posted
Nope, won't do it. I worked in the BRAC office, and the commissions make every effort to make decisions based on our military needs. Unless I see some specific evidence that a particular recommendation is unwise, I won't second guess them. Appeals to history aren't enough for me to do so.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
The thing that was strange with this one was that it was put as realignment. They would move the planes away but keep the base. Their claim was that that way it wouldn’t affect the area since the base was still there. But the arguments have been that what is an Air Guard base with no planes.
I agree with you Dag, but don’t see any harm in hoping that they’ll leave something open.
[ June 06, 2005, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Jay ]
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Might have a chance since the report was wrong.
The Department of Defense said it couldn't be done, but the 130th Airlift Wing out of Charleston proved it could.
The made their point Sunday with a couple of borrowed C-130 airplanes from Delaware, four from Martinsburg and using eight of their own. The airlift wing flew out all 14 planes, landed them and then parked them on the tarmac at their National Guard base at Yeager Airport.
In the Defense Department report made it clear the 130th didn't have the space to park as many C-130's as needed. As a result the DOD is calling for realignment. The agency wants all eight of the Charleston planes be transferred to Pope Air Base in North Carolina.
Two members of the BRAC Commission will visit the 130th later this month to evaluate the base. Higher ups wanted to show those committee members they were indeed capable of doing exactly what the report said couldn't be accomplished.
Retired Air Guard member Paul Dolin stood out on the tarmac for several hours while the 14 planes did their maneuvers. He says he can't believe what the federal government is trying to do to one of the best bases in the nation. In fact, he says it makes him downright angry.
One woman who knows all too well about the possible realignment is Sallie Pat Tackett, the wife of Adjutant General Alan Tackett. She says the maneuvers are simply their way of showing the federal government the Defense Department report can't be trusted. It has too many errors to be believed.
More than 200 people turned out to see the 14 planes fly in maneuvers, land and then park each and every one on the tarmac. Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Must be an amusingly small airfield. C'n land and park a couple dozen C130s on a Wal*Mart parking lot.
So what's the point of the "preservation"? Huge federal subsidies to provide cheap amusement rides for the 130th's members?
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:A victory for the West Virginia Air National Guard following a decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to keep the eight C-130 planes at the Charleston-based 130th Airlift Wing.
The BRAC Commission voted unanimously Friday afternoon to realign Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. That decision included the rejection of the Defense Department's proposal to move the planes at Yeager Airport to Pope.
Still surprised about Walter Reed though…. That one was a bit strange.
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Yeah, I found the Walter Reed thing odd, too. They say they are going to be fine moving patient history and care to the Bethesda Naval Hospital, but I know several people getting care at Walter Reed right now, and I don't see how that's going to work.
They are looking to close a bunch of DFAS facilities, too, which messes with my money! I don't care for that one bit! Heh. Not to mention, my mom works for DFAS San Diego and I'm a little worried about her job. The way the system works, she's pretty much guaranteed a job at another facility (which might be for the best, as there's no upward mobility at her current job), but she'd have to move to Indiana or Cleveland or something. :/
A lot of rumbling going on here at my house, you can imagine.
(no, I don't live with my mom, I live with That Army Man I Married, but I like to visit her in San Diego! Haha)
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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Oh, man - our contract invoicing got switched from one DFAS office to another. Added 15 days to turnaround time. That may not sound like much, but it's a huge deal to a small government contractor.
And their was a two-month gap during the transition. It almost sunk us.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
A two-month gap is huge in accounts receivable, I know (my only frame of reference) and I'm just a little freaked out by what I'm reading about the BRAC closures. *shrug* I'm all for streamlining, but the military has a bad track record with that sort of thing.
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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