This work, Fort Belvoir taps into latest technology to keep residents, mission partners informed, by 1SG Carmen Fleischmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page family members and friends gathered at the base chapel on Wednesday night for a candle vigil to honor three Army crew members who were killed when their helicopter collided in midair with a commercial jet over the Potomac River in Washington specific time for everything under the sun,” said Army Col there’s no greater loss than that of a loved one We are gathered here this evening because of three soldiers we lost tragically.” Ryan O’Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves were killed in the Jan 29 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 coming from Wichita and the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Bravo Company of the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir The collision killed 67 people between the two aircraft making it the country’s deadliest aviation incident in almost 25 years began her career in the Army after graduating from the ROTC program at the University of North Carolina and was in the top 20% of cadets nationwide She twice served as a platoon leader and as a company executive officer in the 12th Aviation Battalion she earned certification as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion “Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle But she was as graceful as she was fierce,” her family said in a statement earlier this month served as a Black Hawk repairer in the Army from July 2014 until his death He was the crew chief onboard the aircraft the night of the crash He deployed to Afghanistan from March 2017 to August 2017 told The Washington Post that his son texted him earlier the day of the crash about a new assignment that might bring him his wife and 1-year-old son back to Georgia later this year The awards that O’Hara earned include the Army Commendation Medal with C device for actions in combat an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal served in the Navy from August 2007 to September 2017 before transitioning to a Black Hawk pilot for the Army from September 2017 until his death Some of the awards that Eaves received include three Army Commendation Medals a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and family friends attended the vigil at the base People who came took time afterward to express their condolences to the family Kinley told the crowd of more than 50 people that there is a time for everything — to laugh “That’s God’s desire in every person’s life … to demonstrate to each of us that there is growth “It might not be immediate but in time you’ll discover that even when God subtracts As mourners held the vigil at Fort Belvoir on Wednesday investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration National Transportation Safety Board and the Army continue to search for answers about what caused the crash NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy on Friday said a recording from the helicopter cockpit suggests the crew might have missed a key instruction just before the collision according to a report from The Associated Press Homendy said the helicopter’s pilot was being tested on the use of night vision goggles and flying by instruments Investigators believe the crew was wearing night vision goggles throughout the flight Beneath a bustling stretch of Fairfax County Parkway lies a little-known wildlife crossing that might hold the key to reducing animal-vehicle collisions in Virginia Last Wednesday (Oct. 30), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and State Sen. David Marsden (D-35) toured the underpass nestled between Davison Army Airfield and Fort Belvoir. Constructed in the 1990s and still one of the state’s few such installations 20-foot-high structure facilitates safe migration for species from deer and bears to snakes and turtles federal and state leaders have begun recognizing its value as a model for wildlife-friendly infrastructure Beyer and Marsden say the main obstacle to expanding the concept is securing funding at the federal or state level “There’s something like 9,000 deer collisions in Virginia every year,” said Beyer who has championed federal legislation to connect wildlife corridors “The [auto] body shop business is like $20 million … The very few deaths we’ve had in 50 years was deers hitting cars and then killing the people inside the cars this is a really important thing for the American consumer and for the American pocketbook.” Beyer says he’s making headway in gathering support from fellow lawmakers for the Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act which would create a nationwide system of wildlife corridors designed to allow species to move safely between habitats The legislation proposes a program to help map and protect wildlife paths It also creates a funding program managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Service to finance the conservation projects During the tour, Jessica Roberts, the director of habitat connectivity at Wild Virginia highlighted the unique design of the wildlife crossing beneath Fairfax County Parkway where it’s situated between protected habitats this crossing accommodates both aquatic and larger terrestrial species Emphasizing that the crossing’s expansive size and innovative elements — such as grates that allow light and vegetation through — not only prevent collisions Roberts championed the design as a model for Virginia to emulate with the goal of minimizing collisions and conserving biodiversity across the state “It has a sister crossing about a quarter mile down the road a little bit smaller … but the rest of our underpasses in Virginia were not built to facilitate aquatic or terrestrial passage,” Roberts said what we’re advocating for today is to get those structures built for wildlife passage as well as mitigating anything like flood resilience Marsden, a staunch advocate of wildlife corridors says the crossings help protect the state’s biodiversity and have the potential to save Virginia drivers billions in costs annually the state records more than 60,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions each year costing an average of $41,000 per incident Implementing underpasses and fencing in high-risk areas can reduce collisions by 96% “It benefits everyone,” Marsden said Marsden reported difficulties in garnering support from lawmakers where there is a perception that these projects are merely altruistic efforts rather than practical “I think we need to focus on leadership in the [state] Senate and House [of Delegates] to make sure that they understand … there’s real practical benefits to the citizens,” he said the average cost of building exclusionary fencing is $425,000 per mile Expanding an underpass or culvert ranges from $500,000 to $2 million while constructing an overpass typically costs about $5.7 million the state only needs to provide 20% of the funding as seed money for each project Marsden says he’s made attempts to secure state funding dating back to 2020 but often encounters resistance from colleagues who suggest prioritizing available federal funds before committing state resources Although Marsden says he believes a federal-led approach could generate momentum and support at the state level he insists the ultimate solution is to secure funding directly in the governor’s budget “We’ll be talking more about strategy on how to get this thing done,” he said but it’s just a question of how to make people fall more in in love with it.” This work, USACE Baltimore District Capital Area Office Breaks Ground on Military Working Dog Hospital, by Jeremy Todd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright Two of the three soldiers on the Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines passenger jet over the Potomac River on Wednesday (Jan One of the bodies that has been recovered so far appears to be that of Staff Sgt native who had served in the Army as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot since 2017 the Department of the Army announced today (Friday) O’Hara “is believed to be deceased pending positive identification,” the Army said The Army also identified Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves a 39-year-old helicopter repairer from Great Mills His body and that of the third crew member whose isn’t being released at the family’s request The helicopter was part of the 12th Aviation Battalion based at the Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir The crew was engaged in a training mission when they collided with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet that was in the process of landing at Reagan National Airport shortly before 9 p.m American Airlines Flight 5342 had traveled from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. Officials believe everyone died in the crash, though recovery efforts and an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) remain underway “Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy and we will support them through this difficult time,” Army Joint Task Force-National Capital Region Commander Maj “Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident.” Both O’Hara and Eaves earned a range of honors during their military careers then transitioned to a UH-60 pilot for the regular Army from September 2017 to present day His awards include Army Commendation Medal x3 Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon and Army Aviator Badge O’Hara served as a UH-60 helicopter repairer (15T) in the regular Army from July 2014 to present day He successfully deployed to Afghanistan from March 2017 to August 2017 His awards include Army Commendation Medal w/C Device Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon On Wednesday morning, O’Hara had texted about receiving a new assignment that would’ve brought him closer to his family in Georgia, his father Gary told the Washington Post he had regularly flown night missions and never expressed concerns The last photos that Gary O’Hara has of his son were from a recent trip that Ryan O’Hara took to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly Eaves’s wife, Carrie, confirmed in a Facebook post that her husband had been on the Blackhawk helicopter, Inside NoVA reported. A Meal Train campaign set up by friends and neighbors in Fort Belvoir has raised $5,200 with several people volunteering to help provide food for the Eaves family “Flying and serving our country was Andrew’s dream job and passion,” the campaign says “He had 10 years navy air crew service and 7+ years as a warrant officer flying blackhawks Passengers on the American Airlines flight included several members of the figure skating community and three Fairfax County Public Schools students and their parents As of last night (Thursday), a total of 41 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River, D.C. Fire and EMS told ARLnow This work, U.S. Army INSCOM Change of Responsibility Ceremony, by Ralph Van Houtem, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright A Fort Belvoir woman who allegedly beat her son for not cleaning his bedroom pleaded guilty to assault charges on Monday (Jan Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced yesterday a 38-year-old woman who lived in military housing on the Army installation 2024 to report that her son had run away after she “disciplined him for not cleaning” his bedroom Officers found the 10-year-old boy sitting on a swing at a nearby park and saw that he had “multiple black and red bruises on his upper and middle back and a large bump on the back of his head,” a statement of facts says The boy was taken to Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and diagnosed with “abrasions and contusions.” the boy said he had been getting ready for his school’s picture day that morning when his mother came into his room “and became very angry about its cleanliness.” Attorney’s Office said in a press release “She attempted to strike his face with the iron When Charles hit the child with the charging wire his finger was cut and began bleeding.” Charles later had her son sit in a “cold bath periodically splashing water on his face,” in an attempt to cover up his injuries The boy escaped through the window of his bedroom on the house’s second story and jumping off of the roof Charles’s son had run away on multiple previous occasions after she “disciplined” him “for not adequately completing his chores,” including once on Sept when police found him at a neighbor’s house and he begged the officers to not take him home,” the statement of facts says “He dragged his feet on the ground as the officers walked him back and asked them not to leave for fear of getting ‘hurt’ again He reported that his mother was always angry at him and had grounded him for over two years.” Charles allegedly admitted to hitting her son with various objects during an interview with Child Protective Services on Oct the boy’s sister reported that Charles had been beating him for the past four years Charles was indicted by a grand jury on Nov 8 on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon with a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 9 Two contractors died in separate aviation-related accidents this week while on the job at Fort Novosel, Alabama, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Army spokespeople confirmed to Military.com on Thursday America is disconnected from veterans and military families became someone else’s job after I had moved on As the soldier-editor of Fort Belvoir’s Castle newspaper Arvid West’s retirement ceremony—“West Moves On,” above the image of his final salute after 35 years An average soldier needs to trust the Army’s memory that their little effort might be remembered The Castle once did its part to be that memory Production finished at Comprint Military Publications in Gaithersburg where I pasted down blocks of text and pictures Comprint took advertising revenue and published the Castle for free distributing it to racks at the PX or commissary Nathan Webster in the Castle’s office at Fort Belvoir’s Flagler Hall Originally named for Belvoir’s then-departed Engineer presence the Castle modernized its logo that summer of 1991 adding a bald eagle to better connect with the post’s Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge The changes coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Castle’s uninterrupted printed publication edition used the original Castle logo from June 4 other soldiers had told Belvoir’s story under their era’s Castle logo I had arrived at Belvoir from South Korea in mid-1990 and had returned to fill the Castle editor’s role for a couple months before an upcoming reassignment to then-Fort Bragg Or I was a young sergeant and had seen other sergeants showing up first and leaving last and who expected everyone’s equal effort tried copying the grizzled specialist who I let use my first name He needed to at least make PFC before earning that privilege I felt obligated to pull rank—isn’t that what rank sometimes requires A civilian staff writer enjoyed writing about arts and theater He reviewed Thelma and Louise and wanted hijrah in the headline—something like “Thelma and Louise: A duo’s epic hijrah.” It was Arabic for “journey,” and it fit the review but I said no way that overblown word would appear in a newspaper directed toward average soldiers and their families Judge Advocate General’s noncommissioned officer they just wanted information about why the fire department cordoned off the shoppette—“oh a propane leak.” Why a bunch of kids were filling the athletic fields—“oh it’s summer Bible camp.” We quoted their humility when they won Civilian of the Year; maybe they saved the article The Castle cataloged events small and sometimes dramatic: “Storm Batters Davison,” a headline proclaimed over a front-page picture of a huge hanger roof torn off by a microburst They took him up in a helicopter to get an aerial shot; I assume I was jealous but it was his turn to do that sort of thing that was their fault—we didn’t give anybody anything to be cynical about I can read my old stories and say I did OK that’s the nature of learning how to write though it only shows up as an older man’s hobby of now and then I have learned how West maybe felt at the end of his career edition of the Castle commemorates the retirement of Brig I’m sure by 1991 he understood the leveling Fort Bragg’s gone—renamed Fort Liberty last year—good riddance to Braxton Bragg Belvoir could have used a refresh—named for a slaveholding plantation part of the purge of printed base newspapers when the advertising math stopped working news and events appear on a digital Belvoir Eagle or the Fort Belvoir Facebook page the command’s information alongside social media’s screeds and nonsense I believed the printed Castle was irreplaceable—not each week’s edition bound in thick volumes chronicling past decades I assumed future young soldiers would someday do the same and see their contributions within that shared lineage It feels wrong to have surrendered that physical record I had dug out my small Castle archive for research to argue against the mistake of closing these military newspapers I would deploy my skills at melodrama and overstatement and use this War Horse Reflection to make that case The more the 30-year-old newsprint stained my fingers I read the stories from 1991—a school principal’s retirement the criteria for the Southwest Asia Campaign Ribbon stories in the digital Belvoir Eagle still do that job—yearly awards features on soldiers or civilians doing good work edition of the Castle used the original logo from June 4 Printed newspapers didn’t do it differently or better the Fort Belvoir page posted daily updates about a fuel leak on Davison Airfield explaining steps to prevent contamination within the wildlife refuge same as the flag in front of the headquarters he stands before the Army flag bedecked with campaign streamers—the lineage and honors Today’s online era lumps that lineage into a maze of random links There is no searchable database for the Castle or Eagle Reading about Army life in 1991 is equivalent to myself in 1991 listening to some old-timer drone on about 1958 It’s silly if campaign streamers are silly—if it’s silly to remember the lineage of Fort Belvoir and history growing around soldiers who ground through ever-distant days collateral damage to convenience and efficiency It’s true that newspapers were made to be discarded each week but they cataloged history for years into decades but it should be easier to remember the job they did On Fort Belvoir’s 2024 webpage is digital art of almost the same bald eagle I pasted down for its first front-page appearance in June 1991 The eagle is the lineage of replaceable men and women who come and go This War Horse Reflection essay was written by Nathan Webster Editors Note: This <a target="_blank" href="https://thewarhorse.org/military-newspaper-journalists-chronicled-community-history/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://thewarhorse.org">The War Horse,</a> an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service Subscribe to their <a target="_blank" href="https://thewarhorse.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=2dfda758f64e981facbb0a8dd&id=9a9d4becaa">newsletter</a> The Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan Washington National Airport had taken off from Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir in Virginia The helicopter was on an “annual proficiency training flight” when it crashed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a video statement posted to X on Thursday morning The crew was “fairly experienced,” and was conducting a night evaluation eight seats for passengers and a gold top usually use for VIPs − but cited a Defense officials saying no senior U.S officials were among the three people aboard The helicopter was from the Army's Bravo Company Officials told Reuters helicopter flights had been paused for the Army unit involved in the collision Live update on tragedy: Officials believe there are no survivors in plane crash near DC The helicopter that was on a training flight when the collision took place shortly before 9 p.m Both the jet and the helicopter were taking a “standard flight pattern,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said Thursday with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA," Duffy said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said at a briefing Thursday that few details about the crash were available American Eagle Flight 5342 was operated by PSA Airlines an Ohio-based regional subsidiary of American Airlines “We don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” Isom said The Army helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines plane on Wednesday night was on an “annual proficiency training flight” when it crashed Start your day smart: Sign up for USA TODAY's Daily Briefing newsletter