Closing old military bases will help our defense — and our communities

SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter Local Communities Fear the Economic Hit. Can't Say I Don't Feel for them. Soldiers Spending Money. Locals Employed on the Base. Seen Lots of them Disappear. I've Also Seen some continue even though closed on the Sly. NAS Olathe comes to Mind. Officially Closed but a Hell of a Lot of Military Cargo Planes still taking off from there and a Lot of Helicopters in and out of there. Memories of a Stunt pulled by John Tower and Bob Dole in the Senate, They said their States would stop taking Rent Payments in Order to Reduce the Budget. Everybody Shut Up about the Military Budget in that Debate after that.

I am pretty sure that where I currently work, Columbus AFB MS, the town would have a sucking sound for a while as the wind would pop right out of the sails but it would turn around. For instance, I have heard that if the base ever closes, FedEx wants the realestate because of the runway length and alternate runways and very little commercial traffic in the pattern outside. It could get them out of Memphis and they can have their own area to own. Taht is just one exampl. Craig AFB in AL uses the airport as a city airport and some of the buildings are used for the Alabama State Police training Academy so I am sure most areas will survive but not to the extent the military presence provides. To much economic impact with housing, groceries, entertainment, resaturants etc.