BETHANY BEACH, Del.- The Delaware Army National Guard celebrated the opening of its new Physical Fitness Center today.
It's located at the Guard's Bethany Beach training site.
Del. National Guard officials informed WBOC that the physical training test for soldiers has recently been updated to include more requirements.
Fred Cost, the Director of Facilities for the Del. National Guard, explained that this was precisely why the new facility was needed.
"When the new test came out, everybody was like, 'Oh gosh, we don't have the facilities for this anymore,'" said Cost. "Because we used to just get a piece of ground and we would do push-ups, sit-ups, run. Now it's like, now we all need something."
According to Major General Michael Berry, acquiring military construction funds is not always easy.
"The National Guard Bureau has to figure out how much they have, how many of those size projects they can build, and who's going to get them because the states have to compete for that," he said.
The new facility aims to ensure that weather does not hinder the training process for soldiers and provides them with the opportunity to train more frequently.
General Berry hopes that the new gym will also be an asset when it comes to recruitment.
"When the young folks that have taken that oath walk by, it really does give them something to be proud of. And it shows them the importance of what they're doing and the value that they, as individuals, are to our nation," he said.
The training center will be available to soldiers, airmen, and their family members. It was built by the Delmarva Veteran Builders team.