Pentagram
Vol. 62, No. 38 September 24, 2015
www.army.mil/jbmhh
Published For Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Honoring America’s Greatest Generation
Local World War II vet, Army retiree recalls service, to be guest speaker at JBM-HH annual Retiree Appreciation Day Oct. 9 By Julia LeDoux Pentagram Staff Writer When retired Col. Frank Cohn joined the U.S. Army at the age of 18 in 1943, he knew he would be taking up arms against his native land. And he was fine with that. Cohn, a founding member of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Retiree Council who today lives in Alexandria, Va., with his wife, Paula, was born in Breslau, Germany in 1925. He escaped to the United States with his family in August, 1938, months before the outbreak of World War II. But, Cohn said the family’s fight to leave their homeland actually began in 1933, when the Nazis rose to power. Cohn’s father owned a store, which the Nazis boycotted since the family was Jewish. The boycott forced Cohn’s parents to eventually sell their store at a great financial loss. Cohn’s father had distant relatives in the United States and in 1938, he came to this country on a visa on what Cohn called a “reconnaissance mission,” searching for a way to bring the rest of the family here. While Cohn’s father
See COHN, Page 4
PHOTO BY
New temporary fire station constructed on Fort McNair
News Notes Ceremony to bring limited parking, curtailed operations Sept. 25
By Guv Callahan Pentagram Staff Writer A new temporary fire station has been installed on the Fort McNair portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, giving the JBM-HH fire department capabilities on McNair until a permanent fire station can be constructed. Construction of the interim fire station began on Sept. 14 and was completed by Sept. 17, ahead of schedule, said JBM-HH Fire Chief Russell Miller. The station is a large tent structure located on the basketball
see FIRE, page 4
PHOTO BY
NELL KING
Pictured here, a new temporary fire station was constructed at the Fort McNair portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall last week, adding new fire response capabilities to that portion of the joint base. The interim station will house two fire trucks, according to JBM-HH Fire Chief Russell Miller.
Training exercise tests joint base response, coordination procedures By Julia LeDoux Pentagram Staff Writer Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall tested its response to a biological threat during its annual full-scale exercise Sept. 17. In the scenario, JBM-HH was one of 25 sites where a “white powder substance” was delivered throughout the National Capital Region, according to J BM - H H E m e r g e nc y Management Specialist Malanya Westmoreland. The scenario had one of the packages delivered to the joint base. The joint base’s Emergency Operations Center was active throughout the exercise, which began at 8 a.m.
NELL KING
Retired U.S. Army Col. Frank Cohn poses with photographs taken during his childhood and military service, outside Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall’s headquarters building Sept. 22 on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH. Born in Germany, Cohn was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 five years after arriving with his family in the United States. Commissioned during World War II, he served at the Battle of the Bulge, and went on to a 35-year military career before retiring.
Last year, JBM-HH responded to a simulated active shooter scenario at the Fort McNair portion of the joint base. But this year’s exercise was meant to test more than a law enforcement response to a physical threat; instead, the joint base coordinated with outside agencies, including the Arlington County Health Department and county first responders. By m id-mor n i ng, Joi nt Base Commander Col. Mike He n d e r s o n a n d D e p u t y Commander Lt. Col. John Orille were at the Fort Myer Fitness Center to observe medicine dispensing procedures. Rader Clinic staff worked with Arlington
see TRAINING, page 4
PHOTO BY
NELL KING
Police Officers Lt. Laura Moore and Sgt. Robert Liquori of the Directorate of Emergency Services work in the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Emergency Operations Center during a fullscale exercise Sept. 17 on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base.
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will retire after 41 years of service at a “full honors” ceremony Sept. 25 at 2:30 p.m. on Summerall Field on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. The ceremony is expected to bring thousands of wellwishers from around the world, and with it traffic and parking challenges. Most parking lots on the base will be closed to all except ceremony attendees. Unless your visit to Fort Myer is necessary (medical appointment at Rader Clinic), you are advised to come an alternate day. Find full details of areas throughout the joint base that will be impacted at http:// goo.gl/e3ggVu.
Moral Leadership Luncheon - Oct. 1.
The next Joint Base MyerHender son H a l l Mor a l Leadership Luncheon will be held Oct. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Fellowship Hall at Memorial Chapel on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH. The guest speaker will be retired U.S. Army Gen. Eric Shinseki, former secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 34th U.S. Army chief of staff. No RSVP is required for attendance at this event, which is open to all Department of Defense ID card holders. Lunch will be provided. For more information, call Chap. (Maj.) Fred Wendel at 703-696-5688 or
email him at alfred.w.wendel2. mil@mail.mil.
Fuel station to close for inventory - Sept. 25
The Transportation Motor Pool fueling station, Bldg. 330 on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base, will close Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. but reopen Sept. 26 at 12:30 a.m., for end of fiscal year reconciliation (inventory). For more information, call Bill Brumbaugh at 703-696-7137.
Summerall parking lot closure - Sept. 29
On Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., the Summerall Field parking lot on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base will close for a Department of the Army retirement ceremony. The Directorate of Emergency Services will secure the parking lot with chains and locks at 9 p.m. Afterward, all vehicles remaining in the parking lot will be towed immediately to an off post location at the owners expense. DES will not unlock the parking lot to allow violators to remove their cars after 9 p.m. Soldiers and civilians should ensure that their cars are removed prior to 8 p.m., which will give them a one-hour grace period. For more information, call 703-696-3101.
Family Advocacy Program volunteer opportunity - Sept. 28
Volunteers are needed to assist the Family Advocacy Program in coloring JBM-HH purple to raise awareness for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Volunteers can be
see NEWS NOTES, page 4
Index
Throwback Thursday. . . . . . . . . . page Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page The U.S. Army Band schedule . . . page News notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page SFL-TAP schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . page Performance Triad tips . . . . . . . . page
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