Letter from 65th Infantry Retirees to Chairman Principi Page: 1 of 2
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DCN 1351
A ." -.t OSt IAtA.[RI REITREES AAD L. ..siiti JORLES
f VETERANS ASSOCL4 TION, INC.
r--'-. - P.O. BOX 10507
Caparra Heights Station
-.. San Juan. Pue4rto Rico 00922
April 8, 2005
Honorable Anthony Principi, President
Base Realignment of Closure
325 7h St. N. W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Honorable President Anthony Principi:
On behalf of the members of this prestigious Association, which for 70 years has served Puerto
Rico in volunteer services for nursing aid, communications, and other fundamental community
assistance to maintain the good spirit of partnership, we extend to you and to your staff an
affectionate greeting. It is with great pride, honor, and privilege that I write to you to request
your support in our efforts in assuring that Fort Buchanan is not closed.
There are currently hundreds of soldiers living on the island whom fight terrorism and whom
benefit from the open operations of Fort Buchanan. Approximately 14,000 retirees from the U.S.
Armed Forces, and their respective dependents who live in Puerto Rico, use the facilities of this
military base to satisfy many of our vital basic needs. Another important reason why this
historical installation should not be closed is because of the negative impact it would have upon
the approximately 2,000 students -- children dependents of those soldiers whom once more fight
terrorism throughout the world in combat missions, in the practice of medicine, supplies,
administration, religious and judicial services - since the excellent education provided within the
current school system is one that cannot compare to the educational system that the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico offers. The Department of Education in Puerto Rico is simply
not prepared to accommodate this amount of students for enrollment within its schools, should
these have to do so due to the closure of Fort Buchanan. Moreover, these students have always
attended class in English, while the island school system teaches English only as a second
language since classes are in Spanish; making it extremely difficult for these students to have to
start over in another language and can therefore affect their future plans. Also, many of these
students, after finishing high school, usually enroll in the ROTC university programs to develop
a military career.
In addition to the military personnel and their dependents, we have many retired and active
federal employees whom also depend greatly upon this facility for the education of their children
and to satisfy their basic needs. Together, these military and federal employees contribute to the
local economy by generating approximately 200 million dollars a year. For these reasons, we
find it imperative that public figures like you with the caliber as president of this honorabIe
commission to favor the permanence of Fort Buchanan as one of the active installations of theUnited States military, since it is the only military base within the Caribbean prepared to train
approximately 15,000 Reservists and National Guards. In addition, and as already stated above,
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Letter from 65th Infantry Retirees to Chairman Principi, letter, June 7, 2005; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc14995/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.