JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The U.S. Marine Corps had a good year in 2014, both on the Henderson Hall portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and across the nation.
With ongoing force drawdowns in the coming fiscal years, it was a year of significant change for the Corps, which welcomed a new commandant when Gen. James F. Amos passed command to Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. in October, and celebrated its 239th birthday in November.
During the passage of command ceremony, held at Marine Barracks Washington "8th and I" in Washington, Dunford, a Boston native, said he could not be more humbled to take command.
"My focus in the coming years will be to take care of our Marines and their families and to ensure that our Corps remains the expeditionary force that our nation has come to expect," Dunford said during the ceremony.
And while commanders will seek to continue refining the force, they will have to do so with less manpower. In light of budget constraints, the Corps will be drawing down its forces through fiscal year 2017.
Marine Corps leadership had a Fiscal Year 2014 end-strength goal of 188,800 Marines and plans to reduce the force by roughly 4,000 Marines per year until reaching the 175,000-mark by FY 2017's end. In other words, retention is getting more competitive for Marines and will continue to do so.
"The commandant is asking for us to retain only the best and the brightest - the most highly-qualified Marines," Gunnery Sgt. Donald Miller of MMEA's enlisted assignments branch told first-term Marines during a retention briefing in August.
Marine Corps officials also announced details of two early-out programs for FY 2015 designed to manage the force by offering staff noncommissioned officers either early retirement or a lump-sum payment to leave the service.
Though that might seem grim, the good news is that the Corps continued to excel and set itself apart in 2014, especially at JBM-HH's Henderson Hall, the home of Headquarters Marine Corps' Headquarters and Service Battalion. The battalion provides administrative, planning and logistical support to thousands of Headquarters Marine Corps and National Capital Region-based Marines and family members, as well as Marines stationed throughout the world.
Two Henderson Hall-based Marines, Cpl. Tahira Lawrence and Cpl. Arlene Cordova, were both meritoriously promoted in May and received personal letters from the commandant of the Corps. In the Marine Corps, meritorious promotions are coveted achievements earned through competitive selection boards, top-notch performance and proven leadership potential, according to guidance listed in volume two of the Marine Corps Promotion Manual.
Henderson Hall Marines also saw the commandant's reversal of uniform policy when then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos announced that Marines would roll up their sleeves when wearing the desert camouflage utility uniform in the spring and summer months. The reversal back to the decades-old, season-based "sleeves up" standard signified a return to tradition by some Marines.
It was the first time the Corps had reinstated rolled up sleeves since October 2011.
Marine Sgt. Seth Wolley of the Henderson Hall Tax Center told Pentagram staff writer Julia LeDoux for a March 14, 2014, Pentagram news article just how important the uniform policy change is to Marines: "After being in for both sleeves up and sleeves down the first time around, I'm glad it's coming back," he said. "I think it's something that sets us apart and makes us look a little better."
In August, Henderson Hall Marines also celebrated the completion and opening of the Marine Corps Exchange's third floor addition and Navy Exchange Uniform Center in September, as well as a new support office at the Pentagon where Marines can address administrative tasks without wasting time making the trek "up the hill" to JBM-HH.
Another significant Henderson Hall-led moment came in May when Marines and service members from across the military gathered for the first National Capital Region Joint Professional Development Seminar, a program designed to prepare attending enlisted service members for joint missions. Leaders founded the pilot course to enhance noncommissioned officers' (NCOs) and petty officers' knowledge and understanding of the different military services in order to accomplish missions in the future.
November marked the Corps' 239th birthday, which Headquarters and Service Battalion Marines celebrated with a formal cake cutting ceremony inside the Cpl. Terry L. Smith Gymnasium. November also saw Henderson Hall Marines join staff from Barcroft Elementary School for a gala in recognition of the Marines' 35 years of the Partnership in Education program with the Arlington-based elementary school. Marines and other Henderson Hall-based staff have volunteered to mentor Barcroft students, donate school supplies and participate in community projects.
"We keep the same kids through the program as they move up grades. Watching them progress and grow is rewarding," said Gunnery Sgt. Jason Surratt, who has volunteered at Barcroft for two years, according to a Nov. 20, 2014, Pentagram article by staff writer Damien Salas. "Sometimes when you have a rough day at work, coming here and making a difference in these kids' lives makes you feel better."
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