We are in a New Year now and we are blessed with the opportunity to regain our balance and move forward and work with the many challenges we have before us. A considerable amount of energy has been given to resolving our internal problems of which some still remain. Our priority remains the same, to serve the American GI Forum of the United States and our fellow members effectively and successfully

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (Jan., 2010) -- This summer, thousands of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldiers will return home from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, ready to reunite with family and loved ones. But for some, the war will not be over.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 25, 2010) -- With about $400 billion a year in federal funds at stake, the 2010 census may prove especially important for the thousands of Army families who have relocated since 2000 as a result of Base Realignment and Closure, said a 2010 census media specialist.

The larger the concentration of families in and around the installations that have experienced growth, the larger the support system has to be to accommodate them, said Robert Crockett, also a retired Army sergeant first class.

In addition to being a "snapshot of America," the census is a device by which federal funds are returned to the states and congressional seats are distributed to accommodate state's changing needs, he said.

Military families living in areas that have experienced significant growth may see the direct and indirect benefits of their participation in the census through, for example, larger schools, hospitals, roads, housing for elderly, and job training. States that have grown in population since 2000 could also gain congressional seats after the 2010 census, said Crockett.