SHAW AIR FORCE BASE (WACH, AP) – The Third Army conducts an Uncasing Ceremony Friday at Patton Hall Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. Third Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks is performing the ceremony.
During the ceremony, the unit's flag is unfurled with its battle streamers. The flag's arrival signifies Brooks and his troops are ready to operate from the new location at Shaw Air Force Base.
The Pentagon's 2005 base closure process directed the Third Army to close its headquarters at Fort McPherson in Atlanta and move to Shaw. It puts the command that supports U.S. land forces in the Middle East alongside Ninth Air Force, which is responsible for air forces in the same region.
"While we're slightly different in our arrangement we have the same focus," said General Brooks. "Whether it's supporting the war fighters forward or conducting operations in a forward theater."
The 3rd Army's headquarters will be fully operational August 1st.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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