RALEIGH - Ground was broken May 26 for a new N.C. National Guard facility that will include offices for the state's Emergency Operations Center, a Highway Patrol communications center and a Department of Transporation section.

Before breaking ground, Governor Bev Perdue remarked on the meaningful and lasting contributions of the N.C. National Guard to our nation's defense and the well-being of the state.  She said that a new facility would help assure the Guard's legacy would continue well into the future, and help "whenever disaster strikes home."

“Because they are constantly on alert and constantly serve around the globe,” Perdue said that no state is more proud of its' National Guard forces than North Carolina.

NCNG Adjutant General, Major Gen. William E. Ingram, Jr., said the facility will greatly enhance the Guard's ability to serve the citizens of North Carolina.

U.S Representative David Price also spoke at the dedication ceremony for the new 237,000 sq. ft. National Guard Joint Force Headquarters and joined Perdue and Ingram in the ground breaking.