Building 4 to be dedicated Friday as McGinnis-Wickam Hall

The headquarters building known as Building 4 at Fort Benning will be dedicated Friday in the names of two soldiers who made contributions to armor and the infantry.

During an 8 a.m. ceremony, the newly renovated building will be named McGinnis-Wickam Hall in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Spc. Ross A. McGinnis and Cpl. Jerry W. Wickam.

McGinnis, who trained to be an infantry soldier at Fort Benning with 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006.

Wickam trained to be an Armored Cavalry Soldier at Fort Knox, Ky., the home of the Armor School before it moved to Fort Benning.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions near Loc Ninh, Republic of Vietnam in 1968.

The building was dedicated 47 years ago in June 1964. Last month, nearly 550 civilian and military personnel returned to the building after the contractor completed $155 million of phase one renovation project. More than 800 employees and students will occupy the building after phase two is completed in the spring of 2012. Total cost of the renovation will cost $172 million.

The building serves as the headquarters for Maj. Gen. Robert Brown, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Col. Thomas James, commander  of the Armor School and Col. Walter E. Piatt, commander of the Infantry School.

This story was originally published September 20, 2011 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Building 4 to be dedicated Friday as McGinnis-Wickam Hall."