Chow Hall Luncheons aim to unite military and community

RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Chow Hall Luncheons aims to engage the community in support of military mission – the personnel and their families.

This month’s presentation highlighted Boeing and their work in supersonic missiles.

Robert Gass, Boeing’s Strategic Development Investment, says, “I think education is really a great first step just to first raise awareness and then turn that awareness in just a better understanding of some of the issues that that Ellsworth Air Force Base is dealing with right now. In this case, the B-1 and its future as a bridge for Ellsworth from where we are today with the B-1 to bring on the B-21 in the right time, the right place, in a in a low-risk environment. So, and the awareness of what the base does in its contribution to national security, I think it should be a source of pride for everybody here in the Rapid City area and it allows them to be really a participant, if they want, in supporting the base and supporting that mission and providing defense, not only for South Dakota, but for the whole United States.”

The luncheons are held about once every couple months and they have gained more traction through the years.

Jeff Carsrud, Chairman Community Outreach Pillar Black Hills Military Affairs Coalition, says, “The information we get at these meetings, as a typical person, you might think of this as, ‘Am I even supposed to hear this?’ So it’s unclassified, but it is information that’s on the inside of what they’re working with and they follow that line of what they can share and they share that information to us so that we can help them as a community and support them in the ways that we can.”