A decade of war-driven growth at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is coming to an end. The Army on Tuesday announced plans to trim the ranks of active-duty soldiers at Lewis-McChord by 4,500 troops over the next few years, mostly by eliminating one of its three marquee Stryker brigades. The news stings among civilian communities that advocated for the Army’s expansion in South Sound even as they celebrate the diminishing demand for troops to serve in Afghanistan. “Of course we hate to see them go,” said Lacey Mayor Virgil Clarkson, whose city estimates that 10 percent of its residents are active-duty military service members. Lewis-McChord is not alone in learning of local force...
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