A ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, 23 June 2009,  officially opened the long anticipated new Air Defense Artillery (ADA) School (USAADASCH) campus at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  The ceremony was conducted by the new Chief of ADA and Commandant of USAADASCH, Brigadier General Roger F. Mathews, who just that very morning accepted the transfer of authority from Major General Howard B. Bromberg.

    "Does it get any better than this?" asked General Mathews. "You walk in here and you can feel the energy. I look at this facility, and I couldn't feel more proud. Clearly our students are going to have the finest classroom facilities available," he continued.

    Matted and framed photos of each building were covered with cloths in traditional "Artillery Red," that when lifted revealed  ribbons of the same hue. As each photo was unveiled senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) ceremoniously cut the ribbons designating the buildings "open for business."

    *  The Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C⁴I), Building number 2760, was opened by Sergeant Major (SGM) Scott Wilmot and Staff Sergeant (SSG) Edward Johnson.
    *  The Stinger/Avenger Instructional Facility, Building number 2765, was opened by SSG John Reich and First Sergeant (1SG) Christopher Cook.
    *  The Patriot General Instructional Facility, Building 4100, was opened by SSG Marshall Ewday and Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Thomas Eagan.
    *  The Patriot Maintenance Facility, Building 4101, was opened by SSG Mandrill Demps and 1SG Christopher Moore.
    *  The Advanced Individual Training (AIT) Barracks for Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 14S, Building 2735, was opened by SSG David Wheatley and CSM Lee Handy.
    *  The AIT Barracks for MOS 14J, Building 2740, was opened by SSG Timothy Goodman and CSM Lynwood Lewis.
    *  The AIT Barracks for MOS 14E, Building 2745, was opened by SSG Chris Cooper and CSM Louis Telly.
    *  The AIT Barracks for MOS 14T, Building 2750, was opened by SSG Breland Jones and SGM Jeffrey Smith.

    Following the unveiling and ribbon cutting Colonel Donald G. Fryc, Commander, 6th ADA (School) Brigade, stood at the podium and announced, "I hope you are as excited as I am, because it is a very rare opportunity when we get to see a vision meet reality head on. This whole campus is exactly what they [Soldiers] deserve -- a national statement  that says we [military and government] will pour everything we've got into honoring the commitment they've made to serve!"

    The first class to be offered will be the ADA 20-week Captains Career Course with a student load of 42. Other courses scheduled to start soon are the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (ANCOC), the Basic NCO Course (BNCOC), the Joint Air and Missile Defense Course  and the ADA Fires Coordination Officers Course.