The community that declared itself the world’s first “Sanctuary Community” for soldiers and their families (September 5, 2008) has now been named “America’s Most Pro-Military Town” by TIME MAGAZINE.

“In a time of long deployments, the city is stepping up to take care of the families left behind,” says TIME senior writer, Nathan Thornburgh.  “It boasts, for starters, an ‘Army’s Army’ of 900 civilian volunteers who help families with everything from flat tires to job placement.”

Fayetteville’s Army’s Army is composed of local citizens and businesses who’ve pledged to do all they can to make soldiers and their families feel welcome, appreciated and safe in Cumberland County.

In an interview for the article Sergeant Daniel Gobbel, a recent transplant to Fayetteville from Fort Bliss, Texas, with his wife and daughters, says he appreciates the overwhelming support he gets from the Fayetteville community.

“The response to the Soldiers’ Sanctuary has been overwhelming,” said Anthony Chavonne, mayor of Fayetteville.  “It was one of the hottest topics on military.com and other military forums, and it’s been met with a resounding ‘thank you’ from soldiers.”

In an email to County Commissioner Chairman Breeden Blackwell, retired USAF airman, Robert Eberle wrote, “It is a breath of fresh air to see a county such as yours stepping up to do the right thing.”

In the article’s closing, TIME says, “The community is bearing the hardships of war with admirable grace and a sense of shared sacrifice.  “I get taken care of here better than other places,” says Millie Ferris, 26, an expectant mother whose husband is in Iraq.

To view the complete article please visit: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1860898,00.html.

Photos and videos from the Sanctuary Community are available at www.fayettevillewantsyou.com/pressroom or www.rubberneckmedia.com/clients/sanctuary/jpg/SanctuarySigns.jpg.  For more information regarding the Sanctuary, please visit www.fayettevillewantsyou.com

The Soldiers’ Sanctuary is spearheaded by Fayetteville and Cumberland County community leaders and the Army’s Army. This year, due to federal BRAC, or Base Realignment and Closure, legislation, tens of thousands of military families will be required to move to one of the 11 North Carolina counties closest to Fort Bragg.