Troop Talk

There are several items I feel are of interest to Soldiers and families that I would like to address in this week’s column.

What is the projection of job opportunities for spouses in El Paso and Fort Bliss?

Employment opportunities for spouses will increase throughout Fort Bliss and at William Beaumont Army Medical Center as both will have additional positions to service the new units arriving at Fort Bliss under Army transformation. Most of these will be civil service positions but we will have some non-appropriated fund positions as well. Project Endeavor offices are located in the Army Community Service building and the staff offers job assistance to military spouses who left employment because of relocation to Fort Bliss, spouses of members of the National Guard or Reserves returning from active duty, widows or widowers of military personnel killed during deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan or other locations, Reservists returning from deployment who lost their jobs due to company downsizing during or after deployment, and civilian personnel at Fort Bliss who are given notice of intent to lay-off. The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce has a job site for military spouses at www.elpasojobregister.com.

Will there be more support agencies for Soldiers and family members on Fort Bliss?

New facilities will be built, and existing facilities will be expanded to support Soldiers and families. They will include child care centers, medical and dental facilities, physical fitness centers, parks, playgrounds, shoppettes and post exchanges and commissaries, both on main post and East Fort Bliss. Programs sponsored by Army Community Service will also be expanded to support the anticipated growth in the next four to five years.

Why doesn’t Basic Allowance for Housing go up to support the increase in property taxes?

BAH is based on rental data. Mortgage payments are not used in the computation because the monthly cash outlays of homeowners are not a good indicator of the economic costs of home ownership. BAH reflects the current rental market conditions in El Paso, and not the historical circumstances surrounding various mortgage loans. As property tax increases start to impact rental market costs, BAH could be affected and adjusted to compensate for higher rental costs.

Could the Army and Air Force Exchange Service look at surveying further distances rather than the gas stations on Dyer for gas prices?

We survey five stations within a three- to five-mile radius of the post every day, and we try and pick the five stations with the lowest prices. The radius gives the truest picture of the competition near post, and that is what we base our pricing on. AAFES is a Department of Defense agency with a mission of providing quality goods and services at constantly low prices possible while providing for funding to the Morale Welfare and Recreation programs for the Army and Air Force. In order to meet our mission, we can not afford to sell gas below cost. When we find that most stations are selling gas at or below our cost, we sell at cost.

Maj. Gen. Robert P. Lennox
Fort Bliss Commanding General