Military

Members of the services are a vital part of the Montgomery area community. Maxwell-Gunter AFB is home to Air University, the 42nd Air Base Wing, the 908th Airlift Wing, 754th Electronics System Group (ELSG) and other associate organizations, many of which are Air Force level tenants. The base and the surrounding communities enjoy a rewarding relationship as community partners with more than 17,000 military, civil service and contracted personnel employed at Maxwell-Gunter. The base also provides veteran benefits and support requirements to nearly 49,000 neighboring military retirees from all branches of service. Payroll, contracts, construction, services and procurement add up to an economic impact of more than $1.2 billion per year in the surrounding tri-county region.

Air University sees every Air Force officer at some point in his or her career. Air University's total Maxwell/Gunter resident student throughput population is more than 24,000 students for FY03. The indirect impact of the university’s education mission includes support for visitor and business-related travel and lodging dollars spent in the community. In 2001, visiting military and government officials rented 61,000 hotel rooms in the Montgomery Area at a support cost of $3.5 million.

In addition to the role of the base, the Air National Guard has an economic impact of $70 million annually, and the Army National Guard contributes $82 million in the tri-county area. These figures include pay for traditional Guardsmen, civilian payrolls, military construction projects and all other expenses associated with running a military installation.

Beyond the economic impact, military personnel are a big part of service to the community with more than 2,900 registered volunteers who contribute more than 100,000 hours to programs like Montgomery’s Habitat for Humanity, Partners-in-Education, Lighthouse Mentor Program, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, Relay for Life that benefits cancer research and Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts festivals to name a few. In 2002, Maxwell-Gunter became the first ever three-time winner of a National Make a Difference Day Award.