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The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 11

Location:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Issue Date:
Page:
11
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

to TARGETING THE BASES OCEAN COUNTY 537 Wrightstown Lakehurst Naval McGuire Air Station Air Force Base FORT DIX MILITARY RESERVATION Pemberton 539 Browns Mills PEMBERTON TWP. BURLINGTON COUNTY LEBANON STATE FOREST FORT DIX Current permanent military personnel 3,719 Current military spouses NEW JERSEY and children 6,921 Current trainees. 6,454 Permanent civilian personnel. 3,324 Between 5,000 and 8,000 trainees undergo basic and advanced individual Trenton FORT DIX training every eight weeks. Annual budget: $362,862,000 Camden Size: 49 square miles Location: Burlington and Ocean Counties, including New Hanover, Pemberton and Plumsted Townships, and Wrightstown Borough, New Jersey.

Atlantic City Founded 1917 as Camp Dix. Source: Fort Dix The Philadelphia Inquirer ROGER HASLER Assessing the impact of a Fort Dix closing FORT DIX, from 1-A train New Jersey National Guard units, and perhaps to provide some specialized training for regular Army personnel, would remain. At least 1,516 of the 3,324 civilian jobs at Fort Dix would be eliminated or moved elsewhere, the panel said. Jack Edwards, co-chairman of the presidential panel, said at a Pentagon news conference that only about 500 civilian would remain. The 27,000 recruits who take basic training at Fort Dix each year would be instructed in Kentucky, Missouri and South Carolina, as would most of the few hundred others who come annually for advanced training.

The base opened as Camp Dix in World War I to train soldiers and then was used as the main center to muster out troops returning from what political figures of the day called "the war to end all wars." Today it trains half as many soldiers as it did during the Vietnam War. On a typical day, 6,454 soldiers are in training at Fort Dix, officials said yesterday, most of them recruits who line up for medical inspections, close-cropped haircuts and eight weeks of basic training in how to be soldiers for a base pay of $143.24 per week a salary that is scheduled to increase by $5.88 weekly starting Sunday. The recruits, permanent military personnel and civilian employees are paid $277.8 million annually, data issued by Fort Dix show. In addition, federal taxpayers pump into the local economy $17.8 million for supplies and equipment, $47.5 million for services, $10.9 million for utilities and nearly $9 million for construction. The report of the Defense Secretary's Commission on Base Realignment and Closure did not say what would happen to Walson Army Hospital at Fort Dix.

Nor did it address the fate of the Mid-State Correctional Facility, which the state operates on base property rented from the Army through 1990. U.S. Rep. James Courter N.J.), said he would fight to keep both the hospital and the prison open. Vince Persini, president of Local 1999 of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 3,000 of the base's civilian employees, said his members were all upset.

"The area might go into a recession," Persini said. Hardest hit may be the Pemberton School District. Twenty-three percent of the district's students are Army and Air Force youngsters. Business Manager Mark Cowell said a $16 million expansion was under way at Pemberton High School. The district got $4 million $35 million budget from the Pentagon last year, but because of the formula used by the Pentagon to pay for educating military dependents, Cowell said the military aid "could easily fall by $3 million." Said school board President Thomas Bridge: "We had no indication this happen.

This is going to be devastating to the whole Lewis Nagy, director of economic development for Burlington County, estimated that a fifth of those losing their jobs would retire. As for the others, he said, "if our economy remains strong, I think they can find jobs elsewhere in the county." Unemployment in Burlington County was 3.1 percent in October, the New Jersey Labor Department reported yesterday. But in the four municipalities that depend most on the base the townships of Pemberton, New Hanover and North Hanover, and Wrightstown Borough unemployment was about 6 percent. Some business people in Wrightstown and in Pemberton Township said yesterday that they would welcome the change, explaining that the booming New Jersey economy is transforming the area into an affluent suburb, with homes selling for as much as half a million dollars. Joseph Farago, a Wrightstown councilman and owner of Kelly's Bar, said that while "closing Fort Dix will obviously have a detrimental effect," he believes the long-term outlook for the area is bright.

Correspondent Ray Rinaldi and the Associated Press contributed to this article. Dix would be a victim of consolidation effort By Matthew Purdy Inquirer Washington Bureau WASHINGTON The decision to greatly scale back operations at Fort Dix reflects an effort by the military to reduce and consolidate its trooptraining activities nationwide. For years, the Army has argued that with a decreased need for troops, there are too many training facilities in operation. The Commission on Base Realignment and Closure, which issued its report yesterday, came to a similar conclusion, deciding that training at Fort Dix was expendable. "What we've tried to do is bring training areas together to the extent that we could," said Jack Edwards, a former Alabama congressman and the commission's co-chairman, in explaining the Fort Dix decision to reporters yesterday morning.

Hayden G. Bryan, the commission's executive director, said in an interview that "there was a combination of factors" that led the commission to target Fort Dix, than other large training bases, for scaling down. However, Bryan said he could not elaborate on the reasons, other than to say that they had to do with the of the base and the efficienlocation cy of its operation. that transferring The report said training from Fort Dix would open the facility such uses as other to the housing for troops returning from overseas, exerUnited States units, for Army Reserve and cises for serving as point of departure a of a sudden mobitroops in the event lization. reBut none of those possibilities Friday, Dec.

30, 1988 The Philadelphia Inquirer 11-A 'If they want me to move, I'll move' With skepticism uppermost, civilians and soldiers make predictions about a future without the fort's economic web. By Alan Sipress Inquirer Staff Writer The military seems ever-present in northeastern Burlington County, where green combat airplanes glide in over acres of farmland. Enter a restaurant and the couple eating at the next table are apt to be dressed in camouflage. The closing time posted on the door might read something like 2200 hours. And there is a good chance that any child in the school down the road has a parent who works at Fort Dix or McGuire Air Force Base.

For 71 years, the military experience, has been a shared one around Dix. But yesterday's announcement that the fort may become dormant provoked reactions as different as the people who would be affected. For military personnel, the prospect of reassignment was greeted as a soldier's lot. "This is my home now," said drill Sgt. William White, who is beginning his second tour at the base, where he lives with his wife, a Department of Defense employee, and two children.

"But the government sent me here. If they want me to move, I'll move." Other soldiers were even enthusiastic about moving especially if the next stop would be in a warmer climate. "I think it's the best thing they could do. It's better than butter," said Staff Sgt. Carlos Montgomery, who teaches trainees to operate vehicles.

"Hopefully, they'll let us go back where we want to go." The Army's departure, however, could leave some of the 3,300 civilian employees and their families stranded among a sea of farms. The civilians have worked at the base for years while military personnel have moved through in waves. Many of the civilians are retired soldiers and family members who put down roots in the area while posted at the fort. They grew too old for the military but not for the fort. "It's a foolish, foolish move, and it's the civilians that will be affected," said Ruth Bickler, whose family settled in Pemberton Township after her husband retired as a Navy yeo- The Despite yesterday's announcement, training continues for newly arrived man 10 years ago.

Although no one in her family now works on the base, she said she sympathized with the military retirees who do. And she expects feisty old-timers to put up a fight. "I feel bad for the military retirees from the Air Force or who are depending on the income," she said. "It's going to be a serious problem." Meanwhile, business owners including those who run the bars, liquor stores and fast-food joints that line the honky-tonk strip just beyond the fort in Wrightstown worried yesterday that they would be left with empty bar stools and uneaten hamburgers. close that, they might as well close Wrightstown, Browns Mills, Mount Holly and New Egypt," said Susan Heil, drawing a mug of beer behind the dimly lit bar at the Duchess in Wrightstown.

"It'll probably turn into a ghost town." Heil came to the area from Indiana the new Non-Commissioned Officers 10 years ago, when her husband was posted at Fort Dix. He left several Club that were put up in recent years "I just hold to a thin thread," later, but she stayed behind. years. She also stayed when proposals to close the fort surfaced in recent Bickler said. "It's been going on for SO many years.

I'll wait till it really years. happens before I start pushing the Now she doubts that the fort will panic button." close at all. "With all the people losing their come "Rumors and rumors go," said Joseph Santa Ana, who was jobs," she said, "I can't see the gov- behind the ernment affording all the unemploywrapping a hoagie counter at Vita's Pizza in Wrightment stown. A few feet away, two soldiers In fact, the sentiment shared by almost everyone yesterday was skepwere doing battle with their hoagies and chatting about the morning's ticism. of closure be- announcement.

Having faced threats Santa Ana said he had heard and area resi- specufore, many employees lation about McGuire Air Force Base dents closing during his nine years in the scoffed at the latest announcement. No one's Air Force. When he left the military "It's a bunch of baloney. the base down," White in March, however, he chose to stay going to in in the area and manage the pizzeria. close said.

"I have more trust the gov- But if this report is more than stupid just ernment rumor, he said, he may choose than to do something to like introduce cheesesteaks to New York. that." White "I'll go back to Brooklyn before I and others around the fort pointed to the buildings including here." the shiny, modern commissary and stay THE WORLD'S BIGGEST TOY STORE! TOYS A'US Hot toys for the New Year! 0 NEW Kenner Mattel ROBOCOP STYLEMAGIC ACTION With BARBIE Wondra Curl FIGURES DOLLS new hair styler, plus lots of Each with rapid repeat accessories. cap-firing action! Ages 3-up. Ages 4-up. beauty 0199 Each Each Little dolls walk, PACK-A-PICNIC Schoolhouse Galoob Fisher-Price BABIES Fisher-Price SCHOOL BOUNCING NEW LITTLE PEOPLE crawl, snuggle set for playset with pulland fuss! Each with Complete food.

out playground, with outfit. 2, play plus 5 figures! Ages 4-up. (AA Ages 3-7, Ages 2-6. battery not included) 999 1299 2999 Each Fisher-Price Nintendo Matchbox PEE WEE CRAZY ADVANTAGE Moving parts, plus 35mm "camera" PLAYHOUSE CAMERA 40000 JOYSTICK Pee friends. skateboard, Wee Ages and for 4-up.

6" gives works. effects! special Ages Flash 3-7. lens really 3999 2999 1399 MAX Nintendo JOYPAD 21.99 YOU'LL NEVER OUTGROW US! There's a TOYS A US' near you! SO. PORT PHILADELPHIA RICHMOND (Comer (Next to of Whitman Aramingo Plaza Ontario) Shopping Ctr.) Tors a us PENNSYLVANIA CEDAR BROOK MALL (Cheftenham Aven. Easton Rd.) NEW JERSEY Granite Run Mall) CHERRY KILL (Between Cherry Hill Mall Airport Circle) GRANITE RUN (Across from KING OF PRUSSIA (Behind King of Prussia Mall) Mall) QUAKER DEPTFORD BRIDGE (Across from (Across Deptford from Quaker Mall) Bridge Mall) CHARGE IT! MONTGOMERYVILLE (Across from Montgomery PHILADELPHIA (AL Cottman Castor Aves.) DELAWARE VISA MASTERCARD N.E.

OXFORD VALLEY (Across from Oxford Valley Mall) CHRISTIANA (Across from Christiana AMERICAN EXPRESS MONDAY SATURDAY 10:00 AM 9:30 SUNDAY 11:00 AM 6:00 PM; PM DISCOVER Philadelphia Inquirer MICHAEL MALLY recruits at Fort Dix. ceived anything more than a mention in the report, suggesting that what the commission sees in Fort Dix's future is mothballing. As with all of the recommendations of the commission, there is no timetable spelled out for the changes at Fort Dix. The report issued a blanket directive that all base "realignments" and closures should be carried out between 1990 and 1995 on a timetable determined by the Pentagon. The effect of the decision if approved by the Pentagon and Conwould be to rid the base of the function that made it famous turning skinhead recruits into fighting soldiers.

One half of Fort Dix's basic-training operation would be transferred Fort Jackson in South Carolina, with the rest moving to Fort Knox in Kentucky and to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. All of those bases already have Army training functions. Other training functions also would be transfered from the base. Advanced training for motor vehicle would be moved to Fort operators Leonard Wood. Advanced training for vehicle mechanics would be moved to Fort Jackson.

And training for specialists would be moved food service Virginia. Along with Fort Dix's missions, about 4.600 jobs also would leave the base. In addition, the commission recommended that the Pentagon review military medical needs in the area to determine whether Fort Dix's WalArmy Hospital should reduce son services or be closed..

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