The Fort Hood - Central Texas Region is Honored for its Support of Military Families and Service Members
The Association of Defense Communities (ADC) has designated eight communities from across the United States as “Great American Defense Communities” for providing unwavering support to service members and military families.
Among the many reasons the Fort Hood – Central Texas Region is being recognized as a Great American Defense Community is the tremendous success of the area’s educational partnership among the Killeen Independent School District, Central Texas College and Texas A&M University Central Texas.
Joining Central Texas are the following seven communities:
- The Alamo – San Antonio Region, TX
- The Charleston Region, SC
- Christian County, KY
- Hampton Roads, VA
- Maricopa County, AZ
- Sierra Vista, AZ
- The Governments of Southeastern Connecticut
“All eight in the 2017 class of honorees truly embody the ideals this initiative was designed to celebrate — making host communities for our nation’s military installations ‘Great Places to Call Home,’” said ADC President Mike Cooper.
This year’s honorees will join the 10 communities recognized last year with the prestigious distinction.
Over the next six months, each community will host a local event recognizing its selection and celebrating the hard work and creativity of the individuals and organizations making their communities great places for service members and their families to live. These events will culminate in a special reception and a congressional breakfast during the Defense Communities National Summit in Washington, DC, June 19-21, 2017.
The Great American Defense Communities program, developed in conjunction with the House and Senate Defense Communities Caucuses was designed to highlight the unique contributions of cities, counties and regions that host installations make to improve quality of life for service members, veterans and their families. This 2017 class of communities was selected by a panel of defense community advocates and experts from dozens of nominees based on the broad range of efforts each area carries out on behalf of military personnel and their families, considering factors such as education, job opportunities, housing, family support during deployments and community appreciation. This year’s program is made possible through generous support from USAA and the National Math + Science Initiative.
ADC is a national nonprofit organization that is the connection point for leaders from communities, states, the military and industry on community-military issues and installation management to enhance knowledge, information sharing and best practices. With nearly 300 communities, states, regions and affiliated industry organizations, ADC represents every major defense community/state in the nation.
For more information about the Great American Defense Communities program, contact Matt Borron at (202) 822-5256 or mborron@defensecommunities.org, or visit the ADC website at www.defensecommunities.org.