NIMAC recognizes volunteers

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 23, 2006

Niagara Military Affairs Council Chairman Merrell Lane (left) ushers U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to her table at last Saturday’s NIMAC Celebration Dinner, held at Antonio’s Banquet & Conference Center in Niagara Falls. The event recognized all volunteers who worked hard to save the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station last summer. “Other places might have quit, given up or thrown in the towel, but you started to fight even harder,” Clinton told the more than 300 guests who attended the dinner. “Everybody showed true character and true grit.” After the U.S. Department of Defense first proposed the closure of the air base on May 13, 2005, NIMAC volunteers worked tirelessly to convince an independent commission why the facility should be kept open. In order to save the base, the council organized rallies throughout the community, conducted a letter-writing campaign that collected more than 123,000 letters supporting the Niagara Falls installation, and lobbied with government and military officials. Their tireless efforts were rewarded in on Aug. 26, 2005, when the Base Realignment and Closure Commission unanimously voted to keep the Niagara Falls air base open. “One thing that made this effort possible was you – the volunteers,” Lane said. “Without you, it would not have been possible.” (photo by Ralph Schwarz)