At Fort Carson, a 'big surge' is on the way

The Texas crowd will start rolling in next week.

But they're just part of the green-clad phalanx flowing into Fort Carson this summer.

Soldiers from posts, camps and stations all over the globe have started moving in as Fort Carson grows by 6,500 soldiers in addition to a massive turnover in its ranks.

Lynthia Washington, whose office handles all the paperwork for newly arrived troops, expects to see as many as 300 new soldiers a day in coming weeks.

"We have seen an increase, but we haven't gotten what we expect," she said. "That will start the 15th of June."

Washington makes sure the soldiers are paid, connected with housing, placed on the rolls of their unit and enrolled in a three-day program for new arrivals.

Workers in Washington's office also wind up playing counselors and tour guides for their often-nervous clients.

"Some of them are scared about being here," she said.

The Army has a well-established system to handle the nomadic lifestyle it forces on its ranks. Every year, about a third of the Army packs up and moves; in a May news release the service said it expects 200,000 soldiers to relocate this summer.

Fort Carson's system is about to be stretched to its limits. The 4th Infantry Division headquarters and its 1st Brigade Combat Team are moving to Colorado from Texas - a net gain of 6,500 soldiers - and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which came back from 15 months in Iraq in February, will see a massive turnover, with most of its 3,800 soldiers moving on.

Add that to the normal Army moves, and Fort Carson could see as many as 10,000 troops arriving between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

"Our big surge is coming," said Sgt. Morgan Weaver, who is helping shepherd arriving 1st Brigade Combat Team soldiers.

The post has had nearly four years to get ready for the boom, which was announced by the Pentagon in 2005. The Army has spent nearly $2 billion to construct everything from barracks and houses to offices and motor pools for the newcomers. Signs all over Fort Carson direct soldiers to Washington's office.

That surge is just what local businesses have been yearning for. After nearly two years of economic tumult, apartment owners who saw vacancy rates top 10 percent earlier this year are finding reason to smile.

Laura Russmann, executive director of The Apartment Association of Southern Colorado, said landlords are doing a booming business as GIs snatch up some of the vacant dwellings.

"The military is our biggest source of renters," she said.

By and large the arrivals are smiling, too.

Out of all the places the Army can send its soldiers, Fort Carson is considered one of the choicest posts. The mountain views and mild temperatures, combined with the attractions of Colorado Springs add to its allure.

"I love the mountains," said Sgt. Joseph Hill who requested transfer to Fort Carson from Fort Polk, La., and reported to his new workplace last week. "I'm happy."

For now Hill is staying in the barracks.

Pvt. Desmond Butler arrived last week looking for a house for his wife and child. "She's excited," he said of his bride, who is moving from Lawton, Okla.

Spc. Randy Stephenson, who reported to the 4th Infantry Division headquarters last week, isn't sure if his wife will be joining him from New York. She's got a good job, he said, and moving isn't an attractive option.

"I guess I'm what you call a geographical bachelor," he said.