By Peter Biello
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/whqr/local-whqr-700533.mp3
Wilmington, NC – The United States Marine Corps is in the middle of what it calls the 202-K Plus-Up, an effort to boost its ranks nationwide. Camp Lejeune in Onslow County is expected to bring in more than 11,000 Marines along with another 9,000 family members. By now the Marine Base and county and city leaders are weighing what should be done to prepare for the new arrivals.
It's 8:30 in the morning at the Main Gate at Camp Lejeune Marine Base. Two Marines stand guard with rifles as drivers show them their ID cards before passing through.
Lieutenant Craig Thomas says by now traffic has slowed down, but Highway 24 outside the gate is habitually clogged at certain hours.
"In the morning starting at 0630 up till about 0830, at chow time, you know, 1100 to 1300, and then close of business, which is anywhere from 1600 and 1800."
Thomas says the three-lane highway sometimes jams as far back as a mile and a half. And it's about to get worse, says Major General Robert Dickerson.
General Dickerson is very specific: he says 11,477 Marines are coming to work and train at Camp Lejeune, and they're bringing their families with them.
"I don't know of any time in the Marine Corps, unless maybe prior to Vietnam, when we had this expansive growth coming into the local communities."
This growth is part of the 202 K Plus Up, and as the name suggests, the goal is to boost enlistment nationwide to 202,000.
Dickerson says the reason behind the growth is simple: Marines are now spending as much time overseas as they are at home. In Marine language, that's called a "dwell ratio" of one-to-one.
"What we need to do with the growth of force initiative is go to a three-to-one dwell ratio, which means, for every 7 months that we go out for deployment, when you come back, then you have three times that amount of time to be able to train the force, to give you a quality of life, and to be with your families."
Dickerson says while more Marines will create more traffic at bases across the country, having the extra help will boost morale. To alleviate congestion in Jacksonville, Dickerson says there are plans to cut a new entrance into Camp Lejeune from Highway 24, which could take some pressure off the other three gates.
But traffic is just one growing pain. Housing is another.
Dickerson says three-quarters of Marines live off base, so Camp Lejeune officials are working with the North Carolina Realtor's Association to help Marines find housing.
As for the base, there's a housing deficit of 3,300 homes. Dickerson says Marines and their families will arrive before the permanent infrastructure is ready to accept them.
"So that's the issue: How do you get these schools and the hospitals and the roads and the sewers put in place to accept this influx of family members in the military?"
Jacksonville mayor Sammy Phillips says when he hears about the thousands of new Marines coming, he thinks of all the schools and roads and firefighters that they'll need.
"And that equates to having to make those commitments prior to these people actually paying any tax money," he says. "A lot of this growth is going to have to be supported by present tax payers."
Phillips says the city of Jacksonville is working on a unified development ordinance, which will make it easier to build new homes within city limits. Camp Lejeune has worked out a deal to sell water to Onslow County, a less expensive option for the County than expanding its own water treatment plant.
As municipal workers scramble to meet future demand, business owners prepare to tap into a new customer base. Steve Feldhaus is co-owner of The Basement.
"We sell a little bit of everything, we just don't sell clothing and that type of stuff."
Right now his store is packed with new and used furniture, old VHS tapes, and retired Disney-themed collectibles.
He says he relies on local residents to provide him with stuff to sell.
"We have against the wall, we have all the mattresses we sell. We have bunk beds. We have some office chairs bought from Onslow Memorial Hospital."
Feldhaus came to Jacksonville as a military kid. Now he says Marine families are going to keep him in business forever.
"I had a cousin who asked me to open a business in Hawaii like this, and I told him, we didn't have the supply, we didn't have the dynamics that we have in our market, because of the service. And with the growth they're just going to need it more and more."
News of thousands of additional Marines and the changes to accommodate them are getting mixed reviews from residents gassing up across the street from one of the busier gates into Camp Lejeune.
Oh yeah, I want them here," says one resident. "I believe in having a strong military and I like the presence around here. It keeps the area going.
Another resident says, Traffic is going to suck. It already does suck. I guess for businesses it will be good. I really don't mind. If we need them here, we need them here.
The nearly 12,000 Marines are expected to come to Camp Lejeune in waves over the next three years. So as recruiters nationwide sign up new Marines, area leaders work to make sure they're ready for each wave.
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