A furnished room inside the newly remodeled Embree-Bell Hall barracks at Fort Buckner on Okinawa, Japan. The barracks opened Wednesday after spending $4 million for renovations. The barracks will house 56 soldiers from the 58th Signal Battalion – each living in their own room. (Natasha Lee / S&S)
A furnished room inside the newly remodeled Embree-Bell Hall barracks at Fort Buckner on Okinawa, Japan. The barracks opened Wednesday after spending $4 million for renovations. The barracks will house 56 soldiers from the 58th Signal Battalion – each living in their own room. (Natasha Lee / S&S)
Soldiers check out the newly remodeled barracks rooms Wednesday following the dedication ceremony. Each room is equipped with a fridge, microwave, private bathroom, computer desk and full bed. (Natasha Lee / S&S)
A glimpse of the full kitchen inside the Embree-Bell Hall barracks at Fort Buckner. Soldiers will start moving into the remodeled barracks next week. (Natasha Lee / S&S)
FORT BUCKNER, Okinawa — The reopening of the Embree-Bell Hall barracks Wednesday marked a step forward in improving the living situations of unaccompanied soldiers of the Army’s 58th Signal Battalion.
After a nearly three-year closure and $4 million overhaul, the barracks reopened during a dedication ceremony.
The three-story building was built in the 1960s and needed repairs, including improvements to its ventilation system and lighting, said Robert Wright, deputy to the U.S. Army Garrison commander.
Before the remodeling, soldiers shared living space. The new digs offer 56 single dorm rooms — each furnished with a bathroom, refrigerator, microwave, computer desk and chair, and a full bed.
The building also has a full kitchen equipped with three ovens, two laundry rooms and an exercise and game room featuring a pool table and flat-screen TV. Each room is wired for Internet service.
The barracks was renamed after Army privates Harry Embree and Howard Bell. They served with the 58th Signal Battalion during World War II, and each was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. The name was selected because the soldiers who will occupy the building are ranked sergeant and below.
Soldiers were relocated temporarily to quarters on Camp Foster. They will begin moving in next week, Wright said.
