Wednesday's Internet Edition, December 03, 2008.
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News editor - The First Cavalry Division, stationed at Ft Hood, has received deployment orders to reposition forces as required to support the President's global war against terrorism.
The First Cavalry, a division of 17,000 personnel, will depart for Southwest Asia on an as yet unspecified date, said Cecil Green, spokesperson for the Fort Hood Public Affairs Office.
Carol Mills, executive director for the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation, said, "I do think that we will survive better than we did with Desert Storm because our local economy is healthier."
She adds, "But uncertainty affects economic development. It causes people to take a wait and see attitude."
Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau Executive Director David Landmann said it's too early to tell what impact the deployment will have on Copperas Cove.
"We have no idea how many brigades are going. We don't know if the whole First Cavalry is going. Too much is unknown," he said.
However, when the division is deployed, their absence will have a tremendous impact on retail establishments in Cove, Landmann said.
The Chamber of Commerce is preparing for the deployment by starting programs to help dependents. Landmann started brainstorming on what the chamber can do if troops are deployed back in the fall. "We are planning not just gestures, but programs to encourage families to stay," he said.
Landmann cited many reasons why families should stay in Cove while spouses are gone. "If they go home, they are in the worst possible position to get information on the spouse's unit," he said. He added that it's important for dependents of deployed troops to stay close to the "unit family," or other dependents of the same unit.
Staying here also ensures continuity in family life, he stated. "Kids stay in school, have friends for support, live in the same neighborhood and sleep in their rooms at night," he said.
Additionally, moving is costly, reports Landmann. While spouses are deployed, there is no reimbursement for relocation, he said. Plus, "We're right next to Ft. Hood, so everything to support military families is right there," he added.
In regards to the dependents of the deployment troops, the Chamber has created the slogan, "Home is where the heart is and Copperas Cove is where the heart is." Landmann adds, "We want them here. We want them to know that they are welcome here. They are part of this community."