Freakley: 'Opportunity is knocking'
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mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com
The excitement for Fort Knox’s future is evident on the face of its newest commander.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley discussed his concerns for the soldiers he oversees, his aspirations for the post’s future and his impressions of Kentucky hospitality during a meeting on post last week.
Freakley, the first three-star commander to head Fort Knox, brings a wealth of experience to the job. Transitioning as the commander of U.S. Army Accessions Command from Fort Monroe, Va., he now is the leader of the Human Resource Center of Excellence, a gargantuan 883,000-square-foot complex that will employ more than 4,500 military and civilian workers and contractors once it reaches 100 percent capacity next year. It is the largest office building in the state. Freakley projected the facility will be 90 percent full by October.
The post still is under the “big inhale” with roughly 42,000 in population now calling it home, up from 31,000 in 2008. Likewise, Freakley said changes at Fort Knox are not only changing the mission of the post but also changing the look and financial makeup, estimating a $40 to $45 million increase in payroll with the realignment.
At the same time, outside the gates, housing has trended upward and commercial development and retail is showing signs of new life.
But most change brings with it concerns, and Freakley said his primary concern is the well being of the men and women he commands. The housing market has been flooded, and as a result, many soldiers are forced to move elsewhere, he said, as far as Bardstown, Leitchfield, Louisville and southern Indiana.
For these, the lengthy commute and long days of work on post can cause wear and tear quickly.
“From a safety standpoint, I want them closer,” he said during a luncheon with The News-Enterprise editorial board. Likewise, some soldiers are coming to the Fort Knox area alone, leaving their families behind to fulfill their duties because of the difficulties in finding suitable housing.
“Now we have a soldier who is basically on another deployment,” he said of the situation.
On-post housing is unable to provide much help, with a waiting list of 700 families now formed. By 2014, Freakley said the post expects to have 2,527 homes with the construction of 850 new homes and the renovation of more than 1,300 others.
But he said the Army wants to maintain roughly 70 percent of its work force off post. Doing so, he said, provides a healthy ratio because the military needs to become woven into the fabric of a local community, providing stability for the soldier and his family and ensuring the community is invested in the military’s mission. Isolation, he said, is unhealthy.
Freakley also said now is the time for local builders to take risks and embrace the opportunities available with the housing need. He said he has seen communities miss out on such opportunities because they thought they were prepared, adding Louisville is eager to welcome the military families
“It would be a good time to bet on the Army,” he said.
He also said community sensitivity is needed in regards to the upcoming deployment of the 3rd Combat Brigade, 1st Infantry Division to Afghanistan.
Freakley asked for empathy toward those families and preparation from the community and schools alike should the unit see losses.
“They don’t need to be coddled,” Freakley said. “They just need to be understood.”
In these situations, Freakley said, many family members choose to stay planted in the community they’ve adopted during the deployment to provide some stability for their children in the midst of such heartache. When such trying times emerge, the Army actively assists families in the transition, he added.
Freakley already has seen the Hardin County area live up to its reputation as supportive of military families and heard nothing but good news about the amenities and medical care available locally.
But he did note his desire to see ground broken by 2011 on a new hospital on post to better serve the changing demographics. A cost analysis has been conducted and Freakley hopes it can be moved up the Army’s priority list, though he expects work to roll out closer to 2012 or 2013.
Asked how he feels the post will change in five years, he said he believes the post will become stronger as the Army moves toward database unification as a means of better efficiency. He also believes the post will continue to grow. Freakley said the 2005 BRAC law encouraged consolidating additional functions as it proves useful once the realignment is complete in 2011.
And as Armor leaves, Freakley said he believes the George S. Patton Museum will become one of the premier military museums as it tries to focus on telling the oral history of the post and the local people who made Fort Knox possible, moving away from simply showing an artifact, instead tying it into a larger context and making visitors re-live the moment through the lives of others.
“We’re looking to make it a living, breathing oral history,” he said.
