To the editor:
At the town hall meeting on Dec. 13, 2023, senior leaders of Fort Leonard Wood, including MG Beck and CSM Arzabala announced the internal decision to reduce the hours of the south gate of Fort Leonard Wood beginning on Feb. 1, 2024. The new south gate hours will be 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
MG Beck and his team made this decision without considering the impact of restriction to emergency medical services for active-duty military, their families, DA civilians and retirees living in communities of Evening Shade, Roby, Plato, Success, and Licking.
For many, the access to emergency medical care will be drastically increased up to an hour for those living on Highway AW. He has also not considered the impact on shift workers including DFAC employees, drill sergeants, military police officers, medical personnel and contractors living out the south gate who access post via the south gate during “off-hours.”
Please voice your concerns via ICE comments and contacting your representatives:
The ICE link is ice.disa.mil.
Type “Fort Leonard Wood” in the box and search.
Select “Fort Leonard Wood from the results.
Choose “Safety and Security” from the categories on the left.
Select “DES, Physical Security (Access Control/Gate Security.”
Be sure to leave a comment, name, email or phone number and “request a response” or they tend to ignore the comments.
Mary Houser, Plato