Front Row, Tanya Bradsher, chief of staff to Congressman Don Beyer; Supervisor Rodney Lusk, Lee District; Col. Michael Greenberg, Fort Belvoir; Supervisor Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District; Stanley Koussis, chairman, Mount Vernon Lee Chamber. Back Row: Alison Ross Tompkins, The Fairfax; Dan Rinzel, Redmon, Peyton & Braswell LLP; Katherine Ward, Mount Vernon Council of Citizen Associations; Peter Sitnik, SITCO Inc.; Cindy Hurrle, Mount Vernon Country Club; Casey Whitmarsh, South Fairfax Chamber; Mark Murray, Fort Belvoir Swim Team; Joel Bernstein, ECCA Payroll; Holly Dougherty, Mount Vernon Lee Chamber.
A group of community leaders met with Colonel Michael Greenberg, Commander, US Army Fort Belvoir, to renew the Army Community Covenant on Wednesday, July 29, at Mount Vernon Country Club.
“Today marks the tenth renewal of the Chamber’s Community Covenant with Fort Belvoir. We are fortunate to have Fort Belvoir as part of our community and honored to renew this agreement,” said Stanley Koussis, Mount Vernon Lee Chamber Chairman.
The Army Community Covenant is designed to foster and sustain effective community partnerships with the Army to improve the quality of life for Soldiers and their families. Mount Vernon Lee Chamber has maintained a Covenant with Fort Belvoir for the past ten years.
Col. Greenberg reviewed the place Fort Belvoir has in the community and cited the opening of the new National Museum of the US Army that will bring more people to use Fort Belvoir and the local community.
“Fort Belvoir has a $14 billion shared economic impact on the region,” said Col. Greenberg, who has worked extensively to forge local and regional partnerships with the Installation.
“The economic threads that run from Fort Belvoir, down the Historic Richmond Highway Corridor, and branch out across our county — drive business, innovation and commercial development,” said Supervisor Rodney Lusk.
“This covenant represents the robust health of all aspects of our relationship,” said Lusk. “I’m so incredibly hopeful and optimistic for what is on the horizon for the Mount Vernon Lee area, and I know that Fort Belvoir is one of the key constants that will make so much of that progress possible.”
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only a small group gathered to sign the Covenant. “This small group represents only a fraction of those who support the service members and their families at Fort Belvoir,” said Koussis.
The national anthem was sung by local baritone Jim Carmalt with Alison Ross Tompkins of The Fairfax Retirement Community leading the group in the pledge of allegiance.