The Tennessee National Guard celebrated the unveiling of a spanking new armory with due pomp this past weekend. In a ceremony held on April 13, military personnel and dignitaries gathered to inaugurate the Major General Terry "Max" Haston National Guard Armory, a state-of-the-art facility situated along Manchester Highway. According to a release from the Tennessee Military Department, the dedication honored Major General Haston, a Warren County native with a military career spanning over 40 years until his retirement in 2019.
The armory, named after Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston is a testament to his four decades of service which earned him an outpouring of tributes during the ceremony. Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, the current Tennessee Adjutant General, tolled attendees, “Max dedicated his life to Tennessee, the Tennessee National Guard, and Warren County. Nobody is more deserving of this honor than him.”
Beyond commemoration, the new 33,000-square-foot facility is a leap forward in terms of technological amenities and green innovation. Built to provide comprehensive administrative, operational, and logistical support, it encompasses modern training spaces and storage rooms, as well as energy-efficient equipment intended to lower the Guard's bills and environmental impact alike. The armory's parking lot is built to accommodate soldiers, visitors, and tactical equipment alongside a sizable vehicle maintenance building. "This facility will greatly improve our readiness and our ability to respond to disasters and emergencies within the community," Maj. Gen. Ross was quoted in the original press release.
The new armory replaces an outdated 11,000-square-foot predecessor that had been serving since 1957 as one the smallest in the state's Guard network. The Tennessee State Building Commission gave the green light to the construction back in July 2018, with the federal government footing the bill. Design House 1411, LLC from Nashville started drafting the blueprints in early 2019. Meanwhile, the construction baton was passed to Sain Construction of Manchester, who crossed the finish line with the project in January 2024.
