Fort Meade

Less than a year after realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a Marine, Pvt. Anthony W. Romano-Caruso was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his Fort Meade barracks room on Wednesday. Rita Romano-Caruso said two Marines arrived at her front door in Burlington, N.C., on Thursday night to tell her that her 19-year-old son had died, but they didn't know why. "I am not sure exactly what happened," she said Friday. "It is bad to sit here in limbo, to not know what's going on. It's bad. ... "Everybody is still in shock.

Fort Meade's rapid growth in the past few years has made it the state's largest employer, but getting a foot in the door — or, rather, inside the guarded fence line — can be daunting. Many of the Army installation's 56,000 jobs require a security clearance. And though it's one base, Fort Meade contains 95 employers, including the National Security Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. When local officials held an event last week to demystify Fort Meade hiring, 300 people showed up, armed with notebooks and resumes.

The state of Maryland and the Defense Department have reached agreement on critical traffic improvements in and around Fort Meade in preparation for an influx of new workers expected to arrive as a result of the base relocation and closing process. The State Highway Administration and the Fort Meade command made a deal under which the state will provide $10 million for improvements to a gate on the post that is considered a potential bottleneck when the work force at the Defense Information Systems Agency, located on fort grounds, expands under the base realignment process.

Hundreds of activists are planning to demonstrate outside Fort Meade this weekend in support of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the former intelligence analyst accused of sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, organizers said. The demonstrators are to include Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defense Department analyst who leaked the Vietnam War records known as the Pentagon Papers; gay veteran Lt. Dan Choi, a national leader in the campaign to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell; and busloads from the Occupy Wall Street and Washington encampments.

Members of the public may watch the arraignment of self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects Saturday at Fort Meade, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. Mohammed and his co-defendants are to be arraigned at Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism and murder in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 193. Fort Meade is one of four military bases scheduled to receive a secure, closed-circuit television feed of the proceedings, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale said.

The golf course at Fort Meade will close May 1 after more than six decades of play, officials at the Army base said Thursday. The 27-hole course, which saw 35,000 rounds of play last year, had been scheduled to close in September to accommodate building projects at the rapidly growing installation. But the date was moved up to accommodate construction deadlines, effectively canceling the final season of play. Fort Meade garrison commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein called the closure "an emotional issue.

Leo Frett was not just up and out of his Severn home before the birds awoke. He was on an elliptical trainer in the gym by 5 a.m., putting in a couple of miles. "I got my routine," said Frett, ticking off an exercise schedule that kept him on the move for a few hours before he arrived at work at 9 a.m., and a healthy diet. Frett, 31, a civilian pet care employee, won the men's division title this month in Fort Meade's Dump Your Plump contest. The two-month competition at the start of the year, open to service members, their families and people who work at the military post, is Fort Meade's annual battle of the bulge that's now in its fourth year.

Dr. Charles E. Rath Jr. and Charles Shyab both earned the Bronze Star for their valor in battle, but neither soldier collected his medal. At a recent ceremony at Fort Meade, the two veterans, who served in battles more than two decades apart, stood together and received the Bronze Star, awarded for valor and meritorious service. Officials also awarded each a congressional citation and an American flag that has flown over the Capitol against a background of plaudits from a U.S. senator, Army officers and a roomful of young soldiers.

A job fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fort Meade, with more than 80 potential employers recruiting. The Fort Meade Veterans Job Fair, run by military offices and the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, is open to veterans and nonveterans. The program will take place at Club Meade, 6600 Mapes Road, and will include information sessions on federal resumes. Among the jobs are those in health care, public safety, administrative work, logistics and computers.

Anne Arundel County officials have until June 1 to assess the effects of a decision by Fort Meade to drastically reduce its 24-hour emergency services and instead rely on paramedics from surrounding counties, now that the Army has postponed the effective date until then. Originally scheduled to take effect tomorrow, the plan was put on hold last week - a decision that left critics hopeful that the Army will find another way to cut costs. "I think it [the delay] is a good move," said James Goetz, Fort Meade EMS spokesman.