Lowndes County - For three decades, Linda Panousis and her family have been feeding Moody airmen. "They enjoy our food and we enjoy them," said Panousis.
Family Pizza is right across the street from Moody Air Force Base, and gets about 80 percent of its business from the military. "They're like our family and we treat them like our kids," said Panousis.
If Moody is on the base realignment and closure list, it would be devastating for this business. But the Panousis family says they're not worried. "We're very confident, Moody is a very, very important base, it has an important mission, its part of AFSOC, we feel very blessed to have it here and we feel its going to be here another 30 years," said Panousis.
And community leaders around Lowndes County have been working relentlessly to make sure that happens. "We've got some people in high places who are very concerned with our community and Moody Air Force Base and also, every time we've changed commanders, our base has grown and improved," said Paige Dukes, Military Affairs Committee Member.
The base is the largest employer in the county with an estimated 3,715 military and 339 civilian employees. It's economic impact on the area is about 283 million dollars annually. "If we do lose Moody it will be almost like a city shutting down here in Lowndes County," said Dukes.
But the Panousis family is praying that city stays open, and they'll be serving the men and women in uniform for many years to come.
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