HEAD OF D.C. MILITARY DISTRICT COMMANDS ARMY'S CEREMONIAL PRESENCE

STEVE VOGEL
WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER
Column: MILITARY MATTERS
Thursday, August 10, 2000 ; Page J07

A new commander has taken the helm of the Military District of Washington, the Army command that oversees a half-dozen installations, countless ceremonies and thousands of soldiers in the region. After two years in charge of the district, Maj. Gen. Robert Ivany relinquished command to Maj. Gen. James T. Jackson recently at the parade field at Fort McNair, the command's headquarters in Southwest Washington. "This is a special place, and this is a special ceremony. Soldiers have marched on this parade field for 209 years--in war, in peace, in times of profound grief and in times of equally profound celebration," said Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff, who presided over the July 28 ceremony. The Military District of Washington (MDW), considered the premier ceremonial command in the Army, is home to the service's official ceremonial unit, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (the Old Guard), as well as the U.S. Army Band ("Pershing's Own"). "The Military District of Washington and its units are perpetually on parade--performing Twilight Tattoos, guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns and laying to rest our fallen comrades in Arlington," Shinseki said.

"For many Americans, the Old Guard and Pershing's Own are the Army," he said. "They are certainly our public faces." MDW includes Fort McNair in Washington, Fort Myer in Arlington County, Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County. Other installations falling under the command include Fort A.P. Hill in central Virginia and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. The district is also responsible for Arlington National Cemetery and the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Air Field at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. Shinseki credited Ivany for establishing family readiness groups at each MDW installation and putting school liaison officers at each post. "For the past two years, he has put his considerable experience, energy and intellect to work on behalf of soldiers and families here in Washington," Shinseki said. Ivany, 53, has been assigned to be commandant of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

In his parting remarks, Ivany said that he knew little of the ways of Washington when he arrived two years ago but that he received quite an education from MDW soldiers. "Some of my best teachers are standing on the parade field in front of us--the Old Guard and the Army Band, Pershing's Own," Ivany said. "They have impressed me in so many ways about the crucial role that ceremonies play in the soul of our Army and our country." Jackson, 50, has spent much of his career with the Army in Korea. He previously was deputy commanding general for operations and training with the 5th U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, Wash., where he was responsible for the readiness and mobilization of U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard units west of the Mississippi River. "In our business, command represents a highly--if not the most--sought-after assignment," Jackson said at the ceremony. "Needless to say, I'm grateful for this opportunity."

Some Help Is in the Cards

Lisa Joles, whose husband is a Marine Corps noncommissioned officer stationed at Quantico, is not entirely bowled over by the Pentagon's recent announcement that it wants to issue debit cards so low-income troops will no longer have to use food stamps. "It's not really going to rescue them from welfare, but it's certainly going to make a difference," said Joles, who runs an unofficial volunteer network at Quantico called Helping Enlisted Lives Prosper (HELP). The group attempts to assist Marines, primarily junior enlisted, who are having difficulties making ends meet on their salaries. The debit program, announced by Defense Secretary William S. Cohen at the Pentagon on July 28, will provide eligible members with electronic debit cards containing a fixed monthly value based upon that person's pay grade and family size. Unlike the rules governing food stamps, the value of housing allowance received by members living off-base would not count as income in determining eligibility or the amount of the benefit. The debit cards would be used at commissaries to purchase food under the plan, which is expected to cost $31 million and would not begin until next year. The Pentagon estimates that 6,300 military families used food stamps in 1998, a number that represents less than 1 percent of the force and that is about half the number using them in 1995.

The fact that any military family must resort to food stamps promises to be a hot topic in the upcoming presidential campaign. The issue was mentioned prominently during last week's Republican National Convention, where it was cited as evidence that the Democrats have neglected the military. Vice President Gore, the presumptive Democratic nominee, quickly endorsed the debit card proposal and called on Congress to give it prompt approval. Joles said the debit card plan is "just something to get the heat off [politicians]. What are they doing now? There are babies going without diapers and families without enough food." Joles's organization holds weekly yard "sales" at Quantico in which furniture is given away to Marine families. Anyone interested in donating furniture or other items may contact Joles at 703-878-7554.

School Gets on Board

Students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda will have a chance to get their feet wet at a Navy laboratory under the terms of an accord signed with the Carderock Division of the Naval Sea Systems Command. The mentorship program, following up on a similar arrangement made last year with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, allows students to pursue actual research projects in the Navy lab under the tutelage of experts in submarine and ship technology. "The school already has students standing in line to join the program," said Tom Warring, a spokesman for Carderock. Walt Whitman Principal Jerome Marco and Capt. John Preisel, commander of the Carderock Division, signed the agreement July 31 at a ceremony at the division headquarters in Bethesda. The Carderock Division is responsible for researching, developing and testing hull, mechanical and electrical systems for the Navy. The installation is home to several unusual labs and test facilities, including the David Taylor model basin.

With schools from Virginia and Maryland on board, Warring said, Carderock will likely add a District school to the mentorship program soon.