October 25, 2013
SOUTH POTOMAC PILOT NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUTH POTOMAC DEFENSE COMMUNITY
Dahlgren History and Heritage Museum opens doors
By Andrew Revelos Staff Writer
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Community and military leaders joined members of the Dahlgren Heritage Board on Oct. 16 to cut the ribbon and open the long-awaited Dahlgren Heritage Museum. The ribbon-cutting marked the end of a three-year effort organized by the boardsupported by King George County and the base-to establish a museum to tell the story of Dahlgren. The museum is located on the site formerly occupied by the Virginia Welcome Center and features exhibits detailing the accomplishments of Dahlgren’s scientists, engineers and Sailors in the installation’s more than nine decades of service. Banners presented those achievements by decade alongside historic items, such as the shells of naval guns. Capt. Pete Nette, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, said he enjoyed working with community leaders and was pleased to see the project come to fruition.
U.S. Navy photo by Andrew Revelos
From left to right, Capt. Pete Nette, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, Ruby Brabo, member of the King George County Board of Supervisors for Dahlgren, Ed Jones, president of the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, Robert Gates, vice president of the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, John LoBuglio, vice chairman of the King George County Board of Supervisors, and Dale Sisson, chairman-at-large of the King George County Board of Supervisors, cut the ribbon opening the Dahlgren Heritage Museum on Oct. 19. Dale Sisson, chairmanat-large of the King George County Board of Supervisors and an employee at Dahlgren, praised the effort. “This is a great day and a
great facility,” he said. “It’s come a long way since it was a visitor center.” Sisson hoped the museum would bring more visibility to Dahlgren’s his-
toric role supporting the national defense. “One of the things I think is so important about this facility, is that it reminds us of the contributions that go on just
across [Route] 301,” he said. “Those 95 years of history are just outstanding. In my day job, I get to lead one of our technical departments for the Naval Surface Warfare Center {Dahlgren Division}. I look forward to seeing the great work that our scientists and engineers are doing today giving you the next row of banners, not just for us here locally, but as a reminder nationally of the contributions of Dahlgren.” Ruby Brabo, member of the King George County Board of Supervisors for Dahlgren, seconded Sisson’s praise. “I’ve been so impressed with all the work everybody has done to put this together, to make this vision a reality,” she said. An avowed history buff, Brabo hoped the museum would help bring more tourism to the area. “Tourism is a $21 billion industry here in Virginia, so I look forward to King George County finally capitalizing on [this],” she said. Ed Jones, president of the privately-funded Dahlgren Heritage Foundation,
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Dahlgren Day: Celebrating 95 years of innovation
By Andrew Revelos Staff Writer
Members of the Dahlgren community gathered Oct. 16 at the University of Mary Washington Dahlgren Campus to celebrate the installation’s 95th anniversary. The festive occasion, sponsored by the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, brought together service members, community leaders and employees past and present. “Thank you so much for being here for this very special occasion, the commemorative celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Navy base now known as Naval Support Facility Dahlgren,” said Ed Jones, president of the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, welcoming attendees. Jones updated the audience about the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation’s progress in establishing a museum, which opened Oct. 19. “It’s an exciting time to talk about the story of Dahlgren,” he said. “I like to tell people that the only thing that’s more exciting than Dahlgren’s history, is Dahlgren’s future, because with the development of multiple
commands on the base, it seems that more than ever, this center of research, innovation, testing, training and support for the warfighter, is more and more essential for this nation.” Dahlgren was a remote piece of marshland in rural King George County before the Navy fired its first test shot at the new base in the fall of 1918. Though the nature of the work at Dahlgren has evolved during its more than nine decades of existence, the base continues to be called “a crown jewel of national defense,” said Jones. Marines supervised by Navy Lt. Cmdr. H.K. Lewis fired that first shot from a tractor-mounted, 7-inch, 45-caliber naval gun, hurling a 153-pound projectile 24,000 yards down the Potomac. The restored gun was on display this week at Dahlgren’s parade field. Jones mused about the effect of that thunderous first shot on local wildlife, which has since grown used to the noise. “That must have been pretty jarring. But you know, in the next nine and a half decades, there were a lot of booms. I grew up on base in the 1950s and that was major
U.S. Navy photo by Andrew Revelos
Del. Margaret Ransone, left, and state Sen. Richard Stuart, right, present Capt. Pete Nette, center, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, with Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proclamation declaring Oct. 16, 2013 Dahlgren Day. boom time, let me tell you.” Before Dahlgren could fall into its rhythm of methodical research, development, training and evaluation, it suffered from a few growing pains, said Jones. One of the early issues faced by the Navy was what to call its new test range. “There were a number of finalists for that. Were it not for that final decision, we may be talking about not Dahlgren, Virginia, but Stockton, Virginia, or Daschle, Virginia, or maybe Alger, Virginia. Boy, Dahlgren sounds better and better, doesn’t it?”
Capt. Pete Nette, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, praised the Dahlgren Heritage Foundation for making the celebration possible and the thanked University of Mary Washington Dahlgren Campus for hosting the event. “By any measure, 95 years is a long time,” said Nette. “It’s a milestone worthy of celebrating in itself, an exceptional achievement.” Nette said the work of the Dahlgren History Project, part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Dahlgren Division, together with the privately-funded Dahlgren Heritage Foundation, have done a great job telling Dahlgren’s story. “As a result of these efforts, we have a new realm of opportunity to highlight the important legacy represented by Dahlgren,” he said. “It’s remarkable that all these developments have coincided with the base’s 95th anniversary, just shy of its centennial five years from now.” The success of the base through the decades would not have been possible without the support of the communities that surround it, said Nette. “The deep connections between the Dahlgren base and this community represent an invaluable asset that we in the military should never take for granted.” The leader of Dahlgren’s largest tenant command shared some behind-the scenes insight about the effort to name the base. “It’s the policy of the Department of Defense to name a proving ground after the geographic location it goes in, not to name it after a person,” said Capt. Michael Smith, commanding officer of
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