The governor signed two identical pieces of legislation, HB 1128 and SB 528, which will exempt up to $40,000 of veteran retirement pay from taxes and prioritize Virginia’s Military and Veteran Community.
“When I had the great privilege elf being hired by all of you, we expressed a great series of commitments, and you’re at the top of the list of that commitment: to go work on a bi-partisan basis to make Virginia the most military and veteran-friendly state in America,” said Youngkin.
Police found a car believed to be involved in a shooting on the Capital Beltway we first told you about earlier this week, burned out near Quantico.
Shortly before 4 a.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, the Prince William police Department said fire and rescue crews found a car ablaze in a wooded area of Prince William Forest Park, off Joplin Road near Quantico Marine Corps Base.
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A small-scale replica of Aerodrome No.5, a lighter-than-air craft launched near Quantico in 1896, seven years before the famed Wright Brothers flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C. [Photo: Rick Horner][/caption]
The Stafford Regional Airport held an event to announce the launch of its Aerodrome No.5 project, which will tell the story of the county's connection to early American aviation.
Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley is noted for successfully conducting the first heavier-than-air flight on May 6, 1896, with the designated Aerodrome No. 5. Langley chose Chopawamsic Island, a small land mass in the Potomac River between Quantico and Stafford County, as his launching point.
The 14-foot structure was launched from a houseboat off of the island's coast and flew approximately 3,300 feet for 90 seconds before having a gentle landing on the river. The Aerodrome No.5 flight is the first instance of mechanical flight in the U.S., event organizers said.
Until now historians have credited The Wright Brothers are credited for being the first to fully when they flew a heavier-than-air contraption at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on December 17, 1903. The state coined the phrase "first in flight" and printed it on its vehicle license plates.
Langley beat his record on November 26, 1896, when Aerodrome No.6 was launched from the same location and flew 4,200 feet at an average speed of 30 miles per hour.
"Stafford's history is so rich and deep, we want to get it out there and talk about it," said Scott Mayausky, treasurer of the Langley Flight Foundation. "What Langley achieved changed the course of world history, he was an instrumental part of that, and it happened right here in Stafford County. We want to recognize that, acknowledge that, and be proud that it happened here in Stafford County."
In addition to his position with the foundation, Mayausky is also the president of the Stafford Museum and Cultural Museum and the county's Commissioner of Revenue.
The Foundation and the Stafford Regional Airport have formed a partnership to have a to-scale model of Aerodrome No.5 built to display it in the airport's terminal. The 14 by 14 model intends to use it for educational purposes for students interested in STEM fields such as engineering, aviation, and mathematics.
Other possibilities of use for the Aerodrome No.5 exhibit include spurring more economic development and tourism, which could attract aviation enthusiasts and airplane and drone development.
"This is an incredible opportunity to not only educate people not only about a little-known aspect of Stafford's history but to give people a sense of the whole concept of what happened here and how we can move forward in the future," said Hank Scharpenberg, a member of the Stafford Regional Airport Authority.
The event was-co sponsored by the Langley Flight Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, seeking funding of $350,000 for constructing a replica of Aerodrome No.5. The Wright Experience in Warrenton would build the model, to be housed at the Stafford Regional Airport.
The original Aerodrome No.5 sits at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The Langley Foundation has set up a GoFundMe page as one method of raising funds for the exhibit. Donations for the project can also be made on the foundation's webpage at langfound.org.
The run took place aboard the Marine Corps Base, home to Officers Candidate School, which molds the next generation of Marine Corps Officers.
Jonathan Ladson, 31, of Dale City, crossed the finish line first with a winning time of 42:54.
On Saturday, August 13, at 1:32 p.m., police went to the area of Mile Marker 18 on Joplin Road in Triangle to investigate a crash involving a motorcycle.
The 2013 Harley Davidson 883 Sportster motorcycle operator was traveling southbound on Joplin Road with a group of other riders. As the motorcycle approached the area, the operator failed to negotiate a sharp curve in the roadway and traveled over the double yellow lines before leaving the roadway and striking a tree, police said.
The Marine Corps Marathon Organization announced that registration for the Turkey Trot 10K and Mile is open to the public starting today.
The event will run at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Saturday, November 19, five days before Thanksgiving.
The U.S. Navy Band Cruisers will perform at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The band will perform on Thursday, June 30, as part of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s annual summer concert series, composed of eight of the Navy’s most dynamic performers. The Cruisers, formed in 1999, take their name and inspiration from the Navy’s most adaptable and multipurpose ship, the cruiser. The band lives up to its versatile namesake, playing musical genres from jazz to rhythm & blues, classic rock to pop, and their original material as well.
The event drew dozens of friends, family, and Marines to honor both Pasagian and Walsh for their years of service. Lieutenant General Karsten S. Heckl, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration, provided opening remarks.
“The accomplishments at Marine Corps Systems Command during your tenure are a direct reflection of your outstanding leadership,” said Lt. Gen. Heckl. “I know firsthand how much effort you put into ensuring our command is on track with our Marines. You had the intelligence and communication capabilities needed to make an expeditionary force. You were undoubtedly the right Marine at the right time to lead this demand.”
Quantico Marine Corps Base honored the fallen on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2022.
Base Commander Col. Michael L. Brooks attended a ceremony at Quantico National Cemetery. Later in the afternoon, the Quantico Marine Corps Band played a concert at the entrance to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Initially, first responders thought a pedestrian had been struck, but it wasn’t long before they learned a man had been ejected from a car. The unidentified man was taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where he was expected to survive, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
There were no other cars involved, and it’s unclear what led to the crash. The incident remains under investigation, police said.
