Base’s sickened Marines out of hospital

ARLINGTON, Va. — Three Marines exposed to a suspicious substance Tuesday after an envelope was opened at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., have been released from the hospital as authorities continue to investigate the incident.

The envelope was opened on the Marine Corps side of the base about 3 p.m. Tuesday, a news release said. Eleven people were sickened. Three Marines were taken to a hospital for evaluation. They were released at 10 that night.

Leah Rubalcaba, a spokesman for the joint base, says people on the Marine Corps side of the base began feeling poorly and complaining of sore throats as soon as the mail was opened Tuesday afternoon.

Rubalcaba said the building was cleared for re-entry around 11 p.m. and normal operations had resumed. The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service continue to investigate, she said. No further details about the incident were available.

The Army’s Fort Myer and Henderson Hall, formerly a Marine facility, combined to form the joint base in 2009. Army, Marine and civilian personnel work at the post. Henderson Hall is primarily used as an administrative facility for Marines in Washington, D.C., region, including those posted at the White House and Pentagon, Rubalcaba said.

The base is across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., bordering Arlington National Cemetery.