Between 1977 and 1983, 17 VOLAR Barracks were built in Fort Campbell — meant to house what was once a volunteer army.
No major updates on the property, however, had come since the early 1990s.
That changed in 2021, when Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn used federal sway to bring comfort and care to the 101st Airborne Division’s readied units.
Tuesday morning, both were present on the installation — as officials cut the ribbon on the first movement of a $200 million project renovating of every such domicile, which should be completed by 2026.
McConnell called the efforts “long overdue,” and the previous barracks “simply unacceptable,” and that the thought of replacing them — in theory — should have been easy.
Instead, he noted a rip-down and reconstruction of the properties would have delayed housing issues by at least a decade.
Blackburn, meanwhile, joined McConnell in saying more monies are on the way for Fort Campbell, including cash earmarked for additional Chinook helicopters.
She also said it was special to see four senators — two from Kentucky, two from Tennessee — and two congressmen, Kentucky’s James Comer and Tennessee’s Mark Green, work toward the betterment of Fort Campbell, which has 15% of its installation and post office in the Bluegrass State, and 85% of its property in the Volunteer State.
Comer said both Blackburn and Green have quaintly reminded him of which state owns what, but regardless, Americans know what Fort Campbell is.
No stranger to military service, Green came to Tennessee as an Army special operations flight surgeon assigned to the 160th Special Ops Aviation Regiment. From 1987–1990, he served as a rifle platoon leader, scout platoon leader, and battalion personnel officer in the 194th Separate Armor Brigade, and from 1990–1992 he worked as a supply officer and an airborne rifle company commander in the famed 82nd Airborne Division.
After winning the election, he said an important campus tour with former 101st Airborne Division Commander Major General Brian Edward Winski changed the trajectory of project timelines.
Matthew Brackett, acting director of Fort Campbell’s Department of Public Works, said the overhaul — among many changes — turned a footprint of four bedrooms and two shared bathrooms into suites with separate bathrooms and a common area and kitchen.
Brackett also confirmed that motor pools and company operations facilities could be future planning requests for quality-of-life improvements on the installation.
