"A the Lott haters of the world wonder why we keep voting him in "ping"."
Somehow, I had a feeling you would say
something along those lines. ;o)
Magnolia, I think Sonny Montgomery has
been very instrumental in keeping the
base in Meridian open. Trent has done
his fair share, as well.
They shut down VT-4 in Pensacola, so
training is conducted only in Meridian and
in Kingville, TX. (the last I heard, anyway)
The city has been spending a lot of money
showing the Navy just how much they are
appreciated in Meridian. The citizens have
been very involved in the base, and there
are many retirees in Meridian. If they
close the base, those retirees would most
likely move.
I surely do hope they don't close it.
Meridian would dry up and blow away
if they did.
Same here. Pilot training has also been expanded from Air Force only to include Navy & Marines. I also believe that Vance AFB is one of the few bases maintained by civilians.
Who knows what the future holds, but it will be a hard fought fight to keep ALL remaining bases open. It's foolish to think influence peddling from whomever/wherever won't be a factor!