Russell vows to fight proposed federal cuts to the installation
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| Assemblywoman Addie Russell spoke with 10th Mountain Division soldiers from Fort Drum who were visiting Albany today. |
Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, welcomed members of the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum to the Capitol today.
Soldiers and officers from Fort Drum were in Albany for the fourth annual “10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Day” in the Capitol to highlight the special relationship between the state and the Army. This year the day is especially important because the installation is facing massive cuts as part of federal sequestration.
Unless there are bipartisan efforts to preserve the installation, 16,000 of the 19,000 personnel at Fort Drum could be be cut. The impact on the North Country would be devastating.
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| Assemblywoman Addie Russell gave Fort Drum Commanding General Major General Stephen J. Townsend a brief tour of the Assembly Chambers. |
Officers and soldiers from Fort Drum as well as members of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organizations were introduced by Russell on the Assembly floor. Members of the Assembly also joined Russell in support of a Resolution memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim March 17, 2015, as 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Day in the State of New York.
FDRLO Executive Director Carl A. McLaughlin, who also visited the Capitol on Tuesday, said the event helps demonstrates the statewide support Fort Drum has.
“The 10th Mountain Division doesn't have a voice of its own,” McLaughlin said. “We've become the people who argue why Fort Drum should be kept in the North Country. We make Fort Drum better.”
Russell has been working with her colleagues in the Assembly and our representatives in Congress to fight to preserve the installation.
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| Assemblywoman Addie Russell, Fort Drum Garrison Commander Colonel Gary A. Rosenberg, and Fort Drum Commanding General Major General Stephen J. Townsend met with Speaker of the Assembly Carl E. Heastie this afternoon to discuss potential cuts to the installation and how best to campaign against them. |
“Fort Drum and the brave soldiers who call the North Country home are an important part of the fabric of our community,” Russell said. “We have to present a unified front in support of Fort Drum to protect the installation and the North Country.”
On March 20 representatives from the Army will visit the North Country to hear from Russell and other members of the community who are advocating on behalf of Fort Drum and its continued operation at full-capacity in the North Country.