Fort Myer Virginia
The Fort Myer army base is located at Arlington County, Virginia just adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery. It is currently a United States military post, which is directly operated by the United States Military for the purposes of serving accommodations and as a command and training center which specializes in support facilities. Fort Myer Virginia, due to the Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) initiative of 2005 which reevaluates and redirects certain military bases operations and focus to be able to provide a more efficient line of defense across America, is now currently known as JBMHH which is short for Joint Base Meyer – Henderson Hall. The JBMHH is currently made up of the Henderson Hall Headquarters Marine Corps, The Pentagon, Fort McNair, Crystal City, Virginia and of course Fort Meyer and is currently serving almost 150,000 units in the region made up of active, inactive and even retired personnel.
History
The American Civil War, which has caused a lot of ripples in the history of the United States, is somewhat responsible for the establishment of the Fort Myer army base. Like most United States military bases it has seen a host of different name changes, starting in 1863 from its original name in honor of Brevet Major General Amiel Weeks Whipple who died during the Civil War, the base was named Fort Whipple only to be changed later in the year 1881 to Fort Meyer in honor of Brigadier General Albert J. Myer. Albert J. Meyer was responsible for the establishment of Signal School of Instruction for Army and Navy Officers which served its purpose as a Signal Post for the cavalry.
Fort Myer Virginia has also seen its share of aircraft related fatalities, mainly because it was the military installation that witnessed the first aircraft flights. It is also important to note that a number of milestones have made the history of the base a really rich and colorful one: in 1908 the quarters of Fort Meyers were used by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army; in 1911 saw the establishment of the “Three Sisters”, which allowed for the first ever telecommunication broadcast through radio across the sea to Paris; 1941 was the year when a very important and used type of automobile was first tested and approved right inside the confines of Fort Meyer – the Jeep; and finally, during the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks, Fort Meyer was used as a troop deployment facility under Operation Noble Eagle which included active and inactive police personnel.
One more important trivia regarding the post: during World War I, Fort Meyers was home to a number of regiments that chose to establish themselves in the post. Various practices that included chemical companies, artillery brigades that served the needs of the war troops and of course engineering facilities that were mainly concerned in developing infrastructures for the purpose of war but later evolved to fuel the industrial revolution age.
Command Mission and Operations
Fort Myer military base currently has three active operational functions, mainly:
Support for crisis and national disasters – the post is currently home to various active personnel serving the capital region, therefore it is the perfect Command Center that can handle a variety of different natural calamities and crisis that clearly needs a central point of organization in order for any kind of support exercise to be properly organized. It is also the perfect location for various contingency plans to be implemented because of its relative closeness to the Washington DC.
Support for the United States Army and various Defense Departments – Fort Myer Virginia is currently the home of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (both the First and Fourth Battalion) which makes it the perfect support group for various United States Army functions as well as certain Security defense concerns. Various reservists such as retired soldiers, marines, airmen and the United States Coast guard are also stationed here, so if push comes to shove, the Fort Myer military base can definitely provide minimal support because of the wealth of experience provided by the current military presence as well as a jumping on point or headquarters in cases of military emergencies.
Support and conduction of military and civil ceremonies – this is by far the most obvious and visible support function of the Fort Myer army base. Because of the base’s location, it has become the official station for the military commencement exercises that gives honor to the nation’s leaders, both civilian and military personnel. The current function of the base, which is mainly to provide housing to thousands of active duty personnel, reservists and retirees, makes it a perfect location to carry out various ceremonies, especially since the base has no active military training grounds which will allow these peaceful and stress-free events to transition perfectly.
Various burial teams and Honor Guards are currently stationed here because of the base’s proximity to Arlington National Cemetery, which is also one of the reasons why many of the burial ceremonies are being held in one of the chapels currently inside the Fort Myer army base.
Housing and Lodging in Fort Myer
It has been stated many times that Fort Myer Virginia mainly acts as a support facility for the United States Military, and that in turn causes the housing in the area to be quite limited. Having said that, any military personnel currently in active duty may still apply for various housing accommodations, but it is important to note that a variety of choices is still available for E-6 and above active Single Soldiers (they are not required any kind of approval to obtain off-post housing, thereby giving them a lot of freedom when it comes to accommodations) and those below the E-5 rank (who are definitely required to live inside barracks, but may still apply for off-site lodging as long as it is approved by the commanding garrison).
FT Myer lodging mainly accommodates personnel with Permanent Change of Station and Temporary Duty official orders. Any other personnel who wish to stay in various lodging services may still do so but only on availability circumstances.
Location: 38.8831, -77.0806
Phone: (703)-545-6700
DSN: 227-1010December 6, 2011
Housing for Rent Nearby
If you are or were in the military you could be eligible for a VA loan. That entails lower than market rates to help you buy a home rather than renting!
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$1800 Monthly 1250 Sq. Ft.
1400 Sq. Ft.
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Military Bases in Virginia
Fort Monroe (Closed) CommentsFort Monroe was an Army installation from 1781 until September 2011 when it was deactivated as a result of the 2005 BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission). Its major tenant, TRACDOC (Training and Doctrine Command) was relo...
Henderson Hall CommentsHenderson Hall is a United States Marine Corps installation located in Arlington, Virginia, adjacent to Fort Myer and the Arlington National Cemetery. It was built in 1942 and named In honor of former commandant of the United Stat...
NWS Yorktown CommentsNaval Weapons Station Yorktown is the US Atlantic Fleet’s primary weapons and ammunition storage and loading covering parts of York County, James City County, and Newport News in Virginia. Cheatham Annex, formerly part of the Fl...