Service members and their spouses are flocking to a broad array of programs to help them strengthen their family relationships as the services step up efforts to curb divorce rates.

From her desk in the Undersecretary of the Army’s Office in the Pentagon, Margaret Danner was a witness to the Korean War.
Danner, 76, of Manassas, served in the Women’s Army Corps from 1951 to 1953.

When President-elect Barack Obama raises his hand Jan. 20 to take the oath of office, three service members from the Fort Belvoir area will be there to provide support through their positions in the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee.

The Fort Belvoir Tax Center opens in mid-January in Building 257 near the intersection of Belvoir Road and 23rd Street.

President George W. Bush has signed into law the “United States Army Commemorative Coin Act of 2008,” authorizing the creation of a series of commemorative coins to recognize and celebrate the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, and to honor the service and sacrifice of American soldiers of both past and present, in wartime and in peace.

Lt. Col. James Overbye spent Christmas in Afghanistan, and while he missed his family back home in Prince William County, the 22-year Army veteran said he is proud to be helping bring democracy and stability to that war-torn country. 

A soldier with ties to both Prince William and Stafford counties received a Purple Heart during a Dec. 19 ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Azalea Charities Inc., treated service members and their families to a pre-holiday dinner at Giorgio’s Family Restaurant in Montclair on Dec. 21.

Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center in Woodbridge recently hosted more than 300 Marine Corps reservists for water survival training.

Nearly 20 teenagers from Prince William County graduated Dec. 20 from Commonwealth ChalleNGe, a free statewide quasi-military program for at-risk teens who have dropped out of high school or are in danger of doing so.

Civil Air Patrol cadet Capt. Joshua Elphee received the Amelia Earhart Award from CAP Maj. James Covel, the commander of the Prince William Composite Squadron, on Nov. 18.

Organizers of the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon Event Series, held aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, announced the winners of the Overall Series Awards.

With jets and helicopters creating the “sound of freedom” in the background, several members of the Combined Joint Task Force 101 RC (E) took a few minutes to take a break from the war in Afghanistan.

Christmas is coming a little early this year for the Kelly family of Manassas.

The commissary at Quantico Marine Corps base may be thousands of miles away from the North Pole, but that’s exactly where some of Santa’s most dedicated “elves” gathered Thursday morning.

Fort Belvoir Speakers’ Bureau provided speakers to the HER-O Program at Saunders Middle School in Dumfries on Dec. 11.

The Aquia Creek Corvette Club, a Stafford regional club with members from Culpeper to Manassas and everywhere in between, raffled off a brand new 2009 Corvette convertible on Dec. 13 at Lindsay Chevrolet in Woodbridge.

Consumers trying to buy a house or finance a car loan could be the big winners as a result of the Federal Reserve’s decision to slash its target interest rate.

The reception Tara Wheeler received Monday after speaking to 6th graders at Woodbridge Middle School was nearly overwhelming—literally.