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3DCMi l i tary.com/magazine DC Military MAGAZINE | November/December 2015

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4 | DC Military MAGAZINE DCMi l i tary.com/magazine November/December 2015

DC Military Magazine is published by DC Military, a Civilian Enterprise media company serving 13 military installations and the Pentagon in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

DC Military Magazine has a circulation of 110,000 printed by offset as a civilian enterprise bi-monthly magazine for installations within the national capital region.

The publisher is a private firm in no way connect-ed with the Department of Defense. Opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors to this marketing publication, and they are not to be considered an official expression of the Department of Defense. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Defense of the products or services advertised.

Maxine Minar, executive editor and president([email protected])

Alice Swan, On the Homefront columnist

Karen Finucan Clarkson, events and calendar columnist

Chuck Lucas, retired U.S. Air Force ChiefMaster Sgt., Veterans Corner columnist

Contributing WritersJim Mahaffie, Julia LeDoux, Leslie Smith, Ellen Ternes

Send press releases and editorial submissions to [email protected].

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For advertising information, call 301-921-2800.

Your Care ChoiceTricare Online and MiCare

Secure Messaging are designed to enhance access to care for military beneficiaries. Both programs are endorsed by the Military Heath System. In both programs beneficiaries can vali-date medication lists and obtain test results, including labs. Both systems facilitate appointments. With Tricare Online, benefi-ciaries schedule appointments themselves, whereas MiCare, beneficiaries request appoint-ments via secure messaging. Once the request is made, clin-ic staff schedules an appoint-ment with the provider. Tricare Online allows patients to track their claims and deductibles, and to obtain proof of medical insurance. In comparison, Mi-Care is focused on secure mes-saging communication between patients and their health-care teams. MiCare eases commu-nication between patients and clinical staff and allows patients to access robust patient educa-tion materials regarding their medical conditions. For more information on Tricare Online and MiCare Secure Messaging, contact a local military treat-ment facility.

World War I MemorialThe World War I Centennial

Commission was established to plan, develop, and execute pro-grams, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I. A memorial to honor the World War I genera-tion is planned in Washington. The proposed site is Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets NW. Already there is a statue of General of the Armies John J. Pershing — the leader of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. A design concept is expected in January.

The “War to End All Wars” began in 1914 and lasted more than four years. More than 17 million peo-ple had died and 20 million

wounded before the armistice Nov. 11, 1918. The United States entered the war April 7, 1917. A total of 116,516 Americans were killed and more than 204,000 wounded.

Retiree Dental CoverageThe Tricare Retiree Den-

tal Program (TRDP) offers comprehensive dental cover-age to retired service members and family members, retired National Guard and Reserve members and family members, Medal of Honor recipients and family members and survivors.

Coverage includes diag-nostic and preventive services, like exams and cleanings, at 100 percent. Emergency services and basic restorative services, like fillings, are cov-ered at 80 percent. The an-nual deductible is $50 per person, each benefit year, and $150 per family per benefit year. The annual maximum benefit is $1,300 per person per year for enhanced enroll-ees. The annual maximum for orthodontia is $1,750.

Premiums must be de-ducted through a monthly allotment from retirement pay. Electronic payment is available only as an alter-native for beneficiaries who do not receive retired pay or whose retired pay is insuffi-

cient to cover the allotment amount. There is a 12-month commitment for initial en-rollments. After a year, ben-eficiaries can continue on a month-to-month basis, if no additional family members have been added to the plan. If a beneficiary and spouse are already enrolled, adding a child or any other family member resets the 12-month period. For full information, visit www.tricare.mil/TRDP or call 888 838-8737.

Commissary Costs StudiedThe Defense Commissary

Agency operates 241 stores, including 178 in the United States, offering groceries to service members and retirees at cost plus a 5 percent sur-charge. The surcharge does not cover the full operating costs, so each year an appropriation is required to cover this deficit.

In 2014, DoD contrib-uted $1.4 billion to subsi-dize the commissaries. The President’s budget proposed reducing this subsidy, sug-gesting changes in operations which would reduce the sub-sidy by $322 million in FY 2016 and save $4.4 billion over five years. A House bill prohibits these changes and includes funds to pay for the FY 2016 costs of the current program. The Senate does not add additional funds and allows some of the proposed reforms to be implemented.

Defense officials suggest a replacement formula that would allow prices to vary from store to store while maintaining attractive savings for patrons. Variable pricing would seek to keep savings consistent across the com-missary system with prices below those of “lowest price” civilian competitors.

Veterans ID CardsCongress has approved the

creation of a veterans’ identi-fication card, making it easier

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for veterans to prove military ser-vice without having to produce a military service record or some other document. Previously, indi-viduals needing to prove military status normally had to provide a DD-214, a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. A number of states, and some coun-ties, already issue veterans’ ID cards. Included are Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia. Re-tired service members receive ID cards upon separation. Veterans Affairs issues IDs to veterans en-rolled in VA health care.

DHA Up and ReadyThe Defense Health Agen-

cy, in its second year, has full operating capability as a com-bat support agency. “We are the joint force solution that will enable our service surgeon gen-erals to present medically ready forces and readily medical forces to the service chiefs and com-batant commanders,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Douglas J. Robb, DHS director. The agen-cy is a one-stop shop for medi-cal training in one location on one learning system, he added. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., DHA’s innovations and ef-ficiencies saved the government $350 million in 2014 alone, Robb said, with projected sav-ings of $3.5 billion over the next four years.

Exchange Pays DividendsThe Army & Air Force Ex-

change Service last year paid divi-dends totaling $224 million to mil-itary morale, welfare and recreation activities. In the past 10 years, the AAFES has provided more than $2.4 billion to such programs as youth services, family counseling and other activities that make life better for military families.

Support goes beyond soldiers and airmen. Because AAFES operates at Marine and Navy locations, funds also are re-turned to marines and sailors. The fiscal 2014 dividend: Army, $125.3 million; Air Force, 74.1 million; Marines, 19.5 million; Navy, 5.1 million. The Exchange opened a new shopping center and Express at Fort Meade, Md. Also, Expresses were opened at Homestead ARB, Fla.; Tyndall

AFB, Fla.; and Wright-Patter-son AFB, Ohio. A troop store opened in Moon Township, Pa., serving military members and their families in western Penn-sylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

Pharmacy HelpYour pharmacist should be the

first resource to answer questions about your drugs. If you are taking an over-the-counter (OTC) med-ication like acetaminophen (Tyle-nol), cough medicines, herbal sup-plements or aspirin, those drugs can interfere with other medi-cations. Because you purchased these products OTC, there is no record in the pharmacy’s comput-er system to prevent harmful drug interactions.

Tell your pharmacist about taking OTC products when you fill a prescription. Most fre-quently asked questions include: possible side effects of my med-icine; where can I find informa-tion about the drugs I take; are generic drugs the same as brand name drugs; how can I find out when a generic will be available for a medicine I take; and how do I discard medicine that I no longer need? If you get your pre-scriptions from Tricare Home Delivery, you still have access to a pharmacist 24/7. Call Express Scripts with your questions at 1-877-363-1303.

School EnrollmentNearly 75,000 students are

enrolled in the 2015-2016 School Year in Department of Defense Education Activity schools around the world. The schools educate children of service members and the civilians who support them in 12 nations, seven states and two territories. Through its Educa-tional Partnership Branch, DoD provides support to more than 1 million military-connected stu-dents who attend public schools throughout the United States. DoD operates 172 schools in the United States, Europe and the Pacific through a worldwide net-work of 14 school districts and about 14,000 employees. All DoD schools are accredited by Ad-vancED, a nonprofit, nonparti-san organization that conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of schools and school systems.


By LESLIE SMITHike many small towns in the South during Jim Crow, rural Thomaston, Ala., offered lit-tle opportunity for

blacks. Many families would head north, becoming a part of what would later be called the Great Migration, to carve out an opportunity in many of Ameri-ca’s larger urban cities.

Malone Wilson arrived in Chi-cago in 1936 at the age of 14. Even as a young man, Wilson was well acquainted with hard work: he held down jobs from feeding chickens to cleaning movie hous-es and working in a stock yard. For the next several years while living with relatives, he would forge a path for himself in the city. His working roots went back to Alabama where, as a small child, he worked for the town doctor running errands and working around the doctor’s office.

War in a changing worldWorld War II required the

total effort of citizens in all ca-pacities. This new era of conflict presented new challenges to the American military. Many citi-zens were called to serve in an even greater role: the military.

The oldest of 10 children, Wilson was drafted at age 20.

“I remember there were those big old signs everywhere — ‘Un-cle Sam Wants You!’ They would send you that letter; you would get that letter that they want you down at the draft board,” Wilson recalled.

He grins recalling the day he “became” a Marine.

“I was all set to go into the

army when they called out, ‘We need one more for the Marines; we need one more!’ I finally said, ‘All right, all right — I’ll go.’”

Wilson was sent to boot camp and became a part of the Montford Point Marines. This unit was specifically formed af-ter President Franklin D. Roos-evelt signed a directive allowing blacks to be recruited into the Marine Corps. From 1941 to 1943, this segregated unit saw thousands of black soldiers tran-sition through the camp. Many were noncombatant supply units but, when needed, these black units were allowed into combat. In 2012, these men were later recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal.

When asked what he was thinking when he first got to boot camp, Wilson laughed. “I was thinking about the girl I left behind. I was in love,” he re-called. “Whatever I got to do, I’m gonna do it to get back to my girl.”

From Montford Point, Wilson was sent to Oceanside, Calif. Wil-son was then stationed in New Caledonia. It would be Guadalca-nal with its heat, mosquitoes “the size of birds” and 16-hour work days that would call next.

As the war escalated in both theaters, Wilson headed to Oki-nawa. There, he was a part of the motor transport, driving trucks to pick up supplies and materials from ships.

“When things really got rough, we went to Okinawa where things were really happening,” Wilson said. “I never went to the front, but we did have to run for cover because they used to bomb every night. The Japanese planes would fly over and we had to run for the fox holes. We spent every night on the ground. We would stay some-times for a whole week in the same clothes — and ooh, it would rain every day. You didn’t have time to change,” Wilson recalled.

When fighting became fierce and opponents started gaining in-roads into allied territory, Wilson’s unit was called to fight.

“We had our gear ready to in-vade Tokyo, but they dropped the bomb the same night we were called to go,” Wilson said.

After waiting in Okinawa for three weeks for a ship to bring them back to the U.S. and spending anoth-er 21 days aboard ship, Wilson was honorably discharged from the Ma-rines as a Private First Class.

Although many blacks returned home to find military service did not necessarily turn the tide of racism di-rected toward them, Wilson said he really didn’t experience it so much.

“When I got out, things began to change — they were slowly promot-ing more blacks. It’s really something to see now when I go out and I see all these officers and non-commis-sioned officers,” he said.

Wilson would go on to see two other brothers, Clinton Barber and Richard Smith, serve in the Korean War in the Army. Two more broth-

ers, William Smith (who served in Vietnam) and Theodore Smith, went on to serve in the Air Force.

Time and perspectiveOften romanticized in movies

and shows, WWII was the first of the new age of progressive weap-onry and battle tactics and held its own atrocities and hardships.

Time and life experience have shaped views and wounds for Wil-son, who saw his share of what war can bring — the good and bad. Although Wilson can still vividly recall the memories of war and his service, at the age of 92, he says the horror of it doesn’t bother him as it once did.

“It used to come back to me, the bombings, but not any more like it did, say, 40 or 50 years ago,” he said. “I used to have these really clear bad dreams, but I don’t have them anymore. I’m at ease now.”

One thing he still carries that hasn’t changed with time

Matter, Marines, Mindfulness: Malone Wilson in World War II

Malone Wilson, today at age 92, reflects

on his service in the US Marine Corps

during WWII

L

- WILSon Continued on 7 -

7DCMi l i tary.com/magazine DC Military MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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and distance is what the mili-tary gave him. Already a hard worker, he credits the military with making him even more independent.

“It made a man out of me, made me more responsible,” Wilson said. “I knew no one was going to give you anything — you can’t expect anything but a chance and an oppor-tunity. The military made me more determined to work hard and take advantage of my op-portunities.”

Thank you for your serviceWhen asked what he thinks

when people say, “Thank you for your service,” Wilson remarked, “I think it’s nice they thank me; it means a lot. I really think about it. It gives you a sense of pride. It’s better than them saying some-thing else!”

Wilson also credits the mil-itary for the life he’s been able to lead. “If it hadn’t been for my military service, I might have been dead,” he said. “With all

the stuff I’ve had done, there is no way I would have been able to pay for it all without the VA. My military service is respon-sible for my longevity. The care I’ve received has made me very

grateful in my old age.”

By the way . . .That girl he was in love

with? Well, she married some-one else (he even received a

“Dear John” letter). But a year later, as he says, he got the bet-ter deal. He met Lorraine, his wife of 30 years, mother to his four children: Letitia, Patrice, Ronald and Rita.

- WILSON, CONTINUED FROM 6 -

8 | DC Military MAGAZINE DCMi l i tary.com/magazine NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

BY JULIA LEDOUX

l Ullman had dreams of becoming a Marine from a young age. And those dreams

would take him to the battle-fi elds of a distant land. “I graduated high school on June 26, 1951 and on my birth-day, June 29, I enlisted in the Marine Corps on my 18th birth-day,” the Brooklyn, N.Y. native said. “It was something I always wanted to do.”

Ullman spent a total of eight years in the Corps, four of them on active duty and four in the active reserves. “Having been born in 1933, I grew up during World War II, and of course the Marines were in the forefront of the World War II response,” he said. “I would have been very disappointed with myself had I not been able to join the Marines.”Ullman was sworn into the Corps on July 6, 1951 and on that same day he traveled by

train from New York City to Parris Island, S.C., for boot camp. When the train arrived in Yemassee, S.C., a young Marine outfi tted in a starched khaki uni-form jumped aboard.“Using expletives I’d never heard before, he ordered us off that train in no uncertain terms,” continued Ullman. “The fi rst reaction of everyone was, ‘My God, what have I done?’” Ullman said boot camp was a trying, testing — but ultimately, a rewarding experience.

“My fi rst two weeks there, I couldn’t eat. It was just such a cultural shock,” he explained. “I was 18 years old, I’d never been away from home before.” Ullman said the Marines brought out in him abilities he did not know he had. “You felt so good because you graduated, I guess the word is you ‘survived’ boot camp,” he said. “You got through it and you were still in one piece and we were thankful for that.”Unlike today’s 13-week book camp,

PHOTO BY JULIA LEDOUX

Marine veteran Al Ullman poses in front of a photograph depicting helicopters landing in Korea during the height of the Korean War at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. Ullman was sent to Korea in 1952, six months after he graduated from boot camp.

Al Ullman: Marine recalls Korean service

A


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back in Ullman’s day, Marine basic training was eight weeks. “They needed people because of the Korean War,” he said. Following graduation, Ull-man was assigned to the in-fantry and was sent to Camp Pendleton, Calif., for additional training. “I got assigned to Weapons Company, specifi cally the As-sault Platoon,” he said. Ullman learned about 3.5 inch rockets, demolitions and fl amethrowers – knowledge that would prove invaluable when he deployed to Korea.

The road to KoreaUllman said when he signed

his enlistment papers, he was told he did not need to worry about going to Korea because peace talks would soon begin in P’anmunjom. “Six months later, I was in Korea,” he said. On Feb. 2, 1952, Ullman’s troop transport ship landed in Korea and he was trucked to the town of Inje. “I was assigned to the 7th Marine Regiment, specifi cally 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. We all went to Weapons Company,” he said. Ullman was handed an 81mm mortar — a weapon he had no experience with. “I didn’t know anything about it,” he said. “They were giving me a whole new learning experience. I really learned that gun. I still have the fi eld manual at home.” Two months after arriving in Korea, Ullman was promoted to the rank of corporal and in another month was squad lead-er for Able Company. “We were there because these bad guys jumped over on these good guys and we’re here to help these good guys, that’s it. And we’re Marines and Ma-rines do these things,” he said. “I didn’t sit around pondering the political implications of why I was there or why that decision was made for us to go. I wanted

to be a Marine and that’s what

Marines do.”

Ullman and his division were

soon shifted from Inje to a posi-

tion along the Han River north

of Seoul.

“The expectation was the

Chinese were going to come

down that hill, so they put the

division in there,” he said. “It

was a dumb, silly war after that.

All we did was take that hill,

then they’d take it back, then

we’d take it back. We just shelled

the hell out of everybody, killed

everybody we could kill. They

were trying to kill everybody

they could kill and were suc-

cessful, as we were.”

Even with that, nobody said

the war was a dumb thing, Ull-

man continued.

“In retrospect, it was a dumb

thing,” he said. “What the hell

are we doing fi ghting for these

damn hills? The rationale be-

ing, whatever we held when the

armistice was signed, would be

the new line (between North

and South Korea). So, the word

was, get as much as you can.”

Ullman said there were some

really “nasty fi ghts” at places

called Bunker Hill, the Hook

and the Nevada Outposts.

“The Nevada Outposts, they

were terrible,” he said. “They

were out in front of the main line of resistance and were close to the enemy.”

Ullman’s time in Korea came to an end in January 1953, when he returned home.

“War is hours and hours of boredom and seconds of ter-ror,” he said. “I tend to remem-ber the good stuff, the people, the guys.” Today, he lives in Woodbridge and volunteers his time at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va., where he instructs the facility’s new do-cents on the Korean War.

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BY ELLEN TERNES

hirty-eight years after Gordon Peter-son returned from his combat tour in Vietnam, he read a newspaper ar-ticle that called that confl ict “a war

without heroes.”“It stuck in my craw,” said the retired

Navy captain, who fl ew helicopters in the Mekong Delta with the heralded Navy Seawolves of Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron 3 (HAL-3). Flying close cover for SEALS, U.S. and South Vietnamese ground units and Navy river patrol boats, the Sea-wolves lost 44 pilots and door gunners in fi ve years. More than 200 were wounded.

“To anyone who fought there, who was

in a combat unit, we knew who the he-roes were,” said Peterson, “and most of them didn’t come home.”

America is now offi cially com-memorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, which claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Amer-icans. Now aging Baby Boomers, many Vietnam veterans were drafted. Most volunteered. For many, it has been a long road from the 1970s protests of the unpopular war to public recognition of Viet-nam veterans for their service.

Peterson, who lives in Springfi eld, Va., was one of those who wanted to serve in Vietnam. The son of a career Navy man, Peterson was a member of the U.S. Na-val Academy class of 1968. “We were very

mindful of what was happening,” he said. “In the rotunda of Bancroft Hall, there were poster boards with the names and photos of all the alumni who had been killed in Viet-nam. It was not uncommon to see someone you knew.”

He thought about the Marine Corps, but in his senior year decided that, like a lot of his classmates, he wanted to go Navy air. “When I told my parents, my mom teared up,” Pe-terson remembered. “She asked me to fl y

low and slow. Little did I realize that I would one day do just that, although it certainly wasn’t a less dangerous fl y-ing environment.”

Low and slowFor Peterson,

low and slow would come to mean he-licopters and fl ying with the Seawolves, a light attack squadron that had established a reputation for dar-ing and success in combat. “I believed in the mission and the cause,” Peterson said. “It’s what I was getting

T

Gordon Peterson, Vietnam

12 | DC Military MAGAZINE DCMi l i tary.com/magazine NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

I told my parents, my mom teared up,” Pe-terson remembered. “She asked me to fl y

with the Seawolves, a light attack squadron that had established a reputation for dar-ing and success in combat. “I believed in the mission and the cause,” Peterson said. “It’s what I was getting

Nha Be HAL-3 Det 2 March 1970 - PETERSON CONTINUED ON 14 -

Nha Be HAL-3 Det 2 March 1970


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paid to do, and that’s where the action was.”In January 1970, three months after earn-

ing his Navy wings and a week after his fi nal aerial gunnery training with combat-tested Army pilots on UH-1B “Huey” helicopter gunships, LTJG Peterson arrived in Viet-nam. A month later, he was fl ying with the Seawolves in the Mekong River Delta, about 10 miles south of Saigon.

“The area was strategically important, politically and economically for shipping and supply routes,” Peterson said. The Sea-wolves’ mission was to give air cover to U.S. and Vietnamese forces operating along rivers and canals. That meant fl ying low — 1,000 feet or less — and slow, taking enemy fi re and giving it back.

“The Huey was the ‘jeep’ of Vietnam,” Peterson said. Manned by two pilots and two door gunners, the Huey was often un-der-powered under the weight of crew, am-

munition and weapons. “We fl ew with the doors removed,” Peterson said. “They of-fered no protection from enemy rounds, and it was one less thing to worry about if we ditched in a river or canal.”

Peterson says his training prepared him well, but actually fl ying in combat was a different beast from the training fi eld. “It’s not that it was terrifying,” he said, “but when you’re in combat, you’re totally en-gaged, physically and mentally. There’s no time for fretting.”

Peterson described many of his daily missions as “routine,” but there were the hair-raising moments, such as barely getting airborne when the aircraft was struggling with too much weight.

And there were some intense encoun-ters. “We supported Vietnamese Provincial Reconnaissance Units that were employed fl ushing out senior Viet Cong cadre,” said Peterson. “We would fl y at a very low level

to serve as a blocking force. We put down door gun fi re to bar any route of escape, with hope they would be captured. Those missions were unfolding before my eyes, at treetop level.”

In Peterson’s last two months in Vietnam, because he was also a fi re team leader and one of the most combat-experienced pilots in his four-helicopter detachment, he said, “I was fl ying 100 hours a month, multiple missions every day and at night, because they hadn’t trained up some additional fi re team leaders. For a young LTJG, that was a signifi cant responsibility.”

On some of those nights, there was little time for sleeping. When they were on call for 24-hour periods, the crews would sleep in their fl ight suits and boots in the ready room. “When we were getting scrambled from a sound sleep at two in the morning, we didn’t wait to get a briefi ng,” Peterson

- PETERSON, CONTINUED FROM 12 -

HAL-3 Det 2 Gunners, January 1971

- PETERSON CONTINUED ON 16 -


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said. “If someone is calling you in the mid-dle of the night, they need someone in a hurry. We immediately grabbed our helmets, raced out and put on our survival vests. By then, the enlisted men had taken the rotor tie-downs off, and we cranked and tried to be airborne in three minutes.”

Peterson credits those enlisted crew for much of the Seawolves’ success. “Our door

gunners were enlisted, they were volunteers. I believe they were the most potent weapon system we had. The rockets we were using had been developed decades earlier and were intended to be launched from an air-craft fl ying two to three times as fast we were fl ying. We didn’t exceed 90 knots during our rocket runs. The door gunners were putting down covering fi re the whole time.”

One of Peterson’s door gunners, Petty Offi cer Third Class James A. “Jim” Wall,

would come to symbolize heroism for Peter-son and many other Seawolves. Shortly be-fore the end of Peterson’s tour, Wall was se-verely wounded when he was fl ying as door gunner on a different aircraft.

While Wall was rushed to the infi rma-ry, Peterson took it on himself to clean up Wall’s blood that covered the helo’s cabin fl oor. “A crowd gathered along the runway,” Peterson recalled. “I yelled at them to get the hell away. I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t

Seawolf 27

- PETERSON, CONTINUED FROM 14 -

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know what fate awaited Jim, a door gunner I had fl own with many time since his fi rst days in-country — one whom I felt especial-ly close to after months of fl ying together.”

Coming homeIn February 1971, after 515 missions,

Peterson left Vietnam. Still wearing his jun-gle fatigues because there hadn’t been time to change before he boarded the military charter at Saigon’s Ton San Nhut air base, he landed at JFK airport on a cold winter morning. “One day I was in [another] coun-try, the next day I was home,” Peterson said. “It felt somewhat surreal to be back at my home, see my parents, my dog, my friends.”

Peterson said he was treated well. “The cab driver who took me from JFK to my home in Wantagh, New York, said ‘Welcome home,’ and only charged me half fare. When we drove up to my house, there was a ’Welcome Home Seawolf‘ sign in the front window.

“I felt very fortunate, but my experience wasn’t shared by everyone who came back,” Peterson said. “One gunner who had been wounded went through convalescence, therapy, recovery, then went to college and was subjected

to anti-war sentiment and behavior. Here was someone who very nearly gave his life.”

Peterson soon reported to his next assign-ment, a helicopter squadron based in New Jersey. “I had a home. I was in the Navy. I was coming back to a squadron.”

He married Diana, the young woman he had fallen in love with when he was a midship-man, and went on to a successful Navy career, retiring in 1998. He remains active with the Seawolf Association (www.seawolf.org).

In addition to several civilian jobs, in-cluding senior editor of Sea Power Maga-zine, Peterson served as military legislative assistant for his Naval Academy classmate, Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb.

HeroesShortly after Peterson returned from Viet-

nam, there would be hard news from the Sea-wolves. Gunner Jim Wall had recovered from his wounds, but when he returned to fl ight duty, he was killed on his fi rst mission. “He hadn’t even had time to unpack his seabag,” Peterson said. In 2000, Peterson helped lead the effort that named an enlisted barracks after Wall at the Norfolk Naval Station.

Peterson said, “Vietnam shaped me. The men I led and the admiration and affection I had for them stuck with me, made me a more confi dent offi cer. The devotion to a common cause, the intensity, trusting your life to your fellow pilots and gunners — you never forget those experiences.”

Peterson was awarded three medals for heroism in Vietnam, including the Distin-guished Flying Cross, but, he said, “Those of us who served and who came home, we don’t like to be saddled with the notion of being a hero. We did our jobs, we did our mission. It’s those who did not come home with us who gave the last measure of devo-tion who are the heroes in our minds. Jim Wall was a hero.”

Jim Wall


BY ALICE SWAN

A26-year Air Force career that took Jeanie Cross to Strate-gic Command assignments around the country and from the Philippines to Europe, Saudi Arabia and to Moscow hadn’t prepared her for this puzzle.

Even the skills she’s gained in her new career as a policy analyst for the federal government can’t help her this Friday morning. What should she do with the crate of okra sitting in front of her in the kitchen of Cen-tral United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va.?

For the past fi ve years this decorated offi cer, who served in Desert Storm and the early years of the Global War on Terror and helped stand up the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow in 2002, has volun-teered as chief cook at the church’s Friday morning breakfast for Ar-lington County’s homeless veterans and street people. Working in coor-dination with Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), Cross and her crew of dedicated volunteers provide a place where those in need can escape the heat or cold and enjoy a home-cooked meal fea-turing Cross’s culinary magic.

Cross reports she began helping at the breakfasts in 2010. Previous-ly, her husband Gene Cross, the former church pastor Reverend Rich-ard Cobb and other men of CUMC had opened the church on Friday mornings, handing out hot coffee, juice and doughnuts. Going in to help one Friday on a day off from work, Jeanie Cross thought the group could do better by offering a hot and nutritious meal. Using all of her Air Force logistics training, Jeanie took over the kitchen and helped the men’s outreach program really take off.

From those early days of welcoming 10 to 20 individuals for coffee and pastries, the CUMC breakfast now draws about 100 people each

week. Everyone also leaves with a bag lunch. Through A-SPAN, the church receives donations from the Arlington Food Assistance Center that help guide Cross’s menu planning. In addition, A-SPAN uses the space and time to bring support services directly to those who need help. A veterans’ representative, community health nurse and case managers are always on hand to directly connect individuals to available resources.

As Angelica Patrick, A-SPAN’s Rapid Rehousing case manager, shared recently, “This mission has been a good way for us to interact with people. Meals bring people together in a welcoming way and we always see those who come here bring others, so A-SPAN can help

This Air Force veteran stirs up hope, fellowship for those in needJeanie Cross during her time as 95th Transportation Squadron commander, Edwards Air Force Base and in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from 1994 to 1996.

PHOTO BY ALICE SWAN

Jeanie Cross works with fellow volunteers Luke Killian, Hannah Briscoe and Amber Wilhelm preparing bag lunches to be distributed during a Friday morning A-SPAN breakfast at Central United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va.

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To all of our veteransand active-duty military,

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Want to help a veteran? There are many ways to aid veterans in need within the local

community.If you’d like to learn more about the Friday morning breakfasts at

Central United Methodist church, go to www.cumcballston.org/ministries/aspan.

On the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, you will fi nd links to veteran service organizations looking for volunteers. Go to www.volunteer.va.gov for information. There are links to veterans’ homes and President Obama’s program, United We Serve.

Find a list of veteran organizations and service groups providing assistance in the Greater Washington D.C. area at ova.dc.gov/page/veterans-organizations.

The Vets Group, www.vetsgroup.org, is a non-profi t 501(c) 3 community-based organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C. According to the program, it helps veterans and their families achieve economic empowerment through education, entrepreneurship and employment. Assistance with affordable housing, family strengthening and health rehabilitation is also offered.

Make a difference in the lives of some of the area’s oldest veterans and military retirees by volunteering at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. From joining in on games, calling Bingo numbers to just sharing a quiet conversation, your service would be welcome. Visit www.afrh.gov/volunteer to learn more.

them.” Having a place to engage with potential clients in a comfortable, non-threatening environment helps the organization reach more people than they’d be able to just trying to fi nd them on the streets, Patrick added.

Cross gives credit to understanding bosses, who’ve made it possible for her to have continued this volunteer mission for so long. Along with some of her co-workers, many often lend a hand at the breakfasts. She works from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or later Monday through Thursday in order to have Fridays off. She is still up in the early hours with husband Gene to open the church and start cooking every Friday morning, in-cluding the day after Thanksgiving and during the Christmas holidays. Plus, the Crosses lead a meal prep volunteer group each Thursday eve-ning to get all the chopping, peeling and mixing done ahead of time.

Not many of us can boast the energy and motivation that Jeanie Cross seems to possess, to keep serving our country through her gov-ernment job and helping fellow veterans with a meal and a smile each week. What drives her?

“I saw a need. How many of us drive or walk by a street person, maybe with a ‘Homeless Vet’ sign? If you give spare change, you are just facilitating and not solving the problem. These breakfasts are helping solve the problem,” Cross explained. “We are helping people into hous-ing, into jobs. We are making a difference. The success stories make you feel great, seeing a veteran get a key or have someone come in to tell us they got a job.”

Cross said she and her husband will continue to lead the breakfast mission until it’s no longer needed, which may occur when Arlington County opens its permanent homeless shelter. But for now, Cross will be working her magic behind the big stove, making nutritious meals out of the loaves and fi shes provided.

And that okra problem? She just had it chopped, mixed with a little egg and cream, dredged in corn bread mix from the AFAC donations, then stir-fried for a healthy version of fried okra. Another mission ac-complished for this retired Air Force vet.


BY ELLEN TERNES

hen Jen Swierk was in high school in Alaska, she could have been voted the

class member least likely to go into the military — let alone volunteer to enter a war zone.

A self-described hippie in high school, Swierk said she openly pro-tested the government’s decision to invade Iraq. She was so adamant about her feelings that after an ar-gument with an Army friend who would soon be in one of the first units to be deployed to Iraq, the two stopped talking.

“When she got back from Iraq,

we got into another heated debate,” Swierk said, “and she told me, ‘The only thing you know is what see is on the news.’ I realized she was right. A couple of months later I decided to join the military so I could see with my own eyes.”

In 2005, Swierk enlisted in the Army and trained as an MP. “I knew being an MP was one of the two ways that as a woman I could go into a combat area,” she said. In 2007, she deployed with the 10th Mountain Division to Northern Iraq, where she spent the next 14 months finding out for herself what her soldier friend had been talking about.

“Once I was there, it gave me a whole new perspective on what our

men and women do for our coun-try,” Swierk said. “I don’t know about politically in the big scheme, but what I do know is that we were making a difference.”

FOB Warrior KirkukSwierk arrived at FOB Warrior

Kirkuk at a time when there were fewer hostilities than in the south-ern part of the country. She was one of only a few women in a unit of 25 MPs who handled protective services for the Brigade staff and high-ranking visitors.

“I got to travel to a lot of places,” she said. “They would go out into communities and meet with high government officials or the head of

the police force in that town.”She started out as a driver, wait-

ing with her vehicle while the com-mand staff met inside the village. Then, one day, they needed a scribe to take notes at the meetings. Swierk got the job.

“Everyone else had to sit in the truck while I actually got to go into the village,” she said. “I got to be on the ground, go to the meetings, go into the orphanages. I got to hear the gratitude coming from the Iraqis. A lot of us may have seen the negative, that the people didn’t appreciate us being there, but what I heard from the officials in Iraq was thanking us, thanking us for making it safer for their children.”

Jen Swierk – Iraq – GI Jane Hippie

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEN SWIERK

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It wasn’t long after arriving in Iraq that Swierk’s unit was remind-ed that they were in a combat zone. “I think in the beginning we all felt a little more nonchalant going on missions, because we hadn’t felt the impacts of the war yet,” Swierk said, “but in the first few months of our deployment, in November, we lost a truck full of people to an IED. They were in my platoon. One of them was a fellow Alaskan, Rooster, who I cared for deeply.

“I remember when they first told us, there was a lot of crying. The next day, we had a little gathering with the chaplain before they sent them back to the United States. To have to carry one of my brother’s bodies into that airplane was one of the hardest and darkest experiences of my life.

“But then we had to get ready for the next mission. It was kind of ‘suck it up and go back out there.’”

GI Jane HippieSwierk’s fellow soldiers called her

GI Jane Hippie. “I’m competitive, hard-charging,” she said. Only 5’4” with a small build, she regularly fin-ished in the top 1 percent in physical training. In 2011, she was the only woman in the 39 teams in the gruel-ing Military Police Warfighter Com-

petition. She says that helped her fit in as a woman.

“I tended to do very well PT-wise,” Swierk said. “I think that’s really what it comes down to with a male soldier. If you can shoot, do the same aspects they can, I think that gets a lot of respect from them.”

Swierk says all Army women didn’t share her experience. “I know a lot of women dealt with being sex-ually harassed. It was my job to talk with lower-ranking females, and I heard stories. I was never belittled or treated differently, but I never gave them a reason to.”

Swierk relishes the camarade-rie she found in her platoon. There was one tough day when she helped a medic try to save a man who had been shot nearby. Swierk ended up covered in his blood.

“Later that night, some of the guys and I huddled in one of their rooms, nothing crazy, just five peo-ple talking about the situation that happened,” Swierk said. “There were always nights like that.”

There also was Girls’ Night. “Some of the women in my bat-talion were on the other side of the FOB, and you had to take a bus to

- SWIERK CONTINUED ON 22 -


get there. My girlfriends would come over and pick me up on the bus and we would have Girls’ Night. We tried to do it once a week if I wasn’t on mission.”

Women of IraqBeing a woman gave Swierk a

chance to do something a male soldier could not have done. She and her fe-male platoon sergeant trained the first Northern Iraq contingent of women police. She says it was one of her favor-ite things about her time in Iraq.

“There was a group of Iraqi women who stood up for their coun-try,” Swierk said. “They knew that no one in their country supported them in doing that job, but it was a job that needed to be done. For instance, due to their customs, men can’t search women the way other women can.

We taught them basic rioting tac-tics, how to search other females.

“We attempted to teach them phys-ical fitness — I don’t think any of them had ever done that. The male instruc-tors who were there wouldn’t even look at them while they were doing it, because it’s considered disrespectful to see women moving like that.”

Swierk said, “It was really cool to work with these women, they really took us in. It made me feel like I was capable of giving something to the country on a personal level.”

That experience would have a bittersweet outcome. Swierk is still in touch with the interpreter who helped them in the police training. “He tells me that the area has been completely taken over by terrorists and that most of the women we trained have been killed,” she said.

TodaySwierk left the Army at the rank

of Staff Sergeant in 2013, after serv-ing in the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and, in 2011, being named the CID Soldier of the Year. As a gay woman, she had wrestled with the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was in effect during most of her time in.

Now 31, Swierk is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, and married to another Army veteran. She switched her major from criminal justice to kinesiology, with the goal of doing physical therapy

for veterans. The first in her family to graduate from college, Swierk will get her bachelor’s degree in May, then start work on a doctorate of physical therapy.

She’s found a new home in the university’s 800-member veterans’ group, Terp Vets.

“This is probably the number one school for veteran support,” Swierk said. “People on campus will bend over backward to help. The vets help each other out, whatever you need.”

Swierk also stays in touch with the guys in her platoon in Iraq. She says the experiences she had with them and in the Army “gave me confidence I wouldn’t have had. I met some of the best people. Those men took me in as one of their own. They showed me open mindedness, open-hearted-ness, compassion and respect.”

As for finding out what war was all about, Swierk said, “When I look back, I don’t have some of the regrets that I know other people do. I knew there were good things being done there, but I wonder to myself if cer-tain sacrifices were worth it, especial-ly when November comes around, and I think about those friends I lost.”

Photos courtesy of swierk

swierk liked when they went out on a mission, saw dogs and cats and could play with them. “they were lighthearted moments, which you didn’t have too often,” she said. “the puppy brought so much happiness to us that day.”

- swierk, Continued FRoM 21 -


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his past July, I partici-pated in the Register’s Annual Greater Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), riding a

bike from the western side of Iowa to the east, touring tiny towns and sampling Iowa nice-ness. I spent an afternoon riding with an Iraq War veteran named Kevin Smith. He was charging hard and encouraging the three others with him. He had on a bright red Team Red, White & Blue shirt and a big smile, and he told me all about Team RWB.

He and tens of thousands of other vets return from de-ployments with the now-known effects of their experiences, ranging from a feeling of hope-lessness and not belonging to severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Smith had returned from his deployments vowing not to let his experiences in Iraq keep him down in any way. A com-petitive athlete, he chose to give

back volunteering his time to “helping other vets out of their funk,” he told me. This past July he joined a loose bunch of vet-erans and military friends from Georgia to ride around Iowa for a week.

Team RWB organizes week-ly runs, bike rides, triathlons, running races, climbing, hiking, watersports . . . the list goes on. Completely volunteer-driven, their mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their com-munity through physical and social activity.

Former US Army offi cer and vet Bill Rausch leads a week-ly Tuesday night run in Old Town Alexandria, Va. “It’s not as much a running group as a cool community. We started two years ago, looking for a way to bring the community together and connect military vets and families,” he said. “I know from personal experience how being part of a community matters, especially if you struggle after

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEAM RWB

Members of Team Red, White & Blue pose for a photo right after completing hike in Maryland.

TEAM Red,White & Blue

T

- TEAM CONTINUED ON 24 -


being deployed to Iraq or Af-ghanistan.”

So every Tuesday at 6 p.m., a group meets in front of City Hall under the big American flag and fountain there. “We started with two to three people, and now have groups of over 50 show up,” said Rausch. “That’s our rally point, and we have all kinds of other activities in and around Alexan-dria.” That includes rock climb-ing every Monday at SportRock, a program run by another vet. Team RWB is closely connected with the American Legion, Team Rubicon and Volunteer Alexan-dria, promoting volunteerism of all kinds.

“It’s the simple concept of connecting good people to a great community,” said Rausch. “Last year the mayor declared year of the veteran. The support network is there and we have re-ally grown and blossomed.”

After his tours in Iraq, Army veteran Adam Silver lives in Springfield, Va., and is anoth-er volunteer athletic director of all fitness-related events for

Team RWB DC. He met anoth-er vet while participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, learned about Team RWB and is now prepping to run the Ma-rine Corps Marathon this fall –

his first.“I was struggling to get back

into civilian life, and mental-ly and physically I was in a bad spot,” said Silver. “I went and checked out the Tuesday Alexan-

dria run and kept going back. No one judges. No one asks dumb questions. But you realize how many people relate to your expe-riences and are interested in the same things you are.”

Members of Team Red, White & Blue pose for a group photo just before competing in the Firecracker 5k race in Reston, Va.

PhoTos couRTesy oF TeaM RWB

a member of Team Red, White & Blue Washington, D.c. makes his way down the Potomac River during a stand-up paddleboarding event sponsored by the chapter.

- TeaM, Continued FRoM 23 -


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A member of Team Red, White & Blue takes a moment to refl ect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001 during a 9/11 Moving Tribute group run.

An avid hiker and outdoors-man, Silver started as an out-door coordinator. “When I was going hiking, I’d invite other people through our Facebook page,” he said. “We’ve built up the program from nothing to two or more events a month now.” Events range from short three-mile kid- and dog-friend-ly hikes to a three-day overnight trip to West Virginia that includ-ed camping, hiking and kaya-king. Everyone’s invited. “We always have a good mix of veter-ans and others who just want to join,” said Silver.

Research on Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans suggests that 10 to 18 percent are likely to have PTSD after they return, as well as anxiety and depression, according to the U.S. Depart-

ment of Veterans Affairs. Team RWB builds a community of like-minded individuals who re-fuse to let PTSD or any other combat-related injury stand in their way to living a normal life.

Founded in 2010, Team RWB has 82,543 members in over 120 communities, in the U.S. and across the globe, according to their website. “Physical activity can jump-start recovery from a lot,” said Adam Silver. “No one doesn’t have anything going on in their heads. We have people that come to RWB because they need help themselves. Others come because they want to help others and better them-selves. At the end of the day, everyone is getting something out of this.”


BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON

hile it may not have a theater district per se — such as New York’s Broadway —

the Washington, D.C. area is home to 80-plus professional theaters that mount more than 350 productions and play to a combined audience that exceeds 2 million people each year, according to Destination DC, the District’s convention and tour-ism bureau. The nation’s capital has the second-highest per-capita num-ber of theater productions annually.

From the grand to the intimate, local theaters play host to touring companies of current and future Broadway shows, produce their own renditions of Broadway classics, and premiere new and cutting-edge musi-cals, dramas and comedies.

Live theater does not come cheap. Tickets to Broadway touring compa-ny productions can run $150 or more apiece. But there’s no reason to pay full price. Many theaters offer military discounts, and the USO provides free tickets through a lottery. Some theaters dedicate an entire performance to the military and others have special packag-es that give wounded warriors and their spouses a theatrical night to remember.

Fourteen local venues are mem-bers of the Blue Star Theatre initia-tive, which is designed to recognize the contributions of service families and strengthen connections between the theater community and military families across the country, according to the program’s website. Each the-

ater sets its own discount policy. For example, Olney Theatre offers both discounts and complimentary tickets, depending on the show, while Folger Theatre provides half-off tickets and Signature Theatre marks down tickets by 20 percent. All 14 theaters accept phone reservations and a few — such as Signature, if you plug in the code MIL20 — take online reservations. A valid military ID is required to pick up tickets, which generally are held at the theaters’ will-call window.

Just because a venue isn’t a Blue Star Theatre member doesn’t mean that military discounts aren’t available. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers 50 percent dis-counts to enlisted military personnel, grades E1-E4, through its Specially Priced Tickets program (www.kenne-dy-center.org/tickets/spts.cfm) and dis-counted and complimentary tickets to active-duty members of the armed forc-es through the MyTix program (www.kennedy-center.org/mytix/about).

Sometimes it is theater companies and not the venue that offer military discounts. Two of the Hylton Perform-ing Arts Center’s resident art partners — Manassas Ballet and Prince William Little Theater — offer reduced-price tickets to military families, according to Jessica Pettit, the theater’s public rela-tions and media coordinator.

While not exclusive to the military, other programs offer signifi cant dis-counts. Round House Theatre offers two pay-what-you-can (PWYC) per-formances during the fi rst week of each production. PWYC tickets, which go on sale at the box offi ce one hour prior

to curtain, are limited to two per person and must be paid for with cash. Theater J has one or two PWYC preview perfor-mances for each of its shows and Woolly Mammoth offers PWYC tickets for the fi rst two performances, usually Mon-day and Tuesday, of every production two hours prior to curtain, with a limit of two tickets per person and payment by cash or check.

If you can attend a performance at the start of the week, discounts are deeper. Round House has $10 Tues-days, where side section seats can be purchased with a bill featuring Alexan-der Hamilton, and Signature Theater has $22 Tuesdays during the fi rst two Tuesdays of a show’s run.

Signature also has rush tickets. “Any seats not sold one hour prior to the show are sold for $30,” said Jen Buzzell, Signature’s director of mar-keting. The Shakespeare Theatre offers $25 rush tickets for any unsold seat beginning two hours before show time, and Olney Theatre has $15 rush tickets for students.

Stampede tickets is how Woolly Mammoth refers to seats available two hours prior to curtain. The the-ater makes 10 or more side balcony seats available for all main stage per-formances for $15 each with a limit of two per person. Theater J’s 10 for $10 program sets aside 10 tickets for every performance, each of which is sold for $10. “We believe that live the-ater is for everyone — and should be accessible to everyone, too,” noted the theater’s website.

Way, Way, Way Off Broadway

Blue Star TheatresArena Stage1101 6th St., SWWashington, DC 20024202-554-9066arenastage.org

Center Stage700 North Calvert St.Baltimore, MD 21202410-332-0033www.centerstage.org

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company7 South Calvert St.Baltimore, MD 21202410-244-8570chesapeakeshakespeare.com

Constellation Theatre Company1835 14th St., NWWashington, D.C. 20009202-204-7741www.constellationtheatre.org

Everyman Theatre315 West Fayette St.Baltimore, MD 21201410-752-2208www.everymantheatre.org

Folger Theatre201 East Capitol St., SEWashington, DC 20003544-4600www.folger.edu

Ford’s Theatre511 10th St., NWWashington, DC 20004202-347-4833www.fords.org

Olney Theatre2001 Olney-Sandy Spring RoadOlney, MD 20832301-924-3400www.olneytheatre.org

Round House Theatre4545 East-West HwyBethesda, MD 20814240-644-1100www.roundhousetheatre.org

Signature Theatre4200 Campbell Ave.Arlington, VA 22206703-820-9771www.sigtheatre.org

Studio Theatre1501 14th St., NWWashington, DC 20005202-332-3300www.studiotheatre.orgTheater J1529 16th St., NWWashington DC 20036202-518-9400www.washingtondcjcc.org

Woolly Mammoth641 D St., NWWashington, DC 20004202-393-3939www.woollymammoth.net

Young Playwrights’ Theater2437 15th St., NWWashington, D.C. 20009202-387-9173www.youngplaywrightstheater.org

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W


Some theaters offer shows or con-certs that are free or close to the price of a movie ticket. Hylton doesn’t charge to see The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” “We’ve made a commitment to keeping things affordable,” said Pettit. Tickets to shows in Hylton’s family series are $15 for adults and $5 for students.

Committed to expanding the con-texts in which poetry and literature are experienced, Folger Theatre offers tick-ets to its PEN/Faulkner Reading and O.B. Hardison Poetry series for $15, or $7.50 with its military discount. “You’ll hear celebrated authors read their works, learn about their inspirations, and get a book signed,” said Peter Era-mo, Jr., marketing and PR manager for Folger Shakespeare Library.

Several websites offer reduced-price theater tickets. While you can score discount tickets at TICKETPLACE.org, culturecapital.tix.com, the website is a great resource for learning more about the D.C. arts scene. DC Theatre Scene’s website, dctheatrescene.com/hot-tickets, lists PWYC and other dis-counted performances to D.C. shows. Goldstar, www.goldstar.com/wash-ington-dc, and Theatre Mania, www.theatermania.com/washington-dc/discount-tickets, offer cheap tickets to theatrical events.

The USO of Metropolitan Wash-ington-Baltimore’s Ticketline (www.usometro.org/tickets) provides military families with free tickets to performing arts and sporting events. Among the venues contributing tickets are the Ken-nedy Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, the 9:30 Club, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Arena Stage and the Shakespeare Theatre, according to Amy Altersitz, center coordinator for the Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir. Those who register with Tick-etline receive emails whenever show and event tickets become available. The names of those who indicate an interest in a particular show are entered into a random drawing.

When ticket winners are notified, they can accept or reject the tickets. Those who accept must use the tick-ets or risk being put on probation, a 90-day period during which they are ineligible to receive tickets. “Tickets received from USO Metro are not transferable and may not be resold,” says Michelle Shortencarrier, com-munications manager for the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore.

During the holiday season, the number of tickets available to shows via Ticketline increases, according to Altersitz. And sometimes, there are shows where many of the tickets are available only through Ticketline. Such was the case last year when Northrup Grumman and GEICO sponsored a performance for 500 military person-nel and their dependents of the Wash-ington Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” In-dications are that the performance will recur this year, she said.

Date night — complimentary dinner at Carmine’s in Penn Quar-ter followed by a performance at

the Shakespeare Theatre — allows wounded warriors and their spous-es “to regain a sense of ‘us,’” said Noreen Major, the theater’s associ-ate director of development. “They can hold hands, be intimate, and get a feel for what is their new normal. Date night — a partnership between the theater, USO Metro and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors — is supported by Booz Allen Hamilton and M Powered Strategies.

Live performances of shows such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Potted Potter” are at the heart of the Shakespeare Theater’s free military

family day. Pre- and post-performance activities engage children and adults and reinforce the show’s theme. “With ‘Potted Potter,’ we had a live owl and children could try on sorting hats and capes,” said Major.

On any given night in the national capital region, curtains rise on upwards of 200 performances throughout the District, Virginia and Maryland, ac-cording to Destination DC, and tickets often are available below face value. But, agree theater administrators, you have to ask. With a little planning, flex-ibility and luck, you can take in show here in the nation’s capital for a song.

A Christmas CarolNov. 19-Dec. 31Performance times varyFord’s Theatre511 10th St. NW, Washington, D.C.202-347-4833www.fords.org

Lemony Snicket’s The Lump of CoalNov. 20-Dec. 31Performance times varyAdventure Theatre Musical Theater Center Glen Echo Park7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Md.301-634-2270www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org

A Christmas CarolNov. 27-Dec. 27Performance times varyOlney Theatre Center 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md.301-924-3400www.olneytheatre.org

Chanticleer: A Chanticleer ChristmasNov. 29 • 4 p.m.Hylton Performing Arts Center10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va.703-993-7759hyltoncenter.org

Swing Machine Big Band: Fourth Annual Christmas ExtravaganzaDec. 3 • 7:30 p.m.Hylton Performing Arts Center10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va.703-993-7759hyltoncenter.org

A Fairtytale Christmas CarolDec. 4-6Gunston Arts Center2700 South Lang St., Arlington, Va.703-548-1154www.arlingtonarts.org

Lee Greenwood: A Lee Greenwood ChristmasDec. 4 • 8 p.m.Hylton Performing Arts Center10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va.703-993-7759hyltoncenter.org

Dave Koz Christmas Tour 2015Dec. 4 • 8 p.m.The Music Center at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.301-581-5100www.strathmore.org

Manassas Chorale: The Spirit of ChristmasDec. 5 • 5 p.m.Hylton Performing Arts Center10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va.703-993-7759hyltoncenter.org

Christmas with Nova Y. Payton and FriendsDec. 8-24Performance times varySignature Theatre4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.703-820-9771www.sigtheatre.org

NSO Pops: The von Trapps & Ashley Brown Family HolidayDec. 10-12Performance times varyThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.202-467-4600www.kennedy-center.org

American Festival Pops Orchestra: Holiday Pops: Songs of the SeasonDec. 11 • 8 p.m.Hylton Performing Arts Center10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va.703-993-7759hyltoncenter.org

WNO: Holiday Family Opera: Hansel and GretelDec. 12-20Performance times varyThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts2700 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.202-467-4600www.kennedy-center.org

Joy of Christmas (feat. Cathedral Choral Society)Dec. 12-13 • 4 p.m.Washington National Cathedral3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, D.C.202-537-2228www.cathedralchoralsociety.org

Sweet Honey in the Rock® — Celebrating the HolydaysDec. 13 • 4 p.m.The Music Center at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.301-581-5100www.strathmore.org

Afro Blue ChristmasDec. 13 • 5 p.m.BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Dr.Germantown, Md.301-528-2260www.blackrockcenter.org

NSO: Handel’s MessiahDec. 17-20Performance times varyThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts2700 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.202-467-4600www.kennedy-center.org

Handel’s MessiahDec. 19-20 • 8 p.m., Sat.; 3 p.m., Sun.The Music Center at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.301-581-5100www.strathmore.org

Savion Glover: Dance Holiday SpectacularDec. 19 • 8 p.m.George Mason University Center for the Arts4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, Va.703-993-8888www.gmu.edu/cfa

Stars of David: Story to SongDec. 22-27Performance times varyTheater J1529 16th St. NW, Washington D.C.202-518-9400www.washingtondcjcc.org

Holiday Performances Compiled by KAReN FiNUCAN ClARKSoN- bRoAdwAy, Continued FRoM 26 -


November 21, 2015 – January 3, 2016TheWashington, D.C. Region’s Must-See Holiday Attraction Returns!

• 2 million pounds of colorful ice sculptures and two-story ice slides• Scenes from this holiday classic come to life in this walk-through winter attraction• The Frostbite Factory—a live ice carving zone

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PRESENTED BYLocated in National Harbor, MD – Conveniently located minutes fromWashington, D.C. and across the river from Old Town Alexandria.*Subject to 10% entertainment tax and transact ion fee per ticket. **Per room plus tax, resort fee and parking. Package pricing, components, show schedulesand entertainment subject to change without notice. See website for restrictions. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town© Classic Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.PEPSI and Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc.

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FUN (& IMPORTANT) STUFF TO DO Compiled by Karen FinuCan ClarKson

The price of Freedom: americans at War

ongoingThe National Museum of American History14th Street and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.americanhistory.si.edu/exhibi-

tions/price-of-freedom

Jews in the american military

ongoingNational Museum of American Jewish Military History1811 R St. NW, Washington, D.C.202-265-6280www.nmajmh.org

Winter lights Festivalnov. 20-24 (special events)

nov. 27-dec. 31 (except dec. 25)•Wine Under the Lights: Nov. 20, 6-10 p.m.•Run Under the Lights: Nov. 21, 6:15 p.m.•S’more Lights & Trolley Rides: Nov. 22, 5:30-9 p.m.•Leashes ‘n’ Lights: Nov. 24, 6-9 p.m.Seneca Creek State Park 11950 Clopper Road Gaithersburg, Md.301-258-6350www.gaithersburgmd.gov/leisure/special-events/win-

ter-lights-festival

lights on the baynov. 21-Jan. 65-10 p.m.Sandy Point State Park 1100 E College Pkwy Annapolis, Md.lightsonthebay.org

iCe! Christmas on the potomacnov. 21-Jan. 3Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center

201 Waterfront St. National Harbor, Md.bit.ly/19hMWbk

Christmas at mount Vernonnov. 27-Jan. 69 a.m.-5 p.m.•Mount Vernon by Candlelight (weekends only, through Dec. 20)•Christmas Illuminations at Mount Vernon (Dec. 18-19, 5:30 p.m.)George Washington’s Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial HighwayMount Vernon, Va.703-780-2000www.mountvernon.org

11th annual downtown d.C. Holiday martnov. 27-dec. 23Noon-8 p.m.8th and F Streets NW Washington, D.C.downtownholidaymarket.com

Zoolightsnov. 27-Jan. 1 (except dec. 24, 25, 31)5-9 p.m.National Zoological Park 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C.202-633-4888

s.si.edu/1g5HL83

Festival of lightsnov. 27-Jan. 15-9:30 p.m.Watkins Regional Park 301 Watkins Park Drive (Route 193) Upper Marlboro, Md.301-699-2456www.pgparks.com/Festival_of_Lights.htmOther Festivals of LightsDates and hours TBD•22nd Annual Symphony of LightsMerriweather Post Pavilion, Broken Land Pkwy and Hickory Ridge Road, Columbia, Md.bit.ly/1bSd1ni

- Calendar CONTINUeD ON 30 -


•38th Annual Festival of LightsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 9900 Stoneybrook Drive Kensington, Md.301-587-0144dctemplelights.lds.org•Bull Run Festival of Lights7700 Bull Run Dr. Centreville, VA703-631-0550www.bullrunfestivaloflights.com•Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of LightsMeadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, Va.703-255-3631www.winterwalkoflights.com•The Garden of LightsBrookside Gardens 1800 Glenallen Ave., Wheaton, Md.301-962-1400www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/garden_lights.shtm

Annmarie Garden In LightsDec. 4-Jan. 2 (except Dec. 7-9, 14-15 and 24-25)Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center 13480 Dowell Road / 99 Dowell, Md.410-326-4640bit.ly/1KWYIP0

December

45th Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend & ParadeDec. 4-6Old Town Alexandria•Taste of Scotland: Dec. 4, 8 p.m.The George Washington Masonic Memorial Temple101 Callahan Drive Alexandria, Va.•Heather and Greens Sale: Dec. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.The Campagna Center418 S. Washington St. Alexandria, Va.•Holiday MarketplaceDec. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.The Campagna Center418 S. Washington Street Alexandria, Va.

•Holiday Designer Tour of Homes: Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.Alexandria, Va.

Deck the Halls with Santa (tickets required)

Dec. 6, time to be announcedThe Campagna Center418 S. Washington Street Alexandria, Va.703-549-0111www.campagnacenter.org/scottishwalkweekend

Holly TrolleyFestDec. 5-20 (Sat. & Sun. only)12:30-4:30 p.m.National Capital Trolley Museum1313 Bonifant Road Colesville, Md.301-384-6088www.dctrolley.org

Breakfast with SantaDec. 58-9:30 a.m. and 10-11:30 a.m.The Clubs at Quantico 3017 Russell Road Quantico, Va.703-784-2249www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Dec. 64-6 p.m.Lejeune Hall, Quantico, Va.703-784-3004www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org

Holiday Concert (featuring the U.S. Army Field Concert Band & Soldiers’ Chorus)

Dec. 97 p.m.Meade Senior High School 1100 Clark Rd, Fort Meade, Md.301-677-5550www.armyfieldband.com

Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade

Dec. 126-8 p.m.Eastport Yacht Club 317 First Street Annapolis, Md.410-267-9549

www.eastportyc.org

NatsFest (Washington Nationals Fan Festival)

Dec. 12-1310-11:30 a.m. (season plan holders) 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (general public)Walter E. Washington Convention Center

801 Mt Vernon Pl NW Washington, D.C.202-675-6287www.nationals.com/natsfest

Reindeer Run 5K

Dec. 198 a.m.Murphy Field House Fort Meade, Md.

www.meade.armymwr.com

Family New Year’s Party

Dec. 315-8 p.m.The Lanes at Fort Meade, 2788 MacArthur Rd Fort Meade, Md.301-677-5541www.ftmeademwr.com

Adult New Year’s Party

Dec. 319 p.m.-1 a.m.The Lanes at Fort Meade,2788 MacArthur Rd Fort Meade, MD301-677-5541www.ftmeademwr.com

New Year’s Gala Celebration

Dec. 318 p.m.-1 a.m.The Clubs at Quantico 3017 Russell Road Quantico, Va.Reservations required. Email [email protected] or call 703-784-4264www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org

January

NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo

Jan. 9-109 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.; 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun.Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW Washington, DC512-522-2435www.networkevents.tv/events/2016-nbc4-health-fitness-

expo-washington-dc

Washington Wedding Experience

Jan. 1011 a.m.-5 p.m.Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW Washington, D.C.703-425-1127www.weddingexperience.com

6th DC Tattoo Expo

Jan 15-1712 p.m.-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat.; 12 p.m.-8 p.m., Sun.Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Arlington, Va.571-606-3866

www.dctattooexpo.com

Washington Wedding Experience

Jan. 17EagleBank Arena (Patriot Center) 4500 Patriot Circle Fairfax, Va.703-425-1127www.weddingexperience.com

The Washington Auto Show

Jan. 22-31Hours varyWalter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW Washington, D.C.www.washingtonautoshow.com

Home + Remodeling Show

Jan. 22-24Hours varyDulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va.703-378-0910www.homeandremodelingshow.

com

Sugarloaf Craft Festival

Jan. 29-31Hours varyDulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va.301-990-1400www.sugarloafcrafts.com

2016 Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge!

Jan. 30Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E College Pkwy Annapolis, Md.www.plungemd.com

- CALENDAR, Continued FRoM 29 -

for those whostand watch over our nationON VETERANS DAY, WE HONOR AND REMEMBER THE DEDICATION

AND SERVICE OF ALL U.S. MILITARY VETERANS.

NO GREATER APPRECIATION CAN BE RENDERED TO THESE GREAT

AMERICANS THAN BY PROVIDING THEM WITH OUR VERY BEST TECHNICAL

AND ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS.

we have counted on their sacrifice and they can count on ourcommitment to deliver on our promise.

honoring veterans day

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