Dear Editor,
As Mineral County citizens, that live here and many that were raised here and want to retire in Mineral County. We are writing this letter to express our deep concerns of what is occurring in the morale, welfare and recreation (MWR), in this great community of Hawthorne. The United States Army MWR program states that it is a quality of life program that supports readiness by providing a variety of Community, Soldier, and Family support activities and services. If the United States Military sees these types of programs and activities are vital to the success of the warfighter and his/her family, a community should have that same vision and concept for its success. We are not saying the Hawthorne community doesn’t share that same value and vision that supports a decent quality of life. What we are saying is that this community has depended on this Federal Installation since its inception to provide the quality of life programs for the Installation including the community and as the old saying goes if you put all of our eggs in one basket, what do you have, no eggs are left. Those activities and services were abundant when the Installation was operated under the Navy.
The Army took over in 1980 and then the Installation was contracted out to a private contractor in 1981. Since the takeover of a private contractor, the activities, services and recreation programs have been steadily removed to almost non-existent. My question is why that same policy and program doesn’t, (MWR) apply to GOCO (Government Owned Contractor Operated) installations? Don’t the civil service employees and contract employees deserve the same quality of life programs and activities that are provided to the Soldier and Family and Community of a GOGO, (Government Owned Government Operated) installation. Especially if those activities and services are already established on the Installation! We believe our Military leadership needs to take a look at the above questions very seriously. Hawthorne is a unique situation where 90% of the land is federally owned, so it makes it very difficult to acquire land to provide activities such as a golf course, shooting range and I can keep on going but I will stop there.
The Walker Lake Golf Course was established in 1952 at the now Hawthorne Army Depot. For 70 years that golf course has provided the Installation and the community of Hawthorne and surrounding communities a place to go and forget everything that is going on around them and take in the beauty of its surroundings and golf. It was a place where you made new friends and maybe enemies depending on how you golfed. The golf course supported boys and girls high school golf programs and women and men’s golf league on Wednesday and Thursday nights along with many tournaments hosted. It just wasn’t a golf course, it was a place where people gathered for weddings, funerals, fundraisers, award ceremonies and a steak dinner on Friday and Saturday night back in the day. Today as this is being written the Walker Lake Golf Course is in jeopardy of being non-existent due to a lease agreement that can’t seem to be processed through the channels for approval. What a tragedy to a beautiful place that provided so much to the Hawthorne Army Depot Installation, Hawthorne and the surrounding communities. It brings tears to our eyes!
Signed
Walker Lake Golf Association
Mineral County Sportsmen’s Club
