QUESTION: What Kind Of Impact Would The Loss of 8,000 JBLM Soldiers Have on Lakewood, Region?

Question: What kind of impact would the loss of 8,000 soldiers have on Lakewood and the region?

With the South Sound's tie to the military, news that the Army might reduce 8,000 soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord by 2017 has business and community leaders talking.

This past week, I Corps Com. Lt. Gen. Robert Brown discussed the potential reduction of active duty personnel in Lakewood and the perspective of seeing fewer soldiers at JBLM over the coming years, a result of the 2012 Budget Control Act.

The discussion appeared to prompt some concern from leaders in Lakewood.

"Rather odd ... downsizing, while we are still at war?" asked the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce on its Facebook page.

Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson told The News Tribune that the city hopes "to maintain" the current staffing levels.

So, we ask you, Patch users, what do you think? What kind of impact do you think the loss of 8,000 soldiers would have on the region? Let's talk about it in the comments below.