American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." At Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, we have a similar unofficial phrase that reminds us to make the most of each day: "Every day is a great day at JBM-HH." In 2014, JBM-HH saw a number of those great - and notable - days and the Pentagram staff captured a good many of those memorable happenings that made 2014 a great year.
Accordingly, the first issue of the Pentagram each year is dedicated to reviewing the top news and other stories of interest from around the joint base, including our partner communities, neighbors and tenant commands.
JBM-HH Commander Col. Mike Henderson, who took command of JBM-HH in August, says he was nothing short of impressed with JBM-HH's employees during a pre-Christmas interview with the Pentagram. Henderson cited notable achievements among JBM-HH's various organizations, services and programs. He specifically cited the "technical expertise" of JBM-HH employees and their abilities to plan, synchronize and provide security for a multitude of major events at the joint base, including preparation for and response to one of the harshest winters the National Capital Region has experienced in recent years. He also cited the joint base's ability to prioritize and maintain critical infrastructure in many of JBM-HH's more historic buildings. In August, Bldg. 249, the operations facility for The Old Guard's Alpha and Echo Companies, earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for environmentally-sound renovations made to the building in 2011, according to a news report by Pentagram staff writer Guv Callahan.
"It's a good first impression," said Henderson. "We've got a great group of employees. I really appreciate what the workforce does for service members and their families."
A year of firsts, anniversaries
The joint base and its partner communities saw many firsts and significant anniversaries throughout the year. In May, the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base hosted dozens of noncommissioned officers from across the services at the first-ever joint noncommissioned officer leadership symposium. In July, Soldiers, Marines and federal civilian employees competed in a swath of relays as part of the joint base's first Urban Warrior Challenge. JBM-HH's firsts will continue in 2015, starting with the first combined tax center on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH, combining the staffs of the Henderson Hall and Fort Myer tax preparation teams under one roof.
Unfortunately, 2014 also saw the first combat death of a general officer since the Vietnam War. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan in August. The Pentagram covered this historic and emotional burial at Arlington National Cemetery; Greene was buried there less than two weeks after his death. He is one of some 400,000 people buried in the cemetery, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in June.
Last year also marked the 150th anniversary of the Washington Arsenal building at the Fort McNair portion of the joint base. That event, commemorated in a formal ceremony at Fort McNair in June, resulted in the death of 21 women workers at the arsenal June 17, 1864.
Other anniversaries this year included the 30th anniversary of the Army Ten-Miler, which the Pentagram covered extensively, featuring athletes who ran the first Ten-Miler in the 1980s. Also, JBM-HH itself marked five years as a joint base, the first military installation to undertake the joint base venture established under the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005. JBM-HH is also the only joint base with both Army and Marine Corps components.
New leadership
Last year saw a variety of leadership changes throughout JBM-HH, as new commanders and command sergeants major took their posts here. Henderson and JBM-HH Command Sgt. Maj. Randall E. Woods are not the only two leaders who took commands at JBM-HH in 2014. The 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) also received a new command team: Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Stoker became The Old Guard's senior enlisted leader in April, while Col. Johnny K. Davis took command of The Old Guard in June. In July, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ed Weinberg took command of the Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic, and the Fort McNair, Washington D.C.-based Army Air Operations Group received a new commander last year, Col. Timothy Brown. The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" also received new leadership, starting with Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel R. Smith, who was appointed to his current position in July. Last month, Col. Timothy J. Holtan became the Band's tenth leader and conductor following a change of command ceremony at Brucker Hall at Fort Myer.
National Defense University, based at Fort McNair, received a new president last November when Marine Maj. Gen. Frederick M. Padilla became the university's 15th president in a formal ceremony. He replaced acting President Wanda L. Nesbitt in a ceremony presided by Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Extraordinary people
You don't have to necessarily roam the halls of the Pentagon to find extraordinary people. JBM-HH is chock full of individuals who have often heart-warming achievements and inspirational stories to share. Some of those truly inspirational stories are those of generous individuals who help others in unique ways, such as 92-year-old Patsy Skidmore, an American Red Cross volunteer at the U.S. Army Andrew Rader Health Clinic pharmacy at Fort Myer. Skidmore has volunteered for more than 66 years with the Red Cross, and has volunteered at military health facilities since World War II. Then there is 107-year-old retired Army Lt. Col. Luta Mae C. McGrath, a World War II veteran who served with the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in 1943. She attended the 2014 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in her Army uniform. Another World War II vet, retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph W. Kuethe, 95, was presented the Silver Star in July by Virginia Sen. Mark Warner for heroic actions under fire during the war some 70 years ago.
Not every phenomenal story we helped tell last year was of a person from the Greatest Generation. In October, reserve Navy Capt. Nancy Lacore completed a 160-mile "Valor Run" from Chesapeake, Va., to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington. The Pentagram's Jim Dresbach was on scene for Lacore's triumphant finish, which commemorated a mile for very female service member killed since 2001. Then there is the story of Army Sgt. Sarah Deckert, 2013's Armed Forces Chef of the Year and JBM-HH-based Soldier was featured on a segment of chef Jeff Henderson's "Flip my Food" television show. Pentagram staffers Julia LeDoux and Rachel Larue were on set in Richmond to capture the moment.
Last March, changes to AR 670-1, the Army regulation that dictates uniform and grooming standards for Soldiers, brought more restrictive standards for tattoos and female hair styles, among other changes. The Pentagram, like many publications, published the story to announce these changes. But staff writer Julia LeDoux found a silver lining in the changes and highlighted the find in the story of Spc.
Kenneth J. Stiles, a Pentagon-based Soldier who can now wear the Gold Star Lapel Button in uniform, thanks to changes in the regulation. The button symbolizes Stiles' recognition as a Gold Star Family Member - a person who has lost immediate family during combat operations. Stiles' stepbrother, Colorado National Guard Sgt. Jon Stiles, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2008.
At the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base, two Marines - Cpls. Tahira Lawrence and Arlene Cordova - were recognized for their exceptional service and leadership when they were selected for meritorious promotions. Commanders can meritoriously promote only one percent of their lance corporals to the rank of corporal. In June, Lawrence and Cordova, both attached to Henderson Hall's Headquarters and Service Battalion, were promoted as part of that one percent. More impressively, they were both personally recognized by then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos, who sent signed letters of recognition to both. For more Marine Corps-related Pentagram coverage from 2014, be sure to check out Pentagram staff writer Guv Callahan's wrap-up on page six.
There are many more phenomenal stories and images that have filled the pages of the Pentagram these past 12 months. While it is certainly not possible to recount and republish every one of them, we invite you to sound off and let us know what your favorite 2014 Pentagram stories and images from around JBM-HH are. Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jbmhh. Also, visit us on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/jbm-hh to see all our imagery from 2014.
A new year
So what's in store for JBM-HH in 2015? We asked Henderson just that, and he spelled out his top four priorities for the new year during his interview with the Pentagram. His top priority is to continue to facilitate professional development of leaders and employees; second, to program renovations to "preserve our aging infrastructure;" third, to employ a "cost culture" to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness across the joint base; finally, Henderson asks all employees and staff to seek more opportunities that enable JBM-HH to better support its partners and tenant commands.
We also asked the colonel how JBM-HH will meet these priorities in 2015 and beyond. His answer was not surprising: "Effective communication between employees and supervisors and the command to identify requirements and resources," he said.
Henderson also emphasized for all JBM-HH personnel and visitors to keep safety in mind as we enter the winter season. He also stressed that 2015 will be full of "great days" at JBM-HH, and that he is honored to be the commander of such a "historic installation," he said.
"I'm looking forward to working with both our team here at the joint base, as well as our partners and communities on the outside for an exciting year," he said.
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