Winds Of Change

The Pentagon is poised to do what a hurricane could not: permanently shut down HOMESTEAD AIR FORCE BASE in Florida. In a report to be made public March 15, the Defense Department intends to recommend to Congress that Homestead Air Force Base be closed. Across the country, other communities await word on the fate of their military bases, but this closure will be a particularly bitter one. After Hurricane Andrew nearly destroyed the base last August, President Bush pledged that “we will rebuild Homestead Air Force Base.” In the current budget-crunching climate, it seems unlikely that promise will be kept.