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Earlier this week military leaders and homebuilders marked success five years in the making. Pennsylvania's McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix recently celebrated the completion of hundreds of new homes for military families, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The process was not easy. When work began about five years ago, builders had to demolish around 1,900 of the 2,300 homes currently on the base. Though it has been a long road, the payoff was huge. The modern homes are outfitted with a number of amenities including central heat and air conditioning, fiber optic cable, walk-in closets and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

"The housing is wonderful," Angel Hartman, whose husband, Peter, serves in the Army, told the newspaper. "We've been here two years, and it feels like a community."

According to Phillyburbs.com, the development included more than just houses. There are also 50 playgrounds, two swimming areas and a pair of community centers.

The construction in Pennsylvania is part of a nationwide effort to provide better housing to military families. The work is a realization of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, which was passed by Congress in 1996.