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Fort Lewis soldiers are welcome here

Aug- 9-2004 » Filed Under: General Military

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It's reassuring that the commanding general at Fort Lewis sees South Sound for what it really is -- a welcoming community where soldiers and their families can feel at home.

That sense of acceptance and welcome is one of the reasons so many soldiers return to this community when they retire, Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano told The Olympian's editorial board in a recent meeting.

"The surrounding community is doing a marvelous job of taking care of our soldiers and their families," he said.

That's the kind of impression South Sound wants to leave with the active duty troops that rotate through the fort 15 miles north of Olympia on Interstate 5. [...]

It's important that this community maintain those strong ties to Fort Lewis, because the fort and its personnel have a powerful imprint on this community. Their children attend local schools. They buy or rent homes in neighborhoods and shop in local stores.

While other communities are facing the closure of nearby military installations and the loss of support jobs, Fort Lewis is growing in importance in the national military structure.

The fort, which occupies 127,000 acres in Thurston and Pierce counties, has more than 20,000 active-duty soldiers assigned here. Only a quarter of the personnel live on base; the rest reside in surrounding communities.


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