is the first Department of Defense project that will use money allocated by Congress to stimulate the economy, post officials said. Projects considered for that funding had to be "shovel ready," which means the design and other preliminary steps were already completed. Because of the expansion at Fort Bliss, which is going to be the new home for the 1st Armored Division, there were many projects ready to build, Manning said.

The wounded warrior complex "had high visibility and everybody knew that we needed it," Manning said. "But quite frankly, there are a lot of posts that have this need."
The complex includes a two-story administration building, a three-story dormitory and a one-level family support center.

Evaporative coolers will be replaced with refrigerated air conditioning. Halls will be wider, doors will open automatically, and bathrooms will be handicapped accessible, said battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony J. Mathis. An elevator will get soldiers from floor to floor, he said.

"We will have a stronger program because of this facility," Mathis said. "There will be a lot of access for soldiers in wheelchairs and on crutches and such."

Located in what is now an empty field just off Cassidy Road in the middle of the main post, the new complex will be close to the post exchange, the commissary and a gym. Also in the same area are a specialized facility for treating traumatic brain injury and the processing center for National Guard and Reserve soldiers, who still will be served by the battalion.

Workers already are hooking up utilities for the new brain-injury facility, said Col. James Baunchalk, commander of Beaumont Army Medical Center, which will run the new complex. And the Fort Bliss Restoration and Resilience Center, which helps soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is located within walking distance.

"The bottom line is you couldn't pick a better location," Baunchalk said. "Hopefully it will facilitate efficiency in delivering the care."

The capacity of more than 250 soldiers is an increase of about 100 beds over the current facility, Baunchalk said. The brigade now has about 300 soldiers, about half of whom are housed in the facility. Others, depending on their injuries and treatment requirements, are assigned quarters in appropriate places at Fort Bliss or in the community.

The family support center will provide child care, religious and psychological counseling referrals and contact with Army Community Service, which provides a wide array of soldier services.

"It will be a new state-of-the-art facility," Mathis said.

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