Visiting a national park as a retiree is one of the most affordable and beautiful vacations you could take this summer. Here’s how to make the most of your trip:
Purchase a senior pass. U.S. citizens age 62 and older can purchase a senior pass for just $10 that entitles them to lifetime free admission to over 2,000 federal recreation sites, national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands. The pass also covers the entrance fee for other passengers in a personal vehicle at sites that charge by the vehicle, or it covers up to four adults at places that charge fees for each person. In some cases, the senior pass also provides a 50 percent discount on charges for facilities and services including camping, swimming, boat launch and guided tours.
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This year, more than 50,000 people worldwide will hear four simple words: “You have Parkinson’s disease.”
Once the shock subsides, four new words will dominate their thoughts: “Is there a cure?” Today, the answer is no; however, with advancements in early detection and expert care, treatments are helping many people live long and happy lives with Parkinson’s. Research has shown that seeing a neurologist improves outcomes, and seeing a movement disorders specialist can speed improvement in symptoms.
Read more http://ow.ly/xG11s
Thanks to Fred Hyun for sending in this article
Thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Blog via Email”: Cliff Kobashigawa, Rick Sullivan
Thanks for the following new registered readers whose email address did not include a recognizable name: mikaelekunia, royoneda, lenora462
Can Retiree News get to 500 register readers by the close of 2014?
Daryl Guy Hong, 62, of Kailua-Kona, an Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, a Hawaii National Guard training officer and Robert’s Repair & Service mechanic, passed away in Kona Community Hospital on June 1, 2014. He was born in Honolulu.
He is survived by sons Derek, Allen and Mike; parents Daniel and Chizuko; and two grandchildren.
The second annual “America’s Health Rankings Senior Report” ranked all 50 states on the health and well-being of older Americans, based on 34 different statistical measures, ranging from the availability of geriatricians to the prevalence of volunteering among older people. Minnesota ranked first, while Mississippi placed last.
Dr. Reed Tuckson, senior medical adviser to the United Health Foundation, a nonprofit foundation established by UnitedHealth Group UNH +0.79% (parent company to insurer UnitedHealthcare), said the rankings weren’t designed as a list of the best states in which to retire. That said, it merits a mention that retiree haven Florida ranked a worse-than-average 28th overall, with strengths including high levels of physical activity among older people and weaknesses including high prevalence of chronic drinking among those 65 and over.
Continue reading http://ow.ly/xDAxd
Congress appears poised to adopt new legislation making it easier for veterans to get private medical care and harder for underperforming administrators to keep their jobs, under a deal announced by Senate leaders Thursday.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and John McCain, R-Ariz., took to the chamber floor to announce the measure after days of negotiations. The pair had offered competing measures for VA reform earlier in the week, but announced the compromise legislation as a way to put aside partisan politics and immediately help veterans.
Continue reading http://ow.ly/xIJaQ
One of the toughest money decisions Americans face as they age is whether to buy long-term care insurance. Many people don’t realize that Medicare usually doesn’t cover long-term care, yet lengthy assisted-living or nursing home stays can decimate even the best-laid retirement plan.
Long-term care insurance is a complex product that requires a long-term commitment if you’re buying it. So how can you tell if this insurance is right for you?
Continue reading http://ow.ly/xDA9H
John Chun, who retired out of the engine shop, and his wife live in Salem, Oregon. They attended Colonel James Ashford’s services in Oregon. John emailed this report with photos. Mahalo to John for his work documenting this event for Retiree News.
click on photographs to enlarge
Lorraine and I attended Col. Ashford’s Celebration of Life on April 26, 2014 at his hangar in Independence, Oregon.
Just before the service started four airplanes taxied in and parked in front of the Ashford hanger. I found out later that they were participating in a Missing Man Formation fly-by.
The service started with a presentation of lei to his three daughters Carol, Anne and Joan. There was an opening prayer followed by Military Honors, a flag presentation and the playing of taps.
Colonel Ashford’s grandchildren did his eulogy. It was filled with his fun life and stories. His sailing days, building of airplanes, flying and driving stories, tax help to the elderly (AARP) and his volunteer work at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. I found out that he was a great backseat driver and that he has passed this trait on to his daughters.
After the service was finished all three-redhead daughters got into the airplanes with the pilots to do the fly-by.
As you can see in the photos he treasured his retirement ejection seat and his flying helmet. I believe the ejection seat is a Rex Koga (instrument shop) idea and creation. And so is the No Ka Oi decal on the seat.
Aloha, jcRelated: http://ow.ly/xGzrs
Colonel Paul Tamaribuchi will retire from the Hawai‘i Army National Guard after more than 30 years service. He will relinquish command of the 103rd Troop Commander to Colonel Robert Lesher in a Command Change of Command Ceremony this weekend.
View Brigadier General Bruce Oliveira, Commander, Hawaii Army National Guard’s official invitation: Tamaribuchi Ceremony
There will be a special farewell luncheon for COL Tamaribuchi on Monday, June 30, 2014 at the Hickam Officer’s Club. View the luncheon flyer for more details: Tamaribuchi Luncheon
click on photograph to enlarge
On June 5, 1989, the People’s Republic of China’s army took quick and decisive action to suppress the on going demonstration in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The photo above shows an individual, who became known as “Tank Man”, stood in the way of military tanks moving toward Tiananmen Square. He moved side to side as the lead tank tried to move around him. Eventually, another individual came out of the crowd and dragged him off before he was harmed.
Recently, another photograph of the scene with a different perspective emerged. The photograph below speaks for itself and shows what “Tank Man” was really trying to stop. Tank Man was a real HERO!
click on photograph to enlarge
View the CNN News video http://ow.ly/wzaQI
About 125 Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers will return home later this week from nine months of duty in Afghanistan, the National Guard said.
B Company, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, out of Wheeler Army Airfield, deployed with 10 CH-47 Chinook helicopters to provide troop and equipment transport. The big twin-rotor helicopters are the workhorses of Afghanistan, able to fly at high altitudes and carry large payloads.
The Hawaii Guard soldiers operated primarily out of Kandahar Airfield but also five other forward bases.
The citizen soldiers are at Fort Hood, Texas, preparing for the return to Hawaii on a charter flight.
Off the Star Advertiser website http://ow.ly/xB5Ca
MSgt Annette Gagarin sent the following email about the start of another season of the Hawaii National Guard Bowling league. If you are interested contact either John Hata or Ernest Brooks.
I need your assistance in placing an article on your webpage to solicit interested individuals to either bring a team or join the HING 4-Some Bowling League. Use the following information for your article:
Start Date and Time: 10 July 2014; 1630 at Hickam – upon approval
Bowling Lanes: Hickam Lanes
Cost: $15.00 to include lane fees
How long: 40 Weeks
Meeting: Teams Captain Meeting on 26 Jun 14 at 1600 hours
Maximum Teams: 16 – 18 Teams (we have 10 teams)
Contact: Vice President John Hata at john.hata@us.af.mil Secretary Ernest Brooks at ernest.brooks@navy.milDennis Fujii, a Hawaii Army National Guard retiree forwarded the following email to Retiree News. There has been a dramatic increase in “phishing” attempts and Dennis wanted to spread the word since he apparently got phished.
These hackers use different ways trying to get your personal information. Please be careful out there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please let your readers know that is a real threat. I got phished and this was American Express’ response after the fact:
Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting American Express with your concern.
This message has been automatically generated to let you know that we are reviewing your email to determine whether it is indeed fraudulent. If we find it to be fraudulent, we will immediately take appropriate action. Please also note that we may contact you if we require additional information.
**ALERT**
As an example of a phishing e-mail, please note some of our customers reported receiving the following e-mail(s), which is/are known to be a hoax.
Example 1 Approximate date the email hoax was sent: 05/26/2014 Address appearing in the “From”: Onlinealerts@secureserver.com Content in Subject line: Your account requires a complete profile update Example 2 Approximate date the email hoax was sent: 05/26/2014 Address appearing in the “From”: AmericanExpress@email2.americanexpress.com Content in Subject line: Invalid login attemptsYour email will be used to aid us in identifying any fraudulent websites. If any are identified in your email, we will remove them at the earliest possible opportunity. Thank you for your help and being a vital part of that process.
If you feel that your confidential information may have been compromised by replying to a suspicious e-mail or by filling out a page on an illegitimate website, please contact American Express at the number on your account statement or on the back of your Card.
For specific questions about your American Express account that require a reply, we also ask that you call Customer Service.
Please do not reply to this e-mail as it was sent for notification only.
Sincerely,
American Express
Thanks to Dennis for sharing this information.
Mark Tadao Shiraishi, 58, of Honolulu, a retired Island Movers supervisor and a Hawaii Army National Guard veteran, passed away on May 22, 2014 in the Queen’s Medical Center. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by wife Debbie, sons Brandon and Cory, daughters Amy and Deyna, brother Dean, sister Ida and two grandchildren.
Mark retired as a master sergeant and served proudly as a member of the 1st Battalion, 487 Field Artillery – Hiki No!
