By Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Jan. 29, 2026) – Fort Leonard Wood, St. Robert and Waynesville community members celebrated the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport expansion project, Jan. 22 during a topping-out ceremony, commemorating a key milestone for the project, which when complete, will feature a new 9,000-square-foot terminal that will facilitate 50 passengers.
“Let us all use this airport as a reminder that individually we can set and achieve high goals, but collectively we can fly even higher,” said Col. Steven Bartley, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood commander.
The Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport at Forney Army Airfield is one of 21 joint-use airfields throughout the Department of War.
“For our Soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood this airport represents a lifeline,” Bartley said. “We are ensuring the area remains a hub of activity in the heart of Missouri.”
Community members, federal and state department representatives, and project partners joined together to sign the final structural beam before it was hoisted to its permanent place securing the new terminal building’s steel frame, a lasting marker of collaboration and progress.
“We are truly honored to be here for this point of this project. When I look at this beam, I think about the legacy that it is going to leave. For everyone that signs this, we are a part of something great,” said Sean Wilson, City of Waynesville mayor. ‘Forney Airfield not only serves a military mission, but our community’s needs. For that, we are grateful.”
James Breckinridge, City of St. Robert mayor, agreed.
“We are standing on a foundation built by trust, persistence and a shared purpose,” Breckinridge said. “The future of this airport is bright, and it will continue to be a vital asset for our community.”
Contour Airlines provides commercial air service for the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport to and from Chicago and Dallas.
More information about the Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport can be found here.
To view more photos from the event, visit Fort Leonard Wood’s Flickr page.
-30-
About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.