LAKE CHARLES, La. " Leave Fort Polk by way of Entrance Road, make a left turn onto U.S. Hwy 171 and head south for about an hour and a half. You’ll soon find yourself in the city of Lake Charles. Brig. Gen. Clarence K.K. Chinn, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk commanding general, and other Fort Polk dignitaries did just that June 24 to attend the Chamber Southwest and Southwest Louisiana Economic Alliance program at the Lake Charles Civic Center. One of the purposes of the event, according to Chinn, was to reach out to communities beyond Fort Polk’s gates in order to forge an atmosphere of understanding and friendship.
George Swift, president of Chamber Southwest Louisiana and the Southwest Louisiana economic development Alliance, opened the meeting with chamber business and the introduction of new members, but soon moved on to the event’s main purpose. “We appreciate Fort Polk’s mission and thank you for all you are doing and now we are going to learn all about Fort Polk and its impact on our region and nation,” said Swift.
Chinn, who was the keynote speaker for the chamber meeting, began by inviting local leaders, business owners and members of the Southwest Louisiana region to share in the many great things going on at Fort Polk as members of a larger community. “It’s always great to be involved in what I call the Fort Polk Family. I feel the communities surrounding us are part of our Family and I want ya’ll to feel welcome to visit JRTC and Fort Polk anytime,” said Chinn.
Chinn then used a series of slides to explain and focus the impact Fort Polk, its Soldiers and Families have on surrounding communities. One way he did this was by delving into the history of Fort Polk and explaining the critical role Louisiana has played in training Soldiers. He said Fort Polk’s importance as a training facility hasn’t changed when it comes to preparing Soldiers for combat operations. “During World War II, we had 89 divisions and 53 of them trained at Camp Polk as part of the Louisiana Maneuvers. Today, we have only 10 divisions, but 50 percent of all the brigade combat teams that go to Afghanistan or Iraq are still trained at Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center to make sure Soldiers are ready to deploy to combat using realistic, relevant training,” said Chinn.
He described some of the types of training going on at JRTC today. One of the examples he used was the mission of the 162nd Infantry Brigade. “Their role and responsibility is to train combat advisors going to Afghanistan. That’s important. We know from history that we have to rebuild the host nation’s army and train their police. If you don’t, everything you went there to do (bringing democracy and freedom to the people) isn’t going to happen. The 162nd are the only Soldiers doing that today and they are doing it very successfully both in Iraq and Afghanistan by training combat advisors,” said Chinn.
As far as the economic impact Fort Polk has, Chinn was clear. “Fort Polk contributes 1.6 billion dollars to the local economy. We are the largest economic engine in Louisiana and that’s the message Fort Polk leadership has to get out and share by continuing to work with and build partnerships with local communities,” said Chinn.
He also assured chamber members that Fort Polk wasn’t going anywhere. “We are one of only two combat training centers in the United States. The Army has invested over $3 million in Fort Polk over the last three years and in the next couple of years, the Army is committing another $437 million to Fort Polk,” said Chinn.
Chinn explained some of the improvements resulting from that investment. “There’s already a lot of success happening at Fort Polk with school development, economic development, new housing and transportation. But the economic developments also have to be tied to the community. There have to be things for the Soldiers and Families to do off post. If there isn’t, then they’re not going to want to come back. We want them to come back,” said Chinn.
He said that with the community’s help, Fort Polk continues to work on growing into the future. “Right now we are at maximum capacity as far as our ability to train units. So, Fort Polk has a land purchase program. It’s very important to us. We need to buy more land for training areas, for ranges and providing a better opportunity to assure that the units in the Army are properly prepared before we send them to combat. If we can get the land, that means we can bring more units here. It’s an opportunity for Fort Polk to grow and increase the bottom line of our economic impact,” said Chinn.
Another future forward project Fort Polk is working on is the Net Zero pilot program. “We were selected by the Army to be in this program and I think there’s a lot of opportunity for the surrounding communities to get involved with recycling and other strategies we are working on,” said Chinn.
The program is based on a 25-year plan for Fort Polk. “One of our objectives is net zero waste, which means all waste on the installation is recycled, water is recycled and all of our energy is produced internally. We have already installed some solar panels and are beginning to use electric cars and electric charging stations,” said Chinn.
Chinn said in an effort to open Fort Polk to the public and demystify what happens behind the gates, the post hosts open houses, tours and post events that anyone can attend in order to build trust and relationships with the surrounding community. He reinforced this bond by inviting chamber members to Fort Polk for some fun. “You are all invited to FreedomFest Saturday at 8 p.m. to listen to Blake Shelton and watch the fireworks,” said Chinn.
In turn, he said it’s imperative to get Soldier and their Families excited about getting out into the surrounding communities, like Lake Charles, so they can fully appreciate the events, attractions and culture available to them.
Chinn said he is focused on his Soldiers and Families. “When I got to Fort Polk people told me, ‘there’s just nothing to do here.’ I thought, there’s a lot of stuff to do here. They just don’t know what’s out there. So, I tell them go look for yourself, you’re going to like what you see,” said Chinn.
He said if his Soldiers sit at Fort Polk and don’t leave the installation, then they’re not going to like being in Louisiana or Fort Polk. “They have to get out in these communities and see what’s happening.
That’s what we are pushing for and why I appreciate you all inviting us down here,” said Chinn.
The meeting ended with the signing of a Community Covenant between Fort Polk and key leaders in the Southwest Louisiana region. “The Army Community Covenant is focused on the partnership we have with the state and local communities. It provides a better quality of life for the Soldiers and Families that are serving right here at Fort Polk,” said Chinn.
Avon Knowlton, director of membership and investor services at The Chamber SWLA / Economic Development Alliance, said, “This community is welcoming you with open arms. We are committed to Fort Polk and at this time we are going to sign this covenant.” Before the signing began, she read some of what was stated on the covenant. “Together, we are committed to building strong communities. We recognize the commitment Soldiers and their Families are making every day. The strength of the Soldiers comes from the strength of the Families. The strength of the Families is supported by the strength of the communities. The strength of the community comes from the support of employers, educators, civic and business leaders and its citizens. We, the community, are committed to building partnerships that support the strength, resilience and readiness of Soldiers and their Families,” read Knowlton. With these words, Chinn and local leaders signed the covenant.
Chinn said he hoped the result of this partnership was that when Soldiers and Families have a choice of assignment for their next duty station, they choose Fort Polk because of the great communities that support their Families while their Soldiers are deployed and when they come home. “With your support, we want Fort Polk to be the best hometown in the Army,” said Chinn.
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