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Aviation brigade to bring soldiers, money to Fort Carson

Ken Asher — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:07:18 +0000

Fort Carson will be home to a 2,700 soldier aviation brigade, congressional sources confirmed Monday.

Army leaders briefed Colorado’s congressional delegation Monday morning on the move, which would push the post’s population of GIs to nearly 30,000 and bring an estimated $240 million in military construction to the Pikes Peak region.

“It’s official: Fort Carson will be getting a new combat aviation brigade,” Colorado’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall said in a statement. The brigade will be established in 2013 and ready for combat by 2014, Udall’s office said.

The new 113-helicopter unit will be the Army’s 13th combat aviation brigade.

Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said construction money could start flowing to Fort Carson within months to improve Butts Army Airfield and build a headquarters and barracks for the unit.

Lamborn said getting cash for the unit will be relatively easy despite congressional budget worries because addressing a helicopter shortfall is an Army priority.

“This is money that’s essential to make sure our soldiers are better trained and better equipped,” he said.

The brigade would bring hundreds of civilian jobs, such as contractors for aircraft maintenance, high-tech weapons and training simulators.

Outside Fort Carson’s gates the impact will be huge, said Fred Crowley, an economist with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

“We’ll pick up 2,100 or 2,200 civilian jobs as result of military jobs,” he said.

Using an Army formula for population growth, the move could bring 7,000 people to the Pikes Peak region, including the new soldiers and their families.

The Army has been studying Fort Carson as a home for the helicopter brigade since last year. Last month, the Pentagon confirmed that Fort Carson was a favorite to land the brigade.

But tension increased with a three-week delay in the Pentagon’s announcement.

Fort Carson leaders have worked for years to get more helicopters on the post. In Afghanistan, helicopters are a prime mode of transit and supply, creating an argument that soldiers need to train with helicopters in Colorado to get ready for war.

Helicopters are heavily used in Afghanistan because they are immune from the roadside bombs that insurgents use to target convoys.

Brig. Gen. James Doty, Fort Carson’s commander, said earlier this month that the area’s high altitude terrain makes it a perfect place for helicopter crews to prepare for combat.

Udall said adding the helicopter brigade at Fort Carson will “save lives and improve our fighting capability” by allowing soldiers to train with helicopters.

Fort Carson leaders hadn’t been formally notified of the move Monday afternoon and wouldn’t comment.

The additional troops will balloon Fort Carson’s population of soldiers to a level unseen since World War II.

The move comes as the Defense Department embarks on a five-year austerity plan, designed to carve $78 billion from Pentagon spending through measures including troop-level cuts from the Army and Marine Corps.

Groups opposed to the new unit at Fort Carson point to the budget as a reason Monday’s decision is a bad one.

“I don’t understand how, if they’re cutting forces, they need another combat aviation brigade,” said Bill Sulzman, who headed the group “Stop the Whop Whop.”

While the helicopter brigade did have opponents, the region’s overwhelming support for the military was key in landing the unit for, said Brian Binn, president of military affairs for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.

“They have seen it across the board for how our community takes care of military members at all of our five military bases,” Binn said.

Since his election in November, Gov. John Hickenlooper has said repeatedly that all of Colorado should recognized the impact of the military on its economy.

“This is an important step in our continuing work to brand Colorado as a place where military support and investment are welcome,” he said in an email to The Gazette.

TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE
Reporter John Schroyer contributed to this article.

Helicopter Brigade Would Keep Boom going at Fort Carson

Ken Asher — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:43:08 +0000

Fort Carson is one step away from growing by 2,800 soldiers — a move that would push the post’s population to levels unseen since World War II.

The Army announced Friday that Fort Carson is its preferred location for a planned brigade of helicopters. A final decision on whether the post gets the brigade with its 120 helicopters is expected within 30 days.

The additional soldiers would push the post’s population of GIs to almost 30,000 and bring another surge of military construction to the Pikes Peak region, with $300 million or more spent to house the new unit.

The brigade would be formed at Fort Carson in 2013 and would also bring hundreds of civilian jobs, because the helicopter unit would require contractors for aircraft maintenance, high-tech weapons and training simulators.

“This is excellent news,” said U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. “It’s a big boost for the whole community.”

Lamborn said getting additional money for a new brigade — which would be the Army’s 13th aviation brigade — could still prove troublesome amid budget tightening, but said he expects few problems getting appropriations for the unit through Congress.

The Army has planned a series of cuts to other programs but has maintained that increasing its aviation capability is a top priority.

Fort Carson leaders have worked for years to get more helicopters on the post. In Afghanistan, where most of the post’s combat soldiers have headed in recent years, helicopters are a prime mode of transit and supply, creating an argument that soldiers need to train with helicopters in Colorado to get ready for war.

Brig. Gen. James Doty, Fort Carson’s commander, said the area’s high altitude and tortuous landscape makes it a perfect place for helicopter crews to prepare for combat.

While the community will notice more noise, Doty said they’ll also see “significant positive economic impact,” if the brigade comes to town.

In addition to the soldiers, the troops will bring as many as 4,000 family members to Colorado Springs. With less than 30 percent of the troops living on post, that will create a demand for scores of houses and apartments.

The brigade would also mean the post’s construction boom — $2 billion since 2005 — would continue, said Brian Binn, president of military affairs for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.

“We were at a point where most of the military construction was coming to an end,” Binn said. “The aviation brigade will help to keep the construction piece on Fort Carson up and running.”

Colorado Springs has seen a military boom in recent years, with the 4th Infantry Division and other, smaller units coming to town.

The post has doubled in size since 2003, going from 13,500 troops to about 27,000 — creating hundreds of local construction jobs building everything from offices to barracks. Defense Department spending now accounts for 40 percent of the economy in the Pikes Peak region, economists estimate.

Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said he and other leaders have lobbied the Army for the helicopter unit at every opportunity. He said the city’s military-friendly climate is a key selling point.

“It’s a testament to this community and how much we support the military,” Rivera said. “The Pentagon knows when they put a unit here in Colorado Springs, it will be taken care of by this community.”

Not everyone is happy with the prospect of more helicopters at Fort Carson.

Bill Sulzman, a Colorado Springs activist, is leading a “Stop the Whop Whop” campaign to block the Army move.

He said he’s worried that the serenity of the community will be disturbed by increased helicopter training.

“I’m very disappointed,” Sulzman said. “I would like for this thing not to happen.”

TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE

AVIATION BRIGADE AT FORT CARSON
The Army will decide within 30 days whether it will put a brigade of helicopters at Fort Carson.
Here’s what the brigade would bring:
• 120 helicopters, including CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawks, OH-58 Kiowas and AH-64 Apaches.
• 2,800 soldiers, including pilots, mechanics, medics and a slew of specialists in other fields.
• About 4,000 family members.
• $300 million in construction to improve Butts Army Airfield on the post.
• An unknown number of civilian jobs, probably in the hundreds, from construction workers to weapons technicians.

Growth at Fort Carson
The population of the post has doubled since 2003. Here’s a look at the number of soldiers assigned to the post in recent years.
Post population in 2003: 13,500 soldiers
Post population in 2008: 18,500 soldiers
Post population in 2011: 27,000 soldiers
Projected population in 2013: 30,000 soldiers

Homes Near Fort Carson

Fort Carson among finalists for new helicopter brigade

Ken Asher — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 03:09:05 +0000

has told Colorado congressional offices that Fort Carson is one of two finalists to house a 2,700-soldier aviation brigade.

The Army will make its final decision on where the unit will go as soon as next year after environmental assessments at the bases, said staffers for Colorado’s Democratic Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn.

Fort Carson is competing with Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash.

While Fort Carson’s chance to get the brigade has been rumored for months, the latest step includes one key finding — that the post doesn’t need to add land to its Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site near Trinidad to train the helicopter crews.

“The Army has expressly said that the current acreage will work,” Lamborn said in a phone interview Friday.

The Army sparked a firestorm of opposition with its proposal to add 100,000 acres to the 235,000-acre Piñon Canyon site, and a demand for more land as part of the aviation brigade discussions would likely scuttle any deal.

The Army wants to add the additional helicopter brigade to its ranks by 2013 and a final decision on where it will be based will likely come in 2011 after a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is completed.

That process includes a lengthy public comment period and will review how adding the extra soldiers and aircraft will impact the environment.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be a formidable opponent for Fort Carson in the helicopter quest. The Washington base offers similar opportunities for mountain training and possesses the 327,000-acre Yakima Training Center range 150 miles east of the post.

Washington also has one of the nation’s most powerful congressional delegations, including Tacoma’s Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks, who as chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee holds great sway over Army spending.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Carson are the only Army posts with combat divisions that lack major aviation units.

TOM ROEDER

THE GAZETTE

Carson promises to work with city on growth, copter noise

Ken Asher — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 06:12:40 +0000

Fort Carson officials pledged Friday to work with the community as they try to land an aviation unit that would bring the thwop-thwop-thwop of 100 new helicopters to the Pikes Peak Region.

Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette said residents’ concerns about noise and flight paths would be taken into account.

“We want to work closely with the community on this,” he said, emphasizing that the Army is still far from making a decision as it reviews possible locations under a plan to expand the service’s aviation element.

The Fort Carson deputy commander made his comments at a public forum in Colorado Springs focusing on how recent and future growth at Fort Carson will affect surrounding communities.

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments unveiled the results of a year-and-a-half-long study that found the post contributes $1.7 billion to the state and regional economy every year.

The number of soldiers assigned to Fort Carson nearly doubled from 12,600 to 25,000 during a three-year period that ended in 2009, and more than 1,000 additional soldiers are expected to arrive by 2014. The biggest growth, however, will be when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close, and Fort Carson soldiers all return home.

The council’s 400-page Fort Carson Regional Growth Plan details the implications of that population boom, including its effects on transportation, housing, schools, child care and medical services.

The plan identified $200 million worth of improvements throughout the Pikes Peak Region to handle the growth. Robert MacDonald, the council’s executive director, said communities have already tackled half the items on the list, including a widening project on Academy Boulevard.

“We’re looking to finish off our list, and we’re looking for traditional and not-so-traditional funding sources to do that,” he said.

A panel including Pasquarette, MacDonald and Brian Binn of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce fielded written questions from an audience of about 200 people.

Binn, the chamber’s military affairs liaison, said the military presence in Fort Carson helped “soften the blow” of the recession by stimulating commerce, creating thousands of jobs on and off post, and providing a healthy supply of renters and homebuyers during a punishing downturn in the real-estate market.

“We’re glad to have that economic affect,” Binn said.

Meanwhile, Pasquarette addressed sources of conflict, such as the Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado.

“There are no plans to go and grab more land through eminent domain,” he told the crowd. “That is not what the Army is going to do.”

The potential for hosting a new combat aviation brigade would mean another 2,000 soldiers, he said.

“Would you see more helicopters overhead? Yeah. Do I think it would be out-of-control? No. We’re very concerned about our relationship with the community. We would continue to work with you to modify how we train.”

LANCE BENZEL

THE GAZETTE

Carson commanders working to land aviation brigade

Ken Asher — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 06:03:14 +0000

A top Fort Carson official said Wednesday the post is working to persuade the Army to establish a combat aviation brigade here that would draw another 2,000 soldiers and approximately 100 helicopters.

The effort to will be among the topics under discussion Friday at a public forum in Colorado Springs.

“We certainly want a combat aviation brigade coming to Fort Carson, and I believe that we’re in consideration for it,” said Fort Carson garrison commander Col. Robert McLaughlin.

McLaughlin said he didn’t know when a decision would be made, but added that commanders were doing “everything we can” to persuade the Department of the Army that Fort Carson is a good option for the brigade.

He said more details would be provided at a community forum hosted by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments that will focus on how growth at Fort Carson will affect the Pikes Peak Region.

The Fort Carson Community Forum will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at the Doubletree Hotel-World Arena, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd. On-site registration for the free event begins at 2 p.m.

McLaughlin and Fort Carson deputy commander Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette will be part of a panel discussion to address findings of the PPACG’s Fort Carson Regional Growth Plan, which seeks to anticipate the effects of the post’s growth to help manage resources and effectively coordinate regional services.

Community members will be given the opportunity to comment.

LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE

Fort Carson homecomings begin for 2nd Brigade

Ken Asher — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:15:57 +0000

Sgt. 1st Class James McKee couldn’t hold back the tears as he hugged his daughter and mussed his son’s hair.

Twelve-year-old Kade looked up at his dad with obvious admiration, ready to get back to the camping and fishing trips that he’s missed for a year while his dad fought in Iraq.

“It feels awesome,” the elder McKee said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m glad to be home.”

Fourteen soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division came home to Fort Carson on Saturday, the first trickle of a flood of soldiers expected back in the next several weeks. The brigade sent 3,700 soldiers to Iraq last summer, Fort Carson officials said, and they’re returning after a year of combat.

They’ve been serving primarily near the Iraqi port city of Basra.

The soldiers marched into a gymnasium as Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” blared over the speakers. The families in the bleachers cheered wildly, waved signs and leaned forward, waiting to be unleashed during a short speech and the National Anthem.

Then they were released, and a mad mob of hugs, passionate kisses and jumping kids ensued.

Some families are happy to have their soldier home, but they know it won’t be the last time they say goodbye.

“I don’t want to think about that yet,” said Pauline Siebenaler, who traveled from Minnesota to greet her son, Capt. Michael Siebenaler. Her son has committed another four years to the Army and she expects to see him deployed again.

Meanwhile, Shanice Luciano, 17, said this homecoming was especially sweet because she knows it will be her dad’s — 1st Sgt. Perry Reed — final trip overseas.

“It’s amazing, since I know he doesn’t have to go back,” she said.

BILL REED

THE GAZETTE

4th ID officially returns to Fort Carson

Ken Asher — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:28:52 +0000

he 4th Infantry Division marked its long-awaited return to Fort Carson on Wednesday, bringing with it 6,500 soldiers due on post by Labor Day and a new leadership team to run the post.

The division moved from Fort Hood, Texas, where it had been stationed since 1995. Fort Carson has nearly doubled in population since 2003, growing from 14,000 soldiers to 26,000 by the end of this year.

The ceremony was a time for celebration for the division’s top enlisted soldier.

“I feel like I’ve won the lottery,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, who has served at units at Fort Carson since 2001 and now has an office on the top floor of the new headquarters building opened Wednesday.

Dailey will help Maj. Gen. David Perkins run the division and the post in an organizational shift that moved the lead role from Maj. Gen. Mark Graham.

A Pentagon report issued last week may make that change a mixed blessing for the new guys. A team of Army researchers found that a string of homicides attributed to Fort Carson soldiers since 2005 revealed problems in drug treatment, leadership and mental health counseling that may have contributed to the violence.

Dailey said soldier and family issues are the top priority for the new leadership team.

The arrival of the division follows a $1.2 billion building boom at the post.

Graham said nearly three-quarters of the 6,500 troops expected this summer have arrived, with the rest coming in at a rate of more than 100 per day.

In addition to the new arrivals, Fort Carson is welcoming home 3,800 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division who have spent the past year in Iraq.

The first contingent from that brigade is due home this week, with the rest filtering back through August.

That will leave the post with just one deployed brigade and more soldiers at home than have been here since the start of the Iraq war in 2003.

Perkins, the new commander of the post, said Colorado Springs is the perfect place to house all those troops: “Colorado Springs is legendary in the U.S. Army for giving support to soldiers and their families.”

TOM ROEDER

THE GAZETTE

Soldiers leaving the Rockies to move mountains

Ken Asher — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:33:15 +0000

Rows of green duffle bags were hoisted onto buses, malaria pills were accounted for, and about 300 soldiers cradling their guns were on their way to Afghanistan.

“It’s a little rough,” said Sgt. Joshua Danison. “But, at the same time, you understand it’s your job.”

The last large group from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division left Fort Carson on Friday for a yearlong deployment in the rugged terrain of the Afghan mountains.

The 3,500-member brigade is the first major Fort Carson combat unit sent to fight in Afghanistan. After serving in some of Baghdad’s most dangerous neighborhoods during the 2007 troop buildup, the brigade will now patrol the border with Pakistan, including the notoriously dangerous Khyber Pass that Rudyard Kipling called “a sword cut through the mountains.”

The brigade has been training since its return from Iraq in January 2008 to battle on foot in terrain that vehicles can’t reach – and to fight a different style than the urban warfare of Iraq.

“In Afghanistan, they actually stand and fight. In Iraq, they blow you up and run away,” said Sgt. Robert Speier, who served in Iraq with a different unit and then reenlisted.

The soldiers gathered at the Special Events Center at Fort Carson to say goodbye to their families and prepare for departure.

“Stay safe” was the chorus from those staying behind, knowing that not all of them will.

Many of the soldiers said they were nervous, but also ready to go.

Pvt. Brian Davison toyed with his M4 and explained that he joined the Army because the “economy is crappy,” and it is the best way to make a life for the woman he plans to marry when he comes home.

For others, it’s much more than that. “I’ve been wanting to do this job since I was 4 years old,” said Pfc. Aaron Weaver.

Meanwhile, 1st Lt. William Fio Rito, a West Point grad, is headed into combat for the first time, where he will lead many men who have already served in Iraq. The officer seemed more focused on his performance than his safety.

“It has been a long time coming, so I’m ready to put to use things I’ve learned over the past six years and see how I do,” he said.

Sgt. Paul Miller is one of the men who was with this same brigade in Iraq. What advice does he give the guys who haven’t seen combat before?

“Duck.”

Bill Reed

THE GAZETTE

Soldiers excited, apprehensive about move to Fort Carson

Ken Asher — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:57:08 +0000

FORT HOOD, Texas • Scores of soldiers Tuesday crowded around tables piled with literature extolling the virtues of the Pikes Peak region at the start of a week long event to introduce them to their new home.

The 2,000 or so troops who will attend the Mountain Post Welcome are the first of 6,500 soldiers who will move to Fort Carson this summer. The initial group at a Fort Hood conference center showed excitement, anxiety and even resentment and anger over the move.

“There are three groups,” explained Mike Stevens as he helped patrol a Better Business Bureau booth. “The first group doesn’t want to go. The second group is excited about going. The third group is scared and unsure. That’s the biggest group.”

The Army started planning to move the 4th Infantry Division’s headquarters and its 1st Brigade Combat Team from Texas to Colorado in 2005. In a few weeks, those soldiers and their families will start moving at a rate that could top 100 per day through the summer.

Colorado Springs businesses, beset by the sagging economy, are drooling over their arrival. City leaders are planning a massive parade downtown in August to welcome the newcomers.

But on the ground in Texas, the warm feelings of Colorado Springs seemed to be doing little to offset the stress of packing for the unknown.

“You don’t want to talk to me,” said Dina Garza as she and her husband, Staff Sgt. Billy Garza, toured booths about schools and real estate. “I don’t want to go.”

Lifelong Texans, the Garzas have family in San Antonio who will be 800 miles farther away when they move to Colorado.

And while folks at Fort Hood didn’t seem to mind the sticky humidity that hung there Tuesday, many picture Colorado Springs as the Ice Age.

“I’m terrified of snow,” Dina Garza said.

The welcome event is designed to calm fears of the Colorado-bound soldiers by providing information about the community they’ll be joining.

“A lot of the younger soldiers have never (moved) before,” said Maj. Michele Thompson, who coordinated the event. “It’s stressful.”

One of the bigger worries for the troops is where to enroll their children in school. Killeen, Texas, the town next to Fort Hood, has a single school district.

“One of the things that surprises them is choice,” said Elaine Naleski, a Colorado Springs School District 11 spokeswoman who spent the day explaining the dizzying array of public, private and charter schools.

The families also wanted to know about the mountains. Fort Hood is near rolling hills, but the biggest visual feature in all directions is the horizon.

The community here is centered around Fort Hood, which is home to more than 30,0000 soldiers.

“It will be nice to be in a real city for a change,” said Capt. Lara Chapman, who has visited Colorado and said she couldn’t be happier about the move.

The biggest advantage of Colorado Springs is the opportunities – from shopping to recreation – it will give soldiers’ families, said 1st Sgt. Donald Kenney.

Happier families, he said, will mean soldiers who are better at their jobs.

EVENT DETAILS

The welcome event at Fort Hood in Texas was designed to calm fears of the Colorado-bound soldiers by providing information about the community they’ll be joining.

TOM ROEDER
THE GAZETTE

Search For Homes

Fort Carson will gain a division headquarters unit this summer, and it will lose one too, post officials announced Friday.

Ken Asher — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:13:28 +0000

The announcement followed the Pentagon budget proposal Monday threatening to cut 3,500 soldiers planned for the post, and represents a far smaller blow. As the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Division moves to Fort Carson from Fort Hood, Texas, Division West of the First Army, with about 300 soldiers and civilians, will move to Fort Hood.

Division West is a training headquarters responsible for ensuring that National Guard and Army Reserve troops in the western U.S. are prepared for war.

Because so many part-time troops are trained at Fort Hood, the move will allow Division West leaders to more closely oversee their progress, said Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, Division West commander.

Division West was formed at Fort Carson two years ago when the Army changed how it organized part-time units. It replaced the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, which was a headquarters over several National Guard brigades.

Division West’s departure likely won’t be noticed outside Fort Carson’s gates.

This summer, the post is set to add 6,500 soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division headquarters and its 3,800-soldier 1st Brigade Combat Team.

Graham said soldiers from those units have started to trickle into the post, but the spigot will open up soon.

“The majority of them will come up this summer when schools let out,” Graham said.

Whether a fifth brigade will be formed at Fort Carson remains in limbo. A budget proposal from Defense Secretary Robert Gates would eliminate creation of the 3,500-soldier brigade, which officials two years ago announced was moving to the post by 2013.

Congressional leaders including Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, expressed optimism that the troops will be awarded to the post.

Graham said he hasn’t heard any word on the plan.

“Right now we have been told nothing,” he said. “This is working at Army level and at Army Forces Command.”

Tom Roeder
The Gazette