Hungry soldiers have a new place to dine at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
Fort Myer’s new dining facility held its grand opening on Wednesday after three years of renovations, providing a modernized place to eat for more than 4,000 active duty and Department of Defense civilians on base.
“We asked for a premier dining facility and administrative space and that is exactly what we’re getting today,” Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp told attendees.
The updated facility, located at 404 McNair Rd and dubbed “America’s Kitchen,” offers a variety of cuisines across its 12 service stations. Two grills for made-to-order food and a pizza oven broaden the cafe’s meal options.
Diners can choose from a wide array of Coke fountain drinks and juices to drink, or they can take advantage of a state-of-the-art machine that produces an assortment of coffee drinks.
In all, the updated dining area can accommodate more than 350 diners.
Steps from the dining area is a new training lab for the base’s culinary program, providing soldiers more opportunities for hands-on instruction. Space for the Transition Assistance Program was also updated as part of the renovations.
“I think this will be a great place for the regiment and for the installation to come together,” Maj. Wes Strickland said.
Located next to Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer’s origins date back to the Civil War. Accordingly, many of the buildings on the northern end of the base were built in the late 19th century.
“Building-wise, we’re blessed to have the history of Fort Myer,” Strickland said, “Very tangible, but it does make things a little bit different, sometimes a little bit more challenging. So it’s great to have a brand new facility for us to use.”
Spanning more than 150 acres, the base features a variety of both military and social buildings. Outside of the usual barracks and administrative buildings, soldiers can access places such as a thrift shop, a bowling center and even a Panda Express.
Along with the culinary program, the base has an auto craft shop, veterinary services and other spaces for skills training.
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall is home to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and Headquarters U.S. Army Garrison. It includes the Army’s Fort Myer and the Marine Corps’ Henderson Hall, as well as Fort Lesley J. McNair in D.C. Nearly 15,000 active duty personnel, family members and civilians work and/or live across all facilities, according to the Dept. of Defense.
