MetroNews
Standard, Kanawha County
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A new military training course in Kanawha County is just the first part of what will eventually be known as Fort West Virginia.
On Monday, officials from Washington, D.C. joined state representatives to help dedicate the Advanced Mobility Training Area which is located at the Center for National Response in Standard.
Prior to their deployments, soldiers from across the United States are now training on the new course which looks a lot like what they will face in Afghanistan.
"We've had soldiers just about from everywhere here training," First Sgt. Charles Withers from Mason County tells MetroNews.
He is part of the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group out of Kenova and helped lead the development of the course which covers more than 20 miles on an active mining site.
"The terrain here is mountainous, just like Eastern Afghanistan so training in the mountains adds a lot to it. The only difference between here and Eastern Afghanistan is we have trees," he said.
The West Virginia National Guard is partnering with Tyler-Morgan Coal Company and Pardee Resources Group on the course which will continue to grow and change in the coming years as military missions warrant.
http://www.wvmetronews.com/