Two women from a private research firm hired by the Army recently paid me an interesting visit.
They were steered my way by folks who told them a visit would help shine a light on how this area views the Army. And, they were promised it would lead to a good conversation about the issue of emergency preparedness.
We gave them an ear full.
***
"How DOES this community feel about the Army?" one of the women asked, as they both opened their legal pads to blank pages and uncapped their pens.
"In a word: Mistrust," I answered. "From a more long-term look, the Army is like an old friend. It still is an old friend. But regarding the specific issues surrounding chemical weapons
"
There is no doubt that the United States Army is a big corporation.
"That," I said, "is part of the problem. The Army treats us too often as a non-factor, and then comes back around trying to figure out why we are raising our voices because we want to know what's going on with perhaps the nation's most deadly stockpile of chemical weapons, sitting in our yard."
Years ago, we hauled the outdated weapons away on a truck or train right through town on the way to a ship that dumped them in the ocean.
Later, we thought we could just bury them. Uh-oh, that could mess up the water and make the scarecrows in every nearby cornfield start glowing in the dark, somebody reasoned.
Then, we thought we could just let them sit there until that legendary "someday" when we figure out the perfect solution. But the weapons decided not to cooperate and started leaking inside their storage igloos, and terrorists decided on Sept. 11 to prove that we indeed could have more Pearl Harbors written into our history books.
Now, they tell us the best bet is to burn the stuff.
I agree with that, but only after seeing the Army spend millions to build a massive filtering system as a safety net, and only after realizing that the greater danger is keeping 7 percent of the nation's chemical weapons parked here.
***
Then they asked about emergency preparedness or what would happen if an accident occurred with chemical weapons TODAY, burn or no burn.
"Ha!" I rudely snorted. "The only plan here is to run like heck and kiss yourself goodbye." The county supposedly is not qualified or prepared to tell the public anything else.
That's horse hockey! And they should be ashamed.
Sunday, the Star reported that a new informational brochure soon to come from Calhoun County officials still talks only of evacuation. There are no announced plans yet to educate people caught behind the instant traffic jams on how to have a fighting chance by sheltering in place, using sealed airways in the best airtight room they can get.
Nope, don't want to teach them how to do that till we get more money from the feds.
Two thoughts:
If the Army really wants friends, give local leaders a battlefield commission, a seat at the table and respect their demands like the Army would any other colonel or major sitting at strategy-planning sessions.
If those newly promoted officers show hesitation in fulfilling their duty, please help us by following standard Army procedure and promote them out of the way.
We've got desperate work to do and it's not getting done.
Or is the standing order, "hurry up and wait?"
Troy Turner is the managing editor of The Anniston Star. He can be contacted at tturner@annistonstar.com or at P.O. Box 189, Anniston, AL, 36202.
