Fort Leonard Wood

More soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood are being deployed to Afghanistan.  Members of the 509th Engineer Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade will be clearing roads for US forces.  This will be the comany's fourth overseas deployment since 2003.  A deployment ceremony will be held from 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm Thursday night at Springfield-Branson National Airport.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.-- Severe weather and fire safety education just got a lot more hands-on at Fort Leonard Wood Fire Department.  A new fire safety and severe weather training trailer is about as close to real as you can get. "We've got subwoofers and speakers inside these cabinets here, so it gets really loud in here like a train coming at you- that's what it simulates- the tornado's coming at you," says Fort Leonard Wood Assistant Fire Chief...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- The fire that started early last Sunday afternoon is out.  Fort Leonard Wood Fire Chief Jeff Sukalski says his department has returned to normal operations.   A post spokesman says the fire burned about 1,500 acres.  No structures caught fire.

FORT LEONARD WOOD -- The man from Grove, Oklahoma, charged with taking Missouri troopers on a chase through Fort Leonard Wood will go to prison. Cody Wilcoxson will serve two, 30-year sentences for the chase that ran from Fort Leonard Wood to Rolla in May 2011.  The sentences will run concurrently. The chase had speeds topping 100-miles per hour while Wilcoxson shot at least 90 rounds at officers. Wilcoxson has yet to stand trial in Phelps County, where he faces similar charges.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, MO - The Fort Leonard Wood Military Police identified the driver of a 2005 Dodge Neon who was pronounced dead at the scene of an accident that occurred on Fort Leonard Wood yesterday as Christine Boone, 49, of Bucyrus, Mo. The passenger of the Dodge Neon is still listed in critical condition, according to Fort Leonard Wood Military Police. A two vehicle accident involving a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck and a 2005 Dodge Neon occurred on Fort Leonard Wood yesterday at about 3:21 p.m. Fort Leonard Wood emergency services personnel arrived on the scene within minutes after the accident occurred.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Families of a military police unit got the best present they could hope for: their loved ones home safe and sound after a tour of duty in Afghanistan.  The unit arrived home Saturday afternoon and the soldiers were re-united with loved ones at a ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood. The troops were deployed for the last 11 months, helping to mentor, train and equip Afghan police. "I'm really excited," Lt. Chris Turner said. "We've known for a couple of months that'd we'd potentially come home a little earlier than planned.  Great to come home and spend time with family instead of being over there and eating chow-hall food.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Thirty soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood were in the city on Saturday to help senior citizens.  Soldiers with the 787th Military Police Battalion spent the day cleaning up yard waste and making minor repairs to seniors' homes in the Queen City.  The United Way of the Ozarks is behind the "Hands on for Seniors" event, which brings the communities of Springfield and Fort Leonard Wood together. "It feels good.  The community gives so much to us as soldiers; it feels nice to give something back to the community," said Capt.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Congressman Ike Skelton served Missouri's 4th District for more than three decades but the new year will bring new leadership.  Rep.-elect Vicky Hartzler will be responsible for keeping the military bases in the district relevant.  Hartzler met with top brass from Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster on Monday.  After that meeting, she spoke with KY3 News and told us she is "confident" she will wind up on the Armed Services Committee that Skelton chaired for many years.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- The Army's chief of staff, Gen. George Casey Jr., will visit here on Tuesday to survey the tornado damage.  An EF3 tornado hit the post on Friday morning, destroying 41 homes and damaging several other buildings. Monday was the first day that civilian workers were back on post after the holiday weekend.  ---- Edited news release from Fort Leonard Wood's Public Information Office FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Maj. Gen. David Quantock, commanding general of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, provided a morning message for returning service members and families.

Fort Leonard Wood, Mo  -- A solemn memorial today for three Fort Leonard Wood soldiers killed in Afghanistan in September, when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb. "We pause today to honor those who have gone before us," says Chaplin, Captain Kyle Taylor. Gone; but not forgotten, "Reminding us to always remember their service," says Taylor. Remembering First Lieutenant Ivan Lechowich; a 27 year old history major; from Valrico, Florida. "Lt. Lechowich was always a full throttle man, he never once underestimated a mission.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- More than a thousand members of the civilian community and business community gathered Tuesday for an Army listening session at Fort Leonard Wood in advance of Army troop reductions. Lt. Col. Patricia Tilson is part of the Army panel traveling to bases across the country to hear of potential impacts of proposed military cuts.  She says this is the panel's fourth stop after hearings at Ft. Riley, Ft. Sill, and Ft. Carson. "This tonight is by far the best attended.  What a great turnout.

Waynesville, Mo. - Residents and community leaders are waiting, and bracing, for potential impacts of sequestration and defense budget cuts. On Friday afternoon, people packed in for the lunch rush at one of Waynesville's newest eating spots. "We are trying to meet the needs of the locals, but also trying to meet the needs of people on the base," stated Levi Pine, co-owner of Vidie's Bistro Express Vidie's Express Bistro is just one of the possibly hundreds of businesses that rely on folks from Fort Leonard Wood- just over the hill on old Route 66. "The flux of people coming and going through the base , and all the jobs it generates, translated into people being in my restaurant," Pine explained.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.-- Severe weather and fire safety education just got a lot more hands-on at Fort Leonard Wood Fire Department.  A new fire safety and severe weather training trailer is about as close to real as you can get. "We've got subwoofers and speakers inside these cabinets here, so it gets really loud in here like a train coming at you- that's what it simulates- the tornado's coming at you," says Fort Leonard Wood Assistant Fire Chief...

FORT LEONARD WOOD. Mo. -- A man accidentally shot himself in the leg with his own gun on Fort Leonard Wood on Friday afternoon. It happened at the post commissary. The 72-year old man was taken by ambulance to the community hospital on the post.  Nobody else was hurt. Officials say he was carrying a concealed weapon he had not registered with Fort Leonard Wood.  No word yet on if he could be in trouble for carrying the unauthorized gun.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. --  The national non-profit Soles for Souls is getting a big boost from the Ozarks.  It's a charity that provides new or gently worn shoes to people in need.  Now, Fort Leonard Wood is donating enough pairs for a small army. When soldiers finish their training they no longer need the boots the Army gave them.  So instead of throwing them away, they're giving them to those in need. "My battalion graduates about 100 soldiers a week," said Capt. David White.  "As you can imagine, basic training in the Army, we run, we train hard.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--  Forty men and women returned home to Fort Leonard Wood from Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, just in time to spend Christmas with their families.  The group deployed last year just before Christmas, on Dec. 8.  One year later, all of them are back -- and everyone is safe and excited about getting to see their loved ones. "Supposedly at 1600 (4 p.m.) I'll be reunited with my family and then hopefully we can go home and have a good night," said 1st Lt. Edward Guardo after the company flew into Springfield before heading to Ft. Wood.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - It's a day away from loved ones for many serving in our military.  But at Fort Leonard Wood, the cooks did their best to make today special. For soldiers in training at Fort Leonard Wood, it's another day of exercises and following orders. But when it came time for grub, today's feast was worth rushing to the dining hall. "Not that we don't always put care into everything we do, but this is a special time, because it is Thanksgiving," dining facility manager June Keith said.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.--  It's a day away from loved ones for many serving in our military.  But at Fort Leonard Wood, the cooks did their best to make it a special day. Across post, staff at all the dining facilities prepared more than two tons of turkey, and by the end of the day, they plan to serve 26,000 meals.  For soldiers in training at Fort Leonard Wood, it's another day of exercises and following orders.  But when it came time...

SPRINGFIELD -- A big welcome home on Sunday afternoon for soldiers returning from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan. With American flags blowing in the breeze, the Patriot Guard greeted the men in women in uniform as they disembarked from the plane. The soldiers were assigned to the 988th Military Police Company, 92nd MP Battalion, 4th maneuver Enhancement Brigade. After landing in Springfield the soldiers were headed to Fort Leonard Wood.  

The USO really came in to my family's life on December 31, 2010, when a tornado tore through our neighborhood on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. While our house was not completely destroyed we were still required to vacate the neighborhood for the next week. I was scheduled to drop Kimberly, my wife, and Jackson, my 1 year old son, off at the Kansas City Airport in one week so that she could begin driving across the country to stay with her family while I deployed to Afghanistan. Needless to say, it was already a stressful situation to begin with and now, not only did we not have access to our belongings, but we also still had to properly clear our quarters on post because of the lack of damage.