Dale County’s Fort Rucker was recently named the top active component base worldwide in the U.S. Army Communities of Excellence Awards.

In a release, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville outlined that there are approximately 156 regular, active component Army installations and 1,100 Guard and Reserve installations that currently exist across the globe. These installations manage over $16 billion annually, providing “world-class infrastructure and services to more than 1 million Soldiers, 240,000 Army civilians, and 2.2 million family members, and they do it well.”

McConville added that soldiers are the Army’s “most important weapons system,” which is why taking care of them where they live and work every day is so vital.

In the active component category, Fort Rucker received “gold,” while Fort McCoy (Wisconsin) received “silver;” U.S. Army Garrison Daegu (South Korea) and Fort Stewart (Georgia) received “bronze;” and Fort Knox (Kentucky) and Fort Wainwright (Alaska) were named as honorable mentions.

McConville said these installations, led by Fort Rucker, have succeeded in creating a true sense of community for soldiers, civilians and families and establishing personal interactions.

“It’s the installations that make them feel at home every day when they drive through that gate,” he remarked. “All the installations here today cracked the code on developing and maintaining that sense of community. They focused on the mission of Soldiers, and that truly boosts Army readiness.”

Additionally, McConville said that military communities are connected not just by those who reside inside the base gate, but they also interact with state and local governments, schools, churches and businesses that exist outside the gates. These entities need to be recognized because they provide crucial support as well, he emphasized.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn