Cadets go weaponless for Gold Rush parade
Simon Zais
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: News
This year, something will be missing from Gold Rush.
On Saturday, cadets from NGCSU will be marching in an annual proceeding around Dahlonega, but this time, they will do so without their weapons.
Weapons are no longer used at North Georgia College and State University.
The armory is still fully functional, but, according to retired Army 1st Sgt. Robert Casteel who works in supply, "It does not meet the requirements by the Army to house weapons."
The Army changed its requirements last year so that any installation that holds weapons must have eight-inch reinforced walls, as well as reinforced ceilings and floors.
The NGCSU armory meets none of those standards.
"It was built in the 1950's," said Casteel. "It was built at the same time as the gym and as an extension to a room, so one of the walls is just a regular wall."
A new, modular armory, currently being built in Virginia for North Georgia.
"It's already been paid for by the Army. It should be completed by December, then they'll ship it down and put it wherever we want it," Casteel said.
Although he said he did not know where the new armory would be placed, he indicated that even with the new mobile armory, weapons may still not be permitted on campus.
"Due to space limitations," he said, "we might even be sending the new one to Camp Frank D. Merrill (the Ranger camp)."
He said that as late as next spring, there will be weapons at drill and there will be weapons in ceremonies again, even if they are being housed off campus.
The procedure for getting weapons to Cadets if the armor is off campus would be more difficult "we have to do a serial number inventory when we put the weapons on the trucks, take them off the trucks, then again when we put them back on the trucks and again when we have to take them off the trucks back at the armory.
"It takes about an hour to do inventory each time so there may be some cadet details needed."
But Casteel promised: "North Georgia will have weapons."
On Saturday, cadets from NGCSU will be marching in an annual proceeding around Dahlonega, but this time, they will do so without their weapons.
Weapons are no longer used at North Georgia College and State University.
The armory is still fully functional, but, according to retired Army 1st Sgt. Robert Casteel who works in supply, "It does not meet the requirements by the Army to house weapons."
The Army changed its requirements last year so that any installation that holds weapons must have eight-inch reinforced walls, as well as reinforced ceilings and floors.
The NGCSU armory meets none of those standards.
"It was built in the 1950's," said Casteel. "It was built at the same time as the gym and as an extension to a room, so one of the walls is just a regular wall."
A new, modular armory, currently being built in Virginia for North Georgia.
"It's already been paid for by the Army. It should be completed by December, then they'll ship it down and put it wherever we want it," Casteel said.
Although he said he did not know where the new armory would be placed, he indicated that even with the new mobile armory, weapons may still not be permitted on campus.
"Due to space limitations," he said, "we might even be sending the new one to Camp Frank D. Merrill (the Ranger camp)."
He said that as late as next spring, there will be weapons at drill and there will be weapons in ceremonies again, even if they are being housed off campus.
The procedure for getting weapons to Cadets if the armor is off campus would be more difficult "we have to do a serial number inventory when we put the weapons on the trucks, take them off the trucks, then again when we put them back on the trucks and again when we have to take them off the trucks back at the armory.
"It takes about an hour to do inventory each time so there may be some cadet details needed."
But Casteel promised: "North Georgia will have weapons."
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