Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post that sits next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia. The fort is a small post that sits directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The 2005 Base Realignment initiative will cause Fort Myer and the Marine’s Henderson Hall to merge and become the first Joint Base of the Department of Defense. Joint Base Myer-Henderson will consist of military installations at Fort Myer, Virginia, Crystal City, The Pentagon, Fort McNair and the District of Columbia. Fort Myer was established in the Civil War as Fort Whipple and was named in honor of Brigadier General Albert J. Myer in 1880. General Myer established the Signal School of Instruction for Army and Navy Officers. The fort was the first site where a military flight of an aircraft took place at a military installation. Several exhibition flights by Orville Wright were presented at Fort Myer in the early 1900s. Fort Myer is headquarters to service personnel working throughout the National Capital Region.

Weather in the Fort Myer area tends to be warm in the summer with temperatures in the 70s and very cold in the winter with the temperatures in the 30s. Annual rainfall in the area is 45 inches with the wettest month being May. July is also the warmest month, and January is the coldest. Local housing options are available nearby in cities such as Alexandria, Bethesda, and Annandale. Unit located on Fort Myer are the First and Fourth battalion of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, and the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”. Fort Myer serves as the base for most Services’ Honor Guards and burial teams due to its proximity to Arlington National Cemetery. Many of the burials at Arlington National Cemetery come from the Old Post Chapel on Fort Myer.