The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Oklahoma National Guard Joint Operations Center, which is named after the late Benjamin T. Walkingstick, in Chandler, was held on Nov. 20 at the new center. It will serve as a collaborative mission command facility to support emergency response efforts across the state. “This facility is very important to Oklahoma. We discovered during COVID that we really didn’t have a physical place to operate at,” Maj. Gen. Thomas Mancino said at the ceremony. “When it came time to pick up communities that we thought would support a center like this, Chandler was the first to come to mind. Because I know that long after I’ve gone, this building will be here in Chandler.” Above, Maj. Gen. Macino talks about the new joint operations center. Below, a group of local dignitaries officially cut the ribbon, including Joe Echelle, executive director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority; Rep. Jim Shaw; Bonnie Walkingstick; Maj. Gen. Macino; former Rep. Kevin Wallace; and Sen. Grant Green. Photos/Emily Kalka