It seems like Almost Yesterday that Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri dedicated a new entrance to Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood military base. The date was May 30, 2003 and the new gate at the massive post was deemed necessary due to the expanded role of the base and to the increased number of personnel who lived and worked there.
Congressman Skelton also announced that the new gate would be named “The Waggener Gate and Entrance” in honor of General John G. “Jack” Waggener of Charleston, Missouri. The new road leading to the gate was named the Hector J. Polla Road in honor of a World War II hero and native of Lafayette County, Missouri who died in Japan as a prisoner of war.
General Waggener began his military career in 1943 when he enlisted in the Army from his home of Charleston. After basic training he was assigned to combat where he served with distinction, resulting in his 1944 appointment to West Point.
During his military service, General Waggener held important command posts in Germany, Korea, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam.
General Waggener’s final assignment was as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Engineer Training Center at Fort Leonard Wood. It was from that position that he retired in 1976 after 29 years of distinguished service. His many awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (with four oak leaf clusters), the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Army Commendation with an oak leaf cluster.
It seems like almost yesterday that the Waggener Gate at Fort Leonard Wood was dedicated in honor of one of Missouri’s…and one of America’s…great soldiers.