The following article is from the December 2, 2014 issue of NGAUS Washington Report
The Air Force will not retire A-10 fighter aircraft and the Army will not transfer AH-64 Apache helicopters from the National Guard in the current fiscal year.
Those are two important highlights of the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act hammered out by House and Senate negotiators Monday. The bill now will go before both chambers for votes. If it passes both, it will be sent to the White House for the president’s signature. The House could vote as soon as Thursday on the bill. The Senate will wait for the House vote before it considers the legislation.
NGAUS has seen only a summary of the bill, not the entire piece of legislation. The entire bill will be posted on www.ngaus.org when it is available.
The bill provides about $575 billion for defense, including nearly $64 billion for overseas contingency operations, along with a 1 percent pay raise, freezing basic pay for general and flag officers.
The Army will not be allowed to transfer any Apaches helicopters from the Guard during the current fiscal year, but does allow the service to transfer up to 48 in fiscal 2016. Under its Aviation Restructuring Initiative, the Army wants to move all Apaches to the active component, a move opposed by NGAUS.
Opponents of the Apache transfer have put their faith in the creation of a panel to study the necessary future structure of the Army. That panel, known as the National Commission on the Future of the U.S. Army, was approved, with four members appointed by the president and four appointed by Congress. NGAUS has supported this. The committee will study the necessary force structure of the Army and will make its report to Congress by Feb. 1, 2016.
The Air Force wants to retire all of its A-10 aircraft as a cost-saving measure, including 100 during the 2015 fiscal year. The bill prohibits any retirements, but does allow up to 36 aircraft to be put in “backup inventory status.” It also requires a report on the close-air support capability of the Air Force done by the Government Accountability Office. NGAUS opposes the retirement of the A-10.
The compromise bill also requires a $3 increase for pharmacy co-pays for retail prescriptions and mail-order nongeneric prescriptions.
The National Guard Association of the United States One Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, D.C. 20001 202-789-0031 | www.ngaus.org | ngaus@ngaus.orgNew video shows the USAF Thunderbird’s Lead Solo and his crew doing what they do best…
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Retiree News is thankful for the continuing support of who visit our website. We strive to continue sharing information with Hawaii National Guard retirees, members and friends.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families on this joyous day.
Federal Benefits Open Season runs from November 10, 2014 through December 08, 2014.
It’s quick and easy to request health benefit changes and plan information
– Go to Open Season Online at https://retireefehb.opm.gov – Call Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798 – Write to us at: FEHB Open Season Processing Center P.O. Box 5000Lawrence, KS 66046-0500
For General Open Season information, click the above link to use Live Help or send a secure webmail message.
For information on comparing health plans visit http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/compare-plans.
For more information regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s requirement visit www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision.
For information on the Federal Employees Dental & Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) visit the secure enrollment website www.benefeds.com or call 1-877-888-3337, TTY 1-877-889-5680.
For more information on Open Season or health care reform legislation, visit www.opm.gov/insure.
For information on Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov.
Annually on Veterans Day, there are photographs of old soldiers attending commemoration ceremonies. The photograph and caption below presents another view.
– 131,000 military veterans are homeless on any given night. – U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
– in 2012, 301 soldiers were killed in combat. 349 took their own lives. – Pentagon
– 30% suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. ptsd is a mental illness caused by suffering an event of intense fear, helplessness or horror. uncontrolled panic attacks may be induced by sudden loud noises or a real or imagined threat. – Mayo Clinic & NY Times Health
This photograph and caption came from the thepublicblogger.com website. Kendall F. Person is the webmaster.
The turkey is the star of your Thanksgiving feast. But for many, it is the only day in the year that many households prepare a turkey. Do you know remember how to safely defrost, cook and store leftovers?
Read about turkey safety http://ow.ly/AI4hs
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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”: Celia Espinosa, Kurtis Mabe
Tim Fujino, a retired Hawai‘i Air Guard member, serves as a Transition Assistance Advisor (TAA). He shared the following information about a new Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i project.
The Veterans Legal Assistance is a new project of Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i aimed at expanding the availability of legal assistance to low-income Hawai’i Veterans. The VLA project focuses on disabled and elderly veterans and family members who are residents of the state of Hawai‘i and who want assistance with filing benefits claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The VLA project also offers referrals to volunteer attorneys through VLSH’s pro bono program for legal advice and direct services for the following legal issues:
– Family Law – Tenant Rights – Collections and Bankruptcy – Estate Planning/Probate– Bench Warrant Recalls (Oahu only)
To apply for services, please call:
– Oahu: 808.528.7046 – Maui: 808.727.8210 – Hawai‘i Island: 808.313.8210 – Kauai: 808.698-8210– E-mail: Intake@vlsh.org
If you have questions, please contact Liz Pasquarette, Pro Bono Coordinator, at Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i at 808.522.1858 or lpasquarette@vlsh.org.
Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i website www.vlsh.org.
From the This Day in Aviation website
20 November 1963: The U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command accepted its first two production McDonnell F-4C Phantom II jet fighters, F-4C-15-MC 63-7415 and F-4C-15-MC 63-7416. They were flown to MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, by Brigadier General Gilbert L. Meyers, commanding the 836th Air Division, and Colonel Frank K. (“Pete”) Everest, a world-famous test pilot, commanding the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Squadron. Lieutenant General Charles B. Westover, Vice Commander, Tactical Air Command, formally accepted the new fighters on behalf of TAC.
The website article shows two photographs of aircraft 63-7415 with 199th Fighter Squadron markings.
Tim Fujino, a retired Air Guard member, serves as a Transition Assistance Adviser (TAA). He shared the following information about upcoming veterans’ events. Retiree News will post additional information as they become known.
If you have questions, please contact Tim directly at (808) 672-1250 or (808) 342-4207
KBAY Job Fair
Where: Marine Corps Base Hawaii Officer’s Club Nimitz Road, Marine Corps Base Hawaii Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2014Time: TBA
Spouse’s Transition Fair
Where: Mokapu Mall at Marine Corp Base Hawaii Date: Friday December 12, 2014Time: TBA
VA Benefits Workshop
Where: Oahu Veterans Center 1298 Kukila St Date: Saturday, January 24, 2015Time: 0900-1200
Quest Job Fair
Where: Neil Blaisdell Center (NBC) 777 Ward Avenue Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2015Time: TBA
MSgt Charles Yabui retired from the Hawai‘i Air National Guard in January 1978. He served in the 154th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as an air technician in the radar shop. Charlie was a member of the Royal Guard, and marched with the unit in the inaugural parades for both Presidents Johnson and Nixon.
After his retirement, Charlie was ordained Kāhu Kihapai Charles Milika‘a Yabui of the Ka Hale Hoano o Ke Akua Church in Kalihi.
On October 6, 2014, the state, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy blessed a new mobile crane at Pearl Harbor that will assist with cargo off-loading in the event a natural disaster renders Honolulu Harbor inoperable. Presiding at the blessing ceremony was Kāhu Yabui.
For more on the crane and some photographs of Kāhu Yabui, go to http://tinyurl.com/jwm4nnv
Related: www.kahalehoano.comFuneral expenses can reach thousands of dollars. Here’s how you and your survivors can prepare.
Philip Christopher Anuenue Cabudol, 76, of Kapolei, a veteran of the Hawaii National Guard and Army Reserve Pacific Liaison Command, passed away on Ocotber 18, 2014. He was born in Puunene, Maui. He is survived by wife Catherine J.R.; daughters Mary Ann Chalker, Sharon Cadiente, Zelda Cabudol and Wanda Kahue; sisters Valeria Cadiz, Vivian Aton and Jeanette Viloria; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
