Twenty soldiers from Bowling Green will be among more than 160 National Guard troops honored for their service in Afghanistan, according to the Virginia National Guard. The Freedom Salute for the  Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Brigade Combat Team Headquarters will be held at the Richmond Convention Center Sunday at 10 a.m. The unit served in Zabul, in the southeastern part of Afghanistan, on counter-insurgency operations. The Bowling Green-based Detachment 1, Company B, 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, provided aerial reconnaissance support with the Shadow unmanned aerial system. They flew more than 300 missions, resulting in the detention of 20 insurgents, and locating six insurgents placing improvised explosive devices, according to a Guard press release. The units served in Afghanistan from July 2011 to January of this year.

Two parades are in the works–one in the nation’s capital, and one in Richmond–to honor veterans of the Iraq war, and the thousands who didn’t make it home, or were injured.  Boeing Corp. is sponsoring the 2012 National Memorial Day Parade in D.C. It’s on May 28, 2 p.m. on Constitution Avenue. The war began in March 2003; President Obama announced the end of combat operations there in December.  Meanwhile, the war in Afganistan rages on. A press release for the D.C. parade notes: “With troops still deployed in Afghanistan, government officials have decided against holding a traditional welcome home parade for Iraq war veterans in Washington or New York in the near future….It is s imperative that we show our support and gratitude as a nation,” said James C. Roberts, president of the American Veterans Center, which founded and organized the parade. “Sadly, others in the country are not doing enough to honor these young men and women who have sacrificed family relationships, jobs, and economic stability to go off to fight for their country.” Read more here.

Richmond’s Welcome Home, parade, meanwhile, has raised $50,000 for that event, according to its website. That one’s planned for 10 a.m. on May 19, Armed Forces Day. It
will begin at Kensington and Boulevard, and proceed down Boulevard to
Byrd Park, ending at the Carillon.

The Army has launched a new app for what’s happening at Fort A.P. Hill.  Here’s some of the topics, according to a press release: chow, shopping, the post directory, attractions, recreation (hunting, fishing and gyms on post), training, and a calendar of events. In addition, a news section features top  stories via the installation’s website, Fort A.P. Hill blog, YouTube, Twitter feeds, and on the post’s and Army Flickr feeds. Also useful for neighbors: The fort can post pop-up messages to include noise advisories about upcoming training activities, prescribed burn notices, weather advisories, or other news and information. In addition, a service request module allows those on post to send requests to the Directorate of Public Works for immediate help.
Soldiers training on the 76,000-acre base, which straddles Caroline and Essex counties, can use the application to find walking and running trails, fishing locations, and other outdoor activities. It will also help them locate frequently visited spots  such as fitness centers and the Downtime Zone.  It’s available on Apple’s iTunes store;  and by scanning a quick response code  here. It should be available for Android devices in about two weeks, officials say.

New Fort A.P. Hill app

The post is advising neighbors that they may notice aircraft involved in training around the post, which straddles Caroline and Essex counties. Follow Twitter updates here.

J.D. Long Masonry Inc. of Lorton is challenging four citations for “serious” violations of workplace safety laws filed by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in December in connection with the Aug. 8 death of Kyle Ashton Sullivan, 19 of Spotsylvania County. The challenge, filed in January,  is before an OSHA review panel. A  base spokesman said at the time that Sullivan, who was working for the contractor, had fallen 40 feet at a building project at The Basic School on Marine Corps Base Quantico.  Sullivan, a graduate of  Orange County High School,  died at the scene shortly after the fall. OSHA investigated the accident and issued citations four months later. Among the citations: inadequate training for those using scaffolding, and  workers not properly tied off while working on  scaffolding.  OSHA also levied four fines totaling $28,000 in the incident. OSHA issued several other citations to the company in other, unrelated cases between 2002 and 2010, according to OSHA records. Jack Connor, an attorney representing the company, said    J.D. Long Masonry is contesting the citations, and  ”working cooperatively” with OSHA.  Read more in my story tomorrow.

Here’s President Obama’s proclamation on the anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War:

“Nine years ago, members of the United States Armed Forces crossed the sands of the Iraq-Kuwait border and began one of the most challenging missions our military has ever known. They left the comforts of home and family, volunteering in service to a cause greater than themselves. They braved insurgency and sectarian strife, knowing too well the danger of combat and the cost of conflict. Yet, through the dust and din and the fog of war, they never lost their resolve. Demonstrating unshakable fortitude and unwavering commitment to duty, our men and women in uniform served tour after tour, fighting block by block to help the Iraqi people seize the chance for a better future. And on December 18, 2011, their mission came to an end.

Today, we honor their success, their service, and their sacrifice. In one of our Nation’s longest wars, veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn wrote one of the most extraordinary chapters in American military history. When highways became mine fields and uncertainty waited behind every corner, service members rose to meet the task at hand with unmatched courage and determination. They learned languages and cultures, taking on new roles as diplomats and development experts to improve the communities where they served. Their strength toppled a tyrant, and their valor helped build opportunity in oppression’s place. Across nearly 9 years of conflict, the glory of their service — as well as the contributions of other members of the U.S. Government and our coalition partners — always shone through.

The war left wounds not always seen, but forever felt. The burden of distance and the pain of loss weighed heavily on the hearts of millions at home and overseas. Behind every member of our military stood a parent, a spouse, or a son or daughter who proudly served their community and prayed for their loved one’s safe return. For wounded warriors, coming home marked the end of one battle and the beginning of another — to stand, to walk, to recover, and to serve again. And, in war’s most profound cost, there were those who never came home. Separated by time and space but united by their love of country, nearly 4,500 men and women are eternally bound; though we have laid them to rest, they will live on in the soul of our Nation now and forever. To them, to their families, and to all who served, we owe a debt that can never be fully repaid.

When we returned the colors of United States Forces-Iraq and the last of our troops set foot on American soil, we reflected on the extraordinary service and sacrifice of those who answered our country’s call. Their example embodied that fundamental American faith that tells us no mission is too hard, no challenge is too great, and that through tests and through trials, we will always emerge stronger than before. Now, our Nation reaffirms our commitment to serve veterans of Iraq as well as they served us — to uphold the sacred trust we share with all who have worn the uniform. Our future is brighter for their service, and today, we express our gratitude by saying once more: Welcome home.”

Starting on Monday, and lasting through next Saturday, be aware that traffic  around the Dahlgren Navy base will be more congested than usual. It will be especially bad on Friday, Navy officials say, during  Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield, an annual exercise to train base security to deal with various threats. Mile-plus backups at the main gate of the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in King George are common, usually during the morning rush. The base has gotten the word out to schools and the community, and is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation and local police to monitor and manage traffic flow.  Drivers can check with VDOT on traffic conditions  here, and by dialing 511.See my story Friday for more details.

The Army now says it’s ending a pilot project to transport troops from Fort Lee near Petersburg, to Fort. A. P. Hill for training, citing a “changing fiscal environment.” The Army has been busing thousands of troops to the Caroline County Army base on Interstate 95, and wanted to make the trip safer and more efficient. The Army says several rail cars and locomotives purchased from Virginia Railway Express will be used by the Army for other purposes.
“While working toward establishing this rail service, we have continued evaluating the program in the face of a changing fiscal environment,” said Maj. Gen James L. Hodge commanding general of the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee.
The command said the evaluation found a “much higher start-up and operating cost than originally estimated,” while nearly tripling the total travel time, compared with the current method of sending them on buses.
Fort Lee was sending so many troops to Caroline due to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The first of the rail cars were delivered to Fort Lee last November, and the Army was negotiating contracts for a rail company to operate the trains and maintain them. It was also looking for a depot location, said to be in Milford in Caroline. From there the troops would have been bused to Fort A. P. Hill. Here’s my most recent story.

A military judge on Friday sentenced Spc. Nicholas Bailey to nine months’ confinement, and ended his miitary career, for the accidental stabbing of  Spc. Morganne McBeth, an Army medic, in Iraq in July 2010.  Bailey was demoted to private and given a bad-conduct discharge. McBeth’s father, Leonard, and her step-mother, Sylvia, of Stafford County,  were present at the hearing at Fort Bragg. Morganne McBeth grew up in Spotsylvania County. Bailey had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier in the day. According to a story in  the Fayetteville Observer, Sylvia McBeth addressed the court,  saying that Bailey had  ”been punished enough.” Here’s my most recent story.

2011 was a busy and productive year for the Virginia National Guard, with soldiers and airmen–including several hundred assigned to Fredericksburg Armory–serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and on emergency response across the state in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

Their service was recognized yesterday by the General Assembly. Maj. Gen Daniel E. Long Jr. the state’s adjutant general who lives in Stafford County, accepted a resolution on behalf of the Guard and the Virginia Defense Force. Read the  full resolution here.