Every year on the first Tuesday night in August, Mountain Community Homes hosts a National Night Out event for the 13,000 people who live in its on-post housing.

"We're here to take care of soldiers and families," said Joe McLaughlin, Mountain Community Homes project manager.

"We want them to live in a safe community and feel safe where they live," he said, "and this is all part of that."

"We want the kids of Fort Drum and the community to be safe," said Sgt. Chris Stockton, Fort Drum's bike patrol supervisor.

"We want them to know what safe is and it's a really good way to get everyone together so we can inform the masses," Stockton said.

It's also a good opportunity for those who protect and serve our country to meet face to face with those who protect and serve their families here in the north country.

"It allows me to know who's actually working in my community," said Mountain Community Homes resident Spc. Jonathan Banister, "and knowing that helps me feel more comfortable."

"Our military police, the fire department, our bike patrols, are all here tonight to get to know the families and get to meet them and form a bond," McLaughlin said.

And that's what makes National Night Out so important, especially in the military community.

"Like a lot of things go on while the soldier's overseas and he needs to know everything back home is safe," Banister said.

"We're taking care of them where they live and we have our great military police and firemen taking care of the safety of their families  so the soldier can focus on his or her mission when they're deployed," McLaughlin said.

"So it's a big multiplier and it's a peace of mind for them," he said.

If you can make the community safer and make sure everyone has a whole lot of fun in the process, that's the hallmark of another successful National Night Out for Mountain Community Homes residents on Fort Drum.