By Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich
November 12, 2007

More than 500 members of the Alaska National Guard are returning home after 15 months serving in Kuwait and Iraq. It was the largest call-up of Alaska Guard troops since World War II, and many citizen'soldiers were suddenly flying off to serve bravely half-a-world away from their jobs and families.

As mayors we are dealing with the return and departure of military men and women on a regular basis. With the Global War on Terrorism and the many demands on U.S. forces around the globe, cities today are dealing with service members and their families on a scale not experienced in decades. Some cities are dealing with deployments for the first time.

This is why I asked USCM President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer to appoint me chair of the Community/Military Relations Task Force. I think we can learn a lot from each other about the issues surrounding returning veterans and their needs, multiple tours of duty, single-parent families who need support, media accounts of troops killed from our communities, and other topics. A mayor’s need to understand “what’s behind the fence” is more important now than it has ever been.

In Anchorage, we have some ideas and programs that are working, including hiring a retired Army NCO and Vietnam Veteran to act as a liaison between the city and the military community. Designated our military and veterans affairs coordinator, he understands protocol, terminology and other items that help us reach out to our military members. Our community has three military installations, 15,000 active duty and National Guard and Reserve members, more than 20,000 family members and some 26,000 veterans. So the military presence in Anchorage is large, and we consider them to be great neighbors and an integral part of the community.

Other topics we can discuss include: Community Relations Services in support of service members and their families; Communication with Deployed Troops; Returning Troops (transition assistance and employment opportunities); ESGR policies and procedures; Service Recognition; and Understanding Military Limitations (military commanders and units cannot solicit assistance, how to know what they need).

The first meeting of this task force will be in January at our annual winter meeting. I hope you will join me to discuss these issues surrounding the military communities we have in our cities and how we can better serve them. I look forward to hearing about your challenges and opportunities.