Accept APG changes and be thankful
Change is always hard to accept at the onset, but often it is necessary and remains one of the only things in life that is constant. As we tip our hats farewell to the brave men and woman of the Ordnance Center and School at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), we make way for a new era of high tech jobs and equipment. As a veteran, I understand the importance of a well oiled machine when it comes to fighting wars. Although the Ordnance Center is a nostalgic example of Harford County's past, the Pentagon is well within its rights to move the unit to a location that better suits the needs of the Army, thus bettering to suit our need for protection.
Like any other large corporation, the US Military works to invent ways to increase operational output while decreasing its expense. The defense budget proposed for fiscal year 2005 was almost $402 billion, a 7 percent increase from 2004. If moving the Ordnance Center to Fort Lee, Va., keeps that budget from rising next year while working to effectively fight the ongoing war in Iraq, then so be it.
However, we must remember that although closing almost 180 bases nationwide may save taxpayer money over the long run, it means certain depression for the small towns these bases occupy. We must count ourselves lucky that APG was spared from the Pentagon's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list, and that the new technical units that will make their home here will move Harford County further into the future (making us less susceptible to closure next time around). After all, think what would have happened to the City of Aberdeen or Harford County if instead of losing 2,500 people from APG, all 15,300 of its combined military and civilian workforce left.
I urge the citizens of Harford County to write their Democratic Senators and Congressmen for a job well done in keeping APG open. And as for the brave soldiers of the Ordnance Center and School, thanks for your company; we wish you well and God bless!
Rob LaPin Bel Air
Base realignment carries high costs
The realignment of Aberdeen Proving Grounds will have more of a financial impact on Harford County than what is predicted. The financial stability of the supposedly 2,000-plus additional jobs will not offset the transient financial contributions of the 10,000 soldiers and their families that matriculate through the Ordinance School each year. Rental properties that cater to this clientele will suffer.
