A Big Dud: July 4th Fireworks & the Military
As predicted, many military bases were forced to cancel Fourth of July fireworks because of the sequester. Time.com reports that “in military bases across the country, there won’t be any snap, crackle, or pop. Congress, through sequestration, has taken away from the troops on Independence Day.”
“Hawaii’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marines Corps Base, South Carolina’s Shaw Air Force Base, New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island all had to cancel their firework displays this year. Texas’ Fort Hood managed to salvage its fireworks from dipping into profits earned from its recycling center.”
“Brandy Rhoad Stowe, wife of a master gunnery sergeant at Camp Lejeune told the AP, ‘I know fireworks might seem silly to other people. “But what is the Fourth of July without fireworks?’