FAIRBANKS -- Alaska political leaders joined with about 500 Fairbanks residents Tuesday to make the case for keeping troops in Alaska, specifically at Fort Wainwright.
In a lengthy evening session that echoed many of the comments offered Monday in Anchorage, a three-member Army team listened to dozens of speakers cite the strategic location of Alaska, community support for the military, the quality of local schools, the large number of veterans and tens of thousands of square miles of training space as key reasons to maintain the military presence.
"Our relationship is unique with the military," said Gov. Bill Walker, adding that veterans choose to retire here in large numbers because it's a great place to live. He said the state also fits into national defense.
He said he never visited former Gov. Wally Hickel without hearing that he should "look at Alaska from the top down" as on a globe, not a two-dimensional map. "That's a critical piece; that's why Alaska has something to offer different than other locations," he said.
Fairbanks Rep. Steve Thompson, who served at Fort Wainwright from 1965 to 1967 and stayed, said, "Our community really does support the military."
"We treat them and consider them family in Fairbanks," he said, speaking from Juneau.
Sen. John Coghill, an Air Force veteran, said Fairbanks is "fiercely patriotic."
"We love America. We have not only worn the uniform, but we have lived it by holding each other up through thick and thin."
The three Army representatives who heard testimony Monday in Anchorage and traveled to Fairbanks for more of the same Tuesday were Deputy Assistant Secretary John McLaurin, Col. Thomas O'Donoghue and Lt. Col. Larry Kimbrell. They listened attentively for hours.
Speaking on a video link from the nation's capital, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, "No criterion is more important in deciding where to base the finest soldiers in the world than a community's commitment to the military family."
"Nobody treats our soldiers and their families better than the people of Alaska," she said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan said the "power projection capabilities from this geostrategic location" are unmatched by other sites. The senators and Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young said they hope Congress provides additional funding so the proposed Army cuts do not take place. The Army is proceeding on plans to reduce its troop strength to 420,000 by the end of 2019, if federal sequestration plans remain in place.
There was no suggestion at the meeting by any speaker that the federal pullback was warranted. Thirty Army posts across the country, including Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, are being considered for troop reductions.
Bill Brophy, a Usibelli Coal Mine executive and a retired military officer, said that instead of looking at cutbacks, the Army should look at ways in which the additional military units and equipment could be transferred to Alaska. He said this could improve the economies of scale for existing facilities.
Jeff Roach, a soldier with 33 years of service, said Alaska "is the optimal staging location for rapid military response capabilities, allowing simultaneous troop deployments to both eastern and western hemispheres in the shortest amount of time."
"A strong U.S. presence in the Arctic is important to our national interests," he said.