2 November 2015
To the Editor:
Regarding the NewsBF article on the proposed
eventual closure of the Bonners Ferry National
Guard Armory (the
full article is available by clicking here).
This is a very poor idea for the following
reasons:
1) Militarily, it makes our state assets more
vulnerable to attack when they are concentrated
in nine locations.
2) Our proximity to the international border
positions us for rapid response.
3) The concentration of armories in urban areas
will suppress recruitment from rural areas—areas
which provide personnel with life skillsets
which are valuable to military operations.
4) We have already borne the brunt of closures
(real or proposed) of state assets in Boundary
County.
What I find most disturbing is that this new
proposed closure is not coming from the federal
government, but is being proposed from our own
state authorities.
I suggest that our local authorities martial
their opposition to this plan.
One of the justifications for the proposed
closure is the lack of adequate acreage for
expansion. I believe that an offer by the County
to provide necessary acreage for a suitable site
should be part of our plan to keep the National
Guard in Boundary County. That would prove our
commitment and the costs would be far exceeded
by the benefits of having the National Guard
here.
Gerald B. Higgs
Bonners Ferry |
