Pentagon

EDS Corp. of Hagerstown has landed a $258 million, two-year contract to upgrade the Pentagon's information technology infrastructure under the Command Communications Survivability Program, the company announced. The company could be paid more if it earns incentive payments, EDS spokesman Kevin Clarke said. The upgrade is to ensure the survivability and security of the Pentagon information technology infrastructure. It covers networks, data storage and voice and messaging systems at the Pentagon and selected facilities.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Frank W. Buckles might be 107, but he's still got a lot of spirit. Military officials and others learned that Thursday when Buckles, a Jefferson County resident who is the last surviving American World War I veteran, was honored during ceremonies at the Pentagon and the White House, and met President Bush. A photograph of Buckles was unveiled during the Pentagon ceremony, which was hosted by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Brian Maka said.

From finding ways to mitigate the devastating effects of improvised explosive devices in Iraq to training future Army officers on the homefront, former Hagerstown resident David Ramsey capped an illustrious military career when he retired earlier this month. The 56-year-old Ramsey said he retired as a colonel on Oct. 1 after 29 years of service. On Saturday, he was among eight people who were inducted into the Maryland Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Camp Fretterd near Reisterstown, Md. “I'm very humbled,” he said of receiving the honor.

wandaw@herald-mail.com Onlookers stopped and cars slowed to watch as about 1,500 motorcyclists paraded into Hagerstown to fuel up their engines for this year's America's 9/11 Ride. By Friday, participation nearly had doubled over last year's ride, and organizers said they expect 2,000 bikers before the ride reaches Ground Zero in New York. The largest police-escorted motorcycle ride in the nation, America's 9/11 Ride is held in remembrance of the victims of the Sept.

Doug Warnock was telling a first-person account of the events that unfolded at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when the skies opened up and rain drenched downtown Chambersburg Sunday evening. Even so, hundreds sitting and standing in the square did not seek refuge and stood fast, a symbolic response to the request of every speaker who took the stage: To stand together as a nation, no matter who challenges the American way of life. A Chambersburg resident and employee of the U.S. Army, Warnock was joined by several elected and military officials who spoke before close to 1,000 people in the square Sunday as a way to commemorate the lives affected by the Sept.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. As residents gathered in the Letterkenny Chapel on Sunday to remember the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, few could believe that five years had passed. The warm September air hinted of coming fall and the green of summer had begun to fade to shades of brown. Life had continued, but the scars remained. "We gather to remember," the Rev. William H. Harter began, "because we must never forget. " More than 100 local residents filled the pews of the small chapel at the Letterkenny Army Depot to honor the victims of Sept.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - As residents gathered in the Letterkenny Chapel on Sunday to remember the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, few could believe that five years had passed. The warm September air hinted of coming fall and the green of summer had begun to fade to shades of brown. Life had continued, but the scars remained. "We gather to remember," the Rev. William H. Harter began, "because we must never forget. " More than 100 local residents filled the pews of the small chapel at the Letterkenny Army Depot to honor the victims of Sept.

During the week, Robert "Bud" Kelley makes his living traveling wide and far as a carpenter, but on weekends he is building a business in Washington County selling crabs out of a truck. While working to help rebuild the Pentagon after 9/11, Kelley got some advice from a friend, Willy Wright, who had been selling seafood part time from a roadside truck in the Washington, D.C., area for more than 20 years. Kelley said Wright showed him how to convert a truck for use as a seafood business.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - This month's meeting of the Allison-Antrim Museum will have a patriotic theme. The meeting will be Thursday in the downstairs social room of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 130 N. Washington St., Greencastle, at 7 p.m. The meeting will open with Barry and Mandy Stottlemyer, Greencastle singing "God Bless the U.S.A. " Following that, Ben Thomas, of Greencastle, will read the Four Freedoms portion of Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union address to Congress in January 1941.

Even the timing of the Independent Fire Co.'s 9/11 memorial service Sunday morning was on target. The ceremony, in front of the fire hall's side entrance before an audience of nearly 100, began at 9:59 a.m., the exact time that the World Trade Center's South Tower came crashing down from the impact of United Airlines' Flight 175. It ended at 10:28 a.m., when the North Tower collapsed, the victim of American Airlines' Flight 11. Henry Christie,...

From finding ways to mitigate the devastating effects of improvised explosive devices in Iraq to training future Army officers on the homefront, former Hagerstown resident David Ramsey capped an illustrious military career when he retired earlier this month. The 56-year-old Ramsey said he retired as a colonel on Oct. 1 after 29 years of service. On Saturday, he was among eight people who were inducted into the Maryland Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Camp Fretterd near Reisterstown, Md. “I'm very humbled,” he said of receiving the honor.

A telethon Tuesday at the future site of a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial in Washington Township, Pa., raised $9,500 to develop the memorial. Speakers talked on air about the project's importance as radio station WAYZ did a live broadcast from the site all day. The memorial at Red Run Park will feature artifacts from the three sites of terrorist attacks 11 years ago - Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the field where...

Ken Fairben, who lost his only son in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, stopped at Premium Outlets in Hagerstown for lunch Friday along with hundreds of other motorcyclists as part of the annual America's 9/11 ride. “It's very emotional, and the support is phenomenal,” Fairben said. “This is how we keep the memory of Sept. 11 alive.” Fairben, 63, of Floral Park, N.Y., is the commissioner of the Floral Park Fire Department. He said that his son, Keith, was a paramedic at New York Cornell Presbyterian Hospital and was on the scene during the attacks.

John Schlosser has managed to fill his almost 99 years with a variety of careers and experiences. From his childhood days on a Montana ranch, to a stint in Florida building warships, to the construction of buildings in Washington, D.C., Schlosser got a first-hand look at history. “I've enjoyed every minute of it,” Schlosser said. “He said he wishes everybody could live to be 98 and be as happy in all phases of life,” said Margaret Schlosser, John's second wife, to whom he's been married for 35 years.

Volunteers creating a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial at Red Run Park are focusing on fundraising as they continue to develop the $110,000 project. Last week, memorial committee members in Washington Township, Pa., received their first estimate for the project's price tag. They hope to receive donated materials and labor to drive down the $110,000 cost. Washington Township Manager Mike Christopher is optimistic the fundraising goal can be met. “We realize it is a difficult time with the economy the way it is, but this memorial is so important.

“The twin towers were a tragic sight. Some people still can't sleep through the night. They remember the towers about to collapse. All you could hear was a bunch of gasps. As the towers were falling, thousands were dying. You could see everyone crying. Eventually the towers were nothing but air. No one spoke but everyone stared. Few survivors were found at the scene and that's something everyone can agree. We can't forget the heroes of Flight 93. They sacrificed their lives as we all see. The terrorists did prove something that day. We are Americans and proud to be the U.S.A.” - Kalynn Boos, 11   Even though 11-year-old Kalynn Boos wasn't old enough to remember the terrorist attacks of Sept.

Even the timing of the Independent Fire Co.'s 9/11 memorial service Sunday morning was on target. The ceremony, in front of the fire hall's side entrance before an audience of nearly 100, began at 9:59 a.m., the exact time that the World Trade Center's South Tower came crashing down from the impact of United Airlines' Flight 175. It ended at 10:28 a.m., when the North Tower collapsed, the victim of American Airlines' Flight 11. Henry Christie,...

Doug Warnock was telling a first-person account of the events that unfolded at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when the skies opened up and rain drenched downtown Chambersburg Sunday evening. Even so, hundreds sitting and standing in the square did not seek refuge and stood fast, a symbolic response to the request of every speaker who took the stage: To stand together as a nation, no matter who challenges the American way of life. A Chambersburg resident and employee of the U.S. Army, Warnock was joined by several elected and military officials who spoke before close to 1,000 people in the square Sunday as a way to commemorate the lives affected by the Sept.

Ken Snyder is more cautious around crowds and is prone to a “defensive posture.” Retired minister Torben Aarsand has noticed that “fear is just under the surface of our minds,” and it makes itself known in unrelated events - such as the recent earthquake. Suzanne Hayes said one of the most remarkable experiences among baby boomers like herself was feeling that they had the world “on a string.” Now, Hayes said, the next generation knows that's not the case for them.

The approximately 2,500 motorcycles participating in The America's 9/11 Ride stopped in the Hagerstown area Friday for lunch and refueling. They began to arrive at Hagerstown Premium Outlets shortly after 11 a.m. At 11:20, some of the motorcylists were refueling at the Exxon station on Sharpsburg Pike (Md. 65). Otehrs were being directed into the parking lots at Premium Outlets for lunch. The riders left the outlets early Friday afternoon, riding on to Md. 65 to resume their journey on eastbound Interstate 70 to Frederick, Md. From there, they will take U.S. 15 through Leesburg, Va., ending in Arlington, Va. The Maryland State Highway Administration said the procession entered Virginia at about 2:40 p.m., The Associated Press reported.