The U.S. Navy recently honored the memory of Cpl. Barry Foust, an Arlington police officer who died from cancer related to his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The USS Arlington, a San Antonio-class amphibious assault ship named in honor of the county’s response to the attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, flew a U.S. flag over the ship in honor of Foust.
The USS Arlington Community Alliance arranged for the flag to be placed in a case and for Foust’s wife, Karen, to receive it in front of the USS Arlington model in the lobby of the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center.
Attending the ceremony were first responders to the Pentagon, as well as Police Chief Andy Penn, Fire Chief David Povlitz and Sheriff Jose Quiroz.
USS Arlington’s commanding officer, Navy Capt. Vince Labasci, was unable to attend due to operational commitments. He was represented at the ceremony by Rear Adm. David Walt, who recently commanded the amphibious group to which USS Arlington is attached.
Barry “Bear” Foust was among the first responders to the Pentagon. He spent the ensuing weeks as an integral part of the recovery team. Foust was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in mid-2025, and his death a year later was determined to be in the line of duty.
Foust began his police career in 1986 as a patrol officer, and he later became a certified motor officer. He retired in 2019 after 32 years of service.
But that was not the end of the story. With the Arlington County Police Department struggling with staffing issues, Foust voluntarily returned to duty in December 2022.
Foust’s death was the eighth law enforcement line-of-duty death in Arlington history and the county’s second line-of-duty death from 9/11-related cancer.
Police Cpl. Harvey Snook III, another first-responder at the Pentagon on 9/11, died in January 2016 due to cancer connected to the recovery effort. A U.S. Army veteran, he had served on the police force for 27 years.
Commissioned in 2013, the USS Arlington delivers U.S. Marines to world hotspots and humanitarian missions.
The USS Arlington and its sister ships, USS New York and USS Somerset, were named to honor the three communities most impacted by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
