From the Air Force Magazine website
Purchases of new F-35 fighters, KC-46 tankers, and C-130 transports in recent years have made only a small dent in the age of the Air Force’s fleet, down to 29.1 years across all types after hitting 30.55 years in 2020. But the service operates eight fleets exceeding an average of 50 years, and one—the KC-135—now exceeds 60.
According to data supplied to Air Force Magazine, the AT-38/T-38 trainers, the B-52 bomber, and aircraft based on the C-135 series—the KC-135, NC-135, RC-135, TC-135, and WC-135—are all in their mid-to-late 50s, with the KC-135 ringing in at 60.35 years of age. The B-52 is not far behind the Stratotanker, with an average age of 59.8 years. The data were current as of Sep. 30, the end of fiscal 2021.
From the Task and Purpose website
“We Make Marines,” proclaims a banner at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, summarizing the service’s ethos that recruits have to prove they have the mental and physical toughness to serve in the Corps by surviving boot camp. By the time men and women receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, they have proven that they have the physical and mental toughness to earn the coveted title of “Marine.”
But Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger wants “exceptionally talented Americans” to be able to bypass the Corps’ traditional rites of passage and begin serving “at a rank appropriate to their education, experience, and ability.”
Webmaster Comment: There will be many old Marines who will have comments about this…..
Americans are a generous people, donating many billions of dollars to charity each year, nearly $450 billion in 2019 alone. Although the U.S. government rewards donations with a tax break, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made it harder to qualify by increasing the size of the standard deduction. To get any tax benefit from your donations in 2021, your total itemized deductions for the year, including charitable gifts, must exceed $12,550 for individuals and $25,100 for married filers.
These new rules make it more tax-effective to give a single, large donation rather than spread it out over time, but “people might not want the charity receiving everything at once,” says Neel Shah, an estate-planning attorney and a certified financial planner at Shah Total Planning in Monroe Township, N.J. “People’s intentions and charitable goals can also change over time, or they might not know which charity to give to.”
The I.G. Brown Training and Education Center was established in 1968 as the Professional Military Education Center. Most of the campus during this period was made up of old World War II buildings.
At the time, Patriot Hall was the only large auditorium on the campus. The sides of the auditorium had the flags of all 54 states and territories. The first day of the Leadership School, the NCO Academy and the Academy of Military Science had students sitting at attention waiting for the instructors to arrive.
At the end of training, graduates walked across this stage to receive their diplomas.
The undated photograph on the left appears to be a Business and Industry Day briefing. The photograph on the right appears to ba a graduation event.
The National Guard system – crucial to America’s military defense and vital to state emergency operations – is reeling from corruption and misconduct that reflect overarching command failures, a USA TODAY investigation has found.
For more than two decades, state Guards from Alaska to California to Delaware have been shaken by scandals, often exposed by whistleblowers who are subjected to retaliation amid coverups.
In Maryland, a Black soldier was taunted and forced to wear chains as punishment.
In Vermont, an Air Guard commander allegedly flew a fighter jet to the nation’s capital, where he had a tryst with a Pentagon official.
In state after state, soldiers have been sexually assaulted or harassed, only to suffer reprisal from executive officers.
Throughout the National Guard system, which consists of 54 independent state and territorial militias, soldiers and airmen have complained for decades about abuses that suggest a failure of culture and oversight.
Despite the biggest cost-of-living adjustment in decades, Social Security beneficiaries may still find it challenging to make their monthly checks stretch farther next year.
The reasons: Inflation is continuing to drive up consumer prices, while standard Medicare Part B premiums will rise by 14.5% in 2022 in a bigger-than-expected jump.
The Consumer Price Index, a government measure for the change in prices over time, climbed 6.2% year-over-year in October, marking the biggest inflation increase in 30 years.
Heart attack symptoms don’t always feel the same in women as they do in men. Important warning signs to know:
Off the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page
Telling a story in the Hawaiian culture is an art and takes on many forms. Among those are music and hula, which runs deep in the culture of our Airmen.
Shown here is the HANG (Hawaii Air National Guard) ‘Ohana, comprised of our guardsmen, who have shared stories through song and dance throughout the generations.
“We played music, and the ladies danced for guard functions,” said retired Senior Master Sgt. Gordon Lau as he reflects on his past experiences. “It was good times representing the Air Guard in the community.”
Mahalo HANG ‘Ohana for keeping our culture alive!
Top photo hula dancer: Aurora Lee
Left to right: Willy Kalama, Gary Cera, Bill Akiona, and Ron Cozo
Bottom photo courtesy of Chief Master Sgt. Leilani Moniz
Top row: Bobby Furtado, Gerard Lum, Kawika Langsi, Jody Goya, Jim Kawano, Gordon Lau, Paul Kim
Bottom row: Bernice Pharr, Carole Yoshikane, Kanani Pharr (daughter of Bernice), Leilani Moniz, Yolanda Guss, Arlene Mitte, and Pam Goya
Whether it’s dealing with an economic crisis or a health pandemic, middle-income Americans have faced significant financial problems for quite a while now. One reason for this can be attributed to the fact that income for middle-class families continues to rise at a much slower rate than for higher-income Americans.
Thankfully, the number of tax breaks available to low- to middle-income Americans has risen thanks to recent legislation. Many of these tax breaks are temporary, but it’s vital for everyone, especially those needing financial assistance, to claim all the tax breaks legally available to them.
From the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) website
You are receiving this message because one or more of your 2021 tax statements will be mailed in hardcopy form (paper) but it’s not too late to make the switch in your myPay account to electronic-only delivery!
By changing your statements to electronic-only you get 24/7 access and immediately add a layer of protection to your personal information by keeping these forms securely accessible in myPay, not in the mailbox outside your home.
Switching statements from hardcopy to electronic is simple and FAST:
1) Log into myPay at https://mypay.dfas.mil
2) Select “Turn On/Off Hard Copy Statements” on the left-hand menu
3) Slide the bar(s) to the left
4) Logout of myPay
Now that you’ve made the switch, your important documents such as 1099R tax statements, IRS Form 1095 healthcare verification and other correspondence from us will stay securely accessible within your myPay account without the risk of loss via mail.
Important deadlines to change 2021 forms from hardcopy to electronic:
– Please change Form 1099R before December 9
– Please change IRS Form 1095 before December 31
Now is also a good time to make sure your myPay profile information such as email addresses and phone numbers is up to date. You can also look over your Beneficiary of Arrears information or adjust your state and federal tax withholding.
Also, check out our website at www.dfas.mil. The instructions for turning on/off hard copy statements is online at https://www.dfas.mil/mypayinfo/OptIn/.
Did you know that people who sip at least one diet soda a day may be three times as likely to develop dementia? See what else may lead to a decline in brain function.
Off the Hawaii Adjutant General’s Facebook page
Olelo Community Media‘s Island Focus is a monthly half-hour television series produced by ‘Ōlelo Community Media as a community service. The show features exclusive interviews with members of our government, business, education, and community sectors and talk about their passions, what’s new, and what impact they’ve made.
This interview was recorded at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and features BG Stephen F. Logan, Deputy Adjutant General, State of Hawaii Department of Defense.
The Kūkā‘ilimoku is the official e-newsletter of the 154th Wing, Hawai’i Air National Guard. The first issue came in September 1957 and continues as an e-newsletter today.
Today we feature the October 2010 Kūkā‘ilimoku issue. This issue includes the following stories:
* F-22 Raptor Conversion Continues
* Prepping for the new Air Force fitness test
* Promotions: including Gordon Kai, Jerry Pagaduan
* Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) Graduates
For years, the Social Security Administration has done a pretty crummy job telling Americans how much they’ll likely receive in Social Security benefits. But I’m glad to say that the agency just replaced its text-heavy, four-page Social Security Statement with a redesigned, more useful, more visual, two-page version.
As a result, I strongly urge you to visit the Social Security website to see the vital, clear information for your retirement security. To do so, you’ll want to either visit your “my Social Security Account” on the site or set one up. Otherwise, you can only see your Statement when it comes in the mail once you turn 60. (Only 63 million Americans have my Social Security Accounts, though 176 million workers pay taxes into the Social Security program.)
Sample Your Social Security Statement – Form SSA-7005-SM-OL (11/21)
Retiree News 