Armory replaces one destroyed by 2003 tornado

PIERCE CITY, Mo. -- A piece of Pierce City's community pride that was destroyed by a tornado in 2003 has been restored.

About 200 spectators joined military and political leaders Saturday to dedicate a new 28,000 square-foot National Guard armory south of the city.

The audience included Bob and Dorothy Witt, who donated more than nine acres to the Missouri Army National Guard for the $4.7 million armory. The National Guard named the building for Bob Witt's uncle, Pfc. Lawrence Witt, who died in World War II.

The armory, which was destroyed by a tornado on May 4, 2003, was rebuilt in part because of retired Missouri National Guardsman Ray Carver, who pushed state legislators hard to have it replaced in Pierce City.

State Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mt. Vernon, who was born in Pierce City, said his colleagues in the Missouri Legislature asked him to ask Carver to stop calling about the armory.

"It means the world to me," Carver said. Legislators "told me they were 98 percent sure they would rebuild the armory. I told them that wasn't good enough. I'd need to see it."

Carver and other Missouri National Guard veterans say the armory is an important piece of town history. A National Guard unit has been stationed in Pierce City since the 1870s.

"It's a landmark," said Elmer Conway, who served in the Missouri National Guard three years and in the Army National Guard 30 years.

"It's been here for so many years. If you take something away that has been here so long, it'd hurt a lot of people's feelings."

Carver said the town of 1,380 residents is the smallest Missouri city to have a Missouri National Guard armory and the only one to have a fully funded federal armory.

Construction took about 14 months, said Maj. Brent Beckley, director of facilities for the Missouri National Guard.

The armory features a storm shelter for about 200 people and residents have already used it for shelter during recent tornado activity, officials said.

Some of the town's residents were inside the old armory, built in the 1930s, when the 2003 tornado hit Pierce City, leaving extensive damage across the town.

The new armory will house vehicles and provide training space for the 117th Asphalt Team and the first detachment of the 276th Engineer Company, part of the 203rd Engineer Battalion based in Joplin, said Lt. James Vaughn of the 203rd.

It will also have a full-time recruiter and can be used for events like weddings or picnics, officials said.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com