Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
ArmyVA, US
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The Pentagon's Backyard, The Old Guard's Front Yard
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall is the smallest joint base by acreage and one of the most consequential by mission. Fort Myer (Army, est. 1863) and Henderson Hall (Marine Corps, est. 1941) merged into one installation on October 1, 2009, and now share a campus that sits directly across Route 110 from the Pentagon and wraps Arlington National Cemetery on three sides. The headline tenant is the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard — the unit that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24/7/365, executes every full-honors funeral at Arlington (25-30 a day in busy weeks), and provides the soldiers you see at every state funeral, every White House arrival ceremony, every dignified transfer at Dover. The Old Guard pulls infantry NCOs and officers selectively, and a Tomb Guard tour or a 1-3 Inf assignment is one of the more distinguishing line items on an Army record. Henderson Hall is HQMC's administrative anchor — Headquarters and Service Battalion supports the CMC and the Marine Corps staff who actually work across the river in the Pentagon. If your orders say JBMHH, you're either ceremonial (Old Guard, Pershing's Own, Coast Guard Honor Guard) or you're administratively assigned to JBMHH while doing your real job at the Pentagon, OSD, JCS, HQDA, or HQMC. The cost-of-living math is the structural trade — even at $3,100+ BAH, Arlington rent eats it. The Smithsonian is free. Arlington Public Schools is one of the best districts in the country. The Old Post brick officer-row dates to the 1890s and the parade field still gets retreat at sunset. The Beltway is structural traffic. The Metro Blue line gets you everywhere.
38.8786°N, 77.0813°WVA, US
Arlington, VA (on-site); Washington, DC (Pentagon adjacent)
|Four-season mid-Atlantic; humid summers, cold winters with occasional ice|extreme COLThe Old Guard (3d US Infantry Regiment)Tomb of the Unknown SoldierPentagon adjacencyHeadquarters Marine Corps support
PCS Intel
Major Units3d U.S. Infantry Regiment "The Old Guard" (1st and 4th Battalions, ceremonial) · U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" · U.S. Army Headquarters Command Battalion · Military District of Washington (MDW) subordinate elements · Headquarters and Service Battalion, Headquarters Marine Corps (Henderson Hall) · U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard · Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic
Population~3,500 personnel assigned to the joint base proper (Army + Marine + joint), serving a much larger NCR-assigned population of ~30,000+ in DC-metro support functions
Nearest AirportReagan National (DCA) — 10 min (frequently walkable from Metro); Dulles International (IAD) — 35-45 min; BWI — 45-60 min
HousingVery limited on-base housing — Quarters One (the Army Chief of Staff residence) and senior officer/NCO housing on Fort Myer; Marine field-grade housing at Henderson Hall. Most assigned personnel live off-base. Arlington 1BR rents commonly $2,200-$2,800; 3BR family rentals $3,500-$5,500. Further-out Springfield, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Woodbridge bring rent down at the cost of commute time.
SchoolsArlington Public Schools is one of the strongest public-school systems in the country — Yorktown, Washington-Liberty, and Wakefield high schools all rate well. Fairfax County Public Schools (when you live in Fairfax) is similarly strong with magnet program depth (Thomas Jefferson HSST). No DoDEA at JBMHH.
MedicalAndrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic on Fort Myer — outpatient primary care only, no inpatient or ER. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda, 30-45 min in traffic) is the National Capital Region's flagship MTF. Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is the secondary military hospital (45 min south).
Spouse EmploymentNational Capital Region spouse job market is structurally exceptional — federal civilian (every cabinet department), defense contracting (Beltway corridor), think tanks, law firms, healthcare, tech, education. PMP/security-cleared spouses have one of the strongest job markets in the country. Remote-work culture is mature.
Commute / GatesJBMHH gates off Hatfield Gate, Wright Gate (Old Post), and the Henderson Hall entrances are tight, urban gates with morning backups; the joint base footprint is small and dense. The real commute issue is I-395, Route 110, and the Pentagon-adjacency traffic — which is structural and unavoidable. Metro Blue line (Arlington Cemetery, Pentagon) and Yellow line (Pentagon City) are realistic alternatives for many assignments.
Local AreaArlington wraps the joint base on three sides — Arlington National Cemetery is on the doorstep, the Pentagon is across Route 110, and the Iwo Jima Memorial (USMC War Memorial) is on the post's edge. Old Post (Fort Myer proper) is one of the oldest continuously occupied Army posts (since 1863) with brick officer-row housing that frames the parade field. Henderson Hall (Marine Corps side) is a tight, urban 25-acre footprint immediately adjacent. Walkable distance to Pentagon City Mall, Crystal City restaurants, and Reagan National Airport. DC across the Memorial Bridge is 10 min. The Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac is on the post's eastern edge.
RecreationSmithsonian museums (free) · National Mall and monuments · Arlington National Cemetery · Old Town Alexandria · C&O Canal Towpath and Mount Vernon Trail biking · Shenandoah National Park (1.5 hrs)
The Good
- +Pentagon and HQDA within 5-10 min
- +Metro Blue/Yellow line access
- +National Capital Region cultural and professional density
- +Arlington National Cemetery on the doorstep
The Bad
- −DC-metro cost of living is brutal — BAH chases but doesn't catch sky-high rent
- −Beltway and I-395 traffic is structural
- −Joint base footprint is small and tightly built
- −Long commute if you live where the math works
By the Numbers
DFAS · state revenueBAH 2026 · MHA DC053
Grade
w/ dependents
w/o dependents
E-4
$3,096
$2,409
E-5
$3,132
$2,832
E-6
$3,759
$3,057
E-7
$3,855
$3,099
E-8
$3,957
$3,261
E-9
$4,128
$3,447
O-1
$3,213
$3,054
O-2
$3,753
$3,126
O-3
$4,020
$3,531
O-4
$4,410
$3,855
O-5
$4,692
$3,909
Tax & Domicile
State Income Tax
Virginia (most JBMHH-assigned families): graduated 2.0% to 5.75% individual income tax (top bracket starts at $17,000 — essentially everyone hits the top). VA military pay subtraction is narrow: up to $15,000 of basic pay only if deployed >90 days, phasing out at $30,000 of basic pay (Code of VA §58.1-322.03). District of Columbia (if you reside in DC): graduated 4.0% to 10.75% (6.5% bracket at $40,000; 8.5% at $60,000) per DC OTR. Maryland (if you reside in MD): graduated 2.0% to 5.75% state + local county piggyback (Montgomery County 3.20%, PG 3.20%) per Comptroller of MD.
Sales Tax
VA state 4.3% + Northern Virginia regional 0.7% + local 1.0% = 6.0% combined Arlington/Alexandria/Fairfax. DC sales tax 6.0%. MD sales tax 6.0% (no local). Restaurant meals taxed higher in Arlington (10%) and DC (10%).
Vehicle Registration
VA DMV registration $40.75 base + local personal property tax (Arlington County rate $5.00 per $100 NADA value, partially relieved by VA Personal Property Tax Relief Act for non-business vehicles up to assessed value — the relief percentage shifts annually; Fairfax County $4.57 per $100). No annual safety inspection statewide as of July 2024. Northern Virginia emissions inspection required biennially in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William (per VA DEQ Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program).
Domicile Play
SCRA preserves SLR; MSRRA extends to spouses. VA at 5.75% on most income is meaningful; DC at 6.5-10.75% is materially worse if you reside in the District. No-tax-state SLR (TX/FL/TN/WA) is the standard career-officer and senior-NCO play and saves five figures annually at NCR pay levels. The MSRRA spouse election is high-value here — defense-contracting and federal-civilian spouses can elect the SM's SLR state and avoid VA/DC/MD wage tax on W-2 earnings.
Family Logistics
Childcare
CDC
Cody Child Development Center on Fort Myer (Army CYS Services) and Henderson Hall CDC (Marine CCDC) — ages 6 weeks-5 years, full-day care. NCR-wide CDC capacity is tight; MilitaryChildCare.com waitlists routinely run 6-12 months for infant slots across the NCR network (JBMHH, Pentagon CDC, Bolling CDC, Quantico, Belvoir, Meade all draw from the same NCR demand pool). Start the waitlist before orders cut.
EDIS
EDIS (Educational and Developmental Intervention Services) coordinated through Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic referral for ages birth-3 with developmental needs. EFMP services across the NCR are well-staffed given the population density.
Off-base options
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and DC have a deep but expensive licensed civilian childcare market — Arlington and DC center care commonly $2,200-$3,000/month for infants. VDSS, DC OSSE, and MSDE maintain the respective public license registries. Fee Assistance Program offsets civilian costs; the NCR is a heavy FAP-utilization region.
Pets
Breed Restrictions
Fort Myer and Henderson Hall on-base housing follows Army/Marine restricted-breed policy: Pit Bull family, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, wolf hybrids prohibited. Max 2 pets typical. Verify at lease signing. Arlington and DC apartment buildings vary widely in pet policy — many high-rises restrict large breeds and require pet deposits / monthly rent.
Vet Access
JBMHH Veterinary Treatment Facility on Fort Myer (US Army Veterinary Corps). Civilian veterinarians dense across Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax. Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (Blacksburg) and Penn Vet (Philadelphia, 2.5 hrs) are the regional academic/teaching/specialty resources.
Healthcare on the Ground
MTF
Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic on Fort Myer — outpatient primary care only, no inpatient, no ER, limited on-site specialty. The clinic supports JBMHH-assigned personnel and their families. jbmhh.tricare.mil.
Specialty Referrals
All inpatient, ER, and most specialty care routes through the National Capital Region MTF network: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda, MD — 30-45 min in traffic, the DoD's flagship academic medical center, Level I-equivalent capability) is the primary referral destination; Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (45 min south) is the secondary military hospital. Civilian Tricare via Inova (Fairfax), Virginia Hospital Center (Arlington), MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, 45 min) all participate.
Mental Health Access
Rader Behavioral Health and embedded behavioral health for ceremonial units. SOF-style operational tempo for The Old Guard (ceremonial-stress profile, not deployment-stress) is a recognized clinical pattern locally. Walter Reed Bethesda's behavioral health depth is the NCR backstop. Military OneSource 1-800-342-9647. Military Crisis Line 988 press 1.
Civilian Tricare Network
Tricare network in the NCR is among the deepest in the system — Walter Reed Bethesda, Fort Belvoir, plus Inova, MedStar, Virginia Hospital Center, Children's National (DC), and Johns Hopkins all participate. Specialty depth is exceptional; complex/rare cases handled in-region without traveling.
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