Fort Hood experience
Posted On: Saturday, Jan. 31 2009 06:13 AM
By Amanda Kim Stairrett
Killeen Daily Herald
FORT HOOD – Local legislators invited colleagues to their backyard Friday as about 30 lawmakers from Austin visited Fort Hood.
Jimmie Don Aycock, who represents District 54, and Ralph Sheffield, District 55, led a delegation of politicians, staff members and families to get a better idea of Fort Hood and how it impacts the state. District 54 covers Lampasas, Burnet and Bell counties and District 55 covers part of Bell County.
"You will indeed experience Fort Hood," said Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, III Corps and Fort Hood commander, before the group embarked on its day.
Participants got an overhead view of Fort Hood via 1st Cavalry Division Black Hawks, and visited several sites, including a mock Iraqi village to watch soldiers react to bombs and insurgent attacks and the Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier and Family Readiness Center.
But first it was all about business. Lynch addressed several issues the post is facing, including what he calls "substandard housing." Ten percent of soldiers and families live in homes with asbestos, lead paint and electrical hazards, he said, and current plans call for that housing to be in place until 2032.
"That's unacceptable," Fort Hood's top commander said.
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