Several military bases around the nation will not have the patriotic boom of fireworks to help celebrate their Independence Day due to budget cuts. According to the Huffington Post, the patriotic holiday has been cancelled at several bases in North Carolina, New Jersey, Hawaii and Illinois because of a lack of money.
The cutting of the fireworks displays are being blamed on the recent $85 billion budget cuts. The military took a hard hit costing several federal workers to take a huge pay cut. Brigadier Gen. Thomas Gorry told the Huffington Post that the decision was made to cut fireworks at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina to "ensure that we can mitigate the fiscal challenges we are currently facing." He said last year's 4th of July celebrations cost about $100,000, including $25,000 for the fireworks display. Gen. Gorry said one of the big issues the base was having was finding the funding to pay workers overtime for security, transportation, logistics and safety. He added that base officials did not want to play workers overtime when federal workers were already losing money while furloughed.
Brandy Rhoad Stowe said the fireworks at the base was always great adding that her and her two children, ages 3 and 9, would miss the celebration this year but hoped it would come back in the future.
"I know fireworks might seem silly to other people," Stowe said in an interview with the Huffington Post. "But what is the Fourth of July without fireworks."
Several other bases besides Camp Lejeune will not be hosting fireworks including Fort Bragg U.S. Army Base in North Carolina, Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst Joint U.S. Military Base in New Jersey, Pearl Harbor/Hickam Joint U.S. Military Base in Hawaii, Shaw U.S. Air Force Base in South Carolina and U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base in Georgia. It is expected that there will be further cancellations as well. The annual fireworks display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. will still go on as planned.
