Backers of base seek aid of brass

Goals are to correct weaknesses and promote the strengths of the base.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
A group created to back the local air base thinks that a visit by the new commander of the Air Force Reserve would help the base survive the 2005 Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure round.
The members of SOAR, which stands for Save Our Airbase Reservists, would like to bring Lt. Gen. John Bradley to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, in Vienna.
"It's important to give Gen. Bradley a visual of the base," said retired Brig. Gen. Michael F. Gjede of the Air Force Reserve, noting that Bradley will likely have input into Air Force reserve issues during the BRAC process. He didn't say how they might go about getting Bradley here.
Gjede, former commander of the 910th Airlift Wing in Vienna, became executive director of Operation SOAR shortly after he retired this summer. He talked about SOAR's efforts at a meeting Monday of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments General Policy Board.
SOAR is a volunteer community coalition, spearheaded by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, formed to mount a local effort to ensure the base is not on the DOD's list of bases to be closed.
Likely to be hit
Gjede said he thinks the DOD will close about 25 percent of continental military facilities.
And, he said, the "low hanging fruit" was picked during previous BRAC rounds. "This BRAC will be difficult," he said.
Gjede said the DOD's main focus is on military value.
If the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is not on the closure or realignment list that is due out May 16, 2005, the goal is to "keep our heads down" and avoid being added, he said.
If the base is on the May 16 list for realignment or closure, "that is when we make our pitch," Gjede said.
In the meantime, Gjede said, SOAR's goals are to identify and correct base weaknesses before inspection by the BRAC commission members; build and demonstrate community support; and effectively communicate base strengths to the DOD, such as expansion capability and training capacity, including the nearby Ravenna Arsenal.
Economic impact
When the gloves come off May 16, the $100 million annual economic impact of the base, including $12 million in the Shenango Valley, will become an issue, Gjede said.
Also, he said, it is very important that the air base be included in land-use decisions to prevent encroachment of development around the base. That is the No. 1 issue that gets bases closed, he said.
"My dream is not to just stay open, but to be one of the places that other units are moved to. We are in great shape if you look at some of the other facilities out there," Gjede said.