U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians joined Federal, state and local bomb squad personnel at a Civil War era unexploded ordnance course at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Around 35 bomb squad personnel from nine U.S. military, state and local bomb disposal units attended the UXO awareness course.

by the end of this calendar year, units will have global connectivity on the unclassified network. And by the end of next summer, they will have global access to the secret network. By this time next year, Army forces will be able to securely plug into the network anywhere in the world — a reality that was previously not possible.

The Michaels Organization, which owns and manages the Villages at Belvoir, has awarded a record amount this year in 37 scholarships to Fort Belvoir students through the Michaels Organization Educational Foundation. According to Jennifer Watson, Community Manager, the scholarships total more than $329,500, which she said more than doubles any other previous year and is also a record number of Fort Belvoir recipients.

U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians are helping the Army improve state-of-the-art combat helmets to better protect them on high-stakes missions. EOD technicians from the 55th Ordnance Company (EOD) are working with Program Executive Office Soldier and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory to develop the Vertical Load Offset System (VLOS) for the newest combat helmet called the Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS). The 55th EOD Company “VIPpers” are part of the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier all hazards formation.

On Friday, at the celebration of ACS’ 58th birthday, Garrison Commander COL Joseph Messina helped Braddye and her team open the first-ever Army food pantry. “It’s kind of a big deal,” Braddye explained, “This will go a long way toward reducing food insecurity, which fits with the ACS mission of prevention and education. This is an opportunity for us to ensure our Soldiers and families remain food secure.” Citing a recent survey of Exceptional Family Member Program participants across the armed forces this year, Braddye said the survey revealed that 35 percent of respondents stated they have faced food insecurity in the past year.