Committee of Fifty works for fort support
Thursday, 08 October 2009
By Robert Johnson
Guidon Managing editor
An often-unseen group of local citizens continue to provide quiet support to Fort Leonard Wood and the military personnel who serve here. The Committee of Fifty consists of local area business owners and other civic-minded individuals who are dedicated to providing support to the install
ation. Through direct actions, such as honoring service members during their monthly meeting, to lobbying elected officials for resources and legislative action, the committee members work to bring positive support and change to the post, said Keith Pritchard, Committee of Fifty member.
“The Committee of Fifty currently has just over 70 members, and anyone or business that wishes to join can apply. New members with good standing in the community are welcome,” Pritchard said.
“The Committee of Fifty’s sole purpose is to promote the development, expansion and effectiveness of Fort Leonard Wood. The origins of the organization reach back to the early days of Fort Leonard Wood.
“Prior to World War II, Fort Leonard Wood was established as a training post. Residents of Pulaski County responded to the need for labor and support services. It was an economic growth unmatched in the history of the region,” said Virgie Mahan, Committee of Fifty member. By 1947, just six years after the great economic boom, the post was leased out as a cattle ranch. In 1950, Fort Leonard Wood was re-opened to support the war efforts on the Korean Peninsula. It was this economic roller-coaster that led to the early roots of the Committee of Fifty, Mahan said.
“In response to the very real possibility of the post closing again, a number of community leaders began an informal effort urging elected officials to make Fort Leonard Wood a permanent installation. They were successful, and the post was named a permanent installation in 1956,” Mahan said. During the next few years, those community leaders continued to advocate support for the fort and, in April 1973, the Committee of Fifty was registered with the State of Missouri as a “General Not for Profit Corporation,” Mahan said. In the early 90s, the committee was faced with another post closing challenge, but this time it wasn’t Fort Leonard Wood on the chopping block.
“In 1993, the Pentagon recommended the closure of Fort McClellan, Ala., and moving the Chemical and Military Police Schools to Fort Leonard Wood,” said Larry Sexton, committee member. “The request was later turned down by the 1993 BRAC (Base Realignment and Closing) Commission.”
“Shortly after that, a group of leadership from the Committee of Fifty went to work to prepare for the 1995 BRAC,” Sexton said. “We were fairly certain that the Pentagon was going to once again propose moving the chemical and MP schools. We wanted a different outcome for that BRAC round.”
The committee concluded that they were not successful in 1993 because the Alabama political leadership had been successful in convincing the BRAC commission that Missouri would not issue the required environmental permits to allow the schools to transfer here, Sexton said.
“We met with the then governor, Mel Carnahan, and he played a key role in getting the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to issue the permits prior to the final vote. This was no small task,” Sexton said. The committee hired consultants and the water permit hearings were conducted and environmental impact studies were concluded. In the end, the 1995 BRAC commission voted to move the MP and chemical school to Missouri, thanks in part to many members of the Committee of Fifty, Sexton said. In 2005, another set of BRAC findings were being discussed and the Committee of Fifty again raised money to hire consultants and conducted planning sessions in support of Fort Leonard Wood, Sexton said.
“Although no major moves were recommended by the Pentagon regarding Fort Leonard Wood, we did continue to establish the installation as an enduring one,” Sexton said. The Committee continues to show its support to the fort through monthly recognition of outstanding service members, Mahan said.
“The Committee of Fifty is not the Chamber of Commerce; members do not seek personal gain for themselves, their businesses or their organizations. They support Fort Leonard Wood. They advocate for Fort Leonard Wood,” Mahan said.
