Taken from Office of Personnel Management e-newsletter
Did you hear? Federal retirees and survivors will receive a 1.7% Cost-of-Living adjustment (COLA) effective December 1, 2014. You will see the increase in your January 2, 2015 payment.
Why wait until you receive your annual mailer at the end of December to see your new monthly annuity amount? Simply go to Services Online (SOL) ( www.servicesonline.opm.gov ) to see your new annuity amount. If you do not remember your password for SOL, simply follow the online instructions to get a new one. While on SOL, why not do some annuity housekeeping by checking to make sure we have your correct mailing address, email address, and the proper Federal or state tax withholdings.
Additionally, help us reduce our carbon footprint by opting in to receive your annual mailer and 1099R electronically. By receiving them electronically, you will be able to receive the information sooner and save them directly to your computer for easy access in the future.
As always, OPM continues to keep your transactions on SOL safe, secure and easy for you to access at any time 24/7, 365 days a year.
Sincerely,
Kenneth J. Zawodny Jr.
Associate Director, Retirement Services Tenant Rights
Office of Personnel Management
Update: These military pay charts became official since the original post.
President Obama has notified Congress that he wants a 1 percent increase in military pay for 2015, after a 1 percent raise for 2014 pay. If approved, the military pay scales below will become effective on January 1, 2015, and apply to active members of the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
The linked tables reflect proposed 2015 monthly pay based on the 1 percent pay raise, which goes into effect when the 2015 defense budget is signed.
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/charts/military-pay-charts.html
Best to you and your families during this holiday season!
This Christmas Eve people all over the world will log on to the official Santa Tracker to follow his progress through U.S. military radar. This all started in 1955, with a misprint in a Colorado Springs newspaper and a call to Colonel Harry Shoup’s secret hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, now known as NORAD.
With his self-deprecating humor and ski slope profile, legendary entertainer, actor, comedian and philanthropist Bob Hope bought joy and laughter to troops stationed around the world. Hope performed his first USO Show at California’s March Field, on May 6, 1941 and for the next 63 years, with his caravan of stars, Hope entertained millions of troops and their families.
Throughout his long and extensive career Bob Hope came to represent home for many if not all of the troops, and for an hour or so, American service personnel were visited by an old friend and comrade. His signature shows included comedians, singers, actors and actresses, and led the way for celebrities of every kind to commit to giving their time and talent to lift the spirit of American military personnel.
In October 1997, in honor of Bob Hope and his extensive humanitarian work, the members of both houses unanimously passed Resolution 75 making Bob Hope an Honorary Veteran. Hope was the first and to date the only individual so honored in the history of the United States.
“Today I signed into law H.J. Res. 75, which confers upon Bob Hope the status of honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and extends to him the gratitude of the American people for his lifetime of accomplishments and service on behalf of our men and women in uniform.
Bob Hope is a great American whose life has defined patriotism and service. In times of war and peace, good times and bad, he entertained our troops and brought to them a familiar and comforting sense of home while they defended our nation’s interests around the world. Bob Hope richly deserves this unique honor and I am proud to be able to sign this measure into law.”
Definitely continue reading ow.ly/AxSfE
Lieutenant Colonel Melvin “Humphrey” Souza passed away early this morning. Humphrey served with the 199th Fighter Squadron, flying F-86 Sabers and F-102 Delta Daggers. More recently, Mel served with the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Aloha Pumehana!
Retiree News will post more information about services when it becomes available.
Congratulations to newlyweds Regina Berry and Brit Komine. Regina continues as the Commander of the 154th Force Support Squadron (FSS) and the Director of Personnel at the 154th Wing. Brit remains a C-17 pilot in the 204th Airlift Squadron.
BTW: it’s Regina Komine now, update your contact information on your phones.
Congratulations to Taison Tanaka, the new Director of Staff at Headquarters, Hawai‘i Air National Guard. Taison follows Col David Molinaro who retired on December 1. Taison came off active duty to assume the duties of the Budget Officer in the Comptroller office. He later became the Comptroller when Lt Col Keith Kunichika retired. He later assumed command of the 154th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
Brig Gen Ryan Okahara, Commander of the Hawai‘i Air National Guard recently hosted Taison’s promotion ceremony where he was pinned a colonel.
BTW: Taison looks young in this photograph taken on the day he took the oath to join the Hawai‘i Air National Guard.
Congratulations to Duke Ota, who assumed command of the 154th Mission Support Group. Duke’s experience includes assignments in both supply and aircraft maintenance. Duke follows Brig Gen Ryan Okahara, who now serves as the Commander of the Hawai‘i Air National Guard.
Brig Gen Braden “Mongo” Sakai, the 154th Wing commander, hosted Duke’s promotion ceremony to colonel.
Social Security, Medicare and retirement accounts will all have new rules next year. Here’s what you can expect.
One of the biggest mistakes retirees make when calculating their living expenses is forgetting how big a bite state and federal taxes can take out of savings. And how you tap your accounts can make a big difference in what you ultimately pay to Uncle Sam.
One of four C-17 squadrons, representing about 400 Air Force jobs, will be inactivated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in summer 2016, JBLM announced Saturday.
The inactivation of the 10th Airlift Squadron, which includes eight planes, is part of a larger Air Force reduction in the 2015 federal budget, approved by Congress and signed by the president last week. The 17th Airlift Squadron in Charleston, South Carolina, will be inactivated this summer.
From the This Day in Aviation website
22 December 1949: North American Aviation test pilot George S. Welch (one of the heroes of Pearl Harbor) made the first flight of the YF-86D Sabre, 50-577, at Edwards AFB, California. This took place only nine years after the first flight of North American’s prototype NA-73X Mustang, which would become the famous P-51 fighter of World War II. This was an amazing jump in technology in just a few years.
Based on the F-86A day fighter, the F-86D (originally designated YF-95) was a radar-equipped, missile-armed all-weather interceptor. During development, so many changes became necessary that the F-86D shared only about 25% of the parts of the F-86A.
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 for the following new registered readers whose email address did not include a recognizable name: paloloson83@gmail.com
Colonel Glen “Knockers” Nakamura, the 154th Wing Vice Commander is retiring. Knockers will begin flying for Hawaiian Air in the near future.
Brig Gen Braden “Mongo” Sakai, Commander of the 154th Wing, asked Retiree News post this information about Col Nakamura’s fini flight.
Colonel Nakamura will be flying his last mission in the Air Force on Tuesday, December 23 with an expected land time of 1430 local. He will be recovering to 5 Row on the Hickam Ramp, so if anyone would like to greet him upon landing and help soak him down, meet at Hangar 13 (203/96 Air Refueling Squadron Operations) prior to 1430. He will be recovering in front of Hangar 13. Reason for Row 5 is because Mike Taxiway is being re-surfaced.
Following the hose down, we will move back over to the fighter squadron for food and refreshments.
For more information, contact Mongo’s executive officer, Captain Marie Akana at (808) 448-8101 option 2 or ext. 444-6508 or on her mobile (808) 383-7550 or by email macie.akana.1@us.af.mil
Please spread the word to our retirees.
Several Retiree News readers inquired about Knockers’s biography. Click here
From the This Day in Aviation website
20 December 2004: The 20th Fighter Squadron, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the last operational squadron in the United States Air Force flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, was inactivated. The squadron’s F-4F fighters were sent to The Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona.
