From the This Day in Aviation website
16 January 1975: Three United States Air Force pilots, Majors Roger J. Smith, William R. MacFarlane and David W. Petersen, test pilots assigned to the F-15 Joint Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base, California, set six Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) time-to-altitude records in one day, flying this unpainted McDonnell Douglas F-15A-6-MC Streak Eagle, serial number 72-0119, from Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Individuals age 21 up to seniors age 70 on moderate-fat diet who ate an avocado daily had lower bad cholesterol than those on a similar diet without avocado
Eating one avocado a day as part of a heart healthy, cholesterol-lowering moderate-fat diet can help improve bad cholesterol levels in overweight and obese individuals, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. More…
BG Arthur “Joe” Logan, the Adjutant General, announced the selection of CMSgt William Parker as the new Senior Enlisted Leader (SEL). Chief Parker will succeed CMSgt Robert Lee with the change becoming effective in March 2015.
General Logan announced his selection in an email to commanders, Chiefs of Staff and Directors of Staff.
Commanders and CsofS/DoS:
“After an extensive interview of the exceptionally outstanding candidates for the HING Senior Enlisted Leader, I have selected CMSgt William Parker of the HIANG. His extensive emergency management background and leadership traits make him a natural fit into the HING Command Team made up of Colonel Ken Hara, Deputy Adjutant General (DAG), and myself. My selection of CMSgt Parker as the HING SEL will provide balance to the command team as we embark on our leading the State Department of Defense forward pursuant to Governor Ige’s Vision for the State of Hawaii.
The starting date is March 2015.
Please join me in welcoming CMSgt Parker to this prestigious position”.
Joe Logan
Brigadier General (HI)
Hawai‘i National Guard
Congratulations to Chief Parker!
Air Force Reserve members who flew C-123 aircraft after they were used for spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam were exposed to the toxic herbicide and may be at risk for developing related diseases, according to a federal study released Friday.
An Institute of Medicine scientific panel comprised of public health experts stated “with confidence” that some of the 1,500 to 2,100 Air Force Reserve personnel who flew on C-123s after the war were exposed to chemical levels that exceed health guidelines for workers.
This article is from the Air Force Magazine e-newsletter, which includes a link to the Agent Orange report
At least some of the 1,500 to 2,100 Air Force Reservists who worked on C-123 aircraft between 1972 and 1982, which were previously used to spray Agent Orange during Operation Ranch Hand in Vietnam, “were exposed” to toxic herbicides and could be at risk for “a variety of adverse responses,” according to a new report released by an Institute of Medicine scientific panel.
“The committee is firm in its conviction that AF Reservists working in ORH C-123s were exposed … to the components of AO to some extent,” states the report. “The committee members could not stand behind any particular exposure estimates produced by manipulating the existing data, but they are clear in their finding that the surface-wipe sampling measurements of dioxin gathered in 1994, 1995, and 2009 are fully consistent with exposures to AF Reservists while working on ORH C-123 planes that exceeded international exposure guidelines.”
The findings are a hard-fought victory for the C-123 Veterans Association, led by retired Air Force Maj. Wes Carter, which has fought to reverse the Veterans Administration’s decision to deny the Reservists compensation under the Agent Orange Act of 1991 because they did not come in contact with the substance during the war. In a Jan. 10 blog post, Carter called the decision a “game-changer,” saying the IOM report sent a “clear message” to both the VA and the Air Force. The report is “solid justification for feeling their duty to America’s veterans has been satisified,” wrote Carter
Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? It should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for over 2 hours.
Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.
Note: Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.
You will have to evaluate each item separately. Read more http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — The Army is too important to Hawaii and Hawaii too vital to the Army to tolerate “worst-case” scenario troop cuts in the state, possible under sequestration in 2016.
The top Pacific Army commander, business leaders, legislators and even the newly elected Hawaii governor were in agreement on that simple equation Friday during an annual meeting of the Military Affairs Council of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.
The Army is in midst of finalizing force restructuring, with the original goal of reducing the number of active-duty soldiers to 490,000 by 2020.
You know your retirement plans, but it’s also important to ask hard questions and know your adviser’s succession plans.
taken from a Hawaii National Guard press release
Kahului, Hawaii – More than 40 members of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s (HIANG) 292nd Combat Communications Squadron, based in Kahului, Maui, and two other HIANG units are deploying to the U.S. Central Command’s Area of Responsibility (CENTCOM AOR) for a six month deployment. Augmenting the 292nd Combat Communications Squadron are several airmen from the HIANG’s 291st Combat Communications Squadron, based in Hilo, Hawaii and the HIANG’s 154th Force Support Squadron, based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The deploying airmen are scheduled to depart Hawaii this evening. The HIANG airmen will primarily provide base communications during the deployment such as satellite telecommunications, computer networking, telephone, and mobile radio services as well as some other base support functions.
The CENTCOM AOR encompasses the area of Southwest Asia and most of the Middle East. Due to operational security reasons and host nation sensitivities, the Hawaii National Guard is not disclosing the country where the airmen will be deployed.
Previously, the 292nd Combat Communications Squadron deployed airmen to various locations within the CENTCOM AOR in 2006 and 2009.
The 292nd Combat Communications Squadron is part of the 154th Wing, the largest Air National Guard wing in the nation. The 154th Wing flies and maintains F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft and C-17 Globemaster III transports. The Hawaii Air National Guard is comprised of approximately 2,500 airmen whose federal mission is to be trained and available for active duty operational missions. Its state mission is to be trained and available for domestic operations at home, including relief and recovery operations following a natural disaster.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issued the following press release about reviewing your home and automobile insurance policies.
HONOLULU, HI – The Hawaii Insurance Division’s premium comparison guide will help consumers shop and compare with ease. The 2015 version for homeowner and motor vehicle policies are available online at http://cca.hawaii.gov/ins/. The Division encourages policyholders to shop and compare between companies and to review these guides and talk with their agent to make sure they are adequately covered for the New Year.
“You could potentially save hundreds of dollars by reviewing our premium comparison guide and figuring out which insurers are charging less,” said Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito. “Consumers often tell us that our guide helped them figure out who to call and the type of questions to ask about their policy.”
The list shows the breakdown of premiums by island. Motor vehicle owners can use the guide to compare sample premium rates specifically for a 2013 Honda Accord, LX, four-door sedan. Homeowners can view policies based on a sampling of three different structure types.
The Insurance Division also publishes a guide for health insurance premiums for individuals and small businesses. These guides are meant to be a tool that will show premiums offered by insurers on and off the Hawaii Health Connector if a 2015 Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan is purchased.
For information and to access the guides, please visit the following websites:
Health Insurance Premium Comparison Guide
Homeowner, Condominium and Renters Premium Comparison Guide
Motor Vehicle Premium Comparison Guide
The Hawaii Insurance Division oversees the Hawaii insurance industry, issues licenses; examines the fiscal condition of Hawaii-based companies; reviews rate and policy filings; and investigates insurance related complaints.
For more information, the DCCA media contact is Lindsay Chambers Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (808) 586-7582 Lindsay.K.Chambers@dcca.hawaii.gov
The December 2014 Retiree Newsletter is ready for your review. It contains important information about how to access your 1099R for the upcoming tax season, managing your myPay password, updating your email addresses, and administrative updates and changes from our Branch of Service partners.
To access the newsletter, please click on the link below. You will find a list of topics for the newsletter, and you will also have easy access to previous newsletters after you click the link. The links to the newsletter were consolidated into one link for your convenience.
http://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/newsevents/newsletter.html
Few people go through life without having to help plan or pay for the funeral of a loved one, so it’s smart to have a sense of what a typical funeral costs.
What is Benefits.gov?
– The official benefits website of the U.S. government
– Informs citizens of benefits they may be eligible for
– Provides information on how to apply for assistance
– Learn facts about FREE MONEY and GRANTS
Benefits.gov (formerly GovBenefits.gov) was launched in an effort to provide citizens with easy, online access to government benefit and assistance programs. Eight years after its initial launch, GovBenefits.gov underwent a major redesign and became Benefits.gov. However, the program’s mission remains the same: reduce the expense and difficulty of interacting with the government while increasing citizen access to government benefit information.
The site’s core function is the eligibility prescreening questionnaire or “Benefit Finder.” Answers to the questionnaire are used to evaluate a visitor’s situation and compare it with the eligibility criteria for more than 1,000 Federally-funded benefit and assistance programs. Each program description provides citizens with the next steps to apply for any benefit program of interest.
Benefits.gov is a collaborative effort of 17 Federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Labor (Managing Partner), Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, and the Social Security Administration. This partnership not only funds, but strategically guides the direction of the program to continuously expand its value to citizens and government agencies, saving taxpayer dollars while improving the lives of millions of citizens in the process.
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.
Thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Blog via Email”: Nancy Quemuel, Denise Lau
Thanks for the following new registered readers whose email address did not include a recognizable name: hawaiijanine, hashimotg001, nuron97, jatrsh
From the Images of Old Hawaii website
11 January 1935: At 4:40 p.m., Amelia Earhart departed Wheeler Field, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, for Oakland Municipal Airport, Oakland, California, in her Lockheed Vega 5C Special, NR965Y. 18 hours, 15 minutes later, she was the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the Mainland. (This Vega was not the same aircraft which she used to fly the Atlantic, Vega 5B NR7952, and which is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.)
