Letter to the Honorable John McHugh, Secretary, United States Army

Letter

Lautenberg, Menendez Continue Call To Keep Fort Monmouth Commissary Open After Base Closes

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today renewed their call for the U.S. Army to keep the commissary and post exchange at Fort Monmouth open after the base closes. In a letter to the Secretary of the Army John McHugh, the Senators reiterated the importance of the commissary and post exchange facilities for military retirees and their families across the state.

"The closure of Fort Monmouth will have a significant impact not only on the individuals employed there and the local communities surrounding the property, but on the military retirees and their families who frequently utilize the facilities at Fort Monmouth as well," the Senators wrote. "The use of military commissaries and post exchanges is an important benefit for military retirees who served our country dutifully. Oftentimes, these individuals are living on fixed incomes and a supermarket or drug store with products at cost is a vital resource for them."

The Senators met with Secretary McHugh in May 2010 and personally requested that the commissary be kept open.

A copy of the letter can be found here and the text of the letter follows:
January 21, 2011

The Honorable John McHugh
Secretary of the Army
Room 3E700 Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20310-0101

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us in May regarding the closure of Fort Monmouth and the impact it will have on the residents of New Jersey. As we stressed, there are several outstanding issues that we remain concerned about as operations at Fort Monmouth are transferred and we look forward to working together to resolve these issues in a timely manner.

In particular, we discussed the possibility of maintaining the commissary and post exchange on the Fort Monmouth property for continued use by military retirees and their dependents. While we understand that the Defense Commissary Agency (DECA) will make the final decision on the status of the commissary, we once again urge you to consider recommending to DECA that the facilities remain in operation after the Fort's closure.

As we are sure you understand, the closure of Fort Monmouth will have a significant impact not only on the individuals employed there and the local communities surrounding the property, but on the military retirees and their families who frequently utilize the facilities at Fort Monmouth as well. The use of military commissaries and post exchanges is an important benefit for military retirees who served our country dutifully. Oftentimes, these individuals are living on fixed incomes and a supermarket or drug store with products at cost is a vital resource for them.

Once again, we thank you for meeting with us in May and for considering this request. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Lautenberg
United States Senator

Robert Menendez
United States Senator

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