Army

The Confederates captured their first Union capital today - in Abraham Lincoln's birth state. Frankfort, Ky., was a coveted prize for the South. But even greater rewards were in view of two Confederate armies racing north toward the Ohio River: the targets of Louisville and Cincinnati. The Rebels moved with extraordinary speed. Their invasion of Kentucky surprised and stunned the federal government. No U.S. army was nearby to hinder them. Northern governors in Indiana and Ohio began to tremble.

Lt. Col. LaVelle M. “Marq” Foley, U.S. Army Ret., 77, of 22 Wynncrest Drive, Waynesboro, Pa., passed away Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Md., following a brief illness. Born April 18, 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio, he was the son of the late LaVelle Haines and Helen I. (Marquand) Foley. He was a graduate of Kirtland High School with the Class of 1953. He later was a graduate of Kent State University and received his master's degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1977.

Preston Button of Hagerstown was presented the Warrior Forge Commanders Leadership Award at the U.S. Cadet Command's Leader Development and Assessment Course. Button was ranked No. 1 among more than 200 cadets in his training company at the 29-day leadership course, also known as Operation Warrior Forge, the training and assessment excercise for the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. Cadets are tested on their physical stamina, endurance, ability to navigate over difficult terrain, and their team-building and leadership skills.

Leadership of Letterkenny Army Depot transferred during a change-of-command ceremony Friday at the Chambersburg depot. Col. Cheri A. Provancha relinquished the title of commander to Col. Victor S. Hagan, who becomes the depot's 47th commanding officer. Nearly 300 elected officials, business leaders, soldiers, depot employees, and family and friends of honorees attended the ceremony. “This marks a new era of leadership for Letterkenny,” said Major General Lynn A. Collyar, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.

An environmental attorney for the U.S. Army said Friday the Army will not conduct an environmental survey of the former Fort Ritchie Army base at Cascade because the property has been transferred back to PenMar Development Corp. Such studies can be expensive and the Army didn't start the study because Army officials knew PenMar and the property's former owner, Corporate Office Properties Trust, were in negotiations, said David Howlett, an environmental lawyer for the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency's environmental law division at Fort Belvoir, Va. While Army officials didn't know the details of the negotiations, officials with Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT)

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced concerns Thursday about a defense bill recently passed by the House of Representatives that includes a provision he says could dramatically affect operations and prompt layoffs at Letterkenny Army Depot north of Chambersburg. “The House bill would cut more than $2 billion from various depot accounts, essentially preventing Pennsylvania's depots from continuing to upgrade equipment currently in use by service members around the world,” Casey, D-Pa., said in a news release.

Antietam Chapter 312 of the Korean War Veterans Association is seeking the public's help to identify Washington County residents who died in the Korean War. The organization wants the names so they can be engraved on a Korean War Memorial that is to be built over the course of the next year at Mealey Parkway in Hagerstown, said Charles Mobley, chairman of Antietam 312's monument committee. Ground was broken June 26 for the project. Mobley said the veterans know of 31 Washington County residents who were killed or listed as missing during the Korean War, but they want to ensure that no one is left out. “Since these names will be engraved on a tablet in front of the main monument, we want to be sure that we have the correct names, including spelling, their rank and branch of service correct,” Mobley said in an email.

The Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association will host the 257th Army Band as part of its annual Red, White and Blue Summer concert series Friday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m., at HCC's Alumni Amphitheater. Based in Washington, D.C., the band is nationally recognized as “The Band of the Nation's Capital” and reports directly to the president. Performing under the direction of CW3 Cmdr. Sheila M. Klotz, the band consists of more than 40 members who perform a variety of classical, patriotic and contemporary music.

The Waynesboro Community Concert Association will present a concert by the 257th Army Band, “The Band of the Nation's Capital,” Thursday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Waynesboro Area Senior High School auditorium. The school is at 550 E. Second St. The concert is free and open to the public and will be held regardless of the weather.   Attendees who have served or are serving in the armed forces are invited to dress in uniform. They will be recognized by the band during the concert.

The Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association will host the U.S. Army Field Band's Concert Band and Soldiers' Chorus as part of its annual Red, White and Blue Summer Concert Series on Sunday, July 1, at 4:30 p.m., at HCC's Alumni Amphitheater. Co-sponsored by the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the concert is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available for purchase. No outside food is permitted on the amphitheater grounds. For more information, call 240-500-2346, or go to www.hagerstowncc.edu/alumni-friends . To learn more about the band and chorus, go to www.armyfieldband.com .