JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.
If you have a question or concern, please send an email to jbsapublicaffairs@gmail.com using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.
Q. The exit gate at the JBSA-Lackland Security Hill entry control point has been closed during normal operating hours over the past week without any explanation to the tenants here at Security Hill.
We have enough gates which have already been closed at JBSA-Lackland, which makes base access significantly difficult now.
It takes me almost 11 additional minutes to drive completely around the base just to exit JBSA-Lackland. Both the inlet and exit gates at the Security Hill need to open and close concurrently.
The arrangement by the Security Forces to close the exit gate at Security Hill during normal gate operational hours is completely unacceptable.
A. Thank you for your email and concern about the Security Hill gate.
During Winter Storm Uri, the Security Hill gate came off its drive chain, most likely due to the elements, which caused the gate to malfunction.
When this occurred, our partners in civil engineering and contracting attempted to source a specialized contractor to conduct repairs, but no one was available until early to mid-March.
Currently, our civil engineering team is task saturated with emergency work orders to repair damage stemming from the winter storm. We expect the gate to be repaired shortly.
Until that time, Security Forces has coordinated a traffic plan with Sixteenth Air Force’s Force Protection office to have the inbound gate switch to outbound-only from 3-6 p.m. to reduce the drive time for those exiting Security Hill. Thank you for your feedback and patience.
Q. This is something I’ve wondered about for a while.
I like to look at the horses at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston used by the U.S. Army North Caisson Platoon during parades. I especially like to watch them when they are walking around their pasture and eating their hay.
It is evident they are well taken care of by the Army and their Soldier handlers. I have heard that the Army sells some of them from time to time, due to various reasons.
Are steps taken to prevent them from being sold to buyers who will send them to slaughterhouses to make fast money? What are the procedures the Army follows to ensure humane treatment of these animals after they are sold?
These horses serve JBSA-Fort Sam Houston very well and are a living link to the Army’s Cavalry heritage. Thank you for your informative weekly column.
A. We appreciate you reaching out to us about our horses, as they are definitely part of our JBSA-Fort Sam Houston family!
We do not sell any of our horses after they retire, but we do have a process for them to be adopted by families who are carefully screened to be able to take care of them.
We also noticed you highlighted the link between our horses to the Army’s heritage. Did you know that the Caisson horses link to the U.S. Army Artillery, as caissons were originally used to bring artillery to the battlefield? Also, the Army song, titled “The Army Goes Rolling Along,” traces its lineage back to the caissons as well, as it was originally titled “As the Caissons Go Rolling Along.”
For more information, please follow U.S. Army North on social media (Facebook/Twitter: @USArmyNorth and on Instagram at @usarnorth) for updates and photos of the U.S. Army North Caisson Platoon.