Monday, January 31, 2011

USS Bataan completes ammunition on-load at NWS Earle

As we await word on our request for a copy of the Laurelwood military housing buyout agreement and demolition schedule from our elected officials, NOPE's objectors should take a look at this story, which gets to the root about our group's initial objection to proposed civilian housing at NWS Earle -- the base is still active and has a mission-critical job to perform.  The last thing that the base commander and forces needed was to serve as a police force to a civilian housing community inside its boundaries.

According to this piece, NWS Earle personnel helped the ship load nearly 1,000 pallets of ordnance during a recent four-day mission. Among the products loaded...and typically stored within 300 or so bunkers at the expansive 11,000-acre-plus weapons facility in Monmouth County -- were "bombs, aircraft missiles, ship-launched missiles, rockets, small arms ammunition, demolition materials and the ship's defense ammunition."

Kudos to the individuals who completed this mission to the benefit of our national defense, and again to the elected officials and members of our communities who banded together in objecting to a civilian housing proposal at NWS Earle that would have endangered the base itself and its continued mission as a vital ordnance hub to the U.S. Military.