military

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Star Wars Event at Library — Arlington Central Library hosted a Star Wars costuming event over the weekend, as the above photo (uploaded to the library’s Facebook page) demonstrates.

School Stats Released — The class of 2011 at Arlington Public Schools had an on-time graduation rate of more than 87 percent, just above the state average of 86.6 percent. Arlington’s drop-out rate is declining, meanwhile. The rate was 9.8 percent in 2011, compared to 12.5 percent in 2008. [Arlington Public Schools]

Alexandria Gets Bikeshare — The Alexandria City Council voted yesterday night to join the Capital Bikeshare program. For Bikeshare members in Arlington, that means point-to-point trips to Old Town will be possible, from CaBi stations in Crystal City, Pentagon City and along the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. [Washington Post]

N. Va., Military Contractor Mecca –Why have military contractors been moving their headquarters to Northern Virginia? Because they want “to be where the action is,” writes Forbes. In general: “Whether they generate sizable revenues from the government or not, big companies seem to like northern Virginia a lot, despite being surrounded by some of the worst traffic jams in the nation.” [Forbes]

Last Day for ABBIE Nominations — Today is the last day to nominate local businesses for the annual Arlington’s Best Business Awards. The 15 categories include “Best Brunch,” “Best Customer Service,” and “Best New Business.” (Disclosure: The ABBIE Awards are an ARLnow.com advertiser.) [ABBIE Awards]

Photo via Arlington Public Library

Arlington Marine Prepares for Marathon in Afghanistan

By ARLnow.com

Some 30,000 runners will descend on Arlington on Oct. 30 for the 36th annual Marine Corps Marathon.

On the same day, half a world away, Maj. Brian Mullery, an Arlington native and Marine plans officer, will participate in a Marine Corps Marathon-sponsored “satellite marathon” at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.

Mullery, whose love of distance running began during his recruit training nearly 29 years ago, says he’s looking forward to what will be his lucky seventh marathon. It’s also the second marathon he’ll have run while deployed.

Running long distances — whether its during a marathon in Iraq or during morning jogs while stationed in Paris — has given Mullery time to get away from the daily stresses of work while keeping in shape, he says.

“I remember my lieutenant who was a physical fitness major when I was a sergeant with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment,” Mullery told military journalist Cpl. Jeff Drew. “He would say, ‘If you want to survive and you want to enjoy life when you retire, you need to have the mentality of fitness for life.’ That’s something he told me when I was 25, and almost 25 years later I still try to do that.”

As a bonus, Mullery says his rigorous running routine could save his life some day, should he ever find himself in a situation where his physical endurance is tested in a war zone.

“When the worst day of my life becomes a reality, I want to be able to talk about it the next day,” he said.

Read more about Mullery’s training regimen here.

Arlington Celebrates DADT Repeal

By ARLnow.com

As of midnight last night, the law known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was officially repealed.

Gay and lesbian service members may now publicly reveal their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out of the military. The repeal comes nine months after President Obama signed the initial DADT repeal law and two months after the president certified that conditions for the appeal — including extra training for military personnel — had been met.

To celebrate the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance will be holding two separate events. Tonight from 8:00 to 11:00 AGLA will host “Yes We Did DADT Karaoke” at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant (555 23rd Street S.) in Crystal City. The free event is also sponsored by the Arlington Democrats and the Arlington Greens.

Tomorrow AGLA will hold another DADT repeal celebration at Hard Times Cafe (3028 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon.

“Join AGLA for an evening of celebration, socializing, great food and drinks,” organizers said. The Wednesday event will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the restaurant’s second floor.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Shuttles Start Running Between Arlington Hall, Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

Shuttle buses are now running between the Pentagon and the National Guard Readiness Center (Arlington Hall), in a move that officials hope will help alleviate some of the traffic burden in the Barcroft neighborhood.

In July we reported that Barcroft residents were concerned about the influx of an additional 1,200 workers, whose jobs were being moved to Arlington Hall as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Congestion on George Mason Drive was part of the concern, and the fact that parking is only available for one in four new workers was another part. In response, Rep. Jim Moran requested that the military speed up approval of shuttle buses between the facility and the Pentagon Transit Center.

On Aug. 19, Moran’s office was notified that the shuttle service had been approved. Today, those shuttle buses started running, according to Moran spokeswoman Anne Hughes.

Adding service between Arlington Hall and the Pentagon will “undoubtedly reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles commuting to and parking near the bureau facility,” Moran said in July.

Discounted Registration for 9-11 5K Ends Today

By ARLnow.com

Registration for the Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9-11 Memorial 5K Run will get more expensive after today.

The annual race will be held on Sept. 10 this year. Registration is $25 today, $30 from Aug. 5 to Sept. 9 and $35 on race day. Teams (including firefighter, law enforcement and military teams) need to be registered by Sept. 1.

The race will kick off at 6:00 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Pentagon City (300 Army Navy Drive). Runners will follow a course that will take them past parts of the Pentagon. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attack on the World Trader Center and the Pentagon.

Proceeds from the race will benefit 9-11 related charities, including the Fisher House Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project, Operation Purple, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

Organizers are looking for volunteers to work on race day. Volunteers will be asked to pass out food and water and assist with other race duties. Anyone interested in volunteering can find more information here.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Moran Pushes for Shuttle to Ease BRAC Traffic Burden

By Katie Pyzyk

Residents concerned about the influx of 1,200 government workers into the Barcroft neighborhood could see the addition of a shuttle to ease traffic congestion, if Rep. Jim Moran gets his way.

The Army National Guard had put in a request for shuttle service to the Pentagon Transit Center from Arlington Hall Station, but so far the additional service has not been granted.  Moran has now asked the Director of the Washington Headquarter Service to expedite the request.

The Arlington Hall Station shuttle already provides service from nearby Metro train stops to the National Guard facility. However, it currently doesn’t have access to the Pentagon Transit Center, despite a request for service in June 2009. Moran says that adding service between the Arlington Hall Station and the Pentagon will “undoubtedly reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles commuting to and parking near the bureau facility.”

There’s been an effort to come up with additional public transportation around Arlington Hall as 1,200 workers pour in due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act.  A parking structure was built to accommodate the added workers, but there is only one parking space for every four employees.

Residents have been petitioning for help to prevent commuters from Arlington Hall from spilling over into residential neighborhoods.  Also of concern is the potentially dangerous congestion on George Mason Drive near the complex.

BRAC coordinators are encouraging the new workers to use public transportation instead of driving, and are working with WMATA to increase the frequency of 22A buses in the area.  The addition of a shuttle from Arlington Hall Station to the Pentagon Transit Center would provide another transportation option for commuters, particularly those who use Metro trains.

Commuters who use WMATA’s 22A buses to Arlington Hall will pay the regular public bus fare. However, if the request for a shuttle to the Pentagon Transit Center goes through, Moran’s office says that service would be free to riders because it is provided by the Department of Defense.

 

BRAC Traffic Prompts Concerns for Barcroft Residents

By Katie Pyzyk

Barcroft residents are carefully watching the influx of some 1,200 government workers into their neighborhood as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Some neighbors are calling for action to mitigate what they claim are dangerous and disruptive traffic conditions.

The personnel are being added to the Army National Guard Readiness Center, in the Arlington Hall complex, at George Mason Drive and Route 50. Many of them are coming from Crystal City offices, but only a couple hundred have made the move so far. The bulk of staff members are expected to arrive mid-July. This flood of workers has some residents in surrounding neighborhoods worried about an increase in parking and traffic issues.

Although a new parking structure was built to accommodate the additional workers, per the National Capital Planning Commission’s specifications there is only one parking spot for every four workers. That’s creating concern about where all the new employees will park. There are already reports of more cars parked in neighboring residential areas, and residents would like to see that stop.

BRAC Project Coordinator Andrea Morris says she understands the parking issues. She is working with District 3 to increase patrols in the area to ticket anyone parked illegally on residential streets. The problem, according to Morris, is that most of the Barcroft neighborhood does not have zone parking restrictions, so there’s nothing to stop workers from using the vacant spots.

“It’s not a popular answer, it’s not one that is going to get a lot of rave reviews, but unfortunately, it happens to be a fact,” Morris said. “It’s a very, very hard statement for me to make because I hear their concerns.”

Morris says BRAC has partnered with WMATA to increase the frequency of the 22A buses, starting in August. That line should alleviate some of the parking headaches, because it is planned to work as a shuttle for the government workers and not to stop at every point along the bus line.

(more…)

Route 110 to Close for Gates Retirement Ceremony

By ARLnow.com

Route 110 will be closed near the Pentagon tomorrow morning due to an “Armed Forces Farewell Tribute” to retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

President Obama will be among the dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony, which is expected to get underway at the Pentagon around 9:45 a.m. A military spokesman was unable to release any other details about the event.

Route 110 will be closed tomorrow from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Northbound traffic will be diverted to I-395 and southbound traffic will be diverted to Washington Boulevard, according to Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management.

BRAC’d Couple Enjoying New Home in Alabama

By ARLnow.com

Thanks to the Base Realignment and Closure Act, Chris and Carrie Arnold were forced to move themselves and their two young children from their 1,000 square foot Arlington condo to Huntsville, Alabama.

According to a local newspaper, the couple is glad they moved.

“It’s easier to breathe down here,” Chris Arnold told the Huntsville Times. “There’s more space, and it’s not that same kind of pressure on your chest as you have when you’re in a heavily populated area… D.C. was a concrete jungle.”

Arnold, who works for the Missile Defense Agency, says he’s also happy to live “somewhere that was more family-friendly, a place with a yard, a place where people wouldn’t look at you funny if you left work at 5 p.m.”

Va. Delegation Calls for USS Arlington to be Commissioned in Norfolk

By ARLnow.com

Rumor has it that the Navy may be thinking of holding the commissioning for the USS Arlington somewhere other than Virginia — and that has the state’s congressional delegation crying foul.

“We have been informed that the Navy is considering commissioning the USS Arlington at several ports outside of the Commonwealth,” the delegation wrote in a letter sent today to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “Given that the ship is named to honor the vital role Virginia played in responding to the attacks of September 11th, we believe it would be a mistake to commission the USS Arlington at any location outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The bipartisan letter was signed by Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Jim Moran, Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Eric Cantor and the rest of the Virginia delegation. Gov. Bob McDonnell has also been lobbying for the commissioning to be held in Norfolk, where the ship will be homeported.

The Arlington, an amphibious transport dock ship, was christened at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. in March. The USS New York, another San Antonio-class ship named following the Sept. 11th attacks, was commissioned in New York City in 2009.

More Repairs Needed at Tomb of the Unknowns

By ARLnow.com

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to make some additional repairs to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, ARLnow.com has learned.

The repair work comes just over a year after engineers completed an initial series of repairs on the marble Tomb Monument, which has been cracking due to age. The repairs — which utilized “high-tech grout” to fill the crevices — were completed in April 2010 at a contract cost of $70,000. However, cracks are still visible across much of the nearly 80-year-old monument.

The cemetery’s public affairs office was unable to tell us when the latest round of repairs would take place.

In 2009, Arlington National Cemetery officials accepted a donation of a large marble block that can be used to create a replica monument, should the existing monument eventually need to be replaced.

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