Letter to Senator Cornyn and Congressman Carter

This is a copy of the letter I sent to Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Congressman John Carter (R-TX) in reference to troop reduction levels at Fort Hood.

The Honorable Senator John Cornyn and the Honorable Representative John Carter;

Fort Hood has been a major part of the defense of the United States for many years. Most of the weapons systems in uses by today’s Army, as well as other Services, were tested and fielded at Fort Hood. The M1 Abrams Tank and the Apache helicopter are two of the major weapons systems that came from this process. The current modernization of the Army has come from the Force XXI development and testing at Fort Hood.

With III Corps, 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division all headquartered at Fort Hood, a major portion of the defense forces of the United States are located within the Central Texas area and is has a major impact on the economy and standard of living of the residents of Bell and Coryell Counties, as well as areas in all directions on the compass from Fort Hood.
In an article in the Killeen Daily Herald (15April2009), LTG Rick Lynch, Commander III Corps and Fort Hood, announced the troop levels would decline from the 2009 level of 53,146 to 45,872 by 2013. This reduction of 7,200 plus troops, plus families and civilian support components, will have a huge negative impact on the communities that surround the post. This includes everything from schools to retail and housing.

Countless millions of dollars have been spent on the infrastructure of Fort Hood, primarily since the involvement of Fort Hood in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. Moving 7200 soldiers to other installations would conceivably require many tax dollars to upgrade those installations. During the current economic climate, how wise is the expenditure of the American people’s tax dollars to build elsewhere what is already available at Fort Hood?

While the move of the 4th Infantry Division to Fort Carson seems to be a done deal, the realignment of the force could easily allow for another Division size unit to headquarter at Fort Hood. The pending arrival of the First Army Division West's headquarters is a start. I urge you to work hard to insure the troop, family, and support population at Fort Hood remain at least at the 2009 levels.

Sincerely,

Raymond F. Pritchard
SFC, Retired
United States Army