Noble Calling - A Tribute to Army Families around the World

Noble Calling (the Painting) ...This Painting was completed on September 11th, 2001. Rest your cursor here for an alternate picture... :o)

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Congress passed a Law called (I believe), "Check 21". This Law will take full effect on October 28th, 2004...Some Creditors have said October 1st, 2004. What it means is that any Checks written will clear Banks faster, because Creditors now have a way to send it through for payment (By Law) to get thier money faster. GEICO already does this. Careful when writing those checks, People...Please make sure you have the funds before doing so. Some Creditors are changing to ACH (Automatic Clearing House)...For Example: Texaco/Shell, Capital One (already took place), and Sam's Club...Credit Card Accounts, to name a few.

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P ackages f rom H ome

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		To see the current issue of the FL Notes, go to aflo.org. September 2005 - FLO Notes Chief's Corner: Today's Army Family still carries torch of freedom Recently I had the opportunity to visit several historical wonders that dated back to the birth of our Nation. The Liberty Bell is a sight to see for sure. As I marveled at this one symbolic reference to freedom I was humbled with the understanding that world wide there is probably no object that represents freedom more than this one item. As most tourists I had my picture taken in front of this grand monument of liberty. From the Liberty Bell I went to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787. Close by are Congress Hall and Old City Hall ... all the birth place of our Nation. I was struck with reverence as to the significance of these wonderful reminders of our history and the significance of what service to our Nation really means. The tremendous risk of life and family to those who supported the Declaration of Independence is apparent. And I could imagine the great debates that must have occurred as the constitution was crafted. Just the mere reading of the Declaration of Independence was historic and carried with it a significant element of risk. I walked through these grand places of our history and found the humble notion that after it was all said and done our Soldiers and Sailors were the ones that made the real difference. Everything that happened by the historic turn of the pen was solidified by the sacrifice of our military counterparts. As it is today there was a need for jointness, civilian support and even contract support to make it work well. Service to this nation, or even more profound, to our fellow neighbor cannot be a higher calling than it was back before my time. I hear many parents of our young adults that discourage this lofty calling to military service and I am disappointed. What would have happened if this attitude had been prevalent during the birth of our nation and during times of need throughout our history? What would happen if we discouraged service in the police force, firefighters, and many other professions of service that make a difference just because it is dangerous? I certainly don't envision a nation of strength, goodness and symbolic of freedom for the oppressed. We are fortunate in the Army. We have a wide range of Soldiers, civilians, families, and contractors who share a bond to a calling of service to our nation. I hope those who follow us a hundred years from now will feel as grateful as I do today for those I know only in our accounts of American history. I hope they would be proud of us, honored that we made good their promise of a strong Nation and better world. If ever there was a way to thank those who serve it is in our commitment to succeed, carry the torch of freedom and ensure that others see the light of liberty. Anne Morse said it best in her article in the "National Review" ... "A sense of calling means that each of us does our best to help free the world from the darkness and devastation that threaten to overwhelm it. Through work well done, we witness to the One who calls us &mdas; just as Casey Sheehan did." Army launches spouse employment Web site The Army announced a new spouse employment Web site � www.militaryspousejobsearch.org � which contains more than 26,000 job vacancies, and is designed to provide spouses employment opportunities while fulfilling corporate America's demand for skilled workers. Military Spouse Job Search is a database where spouses can build their resumes and research valuable information. Spouses can also access career tools, labor market information, career assessment, training and education opportunities as well as information on colleges and technical schools. The site also has a financial aid center for spouses considering going back to school and a relocation center for families considering a permanent move or temporary change of location. The new Web site is a joint venture between Army Spouse Employment Partnership, U.S. Community and Family Support Center, and the Department of Labor. "It was easy to create an account," said Christine Jumper, an Army spouse who lives near Fort Lee, Va. "I had immediate access to the skills profiler which was great." The diversity of employable military spouses is an important factor for the corporations involved in the program, said Teresita Rivera, manager, Employment Readiness Program, USACFSC. "These partners are looking for good talent and they know that they can find it on the MSJS Web site," Rivera said. As a pre-requisite for access to Military Spouse Job Search, employers must be an inducted partner or accepted new partner in the Army Spouse Employment Partnership. Current inducted partners include Adecco USA, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Army Career Alumni Program, Army Civilian Personnel, BellSouth, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Computer Systems Corporation, CVS/pharmacy, Defense Commissary Agency, Dell, EURPAC Service Inc., Hospital Corporation of America, Home Depot, Lockheed Martin, Manpower Inc., Merck and Company, Sears Holdings Corporation, and Sprint. Army to implement Virtual Family Readiness Group A new initiative, known as the virtual Family Readiness Group, designed to support and improve how information is passed to families when Soldiers are deployed will launch October 1 on the World Wide Web. "The Virtual Family Readiness Group is designed to replicate the major components of FRGs but in a virtual context," said Jay M. Burcham, chief of Deployment and Mobilization Readiness Division for the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center's Family Programs Directorate in Alexandria, Va. "This Web System is not just a Web site. Soldiers down range in Iraq, Korea or wherever they are deployed will be able to communicate with families around the world by logging into this system. The virtual Family Readiness Group Web system will use technology to move today's FRGs into the 21st Century to meet the demands of the Army's Expeditionary Force." The initiative began in June 2004 when CFSC in support of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea created a virtual FRG to reach out to families of Soldiers who would be deployed. Most Soldiers deploy as individual replacements to Korea, which basically is a stable environment and communication with family members is routine, Burcham said. Prior to the vFRG, the families need for support was addressed by the "waiting families" program that Army Community Service operates. Families also received support from their previous unit's physical FRG. With the War on Terrorism things changed though. Soldiers were being deployed from Korea to Iraq making communication with families difficult. Adding to that, families were reading and seeing stories on the news of bombs going off in areas where their Soldiers were located. "To ease the added stress placed on Soldier's families, the 2nd Infantry Division provided up-to-date command information as well as the capability to download photos, send newsletters and organize families by location and unit," Burcham said. "This was a new concept to take the physical FRGs and turn them into a virtual context." The development and fielding of the vFRG for Korea and Iraq was completed in five weeks by DefenseWeb Technologies, Inc., San Diego, Calif. "The overall purpose of the vFRG supporting Soldiers deploying to Korea and Iraq was to provide a Web portal for official and unofficial information between the brigade, Soldiers, and families" said Tonya Bowers, Army program manager at DefenseWeb Technologies." The brigade now had the means to communicate with the families of deployed Soldiers, Bowers added. Follow-on development built functions to automate the capabilities of today's physical FRGs. These capabilities include instant messaging, forums and discussion groups, post cards, and file and document sharing. The final phase of the program broadens what was developed for the 2nd Infantry Division and provides training, outreach and support across all three components of the Army, active, Guard and reserve. When released for use by units it will feature a unit vFRG locator, a kids and teens area, a phone tree organization chart, in case of emergency family plans, blogs, a training tracker and metrics for the unit commander to determine the state of family readiness, FRG leader forums content, and more. The site will also provide a single location for users to obtain news and updates relating to FRGs and their unit. Users will be able to make updates to the phone tree and e-mail distribution list for rear detachment commanders and FRG leaders to use for mass communication to Soldiers and families. Users of the site must first register at www.armyfrg.org and be authenticated by command level administrators. This feature is very important to unit commanders concerned with maintaining Operational Security of the information that they provide to families Burcham said. "After they have been authenticated, users can go into the system, join their unit's virtual FRG, and update the information in their registration file especially if they are changing duty stations" Bowers said. "There are many benefits to using the vFRG system", Burcham added. "Members of the Army Reserve and the National Guard see this as an answer to the communications issues they have to deal with because they are geographically dispersed. Families of mobilized Individual Ready Reservists will be able to join the vFRG of the unit their Soldier is deployed with." Members of the National Guard emphasize that they see this as a great way to enhance family readiness, Burcham said. It gives them the capability to maintain an FRG and communicate with their FRG members on a year round basis, which frequently is only organized during deployments. "This vFRG allows them to stay organized throughout the year with a known place where people can login and communicate without the worry and expense of bringing families into reserve or Guard headquarters which could be 100 miles away," Burcham said. "It is not designed to replace the existing physical FRG, but to enhance them," Burcham said. To support the upcoming start of the system, a waiting list area where units can sign up to establish a virtual FRG has been added to www.armyfrg.org. For more information, e-mail armyvirtualfrg@cfsc.army.mil. Coalition supports military children To address the challenges that military-connected students face every time their parents move to different assignments around the world, the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) has created an innovative program called "Student to Student," or S2S, to help solve the problem. Starting with six schools last year, the S2S program has grown to 51 schools across the country in just one year. Most are Public schools on or near military installations. The program caters not only to issues students have at new assignments, but also to helping students getting ready to leave a place they know. The MCEC is also taking steps to support the growing number of "suddenly military" students. Because of the high number of National Guardsmen and reservists fighting the global war on terrorism, the MCEC has created a program to teach educators and others how to help "suddenly military" students of deployed citizen-Soldiers. The coalition established a workshop, called Supporting Children and Families of Guard and Reserve Institute. The institute is a professional development program to help schoolteachers, counselors, administrators and members of the Guard and reserve and their families to reach out to the children of Guard and reserve members. The workshop helps participants understand what children's reactions to a parent's deployment might be. The first such workshop was conducted in Texas in 2004, and several more workshops were piloted during the past school year, training 241 persons. The coalition plans to institute training sessions in eight more states the rest of this year. They include Georgia, Florida, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Texas and Maryland. The organization earmarked these states because of their large numbers of deployed Guardsmen and reservists. MCEC hopes to bring the workshop to 25 states annually. For more information on these and other programs, visit the MCEC's Web site. DoD launches Deployment Health, Family Readiness Library Servicemembers, their families and their healthcare providers have a new online Defense Department resource for deployment health issues. The DoD Deployment Health Risk Communication Working Group and the Joint Task Force for Family Readiness Education on Deployments have joined together to create the Deployment Health and Family Readiness Library. Ellen P. Embrey, deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness, announced the new online library Aug. 9. It is intended to provide servicemembers, families and healthcare providers a quick and easy way to find the deployment health and family readiness information they value, she said. "Information is a powerful tool. We must remain proactive in providing deployment-related health information to better safeguard our servicemembers," she said. "Most people fear the unknown. Through accurate, timely information, we are able to ensure that our servicemembers are better equipped to prepare for, cope with, and recover from the myriad health risks faced during deployments." The online library includes fact sheets, guides and other products on a wide variety of topics. The topic listing was based on feedback from servicemembers, their families, and healthcare providers, Embrey said. New information will be added to the site as new topics and areas of concern emerge. In focus-group meetings, Embrey explained, servicemembers and their families have said their need for information varies before, during and after deployments. Leaders, in particular, look for accurate information before the deployment. While the servicemembers are deployed, their families are especially interested in getting deployment health-related information, she noted, and following deployments, both servicemembers and families look for this information. Embrey said many information sources are available on line, but noted that too often it's difficult to tell if the information source is accurate. "We are absolutely committed to providing the best information found in sound science and based on medical evidence," Embrey said. "We want this site to be the authoritative source for deployment health and family readiness information. This is another step we are taking to ensure that those who protect our country and our freedoms are also protected." Fund helps troops' children, spouses Rebecca Campbell started the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund in 2003 to raise college tuition for the children of servicemembers killed in the war on terrorism. The fund has since expanded to encompass other financial needs. It now aims to provide a wide range of assistance to the children and spouses of troops who have been killed or injured. "These funds may be awarded to applicants of U.S. military families who are in need of assistance with housing, utilities, medical expenses, groceries, clothing, school supplies and other expenses deemed necessary in order to provide them with some support and alleviate their need," Campbell said. She said she feels a real need for this type of allocation because of the financial void often experienced by a death in a military family. "Often, when a loss occurs in these families, what was a two person income becomes one. The financial hardships placed on these families are very difficult to deal with," she said. CFSRF raises money through direct donations and fundraisers. The organization began collecting donations in May 2004, Campbell said. "Through the generosity of the public we have raised a little over $85,000 and have kept administrative costs in 2004 to less than 9 percent," Campbell said. "All proceeds go directly to qualified families." The nonprofit organization has also received the help of country singer Brad Cotter, the 2004 winner of USA Network's show "Nashville Star." The fund has been chosen as the beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from Cotter's new single, "An American Dream," Campbell said. CFSRF is made up exclusively of volunteers, and in an effort to keep expenses to a minimum Campbell does most work, such as Web site design, IRS filings, printing, advertising and mailings from her home, she said. Campbell noted that none of the organization's board members has been affected personally by the loss of a servicemember. Campbell said her son, David, 25, served in Iraq for a year with the 82nd Airborne Division. "I cannot begin to explain the fearful and sleepless nights during his year of deployment," she said. "The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund is simply a group of individuals who have a tremendous amount of respect for our servicemen and women," she said. "We are an enthusiastic group of family, friends and business people who choose to never forget the sacrifices made by others on our behalf." CFSRF began taking applications from military families in January and granted its first round of awards, totaling $17,000, to families in California, Pennsylvania and Indiana in June. Campbell concedes that there's no way to erase the pain of losing a loved one, but she aims to lessen the blow. "There is no substitute for a parent, but we strive to ease their pain and suffering and honor the memories of our fallen soldiers," she said. "I realize only too fully that each and every day that I have to live as a free person is only because of them and their sacrifices as well as their families." For more information, visit the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund Web site. DEERS registration protects newborn healthcare eligibility Any changes that impact family status � including marriage, divorce or a new child � must be reported to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Because DEERS enrollment is directly tied to TRICARE eligibility, care may be denied if the sponsor and family members are not enrolled in DEERS. A TRICARE Fact Sheet, available at www.tricare.osd.mil, outlines the procedures parents of newborns must follow to ensure continued healthcare eligibility for their child. To ensure that eligibility, servicemembers must enroll their newborn infant in DEERS as soon as possible after birth. By enrolling your newborn in DEERS, you establish TRICARE eligibility for the infant and avoid potential claims problems or other financial hardships for your family in the future. A newborn infant is covered as a TRICARE Prime beneficiary in DEERS for the first 60 days after birth � as long as one additional family member is enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Prime Remote. After the initial 60 days, any claim submitted for a newborn will process as TRICARE Standard until the infant is enrolled in DEERS and TRICARE Prime, or the infant's TRICARE Standard eligibility ends. Eligibility for TRICARE Standard benefits ends 365 days after birth for any newborn infant who is not enrolled in DEERS. To establish a newborn's TRICARE eligibility in DEERS, you must: Submit a certificate of "live birth" and a copy of a verified and approved DD Form 1172 "Application for Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card" signed by the sponsor to your personnel office. Apply for your child's Social Security number. Go to the Social Security Administration Web site, www.ssa .gov, or call 1-800-772-1213 for an application. Once you receive your child's Social Security number, go to your nearest ID Card-issuing facility to update their information in DEERS. For more information on enrolling a newborn in DEERS, parents or guardians may contact or visit the nearest military personnel office, ID card-issuing facility, or the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office (DSO) at 1-800-538-9552. A list of military ID card facilities is available on the DMDC Web site. More information on DEERS eligibility is also available on the TRICARE Web site. Well-Being Liaison Office The Well-Being Liaison Office's Army Families Online Web site will soon launch a new "Forum" module, which will provide Army Families, as well as all members of the six other Well-Being constituent communities with a place to communicate freely with others about their personal Army experiences. In the recent past, the Web site's "Guest Book" has received numerous posts from family members of deployed Soldiers, who were looking to communicate with others who are missing their deployed Soldier. The new Forum will provide a place for such communications. Additionally, the Forum will provide an opportunity for users to share comments and opinions regarding Army programs and initiatives, as well as Army life in general. To ensure that our Army Families are secure and protected, registration will be required to participate in Army Families Online's moderated Forums. However all users will be able to read posted information. The target release date for the Forum module is September 6. Well-Being Liaison Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, ATTN: DAPE-HRP-FLO, 300 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0300. Toll-free 1-800-833-6622 (in all states including, AK, HI; Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Island) or call (703) 696-5393; DSN: 426-5393, e-mail: ArmyFamily.Link@hqda.army.mil, Well-Being Liaison Web site www.aflo.org. Articles are for information only and are not an endorsement of referenced sites, products, or services contained therein. WBLO support@aflo.org July 2005 FLO Notes Chief's Corner: Customer service, you Most all of you know the Well-Being Liaison Office operates the Army Information Line � 1-800-833-6622. And, many of the calls we receive through the Army Information Line have to do specifically with customer service in one way or another. Normally, when we receive a call it means that the caller either received an unfavorable comment or a level of service, from the Army agency they were dealing with, that did not meet the customer's expectation. From our point of view the customer is most always right. The solution is normally easy, and once the right person to resolve the issue is found it's not long before a successful resolution for the customer is achieved. Why should we have to go through this kind of stress in the first place? This begs the question, what level of service should the average Soldier, family member or civilian expect? My opinion is the answer should be excellent. At a minimum we should be faced with a person on the other side of the counter that is cheerful, pleasant, eager to help ... and generally happy to see you. Excellent service can sometimes mean a little hard work for an agency, if done right. The other day I took off work to go to one of our ID Card Facilities and get an ID Card for my wife. She also works so we made an adventure of the event. We were greeted by the person charged with the responsibility to provide for our need with a terse "do you have an appointment?" I replied with a polite "No." "Well," she said, "you know you are required to have an appointment to get an ID Card." We must have looked lost or pitiful because the sergeant told us she would take care of us anyway. We were the only customers and it was obvious we had made a major mistake. We had obviously taken the wrong day off. How nice it would have been if we had been greeted by someone who was happy to see us! This happens all the time and unfortunately overshadows those who really try hard and truly care about giving excellent service. It is not enough to be proficient at your job in today's Army. It is also not enough to be technically knowledgeable. Our business is not like a department store, where you can walk in and buy an item. If you don't like the item you just take it back and get a refund. You also have a choice on where to shop, so if you are not treated properly you can go to the next store down the street. In the Army there is normally one housing office, one ACS, one transportation office, one PX, the list goes on. We buy service with our sacrifice and time away from family and friends. Our civilians and families buy service with their commitment to our Soldiers and the mission. Therefore, the level of service we receive should reflect the level of dedication each Soldier has to their country. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FirstGov features wealth of military resources Whether you're active or retired, FirstGov has arranged a section with all the resources you need. From news about current military operations to information on the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), this section has it all. The site features information on benefits and retirement, family support, housing, training, education, and much more. For veterans, FirstGov.gov has organized a variety of useful topics, such as pension and health benefits, home loans, and life insurance in one easy to find place. Find out more by going to FirstGov and click on the "Military and Veterans" link under the "By Audience" section. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commissaries celebrate 138th anniversary The Defense Commissary Agency will mark its 14th anniversary Oct. 1, but commissaries have been operating considerably longer than that. It was 138 years ago � on July 1, 1867 to be exact � that every Army post in the United States was simultaneously authorized to begin selling grocery items from its subsistence warehouse "at cost" to soldiers of all ranks. This provided considerable savings compared to goods they could purchase from civilian merchants known as post traders. That was the start of what is now the oldest resale activity on U.S. military installations: the military grocery store, originally called the sales commissary but known today simply as the commissary. Many Army outposts did not immediately have fully-functioning commissaries. In those areas post traders continued to sell goods out of necessity but as commissaries spread, post traders were phased out of business by 1895. Subsequently, the Navy and Marine Corps opened their first commissaries in 1910, and the Air Force did so in 1948. Over the last 138 years, the stores have operated at nearly 1,000 different locations throughout the world. Today DeCA runs 270 stores worldwide, providing a premier commissary benefit to active duty military personnel, military retirees, members of the National Guard and reserve, and their families. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Combat-Related Special Compensation The Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is a $22 billion program that provides tax-free monthly payments to disabled retirees of all uniformed services. CRSC payments are retroactive (to June 2003 or January 2004 depending on eligibility), supplement a servicemembers' Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pay, and service retired pay. Eligible applicants include retirees who served 20 or more years on active duty, or as a reservist, age 60 with a minimum of 20 creditable years (per 10 USC 12731); are in a retired status; are entitled to retired pay that is offset by VA payments (a VA Waiver); and have at least a 10-percent VA disability rating. Combat related criteria include those VA disabilities that occurred under the following situations: 1. In the performance of duty under conditions simulating war (e.g. exercises, field training); 2. While engaged in hazardous service (e.g. flight, diving, parachute duty); 3. Through an instrumentality of war (e.g. combat vehicles, weapons, Agent Orange); OR 4. As a direct result of armed conflict (i.e. Purple Heart). Eligible retirees should apply today. For more information or to receive an application, call CRSC toll free at 1-866-281-3254 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. Retirees can also find CRSC information and resources on the Internet at www.crsc.army.mil. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USAR goes hi-tech to reach out to families The U.S. Army Reserve unveiled a new Web portal to support deployed Soldiers and their families June 15. The U.S Army Reserve Family Programs Portal is a "one-stop shop" that provides USAR families with information and services and enhances communications between Soldiers, their families and USAR staff. There are more than 1 million Army Reserve Soldiers ready to support their active-duty counterparts and serve the nation when called upon by the President. Currently The Army Reserve has nearly 62,000 Soldiers deployed worldwide. The US Army Reserve Family Programs staff currently provides vital information and services to Army Reserve Soldiers and their families. The U.S Army Reserve Family Programs Portal, developed by DefenseWeb Technologies of San Diego, replicates this physical family support system in a readily accessible virtual environment. "Army Reserve Soldiers, unlike active-duty troops, are not centrally located on a base," said Michael Evans, USAR family programs manager. "Since Soldiers are widely dispersed across cities, towns and villages in virtually every state, communicating with them can be more of a challenge. This new Web portal allows USAR staff to quickly and effectively communicate with Soldiers and their families. The new Web portal provides Soldiers and their families with easy access to information and services to support their Well-Being." The USAR Family Programs Web Portal provides information and services to: Army Reserve Soldiers (deployed and stateside) � the latest Army Reserve news and information, links to family services and updates on Family Programs, as well as interactive online resources. Families � information on the various programs and services available to help family members adjust to change, deal with challenges related to mobilization, deployment and every day living. Employers � information to help civilian employers support their citizen-Soldier employees. Family Programs staff � a readily accessible resource for effectively delivering, tracking and reporting the status of Family Programs services provided to soldiers and their families. For more information about the U.S. Army Reserve, visit Army Reserve Web site. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Survey seeks input on educating military children The education of military children is a huge concern for the military community. From maintaining on-post schools to involvement in the local community schools, military families are concerned about the quality of education of their children. Military children face very unique challenges, from the high school teens who are required to take additional testing and classes for graduation requirements for, yet again, another state due to a PCS move to parents' need for information about the schools in the area for a new school-aged child. The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is soliciting information on the children's educational needs of military families and wants to hear about your family's experience in ensuring that the educational needs of children are met. To participate in NMFA's military children education survey, log on to NMFA's Web site and take part in the "Your Child's Education" survey. Tips for PCSing The summer months are here, so too is the high-volume PCS (permanent change of station) season. If you are PCSing outside the continental United States (OCONUS), or to a remote location with family members, here are a few tips from Community Health Nursing (CHN) to make your family-member OCONUS screening hassle-free: 1. To prevent travel delays, family-member screening appointments should be scheduled upon receipt of appropriate military OCONUS travel screening forms. 2. Bring all family member medical and immunization records to the appointment. 3. Ensure family members have current and complete medical information. Children up to age 2 must have an up-to-date Well Baby visit documented in their medical records. Children 3-17 and adults must have documentation of a physical exam within the last year. (Appointments with CHN can be before your physical exam appointment with your primary-care manager.) 4. Be aware that any outstanding tests or consultations ordered by the provider must be completed prior to the final medical clearance (for example, if the provider ordered a cardiology consultation, it must be completed and the results documented in the family member's medical record). 5. Bring a copy of the current Individualized Education Program or Individualized Family Services Plan for any family members receiving special-education or early-intervention services. 6. Bring all family members 6 years old or younger to the appointment. Editor's note: This story was written by Carla Benjamin who is a community health nurse at the Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center at Fort Meade, Md. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beware of hoaxes The wife of a Fort Carson, Colo., Soldier, who is deployed in Iraq, received a hoax telephone call. Reportedly, a man claiming to be a colonel called the wife to say something happened to her husband, but the call proved to be a fake. This call has been at least the second such reported hoax perpetrated on the spouses of Fort Carson Soldiers, Army officials said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scholarships for Military Children Thanks to the Scholarships for Military Children program 500 students will receive $1,500 scholarships to apply toward college tuition this fall. Eligibility includes sons and daughters of active-duty, National Guard and reserve Soldiers, as well as those of retired servicemembers. The annual scholarship program is usually announced in early November with an entry deadline of mid-February. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soldier, family life consultant initiative begins Following the success of an Office of the Secretary of Defense pilot program in the United States Army Europe, the Department of the Army "Soldier and Family Life Consultants Initiative" began in June. The program provides informal support to Soldiers and their family members, offering free, anonymous reunion and reintegration support to active-duty Soldiers, National Guardsmen, reservists and their families. For more information on this program, contact Carol Menichetti via e-mail at Carol.Menichetti@us.army.mil, or by phone at (703) 681-1545. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spouses to Teachers program unveiled Spouses to Teachers, which was developed from a program to help servicemembers become teachers, is helping military spouses already working as teachers to get certified in a different state. The program offers several forms of assistance and financial help up to $600 per person for testing and certification costs. For more information, visit the Spouse to Teachers Web site. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Military Spouse Career Center The Military Spouse Career Center, commissioned by the Department of Defense Office of Military Community and Family Policy, launched in April, and can be accessed on the Internet at www.Military.com/spouse. The new resource connects America's 1 million military spouses with education options, scholarships, training programs, career planning tips and employment opportunities. For more information, visit: www.Military.com/spouse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot weather food safety tips No matter where you're stationed, it's a pretty good bet your weather is about as hot as a firecracker by now. It's the time of year for lazy days at the beach or pool, complete with a picnic basket of goodies, or backyard cookouts with friends and family. If you'd rather not be remembered as the host who had to serve "Alka-Seltzer" cocktails a couple of hours after the hamburgers and hot dogs, then it's a good time to review food safety basics. Knowing how to prepare, handle and store food properly is always important, but summer temperatures kick spoilage actions into high gear. Normally the rule of thumb for safely allowing foods to remain at room temperature while the meal is being served and consumed is two hours. At temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit it's only one hour. That's why it's important to know summer food safety rules and apply them properly. Keep it clean � Wash hands with soap and water often while handling food, and do the same for surfaces food will come into contact with. On a picnic, take along paper towels and hand sanitizer. Don't forget to give fresh fruits and vegetables a bath, too. Do it just before you're ready to use them, and don't use soap. Just rinse them good under cold running water, scrubbing briskly with your hands or a soft brush, then dry well with paper towels. Even produce such as cantaloupe and watermelon � with a rind that you don't intend to eat � need this same washing routine to prevent harmful organisms from contaminating the fruit's flesh when sliced open. Separate so you don't contaminate � This caution starts at the commissary and carries through to refrigerator storage, packing a cooler, and even cooking and serving. Always keep raw meat, poultry and seafood, and their leaking juices away from cooked, ready-to-eat foods and fresh produce. Before handling other foods, use soap and water to wash hands, utensils and cutting boards that have come into contact with raw meats. Never put cooked meats back on the same plate that held them raw. If raw meats, poultry or seafood must share space in a cooler with other foods, carefully pack each in sealed, leak-proof containers. Chill perishable foods promptly and thaw foods properly � Nothing provides a better environment for the quick growth of germs than the thawing of foods on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Thaw foods in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for each five pounds of frozen food to be thawed. For quick thawing, submerge foods wrapped in airtight packaging in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Thaw foods in the microwave only if you'll be cooking them immediately. Refrigerate perishable foods immediately upon returning home from the commissary, placing raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf to eliminate the possibility of accidental drips that can contaminate other foods. Cook it safe, test the temperature � If you're not in the habit of using a meat thermometer to verify that items like hamburgers, pork chops or chicken breasts have reached a safe internal temperature, please, do yourself and your family a favor by changing that bad habit. Even though the accepted advice is to "cook ground beef patties until the center is no longer pink," judging when food is done based on color alone has proven to be unreliable. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that one out of every four hamburgers turns brown in the center before it reaches a safe internal temperature. If you're a fan of rare hamburgers, be aware that you are taking a calculated risk every time you eat one. Why is it okay to eat a medium rare steak, but not a medium rare hamburger? Harmful bacteria typically reside on the surface of a whole piece of meat like a steak. The high temperature and amount of time required to brown the steak's exterior will kill the surface bacteria and sufficiently warm the center to a safe level. With ground meats, surface bacteria get dispersed throughout the product in grinding. Check the accompanying chart for the safe internal temperature for steaks, roasts, poultry, ground meats and egg dishes. Then break out that meat thermometer and make temperature-taking a regular habit. Editor's note: This article was written by DeCA Europe consumer advocate Kay Blakley. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRICARE update TRICARE Standard beneficiaries who live within a 40-mile radius of a military medical treatment facility will no longer be required to obtain a non-availability statement or pre-authorization from an MTF before receiving inpatient care (other than mental health services) or maternity care from a civilian provider. DoD is still authorized to make exceptions under certain conditions through a waiver process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well-Being Liaison Office The Well-Being Liaison Office would like to extend a warm welcome to its two newest employees � Alicia Kadesch and Kristin Kilbane. Alicia Kadesch is a constituent liaison serving on the Army Information Line staff. A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida, Alicia holds a BA in Political Science with a concentration on International Relations, and she proudly calls herself a military brat. Kristin Kilbane is the new content manager for the WBLO's Army Families Online Web site. The daughter of a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam veteran, Kristin holds a Masters degree from the Catholic University of America, and brings with her a wealth of experience in the field of Web editing and publishing. Well-Being Liaison Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, ATTN: DAPE-HRP-FLO, 300 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0300. Toll-free 1-800-833-6622 (in all states including, AK, HI; Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Island) or call (703) 696-5393; DSN: 426-5393, e-mail: ArmyFamily.Link@hqda.army.mil, Well-Being Liaison Web site www.aflo.org. Articles are for information only and are not an endorsement of referenced sites, products, or services contained therein. June 2005 - FLO NOTES Chief's Corner: Sorrowful goodbye We are sad to say good bye to a friend and colleague of Army Soldiers and families worldwide. During the past two years Marion Sakowitz has served the Well-Being Liaison Office with dignity and brought a level of expertise and professional bearing to everyone she has touched. She followed in a long line of very distinguished professionals who have served this office with distinction by making a significant impact on the Well-Being of our people. Marion spearheaded the WBLO's Disabled Soldier Support System effort marking a pivotal moment in the Army's history of providing for our Soldiers who have either been hurt beyond a 30-percent disability or were severely injured. The Well-Being Liaison Office was a major element in this effort by standing up the DS3 Web site, conducting outreach operations and representing the Army family during the planning stages of this great effort. Marion was the WBLO lead in the conduct of outreach and planning stages of DS3. Because of her efforts we are proud to note that we contacted well over 700 Soldiers and family members in the past year. The WBLO's dedicated Army Information Line was the backbone of this operation with Marion as their manager. Countless hours beyond the contracted 40 hours per week mark the intensity of effort she spearheaded. Marion's actions, attention to detail, expert advice and profound caring for the welfare of our people has made a significant impact on the Quality of Life and Well-Being of the Army's Soldiers, retirees, veterans, civilians and families. I will deeply miss Marion, her gentile mentorship, guiding hand and the results of her selfless dedication to the Well-Being of our people. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free stuff for troops, families via the Internet Many organizations set out to provide support to Soldiers and their families during a period of time when our nation is actively engaged in waging a Global War on Terrorism. The following list of Internet links is a sampling of this support. Additionally, many of these sites provide information on how people can get involved, and in some cases even make donations of various types to help support the cause: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Homelink (http://www.operationhomelink.org/) Operation Homelink is a non-profit organization that exists to help facilitate e-mail communication between deployed Soldiers and their families back home. Recognizing that many lower income families are not able to afford a computer, and therefore must rely on expensive phone calls or postal service to stay in touch, Operation Homelink provides free, refurbished, computers to the spouses or parents of Soldiers in Grades E-1 to E-5. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Little (Military) Mailbox My Little (Military) Mailbox - www.mylittlemailbox.com, or www.SarahSmiley.com - "Syndicated military columnist and Navy wife Sarah Smiley, along with her site "Shore Duty," has teamed up with "My Little Mailbox" to offer unique fun and greetings for a very special group of children - the boys and girls who wait while their parent, or parents, serve overseas," according to a press release from PRWeb. Registered dependent children will receive a delivery from "My Little (Military) Mailbox" that includes a note from a favorite character or "pen pal," and a special surprise (stickers, craft, or small present). Additionally, the deployed servicemember parent will have the opportunity to select what their child's note says, which pen pal it will be from and what surprise will be included. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Uplink (http://www.operationuplink.org/) Operation Uplink keeps Soldiers and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone card. The program relies on contributions from supporters to purchase phone cards and distribute them to Soldiers who are separated from their loved ones. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AnySoldier.com AnySoldier.com provides contacts for where to send letter and care packages to deployed Soldiers. The site provides a listing of what Soldiers need, and ensures that Soldiers who do not receive much or any mail get a little something special. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appreciate and Thank Our Troops (http://appreciateourtroops.org/index.php) Appreciate and Thank Our Troops sponsors Operation "Mug a Troop," which affords people the opportunity to purchase a Troop Appreciation mug set. For each set sold, a personalized partner mug, which features the Soldier's name and rank, is made and sent to a Soldier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Shoebox (http://www.operationshoebox.com/) Operation Shoebox encourages citizens to show their support for deployed Soldiers by sending shoebox-sized care packages, or posting messages of support. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blue Star Moms (http://www.bluestarmoms.org/) Blue Star Moms is a support and service group of mothers who joined together to share their worries, pride and devotion to their loved ones' service in all branches of the U.S. armed services, and is an official chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Blue Star Moms offers two particularly interesting opportunities through their Web site. The first is Fair Military Airfare (http://www.bluestarmoms.org/airfare.html) , which features information about legislation signed by President Bush on Dec. 17, 2003, which provides for reduced airfare for active-duty servicemembers. The second is Care Packageshttp://www.bluestarmoms.org/care.html), in which the organization addresses care packages to deployed sons and daughters of families who have contacted the Blue Star Moms. Included with each care package is a letter that asks the Soldier to share the package with his or her unit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Air Conditioner, Inc. Since June 2003 Operation AC has been sending 110v single-phase air conditioners to our troops in Iraq. The organization also provides voltage converters, as many of these units are powered by 220v generators. Since the program began, the organization has also adapted their effort to include sending the troops items that may be hard to find in Iraq as well. Despite having sent more than 9,000 air conditioning units to Iraq thus far, the organization still receives many requests. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Hero Miles (http://www.heromiles.org/) Operation Hero Miles provides a way to assist Soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan by donating unused frequent flyer miles, as well as providing family members of wounded Soldiers with travel to medical facilities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prayer Central (http://prayercentral.net/engage/militaryprayer/daily.php) Prayer Central offers daily devotionals and prayers for our Soldiers and families. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Military Moms "Support Our Troops" (http://www.militarymoms.net/sot.html) Military Moms provides a place for family members to sign up their Soldier to receive care packages, which are built from donated items. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation Military Pride (http://operationmilitarypride.org/) Operation Military Pride is a volunteer organization with a wide range of activities - all of which seek to boost the morale of our troops deployed overseas. The organization not only sends cards, letters and care packages, but also distributes troop names and addresses to patriots wanting to send cards, letters or care packages directly to troops. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soldiers' Angels (http://www.soldiersangels.org/) Soldiers' Angels was founded by Patti Patton-Bader, the mother of a Soldier who has recently returned from a year's deployment to Iraq. Started in June 2003, Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer run, non-profit organization, incorporated in the state of Nevada. The organization's mission is to provide aide and comfort to any of the armed forces and their families. The volunteers of Soldiers' Angels send care to deployed Soldier's and their loved ones at home. To date they have sent thousands of care packages to deployed Soldiers, helped the wounded at three major military hospitals and provided assistance to many military families. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treats for Troops (http://www.treatsfortroops.com/) Treats for Troops was founded in early 2003 by a Denver business woman, who was determined to make it safe and simple for every American to send packages and messages of support to our men and women in uniform year round. Since the Treats for Troops Gift Shops opened in June of 2003, friends, family members, groups, organizations and individual sponsors have sent over twenty tons of treats to American Soldiers through Treats for Troops. Individuals, organizations and groups who don't personally know anyone in the military, but want to show their support can sponsor Soldiers through the organization's Foster-A-Soldier Program. Sponsors can choose their Soldiers by branch of service, home state or gender. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Army goes live with Web registry for childcare The U.S. Army Family Child Care program now offers a Web-based information and referral tool for parents considering using home-based care - www.armyfcc.com. The FCC program provides servicemembers or qualified civilians a home away from home for their children through military family members or independent contractors in individual housing units located on a military installation, in government-controlled housing off the installation or civilian housing off the installation. "We hope ArmyFCC.com will allow parents to view the program in a way they haven't been able to do before," said Marilyn Judge, FCC director at Fort Sam Houston Texas. "Getting information out to the perspective parents is very helpful to us, parents and providers." A virtual tour of an FCC home offers parents, who may be reluctant to visit a series of homes in order to make a selection, pictures and information they need to know to make an important decision. "It's making our referral process much more efficient," Judge added. "The providers will make their own updates from their home computers." The Web site also allows the providers to tell, in their own words, what they do and what is important to them and gives each one an equal chance to impress prospective parents. "It is an opportunity for us to showcase our homes and really introduce ourselves as independent businesses," said Shawn Lowery, an FCC childcare provider at Fort Sam Houston. "The program helps break the babysitter stereotype, moving us to a new category." The secure section offers protection to both the providers and the parents so that only eligible parents can view provider information. The Central Enrollment Registry staff at each installation will assist in the search process and can answer questions parents may have about individual FCC provider profiles. To make it a fair process for all families, parents must request childcare through the installation's CER office. The officials said that, although ArmyFCC.com gives parents an advance start in selecting the best placement for their child, it does not guarantee a space in a specific home and parents should not use ArmyFCC.com as a substitute for the parent and provider interview. As the number of temporary duty trips and deployments rises, the FCC program makes life easier for Soldiers and their diverse work hours by offering full-day, part-day and hourly care. FCC's special services include 24-hour and long-term care during mobilization and training exercises, evening and weekend care, and care for special needs children and mildly ill children. In order to benefit from any CYS programs, to include FCC services, families must complete a registration process and pay a registration fee, but it is not necessary to complete the registration process to place a child's name on the waiting list. The installation Central Enrollment Registry office follows DoD, Army and installation policies for managing waiting lists. When a child's name comes to the top of the waiting list, a CYS registration clerk will contact the parent to offer the vacancy and provide information on the process of selecting a program or individual provider. "I think it's great that the providers are getting this kind of support and attention," Judge said. "They put in long hours to provide childcare, and they are not as visible as an activity taking place in a facility. It gives them proper exposure." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exercising voting rights important even in 'off' years Soldiers and citizens overseas should participate in local off-season elections, the director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program said recently. "I think it's always important for us to exercise our right to vote," Polli Brunelli said. "We've seen from past elections that our uniformed services members and overseas citizens vote in large numbers. They're engaged in the absentee-voting process, and some actually vote in person as well." Just because this is not a presidential election year does not mean this election is not important, she added. Many elections will decide state and local issues. Brunelli said it's important for absentee voters to look at all of the issues, state and local, which concern them in their state of legal voting residence. But it is up to each individual voter to decide what issues are important and to research the candidates. "[It's] a little bit easier than it used to be in the old days, where we found our overseas citizens were mostly getting information on elections from their friends and family members," Brunelli said. "They would either send them local newspapers or tell them what the candidates stood for and what the issues were." The FVAP Web site provides multiple links to states' Web sites, state associations, political party sites, and other organizations where voters can find a plethora of information. News organizations can also be accessed via the Web, she said. Voter-registration and absentee ballot-request forms are readily available as well. Brunelli said it takes research to cast an effective vote. "It's incredibly important to be informed about these issues," she said. "An informed voter is a good voter. It shows civic responsibility in that regard when you're informed." "The [Federal Post Card Application] is the easiest way to request registration and an absentee ballot," Brunelli said. "And the easiest way to get the form is from voting-assistance officers at military installations. And at overseas activities, local organizations provide them. Embassies and consulates also provide them. There are Democrats and Republicans abroad who are overseas citizens who stock these forms. And the forms are also available on our Web site, the Federal Voting Assistance Program's Web site." Military members or other citizens overseas can contact their unit or installation voting-assistance officer, call the FVAP, or send an e-mail via the FVAP Web site. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Breast cancer awareness As cells divide when new cells are not needed, they form too much tissue. The mass or lump of extra tissue, which is called a tumor, can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Finding a lump in your breast does not mean you have breast cancer. Early breast cancer does not usually cause pain, but as the cancer grows it can cause changes that women should be alert for. Seventy percent of all breast cancers are found through self-exams. Watch for: A change in the size or shape of the breasts. A discharge from the nipple. A change in the color or feel of the skin of the breast, areola or nipple (dimpled, puckered or scaly). A lump in or near breasts or underarm. Swelling, redness, or warmth that does not go away. Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle. An itchy, sore, or scaling area on one nipple. But remember: finding symptoms is not diagnostic of breast cancer! Consult your healthcare provider. Every two minutes in the United States, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. This year more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected in the U.S. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. It is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55. And breast cancer is not just a female disease. Sixteen thousand men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 400 are predicted to die. Diagnosis may use any combination of the following: 1. Palpitation. A benign lump often feels different from cancerous ones. 2. Mammography provides information about a lump. Starting at the age of 40, women should have annual screening mammograms. Today, mammography has little radiation risk. A diagnostic mammogram is used to evaluate a woman with a problem/symptom or an abnormal finding on a screening mammogram, and will be focused on the area where there is thought to be abnormal tissue. Since a small percentage of breast cancers cannot be identified by mammography, it is important to practice regular BSE (breast self-exam). 3. Ultrasonography (ultrasound) uses high-frequency sound waves to show whether a lump is solid or filled with fluid. 4. Screening and early detection is best accomplished by mammograms, clinical breast exams (by doctor or nurse) or BSE. Based on these exams, the doctor may decide that no further tests are needed. Often, however, based on the finding, fluid or tissue must be removed from the breasts to make a diagnosis. Aspiration, or needle biopsy, is used to remove fluid or a small amount of tissue from a breast lump with a needle. Surgical biopsy is used by the surgeon to remove part or all of a lump, which will be examined by a pathologist. Every woman should examine her breasts once a month to become familiar with how her breasts look and feel. The best time is about five to seven days after the beginning of her menstrual cycle. If she no longer has a cycle, she should choose a specific date each month; a date that is significant to her. Fibrocystic breast changes, lumpiness, and tenderness at certain times of the month do not increase your chance of getting cancer, but keep in mind - performing BSE will help a woman become familiar with what is normal for her breasts. While the percentage of men who are diagnosed with breast cancer is small, men should also give themselves monthly exams and note changes to their physicians. New information suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables are linked with lower cancer rates, and eating at least five servings a day can help keep your daily calorie intake low. Just take it easy on the cheese sauce! Editor's note: This article was written by Dorothy Lopez, who is a community health nurse at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center, Fort Meade, Md. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well-Being Liaison Office The Well-Being Liaison Office would like to extend a warm welcome to its newest member - Cathy Jackman, who will serve as a Special Projects Officer for the WBLO. Cathy is a senior Army spouse of 23 years, married to Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman, and the daughter of a retired Army officer. The Jackmans have two sons - David 17, and Patrick 15. Throughout her association with the Army, Cathy has volunteered her time working with a number of Army Family Readiness groups at varying levels. She has most recently volunteered as an Army Arlington Lady. Cathy has a deep appreciation for Soldiers and their families and said that she is looking forward to working as a member of the WBLO team serving all seven Army Well-Being constituent groups. While it brings us great joy to welcome a new member to our team, we are also sad to announce the departure of two other WBLO employees - Ayandria Barry and Sandra Floyd-Miller, both of whom work as staff on the Army Information Line as Constituent Liaisons. Ayandria, or Yan as we've all become accustomed to calling her, has been a dedicated member of the WBLO Staff since August 2003. She is the proud wife of an Army first sergeant - 1st. Sgt. Melvin Barry, who serves with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davidson Army Airfield, Va. - and a mother of two children - Melody, 14; and Gabriel, 4. During her time with the WBLO, Yan has been completely dedicated to assisting Army families. She was also very instrumental in conducting a number of interviews with Soldiers as part of the Army's Disabled Soldier Support System (DS3) effort. All of us who've been privileged enough to work with Yan have come to see her as a fighter; having been diagnosed with breast cancer during her time here, she is now a survivor. With her departure from the WBLO staff, she will truly be missed. We wish her luck as she moved on to a position with the Army DS3 staff at Human Resources Command in Alexandria. Sandra, retired Army master sergeant who joined the Army Information Line staff in September 2004 is also moving on to a position with the Army DS3 staff. Since joining the staff she has been very instrumental in supporting the Army's DS3 effort as well as providing assistance to Army Information Line callers. Married to Master Sgt. (Ret.) Dlanao Miller, and the mother of four children - Gregory, 23; Janell, 22; Icess, 17 and Janita 14 - Sandra will also be missed.

Army Program Seeks Nominations The Army Knowledge Awards Program is accepting nominations through June 30. The program recognizes outstanding Army Knowledge Management initiatives that improve situational awareness and decision-making through enterprise solutions. Selection criteria include collaboration, impact, transformation and integration with Army Knowledge Online (AKO). Nominations can be made at AKO. Questions about the Army Knowledge Awards Program can be directed to 703-602-2046 or ak.awards@us.army.mil. Gay Soldier-Ban Challenged Associated Press June 15, 2005 NEW YORK - Critics of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy are gaining new allies, including a few conservative congressmen and a West Point professor, as they press on multiple fronts to overturn the ban on out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians in the armed forces. As part of their strategy, opponents of the policy are now highlighting the ongoing struggles of Army and Marine recruiters. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network say in a new report that many highly trained specialists - including combat engineers and linguists - are being discharged involuntarily while the Pentagon "is facing extreme challenges in recruiting and retaining troops." On other fronts: -A federal court hearing is scheduled in Boston next month on a lawsuit by 12 former service members challenging the 12-year-old policy. -In Congress, four Republicans - including stalwart conservatives Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida - have joined 81 Democrats co-sponsoring a bill to repeal the policy. Gilchrest, a former supporter of the ban, said he changed his view partly out of respect for gay Marines he served with in Vietnam and for his brother, who is gay. -A U.S. Military Academy professor, Lt. Col. Allen Bishop, wrote a column this spring in Army Times urging Congress to repeal the ban. "I thought I'd get lots of hate mail, and my colleagues would walk on the other side of the hall - but there's been none of that," he said Tuesday. Still, neither the White House nor the Pentagon has given any signal that they would drop their long-standing support for the policy, implemented in 1993 under the Clinton administration. It prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay. On July 6, the Bush administration plans to ask a federal court in Boston to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the policy. The suit cites a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that state laws criminalizing homosexual sex were unconstitutional; the government says that landmark decision has no bearing on "don't ask, don't tell." More than 9,400 troops have been discharged since the policy was implemented. Discharges peaked at 1,227 in 2001, and declined to 653 last year, a drop which critics attribute to reluctance by war-zone commanders to deprive their units of experienced gay and lesbian personnel during difficult missions. "The services are far less likely to discharge gays and lesbians serving on the front lines," Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in its report, released Monday. It said those discharged last year included 41 health care professionals, 30 sonar and radar specialists, 20 combat engineers, 17 law enforcement agents, nine language specialists and seven biological/chemical warfare specialists. "The military continues to sacrifice national security and military readiness in favor of simple prejudice," said SLDN Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn. "Americans do not care if the helicopter pilot rescuing a wounded soldier or the medic treating that soldier is gay." The Pentagon, asked for comment on the SLDN report and Osburn's remarks, had no immediate response. Among the recently discharged soldiers is Robert Stout of Utica, Ohio, who was wounded while serving in Iraq and wanted to remain in the Army as an openly gay soldier. He is scheduled to visit Washington this week to lobby for repeal of the ban. Gilchrest, the Maryland congressman, said he was unsure how many of his fellow majority Republicans were ready to join in seeking repeal, but suggested the momentum was shifting in that direction. "When this issue comes up, members who believe that gays shouldn't be in the military are now more hesitant to voice their opinion," Gilchrest said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "Many of us who feel the other way have come out of the closet, so to speak. A year ago, I would have been uncomfortable expressing my feelings." Bishop, who teaches philosophy at West Point, said he had been troubled for years by "don't ask, don't tell" before deciding to write about it. "They can be gay, but they can't practice being gay. They can be here, but they can't tell you who they are - it seemed pretty confusing to me," he told The Associated Press. In his Army Times article, Bishop assailed the policy as contradictory to fundamental American principles. "Despite our government's claim of liberty for all, we leave homosexuals out," he wrote. "If the American military sees and is allowed to see itself as the protector of some but not all American, democracy fails." Bishop said he was heartened by the positive reaction to his article. But he predicted that military commanders would not lead the way in seeking an end to the ban and instead would defer to Congress. U.S. Postal Service to Pay Health Premiums for Reservists The U.S. Postal Service is agreeing to pay the employees' share (in addition to the Postal Service's share) of health insurance premiums for up to 24 months for career USPS employees who are called to active military duty. The change was made in response to a request from the American Postal Workers Union. The policy took effect March 17 and is retroactive to Dec. 28, 2002. It applies to qualified career employees of the Postal Service activated for military service under Executive Order 12302 or 13223 in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Postal Service will assume the full cost of employees' premiums for the time that they perform qualifying military service only.
			DoD Increases Foreign Language Pay The Department of Defense has announced an increase effective June 1 in Foreign Language Proficiency Pay, or FLPP, for servicemembers who qualify. The fiscal 2005 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes the secretary of defense to increase FLPP pay from a maximum of $300 per month to a maximum of $1,000 per month for qualified active-duty members and offer a $6,000 per year bonus for qualified Guard and Reserve members. Is U.S. Strategy in Iraq Working? Christian Science Monitor June 21, 2005 The U.S. military strategy in Iraq has been consistent for months now: Use aggressive military operations to disrupt the flow of foreign fighters entering the country and the insurgent support lines that run along the Euphrates River west to the Syrian border. Simultaneously, the U.S. is training Iraqi troops to fill the security vacuum that persists in the center and north of the country. By any metric of tactical military success, it's working, say analysts. U.S. forces have strung together victory after victory. Marine and Army operations from Najaf in the south to Fallujah in the heart of the Sunni triangle and on to Mosul in the north have ended with thousands of insurgents killed and captured and tons of enemy munitions destroyed with minimal U.S. casualties. This is what Vice President Dick Cheney probably had in mind when he told "Larry King Live" last week that the insurgency is in its "last throes." But if another measure of success is used - a reduction in the number and lethality of insurgent attacks - the U.S. and the new Iraqi government are failing. In the past two days, for example, U.S. Marines and Army soldiers carried out Operations Spear and Dagger (designed to disrupt insurgent capabilities between Baghdad and Syria). At the same time, separate suicide attacks killed 20 policemen in the Kurdish city of Arbil and 23 people in a Baghdad restaurant popular with policemen, while insurgents overran a police station in southern Baghdad, killing eight officers. The gap between tactical victories on the one hand, and few tangible improvements in the overall Iraqi security situation on the other, is creating a widening disagreement over whether the U.S. is winning or losing the war in Iraq. The Bush administration and its supporters insist the current course is the right one and, given enough time, will succeed. Administration officials say there's anecdotal evidence that more and more Iraqis are turning from the insurgency, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Fox News on Sunday. The insurgents "are losing the Iraqi people," the U.S. and its allies are "making steady progress," and political developments inside Iraq point to "a strategic breakthrough," she said. Retired Marine Col. Mackubin Owens, now a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., wrote in a commentary for the New York Post earlier this month that U.S. offensive operations are yielding more gains than many in the press are crediting, and points especially to U.S. efforts in the province of Anbar along the Euphrates River towns that serve as support lines for foreign fighters entering the country for Syria, and for domestic insurgents within the country. He argues that capture of key insurgent leaders, including up to two dozen lieutenants for the Jordanian Al Qaeda affiliate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is yielding intelligence that has had "a cascading effect, permitting the Coalition to maintain pressure on the insurgency." But the doubters - who anecdotally seem to include a growing number of U.S. forces on the ground - say that Iraq's war is beyond the point where it can be won by force of arms and that "staying the course" is a recipe for a deeper Iraqi quagmire. They see few signs that the conditions for a political settlement, between the country's newly empowered Shiites and its now disenfranchised Sunni Arabs, are emerging. They point to the evidence of mounting attacks, and the increasingly sectarian nature of the violence, to back up their views. "It's indisputable that the insurgents are enormously more popular among the Sunni Arab community today than they were two years ago," says Juan Cole, a professor of Middle Eastern History at the University of Michigan. "Every time you hear a suicide bomb has gone off ... I guarantee you that means there are 3,000 Iraqis who saw the preparations and decided that this would be a good thing." The situation is creating increasing restlessness within President Bush's own party. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) of Nebraska told U.S. News & World Report magazine last week, "Things aren't getting better, they're getting worse.... The White House is completely disconnected from reality." On NBC's "Meet the Press" over the weekend, Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona said: "Too often we've been told ... that we're at a turning point. What the American people should have been told and should be told ... [is] it's long; it's hard; it's tough." Professor Cole says that Secretary Rice was correct to point out over the weekend that the key goal is to drain popular support for the insurgency within the Sunni Arab communities in the center of the country, but he disagrees that there's evidence this is happening. "If people decide ... that these guys are dirty rotten rats, and they start turning them in, then the insurgents are toast," he says. "But their support is not only deeper now, it's wider, too, and there's opinion polling to back this up." The attacks of the past few days maintain the insurgent trend of the past half-year or so of targeting lightly armed and less well-protected Iraqi security officers instead of Americans. Through Sunday, 1,095 Iraqi soldiers and police have been killed this year, and that compares with 1,300 Iraqi military and police casualties in the previous 21 months, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count (www.icasualties.org/oif/), a nongovernmental organization that tracks civilian and military casualties. Car bombings surged from 65 in February to 135 in April, and major attacks per day rose from around 40 in February and March to 70 in April and May. U.S. commanders and soldiers in Iraq frequently complain they don't have the manpower to deal anything resembling a decisive blow. Soldiers operating in tough Iraqi provinces like Anbar say they feel as if they're watering the desert: They can win any neighborhood or mid-sized city they care to and make it "bloom" for as long as they're present in strength, but their efforts wither when they inevitably leave and move on to the next engagement. "We've won every fight they've given us, but there always seem to be just as many people fighting us as when we got here," says one career Marine officer, who recently finished a tour in Iraq. Anthony Cordesman, a former director of intelligence for the Office of the Secretary of Defense who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and has produced a series of detailed studies on the war in Iraq, quotes a Marine counterinsurgency expert in Iraq in a recent paper as saying "seizing the components of suicide bombs [is] like making drug seizures: comforting, but ultimately pointless.... Both sides are still escalating to nowhere." In cities like Fallujah, once thought to be decisively won by the U.S., engagements are on the rise, with three firefights on Sunday ending with 15 insurgents killed. In the city of Tal Afar in the north, violence still rages, despite three major U.S. offensives there in the past two years; and while the once notorious Haifa Street in central Baghdad was pacified by joint U.S. and Iraqi military efforts this spring, suicide attacks continue in other parts of the city. "The Iraqi Government and U.S. can scarcely claim that they are clearly moving towards victory," Mr. Cordesman wrote at the end of May in "Iraq's Evolving Insurgency," a 70-page analysis of the situation (www.csis.org/ features/050512_IraqInsurg.pdf). While Cordesman acknowledges large weapons seizures made by "tireless" U.S. operations in the country, he doubts the supply of weapons and bombmaking materials is going to dry up soon. "Few experts - if any - feel that the insurgents face any near-term supply problems given the numbers of weapons looted from Iraq's vast arms depots during and after the fighting that brought down Saddam," he writes. TRICARE Updates TRICARE Standard beneficiaries who live within a 40-mile radius of a military medical treatment facility (MTF) will no longer be required to obtain a non-availability statement or pre-authorization from an MTF before receiving inpatient care (other than mental health services) or maternity care from a civilian provider. The rule exempting these beneficiaries was published in the Federal Register 12 April 2005. DoD, however, is still authorized to make exceptions under certain conditions through a waiver process. TRICARE also announced a new pharmacy Formulary Search Tool, which allows beneficiaries to find medication-specific information using either the drug name or medical condition. The Formulary Search Tool can be accessed through the TRICARE website at www.tricare.osd.mil/pharmacy.


			Legion Fights Attempt to Tap Social Security Benefits The American Legion has authorized its national commander to take all "appropriate actions, with other organizations or singly, up to and including authorizing litigation," to ensure that the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission does not attempt to erode veterans disability benefits by offsetting them with the Social Security disability system. The Veterans Disability Benefits Commission is considering whether Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) should or should not be included in its analysis of benefits provided under current federal laws to compensate veterans and their survivors for disability or death attributable to military service. How do you feel about this action? Let your public officials know how you feel! (http://capwiz.com/military/issues/alert/?alertid=8716506&type=CO) Army Displays Latest Warfighting Innovations By Cheryl Boujnida Army News Service June 20, 2005 WASHINGTON - The Army showcased its Future Force Warrior system, the latest in war-fighting technology, at Soldier Modernization Day on Capitol Hill June 16. Military researchers, developers, testers and engineers displayed current innovations in Soldier technology to senators and congressional staffers who witnessed how technology can impact Soldiers' lives while sampling the Army's newest field rations. "What we're doing today is showing members of Congress how American dollars are being well spent to benefit our Soldiers everyday," said Brig. Gen. James Moran, commanding general, Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., and Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Va. He explained the Future Force Warrior system is a designed as an integrated "system of systems" as part of the Army transformation to a Soldier-centric force that will complement future combat systems. "Under the concept of managing the Soldier as a system, two uniform systems are under development," Moran said. The Future Force Warrior system will be available to Soldiers in 2010. The Vision 2020 Future Warrior system, which follows the concept of the 2010 Future Force Warrior system, will be fielded 10 years later. "The result is a single integrated combat system that enhances Soldier performance in all critical areas: increased effectiveness, decreased load and improved mission flexibility and enables continuous upgrades. By managing the Soldier as a system, Program Executive Office Soldier will save Soldiers' lives, improve their quality of life and increase their combat effectiveness," Moran said. The uniforms, which are designed to increase lethality and survivability, will lighten the Soldier's load from approximately 100 pounds, currently carried by combat Soldiers, Moran said, to 45 pounds. "Soldiers have been treated like Christmas trees in the past, and not just because they were wearing green � each year the Army hung something extra on them," said Philip Brandon, director, Soldier Systems Center. "Their equipment was not an integrated system, but rather a series of add-ons." Brandon said the Soldier's warfighting needs must be considered as a single platform, functioning as a system and integrated with other systems. "Once a Soldier has too much weight strapped on, he or she may start a process of elimination in order to reduce weight. In a "Black Hawk Down' movie scene, Soldiers were forced to ditch equipment," he said. "That type of decision-making is not necessary in this world of technology." Other items featured at Soldier Modernization Day included: new types of Meals, Ready to Eat, or MREs, Unitized Group Rations, and components of the new First Strike Ration. "We interview 13,000 Soldiers annually to determine which MREs they like best. With that data, we introduce five new menu items and delete five items that Soldiers don't enjoy," said Richard Walunas, chief of strategic communications at the Natick Soldier Center. "To be fit on the battlefield, Soldiers need fuel and we provide them with exactly what they want because they deserve the best." Other new technologies at the exhibit included the Cargo Aerial Delivery Systems, camouflage net systems, space heaters, field kitchen and food service equipment, shelters, shear thickening fluid for personnel protection, lightweight armor technologies, the Advanced Combat Helmet, and photovoltaic technologies. "The precision air-drop technology system, which is attached to guide actuators, allows supplies to be dropped to Soldiers from 20,000 feet, so they can receive much- needed assistance without the plane having to expose itself to danger," Walunas said. Soldiers deployed to hot-climate areas such as Iraq can make use of solar sun shades. "The shades are material strips that when placed on top of tents, use photovoltaic technology to convert light to electricity. The energy can also be stored for use at night and can generate approximately one to two kilowatts of electricity. Soldiers will make use of natural resources to aid them in their missions too," he said. Soldiers of yesterday were also present to view today's technology on Capitol Hill. World War II veterans Oliver Benson Medcalf and Logan Council, who visited the Russell Senate Office Building by chance, stumbled across the display. "There's a lot of new-fangled technology out there now that we surely could have made use of," Council said, who served with a signal corps in the Philippines in 1943. "It's not easy to be a Soldier during war times, and technology can make a big difference in troops' abilities." Sgt. Daniel Harshman, from Hagerstown, Md., knows about the role technology plays in Soldiers' lives. He spent four years in the Army on active duty, has served four years in the National Guard and Army Reserve, and works as a Department of Defense civilian employee for Operational Forces Interface Group in Natick. "Technology can improve our infallibility and survivability so we can get the mission accomplished and get home sooner. We can fight, win a war and be home in time for dinner when we have the right equipment to do the job," Harshman said. A Shreveport, La., Soldier who joined the Army to "do something different and be a part of something big" said having cutting-edge technology available to Soldiers is vital to readiness. "It's crucial that we have what we need when we need it," said Master Sgt. Roy Pipkin Personal Protective Equipment Survey The Army has launched a study on the effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The survey seeks information on incidents involving PPE. Your input will be used by the Department of Defense (DOD) to improve Soldiers' protective equipment. This survey should take 5-8 minutes to complete. Go to http://www.infantry.army.mil/surveys/ppe/ppe.htm for the survey.
	Combat Readiness Center Redesigns Website The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center has launched a new design for its website (https://crc.army.mil/home/), making it even easier to provide essential Composite Risk Management tools and programs to commanders, first-line supervisors and individual Soldiers. Quick links, tabbed categories and a new search engine coupled with a new structure are just a few features that make the CRM tools, programs and information more easily accessible on the website. Additionally, the Combat Readiness University currently offers and links to more than 1,700 courses and resources. First Woman Gets Silver Star Since WWII Associated Press June 17, 2005 WASHINGTON - A 23-year-old sergeant with the Kentucky National Guard on Thursday became the first female soldier to receive the Silver Star - the nation's third-highest medal for valor - since World War II. Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, who is from Nashville, Tenn., but serves in a Kentucky unit, received the award for gallantry during a March 20 insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq. Two men from her unit, the 617th Military Police Company of Richmond, Ky., also received the Silver Star for their roles in the same action. According to military accounts of the firefight, insurgents attacked the convoy as it traveled south of Baghdad, launching their assault from trenches alongside the road using rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Hester and her unit moved through enemy fire to the trenches, attacking them with grenades before entering and clearing them. She killed at least three insurgents with her M4 rifle, according to her award citation. In the entire battle, 26 or 27 insurgents were killed and several more were captured, according to various accounts. Several Americans were also wounded in the firefight. "Her actions saved the lives of numerous convoy members. Sgt. Hester's bravery is in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism," her award citation reads. "I'm honored to even be considered, much less awarded, the medal," Hester told the American Forces Press Service, a military-run information service. "It really doesn't have anything to do with being a female. It's about the duties I performed that day as a soldier." Hester, a native of Bowling Green, Ky., joined the Kentucky Army National Guard in April 2001 and moved to Nashville in 2003, according to a biography provided by the Army. She works as a retail store manager. Her unit deployed to Iraq in November 2004 and remains in the Baghdad area, escorting convoys and assisting the Iraqi Highway Patrol. Hester's father, Jerry, also of Bowling Green, said: "I'm overwhelmed at what she's accomplished in Iraq. It's something to be very proud of and my wife and I are. Leigh Ann is a very good soldier." He added: "She played softball and basketball all through high school, and she's won a lot of games. But those games didn't mean nowhere near what this medal does and what she's done for her country." Also receiving the Silver Star for that action was Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein of Henryville, Ind., and Spc. Jason Mike of Radcliff, Ky. Five other members of their unit received other medals for the action, including another woman, Spc. Ashley Pullen of Edmonton, Ky. The awards to Hester and Pullen come only weeks after some Republicans in Congress abandoned an effort to curtail the roles of military women in combat zones. The Pentagon and some Democrats and other Republicans opposed the measure. Current Pentagon policy prohibits women from serving in frontline combat roles - in the infantry, armor or artillery, for example. But the nature of the war in Iraq, with no real front lines, has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more than in any previous conflict. Senate OKs Pay for Guard, Reserve The Senate has agreed to make sure that federal employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve don't lose pay when they are activated. The measure was added to an $80.6 billion emergency spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other costs. The amendment was approved in a voice vote after a Republican attempt to derail it failed, 61-39. Its prospects of becoming law are uncertain, however. The Senate bill will have to be reconciled with a $81.4 billion version of the bill the House approved last month. About 120,000 U.S. government employees serve in the Guard or Reserve and, when activated, they lose an average of $368 a month, the difference between their civilian and military pay. He said pay issues are a main reason members of the Guard and Reserve don't re-enlist. Let your public officials know how you feel about this bill.

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