| Veterans
News Flash 
U.S. Army Opens New Military-Only Resort
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 8, 2:56 PM ET
RICHMOND, Virginia - The United States military
is adding Virginia's oceanfront to such destinations
as Hawaii and Germany where servicemembers and
their families can get some affordable rest and
relaxation.
The Armed Forces Recreation Center in Virginia
Beach joins other locations in Orlando, Florida,
Germany, Hawaii and South Korea that have been
serving military families and civilians who work
for the U.S. Department of Defense since 1946.
Adding
the new resort is part of the adaptation to an "increasingly continental United States
based" military that is bringing back significant
numbers of soldiers from Germany and Korea, said
Rich Gorman, chief operating officer of the command
based near Washington.
The Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Command assumed responsibility of a 93-room set
of cabins and bungalows in April, but plans to
expand the property over the next two years with
additional rooms and conference facilities. Feet
from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, the
Virginia
Beach resort called Cape Henry Inn has
been open for about 12 years under local management.
"The reason for operating these places was
for rest and recuperation for war-weary soldiers
and that really continues to be the focus today," Gorman
said.
Each year, about 750,000 people visit the resorts,
officials said. The resorts are open to active-duty
and retired military, current and retired Department
of Defense civilians, reservists, delayed entry
recruits and family members.
Each of the resorts features gourmet restaurants,
guest services, pool and fitness centers.
The first resorts were opened in Germany in December
1945. Forces mostly from the 101st Airborne confiscated
hotels that were then used for military rest and
recreation.
In 1995, the privately owned hotels were returned.
A new facility in the Bavarian Alps called the
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort opened in 2004.
The program's other resorts include the Hale Koa
Hotel, which was built in Honolulu in 1975; Orlando's
Shades of Green, which opened in the mid-1990s;
and Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, South Korea.
SOURCE:
Yahoo News
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