He replaces Lt. Col. John Haefner, who is moving on to the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. Prior to coming here, Dargle worked for the Joint Staff  of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S. Central Command.

As the sound of small-arms fire from ranges popped in the background, Dargle told a crowd assembled under two tents near Romenick Hall that, as the military transitions from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Fort A.P. Hill is uniquely postured to answer that call to accomplish our mission–providing the best training anywhere.”

Over 90,000 troops from all branches of the military trained at Fort A.P. Hill last year. See tomorrow’s story for more details.

Lt. Col. Peter Dargle, new commander at Fort A.P. Hill.

Soldiers training on the 76,000-acre base, which straddles Caroline and Essex counties, can use the application to find walking and running trails, fishing locations, and other outdoor activities. It will also help them locate frequently visited spots  such as fitness centers and the Downtime Zone.  It’s available on Apple’s iTunes store;  and by scanning a quick response code  here. It should be available for Android devices in about two weeks, officials say.

New Fort A.P. Hill app