Armory named in honor of retired national guard member

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A retired national guard member was honored in Chattanooga.

At the Tennessee Army National Guard Armory, people will notice a change, the name.

Brigadier General Carl Levi’s name was added to the building. On Wednesday, there was a ceremony to celebrate him.

“This is the highlight of my career,” Levi said.

He joined the guard in October of 1952.

“They kept promoting me and I just kept staying and it has been very good to me. And a lot of these people in this room have touched my life and I am certainly appreciative. And I am so thankful that I have been able to accomplish the things that I have done and I didn’t do it by myself. I had a lot of help along the way,” Levi said.

Lawmakers worked together to come up with this way to honor him.

“I drafted a bill to change the name and add Carl’s name to it, since he was a general his name went on top. And preserve his legacy in Chattanooga with the National Guard,” Senator Todd Gardenhire said.

They say Levi did a lot for the community.

“For many years he did a lot of things extra and over and above what a normal person would do in his position to help get things for the armory,” Sen. Gardenhire said.

For Levi, this honor and his country means so much to him.

“I have been all over the world and there is no other country like this one. It is an awful good feeling when you touch down and you see the American flag,” Levi said.