If you saw a guy run over by a bus in the street would you run up to him and say: "Well, don't feel sorry for yourself, some people just get run over by busses."
I am not a big supporter of government welfare by military base. If a base is not needed, close it. There is no reason why the government should keep a military base open just because it helps the local economy. I'm sure a submarine base in Montana would help the local economy as well, but it makes no sense! Nor do big military bases in the New England area when the biggest threats are NK, Iran, and China.