The new Armed Forces Reserve Center at Fort Benning was named today in honor of Lt. Col. Elmer W. Heindl, a Catholic chaplain who served during World War II.
After the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Dwayne R. Edwards, commander of the 98th Training Division, officially unfurled the unit’s flag in Harmony Church, six weeks after ending 53 years of service in Rochester, N.Y. Known as the Iroquois, the unit’s primary mission is to provide drill sergeants to Army Training Centers across the nation which include Fort Benning.
More than 125 family, friends and soldiers from the training unit including 22 members of Heindl's family gathered for the ceremony at 10477 Old Cusseta Highway.
Kathleen Nichols, Heindl's niece , said the honor on the building is just awesome for her uncle.
"He always said he didn’t deserve the honors and he was just doing his job," she said. "Everything he did, he did it as an honor and privilege."
