Are you thinking about buying a new car but overwhelmed by the cost? Many automakers want to show their appreciation for military families by offering special pricing on their vehicles. Whether you’re returning after an overseas tour or you’re just ready for a new car, make sure to take advantage of the military discounts offered by a variety of automakers, both stateside and abroad.
The Spring-Summer 2018 Afterburner is now available online. For a direct link to the latest Afterburner, click here.
Air Force retirees and annuitants who have an online myPay account are now automatically receiving the Afterburner electronically. People with a myPay account have been removed from the hard-copy mailing list. The Air Force partnered with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in order to save more than $131,000 in printing and postage costs each issue.
Retirees and annuitants can keep their email address updated on myPay by logging into myPay at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx. Once logged in, click on “Email Address” and review/edit the “personal email address” block. Click on “Primary” and “Accept/Submit” to complete the transaction.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
Retirement is a destination for sure, and one that we have been working toward for decades. But retirement is also a journey. It begins when we leave work and can easily last for 20 or 30 years. As with any journey, it sometimes makes sense to stop and review where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Here are six questions to ask yourself that will help you stay on track in your retirement journey.
You may have been hearing a flurry of news about drug price freezes recently — but don’t start spending your windfall just yet.
Bowing to political pressure from the White House, some of the biggest drug manufacturers have announced a series of temporary price freezes or even price cuts to their medications in recent weeks. Yet it’s unlikely these moves will translate into lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers, experts say.
Col Kurt Johnson was a key member of the 199th Fighter Squadron and the Hawaii Air National Guard. He was a Korean War veteran, flying F-86 Sabres. In the HIANG, he flew F-86s, F-102 Delta Daggers, and F-4C Phantoms. His fini flight was on June 23, 1984.
During his career, he designed many things that remain part of the 199th Fighter Squadron today. He designed the 199th Fighter Squadron logo. It remains the only squadron logo that is not in a circular shape. During the F-102 era, he designed the Hawaiian pattern tail flash that the HIANG still uses today. In the F-4C era, he gave each assigned aircraft the name of the Hawaiian bird. Kurt’s legacy will live on into the future.
Kurt’s son, Ro “Rojo” Johnson flew with the 199 FS for many years before his premature passing.
Fini Flight – A pilot’s last flight in the aircraft before he/she leaves a squadron, a wing, or retires.
“Fini” flights are the symbolic end of an aviator’s flying career. The final flight usually coincides with a retirement but sometimes the individual is moving to a non-flying position. For the aviator, it is an emotional day shared with family, friends, and squadron mates.
It’s assumed that the tradition of fini flights came from the U.S. Army Air Force days of the World War II era.
They were designed to accompany milestones in the career of the entire aircrew, respected individuals of rank or repute, or a commander’s departure to another command or retirement.
The tradition was first officially noted in Vietnam, when the aircrew commemorated the completion of 100 missions. While the 100th safe last-landing was a reason to celebrate, it is now usually a separate flight altogether marking the final activity before departure.
The celebration has evolved and now includes champagne or similar, a toast and dowsing with water from a fire truck for the aircraft and aircrew. Usually, family or families of the departing aircrew or personnel also meet them on the hardstand and douse them with water.
President Donald Trump will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to the family of a fallen U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Combat Controller at a ceremony on August 22 for his extraordinary heroism in March 2002 while deployed to Afghanistan.
According to the medal nomination, Technical Sergeant John Chapman distinguished himself on the battlefield through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity,” sacrificing his life to preserve those of his teammates. Chapman was part of a joint special operations reconnaissance team deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 that came under overwhelming enemy fire during a heroic rescue attempt on Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan, March 4, 2002.
Many people use the words “Alzheimer’s disease” and “dementia” interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. In fact, you can have a form of dementia that is completely unrelated to Alzheimer’s disease.
Many retired members of the 201st Combat Communications Group attend the recent memorial services for Galen Nakahara.
Among the retirees not in the photographs above included George Okuma, Melvin Morris, Roy Chee, Ernest Shima, Jeffrey Okazaki, Carl Tonaki, and Roy Matsumura. Janine Orbando, an former 201 CCG member who recently retired from the Florida Air National Guard, flew to Hawaii for the services.
Sometimes the only time you see old friends is at memorial services.
click on photograph to enlarge
From the Kiplinger Magazine website
Retirees tread a tricky line: Keep enough cash in their pockets to cover the unexpected but not so much that inflation nibbles away at their nest egg. However, in my firm’s experience, we find many retirees maintain only a fraction of the optimal level of cash.
We understand why people can be averse to holding more cash, given the abysmally low yields on savings accounts and CDs. We also acknowledge that longtime habits are hard to break.
Having said that, if you are in or approaching retirement, we strongly suggest taking another look at your cash levels.
There are several benefits to maintaining a larger reserve – some of which aren’t obvious:
Richard Terry Smith, age 73, of Aurora, Colorado passed away on May 15, 2017. Born on November 19, 1943 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Retired from U.S. Air Force. During his time in Hawaii, employed by Hawaii Air National Guard, U.S. Air Force Reserve, Olivetti Business Machines, and Hawaii Yacht Club.
Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Aileen “Rita” Smith. Survived by sisters Carol Mason, Dorothy Meyers, and brother Robert Smith; sons Rodney “Kaimi” (Shea) Smith, Ricky Gabriel-Nakaahiki, daughters Ruth (Greg) Kiemnec, Pamela (Jody) Goya, Roberta (Robert) Quayle, and Patricia (Alfred) Kaili, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.
Services to be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 3, 2018 at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl).
Retiree News extends our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
HILO, Hawaii – Patti Nishimoto, Waiakea High School resource coordinator, State of Hawaii Department of Education, received a Department of Defense Patriot Award on May 31, 2018, in recognition of her continued support provided to her employee, Spc. Eric Kawahara, Hawaii Army National Guard.
Hilo Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve area chair, Wayne Kanemoto, presented the award in front of Waiakea High School staff and administrators. The award was a surprise for Nishimoto, who thanked Kawahara for his service.
After the completion of the presentation, Principal Kelly Koba signed an ESGR Statement of Support.
In the photograph: Patti Nishimoto (center), Waiakea High School resource coordinator, State of Hawaii Department of Education, received a Patriot Award on May 31, 2018, in recognition of her continued support provided to her employee, Spc. Eric Kawahara (right), Hawaii Army National Guard. Wayne Kanemoto (left), Hilo ESGR area char Patti Nishimoto presented the award to Nishimoto.
ESGR, a Department of Defense program, seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.
A House-Senate conference committee tasked with ironing out differences in separate versions of the defense authorization bill has rejected Senate-passed provisions that would have sharply increased TRICARE fees, deductibles and co-pays for a million retirees under age 65.
Lawmakers who in recent weeks shaped a final $716 billion John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 (HR 5515) also voted to allow disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients and caregivers of veterans severely injured in war to shop on military bases, paying slightly more at checkout than current patrons. They also will be able use base recreational facilities.
Expansion of access to on-bases services, which the Department of Defense endorsed in part to make commissaries more self-sustaining, is to occur January 1, 2020.
Continue reading about this year’s NDAA
If you want to read the entire 2019 NDAA, click here
From The New York Times website
What will it take to age well in place, in the surroundings we’ve long cherished that bring us physical, social and emotional comfort? What adaptations are needed to assure our safety and comfort and relieve our children’s legitimate concerns for our welfare?
Of course, aging in place is not for everyone. Some seniors may prefer to leave the dwelling long shared with a now-gone partner. Some may want the security of knowing that physical and medical assistance is but a bell-ring away. Others may simply be fed up with having to care for a home.
