By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
On Monday, May 12, U.S. Congressman Dale Strong, who is over the 5th Congressional District spoke, at Athens State University for the annual Washington Update breakfast. Mayor Ronnie, along with many local elected officials were in attendance, and I caught up with the mayor for a few moments after the event.
“No one can question Congressman Strong’s passion to represent our area,” said the mayor with a smile. Indeed, Congressman Strong has been quite open about what a “different planet” Washington, D.C., is and some of his adventures have been noteworthy. There are two which stood out to us. The first was when Rep. Strong was first sworn in and took a trip with other lawmakers to the Southern Border. He actually ended up helping Border Patrol document illegal crossings that were taking place as he observed from a helicopter. Having spent decades as a first responder in medevac situations, Strong was able to help create a grid over the mountains that assisted the pilot get an accurate count and picture of what was going on below.
A second “adventure” occurred in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister greeted Dale and was already aware that Mr. Strong hailed from North Alabama. Netanyahu wanted to personally convey his thanks to the defense industry in our area, mentioning that the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and other defense systems operating in Israel owe their existence to corporations based here. Dale called that a “defining moment” in his career. Netanyahu’s exact words to Dale were, “Thank you for what you do for peace.” Strong fleshed out that statement by setting forth the realization that we don’t just help keep the peace in Israel, but all over the world.
Another area of concern that is being investigated is the amount of land either owned or leased by the Chinese. During the Biden administration, no one seemed to know what that number was, and Mr. Strong was able to find out that it is upwards of 380,000 acres, much of which is located near military bases. It is noteworthy that getting to the bottom of what could easily be a national security issue is becoming bi-partisan. No one would have ever thought that California and Alabama would work together on something like this, and Dale asserted that if we work together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
It looks like Space Force is finally, rightfully, and legally going to find its “home” on Redstone Arsenal, and there will be a sizable presence of the FBI here as well. Space Force will provide 1700 direct jobs, and the support employment sector will provide spin off jobs for about 3,000 people. We learned that the FBI has been on Redstone actually since 1971, and Strong was quick to note that both FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Director Dan Bongino have both been here to visit — something quite rare.
Mayor Ronnie quoted Rep. Strong when he talked about “boots and suits,” meaning that it takes both to make our region along with Washington, D.C., work well. Mayor Ronnie closed our brief time by emphasizing that fact that we “need to stay to stay strong at the local level,” and thanked all first responders for what they do for us. Mayor Ronnie and I were both runnin’ and gunnin,’ but not so much that we couldn’t do what we always do, and that was pray. So we did, and then it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
May 16, 2025
