Army

The new Letterkenny Army Reserve Center in Chambersburg offers state-of-the-art training facilities and saves billions of dollars by consolidating three obsolete centers into one, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster said Wednesday. During the reserve center's grand opening ceremony and open house, Shuster, R-Pa., applauded Letterkenny Army Depot's use of consolidation to save money. “This is a consolidation of three different reserve units (Chambersburg, Gettysburg and Greencastle) and will save the taxpayers money and that's extremely important that we do that,” Shuster said.

Ronald Eugene Blair, 63, of Hagerstown, marched into heaven Thursday, June 7, 2012, with his loving wife by his side. Born Aug. 6, 1948, in Hagerstown, he was the son of the late Ralph F. and Jane J. (Rock) Blair, and stepson of Clifford Rock. Ronald was a North Hagerstown High School graduate. After school, he joined the U.S. Army in 1966. During his long and exemplary career as a management sergeant 1st Class and master administrative specialist, Ronald served 21 years in many challenging assignments in the United States and overseas.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark S. Schweiker will speak Saturday during a ceremony to dedicate a Sept. 11 memorial at Letterkenny Army Depot. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will begin at 3 p.m. adjacent to the Letterkenny Chapel at 2171 Carbaugh Ave. Three steel artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center were fashioned into a sculpture that will serve as a permanent memorial to the thousands who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The sculpture first was unveiled to the public at a memorial service in downtown Chambersburg last September.

Work on a supplemental environmental impact statement about the proposed development of the former Fort RitchieU.S. Armybase has not begun because the Army hasn't designated money for the study, Army environmental attorney David Howlett said last week. The earliest the environmental study would start would be this summer, but that depends on when the Central Army Headquarters designates money for the study, Howlett said. Development of the property, which is owned by Columbia, Md.-based Corporate Office Properties Trust, or COPT, has been stalled as officials await the results of the environmental review, said Bill Hofmann, COPT's senior property and environmental services manager for the former Fort Ritchie property.

Despite being nearly $200,000 short of its fundraising goal, The Salvation Army has started construction of a $1.8 million project in Hagerstown that includes new offices, a gymnasium and renovation of the organization's existing women's and children's shelter. Salvation Army Maj. Robert Lyle said Monday he was hopeful that donors would step up to contribute the rest of the money. “We do have a lot of folks in this community who are sympathetic to what we're doing,” Lyle said.

Hagerstown officials recently received documents from the U.S. Army releasing city property it had leased for decades at 21 Willard St., a city official said this week. The property, which had been leased for use by the Army Reserves, officially will be vacated on April 17, Public Works Manager Eric Deike said. City officials conducted a tour of the premises on March 21 and found that the buildings were in good shape, Deike said. A large portion of the 4.6-acre grounds is fenced.

More than 85 employers are expected at the second annual “Here to Help” job fair scheduled for Thursday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Chambersburg Mall at 3055 Black Gap Road. The event is hosted by state Sen. Richard Alloway II, R-Franklin/Adams/York, in partnership with the Franklin County Area Development Corp. and PA CareerLink of Franklin County. Organizers moved the event from Green Grove Gardens in Greencastle, Pa., to the mall to accommodate additional employers.

The City of Hagerstown last week received release documents from the U.S. Army for the property at 21 Willard St. that had been leased to the Army Reserves, a city official said Monday. The property officially will be vacated by the Army on April 17, Public Works Manager Eric Deike said. Deike said city staff conducted a tour of the premises on March 21 and found that the buildings were in good shape. A large portion of the 4.6-acre grounds is fenced. At this time, there are no definitive plans for use of the property, Deike said.

The City of Hagerstown leased a 4.6-acre lot to the U.S. Army in 1956 to create an Army Reserves facility, but an apparent lack of activity on the property in the past year has raised concerns among city officials. According to several reports from nearby residents, military activity on the property at the corner of East Franklin and Willard streets ceased in about the summer of 2010, prompting city officials to begin the process of reclaiming the land, Public Works Manager Eric Deike told the Hagerstown City Council recently.

As the first African-American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the U.S. Army, Marcia M. Anderson helped inspire Letterkenny Army Depot employees Friday as they observed Black History Month. In a keynote speech focusing on “Black Women in American Culture and History,” the 30-year career soldier spoke of her personal philosophy for success. “It's not your ZIP code or your family history that determines where you end up in life so much as what's in your heart and what's in your brain,” Anderson told Letterkenny employees.