By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
FORT RUCKER, Ala.— The United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker will officially open its newest training facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Thursday, July 9, at the PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Training Complex, located at 6041 Dustoff Street on Fort Rucker.
The new facility represents a significant investment in the training of future Soldiers. The more than 90,000-square-foot complex, which has been under construction since April 2024, is designed to accommodate and train more than 300 Soldiers enrolled in Advanced Individual Training, commonly known as AIT.
Advanced Individual Training follows Basic Combat Training and provides Soldiers with the specialized instruction needed for their assigned military occupational specialty. The new complex is expected to enhance Fort Rucker’s ability to prepare Soldiers with the technical skills required for their careers in the U.S. Army.
The facility is named in honor of Pvt. 1st Class Garfield M. Langhorn, a Medal of Honor recipient whose extraordinary courage during the Vietnam War exemplified selfless service and sacrifice.
While serving with the 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade, Langhorn participated in a mission near Plei Djereng to recover the crew of a downed helicopter. After determining the crew had not survived, his unit came under attack by North Vietnamese forces as they withdrew from the area. During the intense firefight, Langhorn sacrificed his own life by throwing himself on an enemy grenade, shielding fellow Soldiers from the explosion. His actions saved several lives, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration for valor.
The dedication of the training complex ensures Langhorn’s legacy of courage and sacrifice will continue to inspire future generations of Soldiers who train at Fort Rucker.
The dedication of the new training facility comes several weeks after the soldier service center was renamed to honor CW4 Michael J. Novosel after the base’s name had changed in recent years. President Joe Biden’s administration changed the name of the base, which previously honored Confederate soldier and Tennessee native Edmund Rucker, to Fort Novosel in 2023. The decision was made to honor a local hero with strong ties to the base and local area.
When President Trump won reelection, however, his administration’s Department of Defense ordered the removal of Novosel’s name and selected Army Captain Edward W. Rucker, who was born in Missouri and served in World War I with his squadron, which was trained and formed in Texas, as the new namesake so the base would once again bear the name Rucker.
Military leaders, guests, and community members are expected to attend the ceremony commemorating both the opening of the new training facility and the enduring legacy of one of the Army’s most heroic Soldiers.
