A glitch on the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) website over the New Years weekend showed certain items, many of them Ashley brand, as having deep discounts. For example, an Ashley couch set in the color “sage” showed as marked down from $939 to $199.97. An Ashley bed frame set price $329 was marked down to $49.97, according to the site.
Would like to extend an invitation to the Pinning Ceremony for the 154 MXG Commander, Lt Col Joseph Harris as he is promoted to the rank of Colonel on Sunday, the tenth of January two thousand and sixteen two thirty in the afternoon at the Weapons Training Room (WILT, Bldg 3409) Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
Please RSVP with link below.
https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/anim.cfm?i=272824&k=006640017953
Mahalo!
CMSgt Geoffrey Stiteler
154 MXG/CCC
If you were one of the apparently hundreds thousands of AAFES shoppers who thought they scored astoundingly cheap furniture over the weekend, you’re about to be disappointed.
Dec. 31, 2015
Benjamin Kwan Ki “Ah Kee” Au, 86, of Laie, a retired National Guard officer and a retired Laie Elementary School teacher, passed away on December 31, 2015. He was born in Laie.
He is survived by wife Merren “Jojo”; sons Ben Jr., Timothy and Erwin; daughters Gwynne “Kaimi” Haiola, Merren Au, Nanette Vendiola and Gail Heffernan; 30 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren.
Visitation: 8:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Laie North Stake Center. Services: 11 a.m. Burial to follow at Laie Cemetery. Condolences: woolsey mortuary.com.
Thanks to Gordon Lau, who emailed this article into Retiree News
If you’re eligible to transfer your GI Bill, do it now. Don’t stop to ask “why?” Do it even if you don’t think your spouses or kids will end up using it. Do it even if you think you might want to get out and use it yourself.
Thanks to Gordon Lau for sharing this information
The citizens of several US states may soon find that they can’t use their drivers’ licenses to get into federal facilities or even board planes.
Enforcement of a 2005 federal law that sets identification standards, known as “Real ID,” has been long-delayed. But now Department of Homeland Security officials say enforcement is imminent. The “Real ID” law requires states to implement certain security features before they issue IDs and verify the legal residency of anyone to whom they issue an ID card. The statute is in part a response to the suggestion of the 9/11 Commission, which noted that four of the 19 hijackers used state-issued ID cards to board planes.
In a hopeful sign for 60,000 military widows and widowers who lost spouses to service-connected illnesses or injuries, a key House subcommittee is taking a fresh look at how Congress might allow a further easing the “SBP-DIC offset” to provide heartier and fairer survivor benefit packages.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James is “strongly encouraging” commanders to team up with veterans service organizations to provide three-volley gun salutes — often referred to as 21-gun salutes — at funerals for eligible veterans and retirees.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all Americans including all military members (active duty, retired, Selected Reserve, or Retired Reserve) and their eligible family members must have health care coverage that meets a minimum standard called minimum essential coverage or pay a fee. Your TRICARE coverage meets the minimum essential coverage requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“The term “active duty” means full-time duty in the active service of a uniformed service for more than 30 consecutive days”. Beginning in January 2016, DFAS will be providing IRS Form 1095-C to all U.S. military members, and IRS Form 1095-B to all Retirees, Annuitants, former spouses and all other individuals having TRICARE coverage during all or any portion of tax year 2015. An IRS Form 1095 documents you (and your family members, if applicable) have the minimum essential coverage. More information will be forthcoming about the delivery method of these forms.
These forms will document the information that DFAS will provide to the IRS on yourself and your authorized family members. DFAS will provide you with IRS Form 1095 series forms no later than Jan. 31, 2016.
You can find more information about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on your federal income tax at: http://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act, or http://www.dfas.mil/taxes/aca.html.
You can act now to make sure your forms remain secure once they are available using myPay. Just look for the link to “Turn On/Off Hard Coy of IRS Form 1095” in your account and select Electronic Delivery Only. Your information will remain safe until you need it.
Attention Army retirees. ALARACT 189 issued in early December provides information for obtaining the new “Soldier for Life” window sticker (DA Label 180).
This new logo is in keeping with the Army’s motto “Once a Soldier…Always a Soldier.”
Read ALARACT 189 2015
A new national help hotline, Vets4Warriors, was recently created. The hotline’s mission is to provide 24/7 confidential, stigma free peer support by veterans to active duty, National Guard and Reserve servicemembers, veterans, retirees, and their families/caregivers. The hotline just received special state funding and can help connect clients with a new $5 million program called the Veterans Total Care Initiative. This six-month pilot program will help any servicemember, vet or reservist bypass long wait lines and get expedited treatment. The Veterans Total Care Initiative went live January 1 and can be reached at (866) 838-7654. If you need help now, call the Vets4Warriors National Help Hotline at (855) 838-8255 and visit the Vets4Warriors website.
For more on veteran benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.
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You can register to receive an email every time there is a new post. In the “Follow Blog via Email” section and press “Follow”. On the next screen, enter your email address and press ENTER. Shortly, you will receive a confirmation email to your address from WordPress.com. You acknowledge the email and you are a registered reader.
After you compete this short registration process, you get a notification email every time there is a new posting. The email has a quick teaser of the posting, along with tags that indicate how the posting relates to special topics/areas. There is a direct link to the website (Read more of this post)
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Thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Blog via Email”: Robyn Montera
Richard C.L. “Pipi/Peepsight” Wong, 85, of Honolulu, a Hawaii Air National Guard retiree formerly employed by Dole Pineapple Co. and Board of Water Supply, passed away on December 7, 2015.
He is survived by wife Lucy K., sons Bert and Byron, daughter Bonnie K. Gaison, brothers Wilfred and Stanley, sister Shirley W. Chock, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Visitation: 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Mililani Mortuary-Waipio, makai chapel. Services: 10 a.m. Burial: 11 a.m. at Mililani Memorial Park. Aloha attire. Flowers welcome.
Frank J. Rodrigues III, 67, of Kapolei, an Army National Guard veteran, passed away on December 14, 2015. He was born in Honolulu.
He is survived by wife Connie, daughter Dionne and sister DaisyMae Clark.
Visitation: 9 a.m. Saturday at Borthwick Mortuary, 1330 Maunakea St. Services: 10 a.m. Scattering of ashes to be held at a later date. Aloha attire. Flowers welcome. Condolences: http://www.borthwickoahu.com
