Re: Railroad Center Named for Ex-POW

Date: April 23, 2004

"Railroad center named for WWII vet

Laura Cruz El Paso Times

About Robert F. Augur

April 18, 1910 - March 5, 2000.

Entered the Army Dec. 2, 1940.

He was a prisoner of war of the Japanese from 1942 to 1945 in Manila, Philippines

Medals received include a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

He worked in the freight transportation business after retiring from the military in 1946.
Fort Bliss, the Army Corps of Engineers and El Paso community leaders dedicated a $24.4 million rail deployment center Friday to a World War II hero and railroad enthusiast, 1st Lt. Robert F. Augur.

Augur, who died in March 2000 at age 89, served with the 92nd Philippine Scouts as a battery commander and became a prisoner of war in 1942 while stationed on Corregidor.

"We're absolutely thrilled, honored and privileged to have the name Robert Augur on this facility," said Augur's grandnephew, Michael Bateman. "After the war he got involved in model trains, and I suspect there were some visits to the rail yards with his nieces and nephews to see the trains."

The rail deployment complex, which is on a 110-acre site northwest of Biggs Army Airfield, has various capabilities, including an engine maintenance shop, a scale house and about seven miles of track. The complex also includes a hot load area, which will allow live ammunition to be transported by railroad.

"We've already been able to use the facility for about nine months," said Lee A. Kjonaas, installation unit movement coordinator for Raytheon. "We've used the facility during the return of the soldiers' equipment from Operation Iraqi Freedom."

The complex, which enables the post to deploy about 300 rail cars in 24 hours, is the last of eight Army Strategic Mobility Program projects, which began in 1991.

"It's a huge benefit to our deployment readiness rate," Kjonaas said. "It drastically improves our ability of rapid movement, not just for the Army's active duty component, but also our reservists who train and deploy for this post."

Officials said the rail complex, along with the air deployment facility and the airfield upgrades, reinforces the post's position as one of the Army's premier platforms for sending troops and equipment to the world's hot spots.

"It's all part of being a campaign-quality Army with a joint expedition mind set," said Col. Charles Anderson, Fort Bliss deputy commander. "We want to be able to deploy rapidly, safely and efficiently. This facility helps us meet that goal."

Laura Cruz may be reached at lcruz@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136.

© 2004 El Paso Times, a Gannett Co., Inc. newspaper"