use it or lose it........
"Today, however, Lajes Field has the atmosphere of a ghost town. Fewer than 200 American personnel remain stationed at Lajes. At lunch or dinner, the dining room hosts no more than a dozen people. Office and administrative buildings are well-maintained but vacant. In the subdivisions closest to the base, only two or three townhouses are occupied
along entire blocks.
Last summer, the base school closed. While the purpose of Lajes was not to provide welfare to the Portuguese, the abrupt withdrawal of US personnel has left the island in a crisis and looking for alternatives."