Local delegation visits Washington to make case for area military bases

Bad

Links?

Other glitches?

Notify Webmaster

Local delegation

visits Washington to make case for area military bases

A delegation of local civic and educational leaders met with Philip W. Grone,

Principal Assistant Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment,

and U.S. Rep. David Scott in Washington last week to discuss the future of

Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem.

Included in the delegation was Clayton College & State University President

Thomas K. Harden, City of Morrow Director of Economic Development Grant Wainscott,

Clayton County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Pulliam, Col. Fred Bryant,

deputy director of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Council, Forest

Park Mayor Charles Hall, Andy Alexander of Resources Consultants International,

a civilian contractor for the military, and Tina Coria of the Henry County

Board of Commissioners.

The group, representing the "Save Ft. MacPherson/Gillem Foundation," met

with Grone and Scott to help explain and highlight the significance of both

installations to the metro Atlanta economy.

Fayette County is a popular place to live for hundreds of military and civilian

employees at both bases.

Of particular interest to Grone, and the Department of Defense, was the

connection between the two bases, especially the fact that both facilities

are more than just single service installations.

Fort MacPherson, for example, houses and supports the following major activities:

The U.S. Army Forces Command; the Third U.S. Army/Forces Central Command;

the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the Southeast Region Office, U.S. Army; the

Installation Management Agency; and the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion

and Preventative Medicine�South.

The major activities at Ft. Gillem include: The First U.S. Army; the U.S.

Army Third Criminal Investigation Region; the U.S. Army Second Recruiting

Brigade; the Military Entrance Processing Station; the U.S. Army and Air

Force Exchange Service Atlanta Distribution Center; and the Georgia Army

National Guard headquarters.

"We also talked about how efficient and effective the bases are," notes

Wainscott. "They are critical for the community and have been great

partners with all of us over the years."

One example of those partnerships comes from the relationship between Ft.

Gillem's Criminal Investigation Region and Clayton State. Over the years,

experts from Ft. Gillem have taken part in numerous forensic science seminars

at the University that have contributed to the education of Clayton State

students, local high school students, high school teachers from throughout

the Southeast, and the public.

"Congressman Scott has been very important and proactive in this process," adds

Wainscott. "We spent a lot of time with him and he is very knowledgeable

about how important the bases are to our economy."

Earlier this month, Gov. Sonny Perdue made a trip to Washington to also

lobby the Pentagon to keep Georgia bases open.

Specifically, Perdue argued that the state's two largest Army installations,�Fort

Stewart near Savannah and Fort Benning near Columbus,�could be expanded if

President Bush is succeeds with plans to reduce or eliminate many European

bases and move personnel