It is sad to not only watch what BRAC actions do to a community that has supported the military for years and years, but it is also painful to experience BRAC actions in a community where you live and/or retired. The thousands of families and businesses throughout the region that are or will be impacted. Yes, some of the closures are needed, however I must question if all the closures are needed. I will be the first to admit I do not see the entire picture that is driving these decisions. The haunting question remains that no one has tried to answer or in-fact, ask is…”Where is the money?” They claim there are millions and millions of tax dollars saved from the Defense Budgets as a result of these ongoing BRAC actions but where is the money these actions have saved? What has these closures gained us?

So many military families have served their country for extended period of times then elected to retire in a specific location to take advantage of the few remaining benefits of being near a military installation only to have that installation close due to BRAC. The impact on these retirees goes unnoticed but there are bigger impacts that can’t go unnoticed. Impacts to the overall community, businesses, schools, quality of the overall life throughout the area. There are not many communities that have benefited from the actions of BRAC that began in 1988, 21 years ago. Hundreds of installations have been closed, savings to the American tax payer must be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. So where are these savings? Show us this return on these BRAC actions that was brought about. Can the DoD honestly say that the C-17 Program, all 209 aircraft were purchased with the BRAC savings? OR the F-22 Program, or the latest aircraft carrier was purchased with BRAC savings? Where are these savings? Show us (the tax payers) the result of 21 years of cutting the USA military installations within the 50 states to the point it is today.

It is time to publicly prove the projected savings were realized. The impacts to the investors (tax payers) or the residents who had to endure the community impacts of losing a military installation need to know there was an actual savings. Show me how my taxes went down. Show me how I have a larger spending base (or more money in my pocket) that has resulted in the DoD not having to fund keeping all the now closed installations open. Show me the money and explain where it resides. What has been gained by these closures?





RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,190206,00.html

Hi,
I agree that when BRAC comes in and close a base they don't really check the impact of what is going to happen in the community. My husband reserve air force unit was shuttered to Florida just this past year. All the reserve men and women were told one thing and another is actually happening. So many things have been screwed up with this transfer. Many of the men and women in the unit have either retired or moved to different units or just got out because they didn't want to deal with the headache. Now many areas around the base is empty due to the military pulling out and business is down too. I have noticed that several small stores which depended on the military's business are closed or barely surviving. The price of things have gone up and cost of living is down. So Brac's decision was more political in my opinion then necessary. Since the planes my husband worked on are still at the base under the guard now I really don't understand the reason for closing the unit in Michigan.

My question is...What is this country going to do when after all these bases are closed, the enemy decides to attack us on our shores? We have always had strategically located bases to not only house our military personnel, but to protect the country as a whole. Our lack of control over the border crossings (esp. in the south) is an easy access into our country. With base closings in Texas, California & other states along these borders leaves us just that more defenseless against their infiltration and harm that they mean to do to this country.

We are seeing it happen in New Orleans. While the base in Algiers is a little out of date, the land is still good but they are giving it away! Land is one thing they don't make any more of - how can it be a good thing to give it away? We will never get it back. Also, they did not recycle the buildings. Hopefully, they will keep some of the brick buildings but it seems like they could have sold the metal ones. Who started BRAC? Are they saving money or reducing our defenses?!

The singular thing I see steming from BRAC closures is the loss of a military "identity" in the local area. If the local base closes, as is the case in Brunswick, then the military is the loser. Why you ask, simple. We, in the military always claim and much of the media supports that claim that the general public perspective of people in the military is wrong. Well, if there is no military around them so they can know and understand our "culture"; how can we expect them to do so? Not only has the effect of a base closure removed monies from the local economy, it has removed the ability of that portion of the general public from knowing about the military and how it affects their area and puts them in knowledge only by what is shown or expressed in the media. As we all know from the past and current events is not always for the good.
I do have to agree with one commenter, just exactly how has BRAC saved us any money? I recently took a side trip to old/closed Chanute AFB in Illinois which was closed in the late 90's. The building are still there, slowly falling apart, in general disrepair and NON use except for a few that have been converted into a local AF museum. What has the city Rantoul or even the state of Illinois seen coming out of the BRAC closure? Basaed on what I saw and observed in my trip there, in a word NOTHING. Was ANY of the supposed savings from this closure realized in another project? Has Congress seen any savings? Does Congress even really care? Supposedly We The People are supposed to see a reduction of expenditures by these closings. Has Congress EVER held any hearings to actually see if that is or has occurred?

Hi my son is a Marine he is stationed up in N.C.we live in S.W. fl. I had hoped he would get stationed in the panhandle. But this is fine and is still closer than 29 palm's!!but I feel the very same I don't get some of the ideas that have come out of this new administration concerning our Military,closing your base along w/ some other's I agree leaves us somewhat un-protected not to mention the hardship that it put's on all the military that has been serving for yr's now ,along w/ the community they are in?? I know that the military is not a popular subject w/ the democrat's & our new Pres. But so many of the thing's this administration has done lately leave's me wondering if he really understand's what our fine young men & women give to protect & help other countries as well attain Freedom ,that so many other's wish they had.I truly believe in my heart that Mr.Obama wasn't ready to lead this fine country & just doesn't know exactly what to do in quite a number of thing's whether it is Military or just about alot of thing's we need right now he's spending money like it's water and shutting down program's he shouldn't be to cover his stimulus bill by the time his term is over this country not only is going to owe so much money it's unfathomable and our country will be looked on by the middle eastern enemies we have as a weak country and all that our military has done to try & protect & do good for the people over there will seem to have been for what?Everytime I read something new concerning our military whether it was his crazy idea for our vet's to pay for their own insurence saying "well you'd think I was asking for blood ,I'm only asking for their patriotic duty they knew what they were in for after all it's an all volunteer force? " I almost fell off my seat for our men & women to be treated in such a manner is realy disgusting to me ,my son made the life changing career move to stay in the Marines for life I was & still am very proud of him .I just wish our administration was just as proud of our military as we all are And let them do their job & stop trying to cut corner's in the places we need the money the most ,signed a marines mom ,SEMPER FI!

I'm in a BRAC community....again. Our family did this back in 1995 at Letterkenny Army Depot. Now again here at Brunswick Naval Air Station. A couple years ago we took a trip and I drove my kids through our old housing on Letterkenny. I cried. I could walk inside (but I didn't) and touch the border paper of on the wall of my old living room; the door was laying on the floor and vines were growing in through the windows. Disrepair is right.

We are an Army National Guard family now, living in a Navy community. That was an adjustment at first, but we are all the same, (except trying to sort out what all those different uniforms mean!) It is sad to see our local culture erode with the transfer of all of these squadrons to FL. I'm afraid, especially with today's glut of housing on the market, that these housing units will also go the way of our old place on Letterkenny. The harder thing, by far though, is losing so many friends all at once. There are just a couple families left at our church, and next year even they will be gone.