Scott Fontaine covers Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, the Washington National Guard and the veteran community. Fontaine has worked at The News Tribune since 2006. E-mail along story suggestions and tips to scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com
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Matt Misterek is the communities and military team leader at The News Tribune and has supervised local military coverage since 2003.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates is visiting McChord Air Force Base today and Fort Lewis later today and Tuesday, officials said.
It’s the first known local visit by the nation’s senior defense adviser since Donald Rumsfeld came to Fort Lewis in April 2002.
And it comes just 18 days after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen toured Lewis and McChord.
At Fort Lewis, officials said Gates would visit with patients at Madigan Army Medical Center and talk with soldiers recently returned from overseas deployments and their families. He'll also get an update on the post's Stryker brigades and check out the different variants of the eight-wheeled armored vehicle.
McChord hasn't released details of Gates’ itinerary there.
UPDATE: Visit at McChord was quick, and Gates headed over to Lewis this afternoon.
From his schedule as posted on the DoD web site:
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will conduct a press availability at 12:35 p.m. EDT at Fort Lewis, Wash. Secretary Gates' visit is part of his ongoing efforts to visit military installations, meet with troops and their families, thank them for their service and hear their concerns.

