Sample Letter for Army Force 2020 SPEA
Sample letter for Army Force 2020 SPEA
U.S. Army Environmental Command
ATTN: SPEA Public Comments
2450 Connell Road (Building 2264)
Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-7664
August 1, 2014
To Whom It May Concern:
I write in support of continued robust U.S. Army operations at Fort Carson, Colorado. The Army currently has nearly 26,000 active duty soldiers stationed at Fort Carson, not to mention thousands more family members.As a resident of the Pikes Peak region, I am thrilled that we get the privilege of hosting the men and women serving our great nation.
I recognize that readiness, the ability to be prepared to fight and win our nation’s wars, must be the overriding concern for Army leadership. Due to the training opportunities available at Fort Carson, as well as the desirability and strengths of our community, I believe that Fort Carson and the surrounding communities offer the Army the best place to achieve that goal.
Fort Carson’s main post possesses great training ranges, where small unit maneuver, live fire and combined arms exercises can occur on its nearly 140,000 acres of land. The desert-like environment of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado allowslight and heavy unit maneuverson its 235,000 acres,as well as exercising extended logistic trains.
The Mountain Postsits in an ideal location for high altitude aviation trainingwith easy access to the Rocky Mountains just to the West and near the High Altitude Aviation Training Site (HAATS) in Eagle County, Colorado. As highlighted in the August 2014 issue of Air and Space Magazine, HAATS has been vital to preparing helicopter pilots for the unique challenges they have faced in Afghanistan.
While Fort Carson is a great location for training high quality soldiers, the local communities make it a great location for retaining those soldiers, with Fort Carson regularly sitting near the top of the retention charts and most requested assignments for the Army. Higher retention rates mean less lost investment by the Army.
From providing soldiers and their family’s access to top quality medical care to offering them access to a broad range of outdoor activities that help keep them healthy and fit, the Pikes Peak Region routinely ranks high in quality of life.For example, Colorado Springs was ranked the 5th Best Big City for Active Families (Outside Magazine), 2nd Most Affordable City to Grow a Family (Cheapism.com),2nd Fittest City in America (Facebook), and 6th for cleanest air in the US (CNNHealth).
The people of this region continually demonstrate support for the military through support for the organizations dedicated to helping them in times of need. The Peak Military Care Network (PMCN), unique in the nation, was established to serveas a central point for connecting service members, their families and veterans to the best care and support available. By coordinating with multiple partner agencies, the PMCN helps those who are serving or have served our nation to navigate through the options available to meet their needs.
The Home Front Cares organization, started locally and nationally recognized, raised over $1 million in Fiscal Year 2014 and provided grants to over 340 Colorado veterans, service members and their families to help them through emergencies, as well as referrals to over 850 more to get necessary help. Throughout the recent wars, they have stepped in to help families of deployed soldiers who have suddenly found themselves in financial need, allowing the deployed service member to continue their service without the concern of how to resolve an emergency back home.
In addition to local organizations serving military members and their families, we have many organizations that support the needs of our installations and the services.We have strong chapters of the Association of the United States Army, the Air Force Association, National Defense Industrial Association, and many more similar groups. We have organizations like the Military Affairs Council, the Colorado Thirty Group, the El Pomar Foundation, and the Fort Carson Good Neighbors that constantly seek to address concerns that impact Fort Carson and the people stationed there.
As you can see, there is no finer community in America for the Army to station their people and I hope that you will maintain your strong presence at Fort Carson. You will not regret it!
Very Respectfully,