Doyle Breaks Ground for New Commissary

Washington, D.C. – August 17, 2012 – U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) joined local officials and other members of the region’s Congressional delegation in breaking ground on a new commissary in Moon Township.
 
“This couldn’t have happened without the continuous, dedicated efforts and cooperation of people all over this region, and I’m honored to have been a part of this remarkable community effort,” Congressman Doyle said at the ground-breaking ceremony.  “We never gave up hope, we never took ‘no’ for an answer, and we kept on pushing year after year.  As a result of that effort, we’re finally here today to mark the start of construction on this important new facility.”
 
In 2005, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) recommended closing the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility (CEKSF) in Oakdale. Closing the facility meant that 168,000 military personnel and veterans lost the Commissary, Post Exchange, and Military Clothing Sales Store services that they had come to rely on.
 
In the years since then, members of the previous and current delegation took numerous steps to see the project become a reality, including fighting to keep the facility open, securing funds to build a new Commissary, and fighting to get final authorization for the project from the Department of Defense.  The Army and Air Force Exchange Services have recently committed to construct a Post Exchange – which will provide additional services to local military personnel, retirees, and their families – adjacent to the commissary. With the construction of the commissary and a Post Exchange, many important services will continue to be available to the military families and eligible retirees in the tri-state area.
 
“I’d like to express my gratitude to all our current service members – active duty, reserve, and guard alike for serving our country in Iraq, Afghanistan, here at home, and all over the world,” Doyle said today.  “We can’t begin to express the gratitude we owe them and their families for the sacrifices they make for each one of us.  We also owe thanks to our retirees who served our country in the past.  That’s what this is all about, in the end, and why so many of us have worked so hard for so long to make certain that our current service personnel, our retirees, and their families continue to have access to the support services they deserve.”