The National Museum of the United States Army is scheduled to open its doors to the public on June 4, 2020.
The National Museum of the United States Army will be the first museum to cover the Army’s entire 244-year history. There are other branch-specific or conflict-specific museums such as the Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Like other D.C.-area museums, admission for the Fort Belvoir, Virginia, museum will be open for free to the public on a timed-entry ticket system. Museum officials expect as many as 750,000 visitors in the facility’s first year.
The museum will tell the Army’s story through soldier stories. The narrative begins with the earliest militias and continues to present day, according to an Army release.
From the Everyday Health website
For anyone who believed that a glass of wine a day is good for your heart, new research presented last month at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Annual conference may be hard to swallow.
A study of more than 17,000 U.S. adults showed that as little as a drink a day may contribute significantly to high blood pressure (hypertension). This investigation differs from past research, according to study authors, in that it specifically evaluated the link between hypertension and moderate drinking rather than the link between alcohol and heart disease.
From the Hawaii Magazine website
Saimin (pronounced sigh-min) is a noodle dish that’s only found in the Islands. The word “saimin” is a combination of two Chinese words—sai meaning thin and min, which means noodle. The dish dates back to the plantation era in Hawaii—late 1800s—when workers from various ethnic camps would gather to eat, bringing with them various ingredients to share.
The noodles are what make saimin unique from other Asian noodle dishes like Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho. Saimin noodles typically contain the same ingredients as ramen—wheat flour, sodium and potassium carbonate and salt—but are darker in color, curly and slightly chewy when cooked, explains Hidehito Uki, president and CEO of Sun Noodle, the largest family-run noodle manufacturer in the state. (Some styles of saimin can also include eggs.) The noodles are served in a hot dashi, or broth, usually made from shrimp, mushrooms, ginger and konbu (dried kelp).
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website
The Department of Defense has released the 2019 Caregiver Resource Directory (CRD), and it is ready for download! The annual update includes 114 pages of information on resources and programs, including those that assist caregivers of wounded, ill and injured Veterans and service members.
The CRD is an enriched source of information. It covers everything from childcare, education and training, healthcare needs, legal assistance, rest and relaxation, to peer support, mentoring, and so much more. The Directory is essentially a one stop shop for questions and concerns for those who are new to being caregivers.
The resources provided in the CRD have gone through a rigorous review and vetting process so that Veterans, service members and caregivers receive accurate, timely, and pertinent information. The simple guide is available 24/7, and is available in Spanish. The guide uses icons to assist with quickly accessing VA and DoD programs and non-profit organizations. The CRD is also a good source for info on self-care programs and for respite assistance.
To download a digital copy of the CRD or to request a hard copy, please go to: https://warriorcare.dodlive.mil/caregiver-resources/.
For information about VA resources, visit VA Caregiver Support
From the Everyday Health website
Whether you’re on your way to Hawaii to relax on the beach or heading to Beijing for work, traveling can be stressful. The last thing you want to worry about is getting sick. Unfortunately, there are germs lurking on every door handle, tray table, and restaurant menu.
According to one travel study published in August 2018 in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, which was conducted at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland, the plastic trays at the security checkpoint were crawling with more germs than even the bathroom doorknobs and toilet flush buttons.
From the Images of Old Hawaii website
Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA) (lit. long stone) was first used during World War II as a Marine Corps artillery live-fire training area.
During World War II, few permanent structures existed; when the Marines trained at PTA, they slept in tents.
U.S. Marines from the 3rd Marine Division and the 5th Marine Division trained at PTA and on the western side of the Big Island in preparation for the Iwo Jima and Saipan campaigns.
After the war, PTA fell under the control of the Hawai‘i Territorial Guard and in the mid-1950s the Army took over PTA. From 1955-58, Soldiers from the 65th Engineer Company built the distinctive Quonset huts, which are still in use.
From the Kaiser Health News website
The politics of health care are changing. And one of the most controversial parts of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care)— the so-called Cadillac tax — may be about to change with it.
The Cadillac tax is a 40% tax on the most generous employer-provided health insurance plans — those that cost more than $11,200 for an individual policy or $30,150 for family coverage. It was supposed to take effect in 2018, but Congress has delayed it twice. And the House recently voted overwhelmingly — 419-6 — to repeal it entirely. A Senate companion bill has 61 co-sponsors — more than enough to ensure passage.
The tax was always an unpopular and controversial part of the 2010 health law because the expectation was that employers would cut benefits to avoid paying the tax. But ACA backers said it was necessary to help pay for the law’s nearly $1 trillion cost and help stem the use of what was seen as potentially unnecessary care. In the ensuing years, however, public opinion has shifted decisively, as premiums and out-of-pocket costs have soared. Now the biggest health issue is not how much the nation is spending on health care, but how much individuals are.
Weather events and natural disasters are, by nature, unpredictable. But you can predict what you should do before, during, and after an emergency. Being prepared for events like wildfires, floods, and hurricanes can help keep you and your family safe. A disaster may change access to your TRICARE benefit, prescriptions, and medical resources.
To enlarge, click on the photograph, wait for the Twitter format to appear and then click on the photograph again.
This photograph was taken prior to the parking structure being built. The area in front of the white tower in a parking lot.
Your will may be the most important document you’ll ever write. Problem is, after many of us draft one, we put it somewhere for safekeeping and don’t look at it again. That can be a big mistake.
Lives change. Our finances change. Loved ones leave us and new family members join us. We relocate. And on and on. These types of occurrences — and a few others — often demand updating a will.
From the Kaiser Health News website
As Wei Wei Lee sat with her doctor to discuss starting a family, she felt a “distance” between them. The physician was busy on the computer and focused on the screen.
“It just didn’t feel very personal,” Lee said. “I didn’t feel heard.”
It wasn’t the experience she wanted, but she could relate: Lee is Dr. Wei Wei Lee, a primary care physician with the University of Chicago Medicine.
Ten Years Ago….
+ KC-135: alone, unarmed, unafraid
+ Deployed members prepare to hula and haka
+ TSgt and SSgt Promotions
+ Aircrews undergo water survival training
The August 2009 issue of the 154th Wing’s newsletter, the Kūkā‘ilimoku, featured these stories and more
From The New York Times website
Karen Herzog, a retired high school teacher, bought a long-term care insurance policy 12 years ago because she didn’t want to burden her only daughter if someday she could no longer care for herself.
Then a letter arrived in May that complicated her well-laid plan. Her monthly costs would double within two years, reaching nearly $550 — a significant portion of her fixed income.
“Many of us will be forced to drop this policy,” said Ms. Herzog, 73, of Ocala, Fla. “This was supposed to be my parachute.”
Ms. Herzog reluctantly started paying a higher monthly premium while she weighed her options. But her insurer, Genworth — the nation’s largest provider, with 1.1 million long-term care policyholders — said she might face another rate increase in eight years, when she’s 81.
Many people have no desire to talk about “what if” when it comes to their finances.
That’s because they’re often too busy figuring out what to do with their money right now. The reality is we can’t live forever and, in some cases, we won’t even be able to live the way we have in the past, due to chronic illness, injury or other unexpected events.
Retiree News 