Belvoir Eagle, July 3, 2019 by InsideNoVa

Eagle BELVOIR

Hazmat exercise at Fort Belvoir Hospital A10

www.belvoireagleonline.com

July 3, 2019

Fairfax County board proclaims Army Week Supervisors applaud deep ties with Fort Belvoir By Paul Lara Staff Writer

he Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, at its meeting on June 25, proclaimed the week of June 23 to 29 as Army Week in the county, and urged residents to congratulate the Army on its 244th anniversary. Sharon Bulova, Board Chair, noted the broad impact the Army and Fort Belvoir continues to play in the county. “Pretty much everyone in Fairfax County has a connection or some kind of relationship to Fort Belvoir,

the Army, or our military,” Bulova said. Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District Supervisor, said his district has always seen close alignment with Fort Belvoir’s future goals due to its encompassing proximity with the post. “We like to say we surround the Army,” Storck said. “We have a great partner in (Garrison Commander, Col. Michael) Greenberg. We have worked together on a number of issues in the last year. … The colonel and I are working on something to utilize each other’s contracts with the county and federal government, so we all can save some money.” Jeff McKay, Lee District Supervisor, thanked Greenberg for really

embracing things ‘outside the gates’ and that his community appreciates the continued support from such a powerful economic driver in the region. “What people don’t’ realize – and I ask folks this question all the time – is if they can name the largest employer in Fairfax County, and almost nobody says Fort Belvoir,” McKay said. “Thank you for the transit service that you’ve added that has benefitted everyone in our end of the county.” Storck and McKay both expressed regret that they had just a two-year window to work with Greenberg, as so much has been accomplished in the first year of his command.

Photo by Paul Lara

Col. Michael Greenberg, Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander, addresses the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, June 25.

12th Aviation Bn. welcomes new commander Unique outfit succeeds, despite obstacles By Paul Lara Staff Writer

ol. Mark Kappelmann, the commander of the Army Aviation Brigade and host for the ceremony, said Lt. Col. Brendan Cullinan, the outgoing commander of 12th Aviation Battalion, provided leadership that “was an absolute success.” Cullinan, who relinquished his command to Lt. Col. Ryan Forshee at Davison Army Airfield, June 26, was described by Kappelmann as a coach who led the team past numerous obstacles. Addressing the Soldiers, Kappelmann praised the unit for continued success and for repeatedly doing more with less. “The 12th succeeds, despite their personnel being under-resourced; the 12th succeeds despite the fact they order replacement parts for their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters at a lower priority than the rest of Army Aviation, including Fort Rucker (Ala.); the 12th succeeds due to interA4

Firefighters graduate

Photo by Paul Lara

Col. Mark Kappelmann, TAAB Commander, U.S. Army Military District of Washington, left, passes the colors to Lt. Col. Ryan Forshee, as he assumes command of the 12th Aviation Battalion from Lt. Col. Brendan Cullinan during ceremonies at Davison Army Airfield, June 26. nal motivation, pride and duty and performance; and because of great teamwork. For that, I thank you and commend the entire unit,” Kappelmann said. Kappelmann said a good coach A5

July 4 Exchange and Gate Hours

“must always, always believe you’re going to win.” “I believe the reason that the 12th Aviation Battalion is as successful as it is today, is due to the fact they believe they are going to win. They A10

Hazmat Exercise

understand their mission, and strive toward mission accomplishment, knowing that failure is not an option. That sort of command climate and culture of a unit is driven from the top – from the coach, from the commander,” Kappelmann said. In his remarks to the battalion, Cullinan said commanding 12th Aviation has been a high point in his career. “The over-tasked and undermanned civilians, contractors, Soldiers, NCOs and officers surprise me every single day with their ingenuity and problem-solving, attacking unusual problems while somehow keeping the trains running,” Cullinan said. Forshee thanked Cullinan for his superb hand-off of the unit. “Your transparency and selflessness gives me confidence that I know what I need to know in order to take the role that you’ve done such a great job in establishing,” Forshee said. The mission of the 12th Aviation Battalion is to conduct contingency operations for the National Capital Region and provide aviation support for the nation’s leaders. B1

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