Officials: Maxwell, community relations strong Published April 15, 2010 By Scott Knuteson Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Top Maxwell Air Force Base leaders spoke recently about the relationship between the base and the surrounding metro area at a forum at Auburn Montgomery. The half-day conference Monday brought military and civic leaders together to speak and field questions about a range of topics mutually affecting the base and nearby cities. "There's no daylight between us and the civic leaders," said Lt. Gen. Allen Peck, Air University commander, adding that the base's relationship with the Montgomery area is among the strongest he has seen during his tenure in the Air Force. The general, who was separately slated to meet that day with a top Swedish air force official, highlighted Montgomery's far-reaching influence. "I cannot overemphasize the impact the River Region has, not only on our military, but militaries from around the world," he said. Since its inception, Air University has educated about 11,000 officers from scores of countries, General Peck said. These officers, who often rise to the top of their respective countries' militaries, gather much of their impressions of the United States during their time in the Montgomery area. Besides the international diplomatic ramifications, the base's cooperation with the local area also serves to bolster national interests, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency's hurricane response, said Col. Kris Beasley, the 42nd Air Base Wing commander. The base serves as a staging area for relief supplies when hurricanes hit the nearby Gulf Coast. "We have an extremely tight relationship with this community," Colonel Beasley said. More narrowly, he added, the base-community relationship aids local emergency response. Fire departments from each entity have mutual aid agreements directing each to help the other in case a large-scale response is needed. Recently, Maxwell's security forces renovated their military working dog kennel, which required housing the dogs elsewhere. "We were able to take care of the dogs through the courtesy of the Montgomery Police Department," Colonel Beasley said. Besides logistical cooperation on issues like the rejuvenation of the neighborhoods around Maxwell, the base makes a tangible economic impact. Through medical referrals and regular appointments, active and retired military personnel in the area bring about $20 million in business to local healthcare professionals, the colonel said. And, he added, the base's overall economic impact on the region is about $1.5 billion annually. But it is the everyday, intangible quality of life the base leaders cited as largely attractive. "We go downtown all the time," Colonel Beasley said, listing a number of popular activities and venues in the area. "Wherever military members go, it becomes home," said Chief Master Sgt. Brye McMillon, Air University's command chief. The chief cited the enthusiasm with which the Maxwell community invests in the area, including providing about 1,000 volunteers to help clean area public schools at the beginning of the current school year. "Our children and your children attend these schools," he said. "We do it because every child benefits; it's about the future of America." The shared feeling of community stretches many decades, said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. "This relationship goes back to the time of the Wright brothers," the mayor said, citing their establishment of a flying school in 1910, the site on which Maxwell Air Force Base now stands. "The military changed our fabric of life when it came here," Mayor Strange said. And it is the strong relationship between the base and the surrounding community that can be bolstered by continuing to work together, said Al Allenback, district director for Congressman Bobby Bright. "Keep working with the base leaders," he challenged the audience. "Keep that relationship strong."