SAN ANTONIO -- Thousands of jobs expected to be generated by the consolidating of the military's medical missions in San Antonio will begin arriving in June to August 2010, officials said Tuesday.

"The jobs are real and they will be here soon," said Chakib Chehadi, executive director of Workforce Solutions Alamo.

Chehadi said the jobs will be in the public and private sectors, many of them civilian contractors, with management to entry-level positions.

The prospect of double-digit unemployment nationwide and an economy still in recovery could put a dent in any predictions, Chehadi said.

"The best estimate is that there will be 4,000 new jobs coming in," he said.

The thousands of new jobs plus 4,000 incoming military students are included in the predicted total of 12,500 new military and civilian personnel. For instance, the 502nd Airbase Wing at Fort Sam Houston, currently has a staff of 13.

"By April, it will have 7,000 people," said Maj. Gen. Erv Lessel of the San Antonio Joint Program Office. "They'll be responsible for providing support services to all of the military installations here in San Antonio."

Lessel said the other components include the military medical center combining Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center, battlefield health and trauma research and development and medical education training for all military branches.

"Everything as difficult and complex as this is, the programs are on track," Lessel said.

As for housing, James Henderson, deputy director for the San Antonio Office of Military Affairs, said military officials have with some developers, who he said are "very interested in bringing new housing stock around the base."

Henderson said that many are waiting to get better sense of what BRAC's impact will be and the military's housing needs.

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