Army

Letterkenny Army Depot's first African-American commander spoke during the Chambersburg base's annual Black History Month observance. Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert C. Gaskill Sr. was the guest speaker at Wednesday's event held in the great room at depot headquarters. Gaskill served as depot commander from 1974 to 1975 and was the first African-American to assume command of the base. Current commander Col. Victor S. Hagan is the second African-American to hold the position.

One of Volvo Group Hagerstown Site's more than 100 Operational Development teams had an idea that raised $32,000 for The Salvation Army.  On Jan. 25, team members toured The Salvation Army facility to see for themselves how donations have been used and are being allocated to an existing vital project.  The idea is known by the site's 1,400 employees as “vBay.” “It started in late 2011, when we assessed the collection of items and...

This week's frigid weather has pushed REACH Caregivers Shelter to full capacity, and the organization has been letting people sleep on the floor, Executive Director Jodie Ostoich said Wednesday. “At this point we don't have beds to give out to people, but when we see snaps and spells like this we allow for overflow,” Ostoich said. She said there is a plan among the shelters in the county that allows for “overflow” if the temperature reaches 32 degrees or if sleet or freezing rain falls.

The Christmas stocking drive at Grace Academy in Hagerstown collected more than 100 stockings for The Salvation Army children. The second-grade class was the first class in the school to fill 12 stockings. The Grace Academy Missions Team was in charge of the project and took the Christmas stockings to The Salvation Army to be given to children in need.

Birthdays Jan. 4 - Thomas B. Kinzer, Hagerstown, turns 65; Bryan Gabriel, Hall Street, Sharpsburg, turns 41. Jan. 5 - J.R. Head, formerly of Greencastle, Pa., now stationed in Hawaii (U.S. Army), turns 23; Judy Price, Williamsport, turns 49. To submit a milestone, mail the information to The Herald-Mail, P.O. Box 439, Hagerstown, MD 21741; fax it to 301-714-0245; or email tonym@herald-mail.com.

Lew Thomas used part of his Christmas morning to help a neighboring family have a nicer holiday. Thomas, a Fayetteville, Pa., resident, was one of close to 100 drivers who took hot, freshly prepared turkey dinners Tuesday morning from The Salvation Army in Chambersburg, Pa., and delivered them to shut-ins and less-fortunate people all across Franklin County. Thomas said it was his first time volunteering as a driver for the event. He said the family to whom he took meals lives in a schoolhouse in the Duffield, Pa., area, with “eight or nine” disabled children, many requiring extensive care.

The Golden Knights, the U.S. Army's parachute team, are expected to join the Air Force's Thunderbirds for the 2013 Thunder over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show in May, organizers announced Tuesday. A complete lineup of aerial acts for the May 11 and 12 show hosted by the 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard isn't expected to be finalized until March or early April, according to organizers. Col. Roger Nye, the Airlift Wing's commander, said at a Tuesday news conference that organizers requested the Thunderbirds or the Navy's Blue Angels for next year's show before they take “a little break from air shows - at least a year or so.” “And when the Thunderbirds came to us and said 'Hey, how about May, instead of September?

Preliminary estimates for the cost of renovating the former U.S. Army Reserve property in Hagerstown for use as a senior citizens center could cost about half as much as the county's previous proposal to build a new facility at Hagerstown Community College. County Administrator Gregory B. Murray guessed that the main 19,000-square-foot building on the 4.6-acre property at 21 Willard St. could be rehabilitated at a cost of about $3 million to $3.5 million, although that could change after an official inspection by architects.

Crena Anderson wasn't at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. But the 88-year-old Halfway resident will be linked to that day for the rest of her life. She said her first and second husbands were stationed at Army bases in Hawaii during the attack, although the two young soldiers didn't know each other at the time. “I'm proud of what they did - very proud,” Crena said at her home earlier this week. “They must have been scared to death.” Crena said she married her first husband, Marvin Spencer, shortly after they met while he was home on leave in 1944.

Mackenzie Riford, a native  of Hagerstown and a member of the U.S. Military Academy's marathon team, will be part of the team that runs the ceremonial game ball from West Point to Philadelphia for the 113th Army-Navy football classic scheduled for Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. The 19-member cadet team will accept the game ball at approximately 7 p.m. Thursday during the bonfire activities. The team will depart West Point, passing through several towns and cities during the two-day run to deliver the game ball for opening ceremonies at 2 p.m. This year marks the 84th time the Cadets and Midshipmen have met in Philadelphia for this longstanding rivalry.