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On March 23 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. the members of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, together with the police, fire and rescue communities serving Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, will gather for the 31st Annual Prince William Valor Awards.
The event, which is open to the public, is held annually to recognize the men and women in uniform who go above and beyond the call of duty in keeping our community and its people safe and secure: the local superheroes. For the third year in a row, the event will be held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, located at 10960 George Mason Circle in Manassas.
“This year we are hoping to fill the auditorium of the Hylton Performing Arts Center with the people of this community who appreciate the sacrifices made by public safety officials,” says Chamber Chairman C.C. Bartholomew, a local realtor and Prince William County Resident. “In a year when the climate on social media and across the country has been charged with fear and uncertainty, the Prince William region has been blessed to be served by forward-thinking and fair-minded public servants who also put their lives on the line in ways that we almost never hear about. Our Valor Awards shine the light on these brave and selfless individuals. I am asking that if you are at all able to attend the 2017 event, that you would strongly consider buying a ticket and joining us to show your appreciation.”
What should you expect when you attend the Valor Awards event?
From Maj. Andrew Bormann, Quantico Marine Corps Base spokesman:
“The Centennial celebration is…an annual recognition with events going on throughout the year. The formal ceremony is scheduled to take place tentatively on May 10 and will be open to the public and media.”
Submitted:
The National Museum of the Marine Corps will once again pit would-be chefs against the infamous MRE (meal ready to eat) in the fourth annual MRE Cookoff, Saturday, Feb. 4.The challenge is simple: make the tastiest meal (or at least the most palatable) out of two MRE packs “blindly” pulled from a box and whatever ingredients each chef can fit into his or her “cargo pocket” (the big pocket on the trousers of field uniforms, about the equivalent of a quart-size plastic bag). With a cooktop fueled by a Sterno can, contestants will work their magic, hoping to be awarded the coveted Golden Canteen Cup. Contestants can cook alone or in two-person teams.
The Chairman of the Potomac Region Veterans Council (PRVC), and Commander of VFW Post 7916, Chuck Wilson, Colonel, USAF (Ret), was the Master of Ceremonies at a Veterans Day ceremony at Quantico on Friday.
General Robert Neller, 37th Commandant of the US Marine Corps Was a keynote speaker. “
Veterans Day first began as Armistice Day with the commemoration of the armistice which ended World War I, on “the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month," 1918.” This ceremony is held to honor all of America’s veterans past and present.
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QUANTICO, Va. — A Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at Quantico National Cemetery on Friday.
Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert B. Neller will be the keynote speaker for the event to honor the men and women in who serve, and have served their country in uniform.
The ceremony will take place at the flagpole, near Committal Shelter A, at 11 a.m., according to a press release.
More from a press release:
Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – November 11, 1918.
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory …”
Those coming aboard Quantico Marine Corps Base will have their IDs scanned beginning in January.
The new security measure comes as Quantico upgrades the equipment and processes used at the base’s entrance gates. A new system called RAPIDGate will be installed, and everyone entering the base — including visitors to Quantico Town — will have their IDs scanned with electronic security scanners.
Once scanned, the information on the ID is entered into a computer system and then reviewed in the RAPIDGate database. The security check will alert guards at the gate if the person is on a terrorist watchlist, a debarment list, or if they’ve had their privileges revoked.
The types of IDs that will be accepted at the gate include include common access cards, transportation worker identification card, TESLIN brand ID cards, and state drivers licenses.
“These changes to our access control procedures will improve the installation’s overall security posture, though the process will require additional time at the gates to scan each credential. Consequently, there may be minor delays associated with the implementation of this system.” said Lance Hunziker, Quantico Marine Corps Base critical infrastructure protection manager.
The new system cannot solve all of the base’s securtiy challenges.
“Automated access control systems are not new to the Marine Corps. Marine Corps Installations Command chose to deploy RAPIDGate as an interim solution, because until recently, the technology had not been developed that met all DoD guidelines,” said Pete Russett, director installation protection branch, Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region.
“Though not the final solution for automated access control, this system fills a gap in security and provides us with more capabilities than we currently have.”
Vendors, especially those who makes deliveries to the base, can enroll in the RAPIDGate program.
Here’s more in a press release:
Rollout of the RAPIDGate program and equipment has been funded through Marine Corps Installations Command. Contractors, venders, and service providers interested in using the RAPIDGate system are responsible for registration and signup cost. The base policy states that all commercial vehicles (box-truck size and larger), not enrolled in RAPIDGate, shall continue to utilize a one-time pass granted to each vehicle after completing a security inspection.
Contractors who choose to participate in the voluntary program will receive a CAC-like (Personal Identity Verification Interoperable, PIV-I) credential. This credential will allow them to be instantly checked at the gates and granted access, while avoiding the requirement for a vehicle inspection. The cost associated with enrollment and participation in the RAPIDGate program will be borne by the contractor.
Vendors, suppliers and service providers are a large part of traffic coming aboard the base. Those who regularly access the base will receive a letter explaining the details about use and enrollment into RAPIDGate.
Access control procedures and inspections for large commercial vehicles currently take place at the commercial vehicle inspection lot adjacent to the Ponderosa-Y Gate. Operators of commercial vehicles can voluntarily apply for a RAPIDGate long-term access pass to streamline the inspection process and speed access onto the installation.
The new RAPIDGate system is expected to be in place Jan. 11, 2016.
Disabled Marine veteran Mickey Triplett was nervous when he walked into the Prince William General District Court this morning.
But shortly after the court was called to order at 9 a.m., the Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert stood before the judge and called for ‘null process’ – a legal term that means that the court will not prosecute the case – for a destruction of property charge brought against Triplett for painting a picnic table at his former apartment complex.
The apartment complex, which is managed by Klingbeil Capital Management, decided to have Triplett charged with destruction of property for painting the table white, according to Prince William County General District Court documents.
Had the null process not been declared in court, Triplett could have faced a $2,500 fine or up to a year in jail, according to the Virginia Code.
Despite the case being dropped, Triplett’s lawyer Jason Pelt, may be filing a civil suit on Triplett’s behalf against Potomac Ridge Apartments for ‘malicious prosecution’.
According to Virginia law, a malicious prosecution case can be filed when an individual or group uses the judicial system with malicious intent, and for prosecution against someone without probable cause.
Ebert told Potomac Local this morning that he had received several calls proceeding this morning’s hearing, asking that he declare ‘null process’ for the case.
“I’m so relieved and so thankful to everyone that came out and helped me. I tried to do a good thing, and it got out of hand…I’ve been going through a rough time, and I’m happy about what happened in court today,” said Triplett.
Marine Corps museum to close January through March 2016
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Work is underway at the National Museum of the Marine Corps to complete the circle.
A new 128,000 square-foot expansion of the iconic museum is slated to be finished by 2017. A new exhibit gallery, art gallery, and large format theater should be open to the public a year later.
“We get asked all the time, “where is the story of my unit” and “where is the equipment I used,” said Marine Corps Museum Exbibit Chief Chuck Girbovan.
The museum opened in 2006 and showcased the U.S. Marine Corps during the years 1775 to 1975, up to the Vietnam War. The new exhibit hall will immerse visitors in time periods to include the Persian Gulf War of 1990, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan.
An Iraqi village will be constructed inside a new 24,000 square-foot exhibit hall. Visitors will see how the nature of combat changed between fighting in Vietnam to fighting in Iraq, where troops took on more of a peacekeeping role and worked alongside other nations who had troops on the ground, said Girbovan.
Also included in the new exampsion will be a “Hall of Valor” where Medal of Honor Recipients will be recognized. There will also be an art gallery featuring watercolors and pastel paintings created by Marines serving on the front lines depicting war.
A new large format 350-seat theater will also be built. It will show a film that showcases what it’s like to be a Marine on land and at sea.
The $69 million addition will complete the original planned circular layout of the museum. Earth movers just outside the building are clearing the way for the expansion that will require cutting into a portion of a thick concrete wall at the end of the final exhit hall.
The museum will close January through March 2016 — a departure from it’s regular operating hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas — so curators can bring in new artifacts like a 55-ton M60 tank, and an FA18 fighter jet that must have its wing clipped just to fit inside the building.
The museum opened nearly 10 years ago and with a mission to first feature the World War II and Korea exhibits. The idea was to showcase Marines who fought in these conflicts to honor those Marines who are still alive today,
“As spectacular as this museum is today, the building is unfinished, and we are here completing the mission,” said Marine Corps Heritage Foundation President Lt. Gen. Robert R. Blackman.
The foundation will fund and coordinate construction of the new expansion just as it did the original $75 million first phase of the Marine Museum. It will then hand over the operation and care of the expansion to museum staff.
Afterward, the foundation will explore new ways to bring the story of the Marine Corps on the road, possibly in the form of a traveling exhibit to military bases and state fairs.
“We’re going to take the influence this museum has beyond Exit 150 on Highway 95,” said Blackman.
About 500,000 people visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps in 2014. About 53,000 of them were school children, and about half of those were from outside Virginia, said Blackman.
Museum officials expect Marines will continue to come from all over the U.S, to see the museum. They also hope area residents will return to the museum in 2018 to see the addition and the many new exhibits and artifacts that will be on display.
A ribbon cutting for the new expansion was held in March. Hundreds attended a special ceremony inside Leatherneck Hall. An backhoe was used to break ground on the new expansion.
There’s an $85 million veteran’s care facility coming to Northern Virginia.
This year the Virginia General Assembly passed two bills that called for the building of two new veteran’s care centers in the state – one in Northern Virginia and one in Hampton Roads.
Currently, there are two existing veteran’s care centers in Virginia – the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke and the Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center in Richmond.
According to Delegate Rich Anderson, who led the Northern Virginia bill through the House of Delegates stated that the area center will cost around $85 million – with 65% being paid by the federal government, and 35% being paid by Virginia.
Choosing a location for the care center
The bill passed in the General Assembly required that one of the care centers be built in Northern Virginia, but it did not stipulate the locality.
All area localities were allowed to put out a bid to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to signal an interest in housing the veteran’s care center.
Prince William and Stafford counties were the only ones to do so.
Anderson stated that a locality that wanted to have the veteran’s care center would need to deed 25 acres of county-owned land to Virginia to be considered.
“One of the key things is the funding that’s made available to construct these veteran’s care centers – and it’s a mixture of federal money from the Veteran’s Administration and state money – it does not cover the cost of land acquisition. A locality has to provide the land at no cost,” said Anderson.
Recently, the Prince William board of supervisors passed a unanimous resolution to deed 27-acres off of Ashton Avenue near Manassas to Virginia for that purpose.
According to Stafford County spokeswoman Shannon Howell, Stafford filed their application to be considered but have not yet deeded the 25-acres to Virginia.
What the funding process, design, will look like
While the federal government is expected to foot 65% of the bill for the veteran’s care center in Northern Virginia, state and county government decided not to wait for the funding, and will upfront the cost.
“Instead of waiting for the feds to give us their 65%, Virginia’s just going to upfront the money in its entirety. Because if we sit around and wait for the federal government, it will just take a long time because they have a lot of needs with states that are requesting this money…hopefully, at some future point, we will be able to get a reimbursement from the federal government. There’s such a need here in Virginia – we’ve got 800,000 veterans in the state,” said Anderson.
There is no guarantee on when, and ultimately if, the federal government will give Virginia that 65 percent.
Anderson stated that currently the veteran’s care center is being designed, along with the location that will be built in Hampton Roads, and then the state will decide which one will be built first.
“The goal is to go ahead and design both centers right now – do all of the design work – and then the state will make a decision sometime next summer, on whether the Northern Virginia veteran’s care center will be first, or whether Hampton Roads will be constructed first,” Anderson stated.
Because Virginia is footing the bill for now, the veteran’s care center in Northern Virginia will only have 120 beds, instead of the planned 240 beds, said Anderson.
“Because Virginia has made the decision that we’re going to fund it entirely with Virginia resources, the plan is to construct a facility with…120 beds. But with that available land – 27 acres – that gives us plenty of expansion room for later years, building the facility out,” Anderson said.
Within the next year, the decision will be made on if the Hampton Roads or Northern Virginia location will be first.
