By Amanda Rae Moreno
If anyone knows about the changes that have happened at the Navy installation in the 25 years and how it has affected the local community, it’s none other than Mayor Terry Jones.
Cmdr. Terry Jones reported to Naval Air Station Memphis expecting to finish out his Navy career in the field of aviation. But the Navy had other plans for him.
“I was originally assigned to NAS Memphis as the Aviation Safety Officer. During this time, Congress was in the process of finalizing the Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC),” said Jones. “After I reported to NAS Memphis, my commanding officer sent me on temporary duty to Washington, D.C., for training on BRAC. Upon my return, I was reassigned as the BRAC Officer.”
The Navy established a presence in Millington immediately following the attacks on Pearl Harbor for aviation training and support. As a land locked location, the inland position was attractive to Navy leaders at the time and the federal government already own most of the land after acquiring it for Park Field in 1917.
As technology and weaponry improved, the risks of shore-based training facilities falling victim to water front attacks waned. As such, the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure decision moved the aviation commands to Pensacola, Florida. With sharp decrease of Sailors, the Naval Hospital was also shuttered.
In 1995 another BRAC decision moved two major headquarters, Navy Personnel, and Navy Recruiting, from Washington D.C. to Millington. In time, other commands would join the installation ultimately representing 6,500 personnel and all branches of the DoD.
Jones recalls there was a lot of trepidation about the changes coming to Millington both inside and outside of the fence line.
“The initial reaction of the residents of Millington to the BRAC decisions was one of concern because complete closure of the base was the first recommendation,” Jones said. “However, after Congressional intervention from Representative John Tanner, the decision was made to realign (instead of close) the mission of NAS Memphis. The base would eventually be designated NSA MidSouth. This realignment was a big blow to the economy of Millington as the population dropped from a little over 20,000 residents to approximately 10,000 with the movement of the aviation training to Pensacola, Florida.”
In 1995 another BRAC decision moved two major headquarters, Navy Personnel, and Navy Recruiting, from Washington D.C. to Millington. In time, other commands would join the installation ultimately representing 6,500 personnel and all branches of the DoD.
The transition involved a lot of moving parts, so a team was set up to help guide the process. This team involved many key players in the community.
“The Base Reuse Committee (BRC) was established with elected officials, local business leaders and active duty members to establish how and what excess federal property could be transferred to the city to assist in the recovery of the local economy,” he said. “Approximately 1500 acres of property including the airport was transferred to the city. The property outside of the airport boundaries would become part of the Millington Industrial Development Board for future development.”
The transition not only changed the mission of the installation, but also drastically changed the population of the installation.
“NAS Memphis, with its aviation training facilities, was home for approximately 6,000 junior Sailors and Marines that were stationed here for anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. This did not provide much time for them to become an active part of our community,” said Jones.
“With the transition to NSA Mid-South the base became a home for senior enlisted and commissioned personnel that would be stationed here for tours of duty from 2 to 3 years. This mission change offered the opportunity for service members to become more involved in the Millington community.”
The transition also saw an increase of civilian personnel who would work and live in the local community for years, even decades to come. Currently the installation population consists of about half civilian personnel including appropriated, non-appropriated, and contracted employees.
For Jones, his work as the BRAC Officer during the transition turned into an opportunity to really make a difference in the community of Millington.
“While acting as the BRAC Officer I was the liaison between the local city government and the federal government for the transfer of the excess property and worked closely with local leaders. After retirement I transitioned to civilian life by joining Millington Central High School as the Senior NJROTC Instructor. In that position, I met many of the parents in our community and was encouraged to run for one of the seats on the Board of Aldermen,” said Jones. “After successfully serving for four years on the Board of Alderman I was encouraged to run for the office of Millington Mayor, which I won in 2004.”
Jones’ time working with the installation and understanding of the Navy has helped him in his role of mayor. The city and installation must work together closely on matters as the installation is in many ways a city within a city.
“It has been an honor to serve the residents of our community, and I have continued to maintain a close working relationship with NSA MidSouth,” he said.
Naval Support Activity Mid-South supports tenants who support the Navy’s most valuable asset—its people.
Every day in the Mid-South nearly 6,500 personnel are working behind the scenes on missions in manning, logistics, finance, and nuclear monitoring to ensure our national security and infrastructure are operational and ready.
NSA Mid-South and its many headquarters commands stationed here employ thousands of highly skilled personnel in high-ranking positions. The total economic impact of the department of defense in Shelby County is about $750 mil.
NSA Mid-South provides support to Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Coast Guard. It is a hub of support to all military personnel and retirees in a six state area.
