'Last shot' for public to show support for Fort Polk

Two years ago, people lined the streets of Leesville by the hundreds to show their support for Fort Polk.

They stood and waited for hours, bearing homemade signs and American flags. Some drove an hour or more just to get there.

All so Army decision-makers traveling into town to hear concerns about potential downsizing at Fort Polk would see the throng of people and know how much the community appreciates its local base.

Whether the show of support that day and an impressive letter-writing campaign earlier impacted the decision or not, Fort Polk was spared in that round of cutbacks.

Now, with Fort Polk again in danger of significant downsizing, stakeholders are asking the public to duplicate that herculean effort, and more.

Army officials will be in Leesville March 3 for a community meeting to hear concerns about potentially reducing the number of troops stationed at Fort Polk. Stakeholders are urging anyone who wants to show support for the base to be in Leesville that day, and spread the word among others to do so.

"We think last year the show of support from people throughout the region really left a strong impression on Army decision-makers," said Michael Reese, chair of Fort Polk Progress, a nonprofit dedicated to lobbying for and supporting the Vernon Parish base. "We believe it changed the way they look at Fort Polk."

The Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment contained 30 bases that could see troop reductions as the Army faces a drawdown from 490,000 troops to as few as 420,000. If Fort Polk is one of the installations cut, the base could lose up to 6,500 of its military population of 10,836.

Supporters contributed more than 34,000 letters, emails and petitions during the public comment phase on the report — nearly 13,000 more comments than any other threatened base.

Still, the gap was narrower than it was during the same process in 2013, when Fort Polk's comments were greater than the number submitted on behalf of every other threatened base combined. Stakeholders took that as a sign that other communities were copying the approach used here.

"This time, everybody's taking Fort Polk's lead," Reese said. "We really have to do even more to stand out. This is our last shot."

Where to go

Army officials will be at First United Pentecostal Church (101 Nolan Trace) in Leesville for a community meeting at 6 p.m. on March 3 to hear concerns about potential downsizing at Fort Polk.

Community members are encouraged to to show their support for the base by lining the streets officials will travel to get to the meeting. In particular, groups are encouraged to line the streets from the entrance of Fort Polk on University Parkway (La. 467) to Third Street, then Texas Street which turns into Nolan Trace where the church is located.

Groups who plan to participate in the event are encouraged to contact Tammy Sharp at (337) 378-9329 or tammy@fortpolkprogress.com to coordinate.