1. Changes of command galore. June will see multiple change of command ceremonies throughout Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, starting with two company-level change of command ceremonies June 1 and June 10. On June 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Headquarters Command Battalion will host a change of command ceremony at 10 a.m. at Spates Community Club on Fort Myer. During the ceremony, outgoing commander Capt. Benjamin F. Murray will relinquish command to incoming commander Capt. Bradley M. Wilcox. Then on June 10, outgoing U.S. Army Garrison Commander Capt. Caleb A. Tallent will relinquish command to incoming Commander Capt. Christopher A. Mays during a change of command ceremony at Spates Community Club at 10 a.m. Finally, JBM-HH Commander Col. Mike Henderson will relinquish command to incoming Commander Col. Patrick Duggan during a ceremony on Fort Myer June 28. The Pentagram will provide coverage of all three ceremonies.
2. Happy birthday, Army. To commemorate the Army's 241st birthday on June 14, hundreds of Soldiers from across the National Capital Region will converge on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to participate in the 3.1-mile run June 17. The commemorative run is hosted annually by the Department of the Army and takes participants through the joint base and Arlington National Cemetery. The Army is planning a host of birthday observances throughout the nation during the week of June 13, including cake cuttings, formal birthday balls and special reenlistment ceremonies. The JBM-HH run commences at 7 a.m. and begins at Summerall Field on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base.
3. Marines host Evening, Sunset Parades weekly. Throughout the summer, the Marines of Marine Barracks Washington host two parades featuring performances of the Corps' premiere musical and ceremonial units. Each Tuesday evening from 7 to 8 p.m., the Marines host the Evening Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial, just outside Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's Wright Gate in Arlington. This free, open-to-the-public event features a one-hour performance by "The Commandant's Own" Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Color Guard, and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. On Friday evenings at 8:45 p.m., the Marines host the Evening Parade at the oldest post of the Marine Corps: Marine Barracks Washington on 8th and I Streets. This 75-minute performance features an opening concert by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, and includes performances by "The Commandant's Own" Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Color Guard, the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, ceremonial marchers and Marine Barracks Washington mascot Lance Cpl. Chesty XIII. For more details, including parking information and directions, go online to www.barracks.marines.mil/Parades/SunsetParade.aspx.
4. U.S. Military Academy to host Warrior Games. The 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games will be held at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, June 14-22, according to DoD officials. This will be the first year the Army will host the games, which feature some 200-plus athletes representing all branches of service and U.S. Special Operations Command. Athletes compete in eight sporting events, which includes archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field and wheelchair basketball. Last year's games were held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. For more details about the games, visit http://go.usa.gov/cJB9P.
5. Marines seek nominations. The Marine Corps announced recently via Marine Administrative Message 259-16 that it is seeking nominations of enlisted Marines and Sailors for "outstanding contributions to the Corps" for the Marine Corps League's annual awards program. Enlisted Marines and Sailors can be nominated for one of seven awards. The awards are presented each year during the Annual Modern Day Marine Military Exposition at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. This year's exposition will be held Sept. 27-29. For more information about this awards program, including nomination criteria and deadlines, visit the Marines' official website online at http://go.usa.gov/cJ9TF.
6. DoD app combats nightmares. A new mobile application has been designed to help those who suffer from repetitive, debilitating nightmares "rewrite" bade dreams to reduce nightmare frequency and intensity, according to a blog entry on DoDLive.mil. Developed by the Defense Department's National Center for Telehealth and Technology, the app -- called "Dream Z" -- helps patients stay engaged in imagery rehearsal therapy, a nightmare treatment that involves visualization of a nightmare and rewriting its plot and ending, according to a physician cited in the blog. The app encourages users to practice visualization techniques, track when nightmares occur, log descriptions of the nightmares and record a new version of the dream to play be-fore bed time. For more information, read the entire blog entry online at: http://go.usa.gov/cJXYW.
7. Inspector General projects announced. The DoD Office of the Inspector General has announced several key projects to take place in June 2016, to include an audit of the effectiveness of anti-terrorism programs at DoD installations, according to the inspector general's website. The audit will determine whether DoD installations are optimizing existing resources to mitigate risk, achieve efficiencies and reduce redundancies. The DoD IG Office will also review and summarize cybersecurity weaknesses identified in previous audit reports and testimonies issued by the DoD audit community and the Government Accountability Office, ac-cording to the announcements. To view all of the DoD IG Office's announced projects by month and year, visit the organization's website at www.dodig.mil/m/pubs/projects.cfm.
8. DoD to observe LGBT Month. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, and the DoD observes this annual event by assigning a specific theme to guide observations across the Defense Department. Although the DoD has not yet announced the 2016 Pride Month theme, last year's theme, along with a variety of LGBT-related informational documents, proclamations and other materials can be found on the DoD Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity's website at http://go.usa.gov/cJX2H.
9. Technology helping treat TBIs. Scientists at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, are using state-of-the-art labs to study the effects of traumatic brain injuries, according to a recent Defense Health Agency article online. Researchers with the Army's Research Laboratory's Explosive Technology Branch are using technology to pinpoint a brain injury and then use a unique explosive testing capability to mimic the circumstances the injured warfighter may have been in. The studies reportedly cost less than previous tests, and are yielding more concrete, reliable data that can be used to help draw conclusions about, and treat, traumatic brain injuries in the future, according to the article. To read the article in full, go to http://go.usa.gov/cJXUJ.
10. Helping families of POWs/MIAs. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency will hold its sixth of eight Family Updates and one of its two Annual Briefings for MIA families in Washington, D.C., June 22-25, according to an announcement on the agency's website. The briefing is for Vietnam War MIA families and allows families of wartime MIAs to meet with civilian and military specialists at the agency with expertise, including foreign government negotiation, remains recovery and identification, DNA science and archival research. The Family Update, held eight times annually, allows government officials to meet with MIA family members who live within a 350-mile radius of major metropolitan areas. To read more about these programs, visit the agency's website at
Social Sharing