The TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) of the Department of Defense has extended the current TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP) contract – which runs from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013 – to continue through December 31, 2013. Read more http://ow.ly/kCYUB
Bagging cheaper airfares depends not just on when you fly but also on when you shop. On average, the best time to buy a ticket for non-holiday domestic travel is 49 days before departure, based on CheapAir.com‘s study of 560 million 2012 fare records; for international flights, 81 days is the sweet spot. Read on http://ow.ly/kvX0r
Legislation to grant full Veteran status to Guard and Reserve members who served at least 20 years but have not been called up for active duty recently cleared its first hurdle in the House. Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced H.R. 679 in January to honor Reserve component members who by the letter of the law do not meet the definition of a “Veteran.” For those who may be unaware, Title 38 of the US code (Veteran’s Benefits) excludes career reservists from the definition of “Veteran” if they have not served on Title 10 (active duty) for other than training purposes.
Update from the blog of John R. “Doc” McCauslin, CMSgt (Ret) Chief Executive Officer, Air Force Sergeants Association, 301.899.3500. Information shared by CMSgt Nolan Kanekuni.
A message from Ron Han, Director of the State of Hawai‘i Office of Veterans Services (OVS)
If you have any family or friends who served honorably between the dates of 1950-1953 in any service component, please pass their names to me. With the help of the 60th Commemoration Committee on the Korean War, we are preparing individualized recognition certificates to be passed out at a special ceremony slated for Tripler (0900) and at the O‘ahu Veterans Center (1100) on Saturday 25 May 13.
The 60th Commemorative Committee will be making a trip to Maui on Friday, 24 May 13 (1500, place: TBD) to meet with Maui Veterans and their families. We will work with the Veterans organizations on the islands of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, and Lāna‘i on how best to distribute these certificates.
Furthermore, this also includes those Veterans who served during this time frame who are now deceased. Family members can receive these certificates on behalf of their loved ones.
For more information, call the Office of Veterans Affairs at 433-0420.
The 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will hold their Brigade Memorial Ceremony on Thursday, May 23, 2013. The event will be at the 29 IBCT Headquarters in Kalaeloa and will start at 0900.
Click to see the flyer 29th IBCT 2013 Memorial Ceremony and Reunion
Following the ceremony will be an informal social gathering. The Family Readiness Groups are planning to set up food tables for their fund-raising. The units will also set up displays of their latest equipment.
Retirees planing to attend can contact CSM (Ret) Robert N. Inouye at 
844-6550, (M) 230-7416 or robert.n.inouye.nfg@mail.mil.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a listing of age-appropriate doses of vaccines. See if you’re due for a vaccine: http://ow.ly/kvLOj
Taken from a Twitter feed from TRICARE http://ow.ly/kvLJG
Albert Lauro, 74, of Waipahu, formerly of Hawai‘i Island, a retired carpenter and a Hawai‘i Army National Guard veteran, passed away on April 13, 2013. He was born in Pa‘auilo, Hawai‘i.
He is survived by son Albert Jr.; daughters Roxanne Kamelamela, Angela Kealoha and Alberta Lauro; brothers David, Joseph and Daniel; sisters Lorraine Yadao, Violet Bueno, Linda Tengan and Sally Visaya; hanai sister Sophie Aiona; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Ernest “Outlaw” Silva, also known as Ernest DeSilva, 77, of Hilo, a former Hilo Country Club groundskeeper and a Hawai‘i Army National Guard veteran, passed away on April 26, 2013. He was born in Hilo.
He is survived by half sister Teresa Portis.
John “Sonny” Kaiewe Jr., 83, of Hilo, a retired U.S. Department of the Interior resource management specialist at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and a veteran of the Army and Hawai‘i Army National Guard, passed away on April 20, 2013. He was born in ‘Ola‘a, Hawai‘i.
He is survived by wife Cecilia; son John III; daughters Gail Laila Aguiar, Martha Ann K. Aquino and Hulali Kane; brothers Oliver, Archie, William, Donald and Solomon “Solo” Fujiyama, and William “Cowboy” Ahuna and Jimmy Jones; sisters Linda Jones, Jennie Kauai MaCadang; Priscilla Soto; Lei Cabiling, Nona Weaver, Gladys Nakoa and Thelma Readon; 11 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren.
Shigeru “Shige” Fujimoto, 88, of Honoka‘a, Hawai‘i, a retired Hāmākua Sugar Co. journeyman welder, Hawai‘i Army National Guard retiree and an Army veteran who served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Battalion, Company B, during World War II, April 11, 2013. He also was a Honoka‘a Judo Club and Honoka‘a Aikido Club instructor, former chairman of Local 142 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, past president of the ILWU Pension Club and a former member of School Advisory Council and county Planning and Liquor commissions. He was born in Laupāhoehoe, Hawai‘i. He is survived by wife Fujie “Jean”; sons Scott, Stanley and Wesley; brother Akira; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The President’s Budget Proposal for FY 2014 includes a plan to reduce benefits to senior citizens, military retirees disabled veterans and survivors. It goes by the “innocent” and now ever popular name of “Chained CPI.” Proponents describe this new formula as a simple “technical adjustment” that does a better job of calculating the true cost of living. In truth, there is nothing innocent about the Chained CPI as it represents a significant benefit cut. Over the course of a lifetime the average beneficiary stands to lose thousands of dollars. Read more http://ow.ly/kvIEA
Thanks to CMSgt Nolan Kanekuni for sending in the article.
Special Thanks to Iris Kabazawa and Wayne Wakeman, who registered as a new Retiree News readers.
Several readers emailed in asking about the photo on the masthead of this website.
The event was the Farewell Ceremony in honor of Governor Linda Lingle and Major General Robert G.F. Lee. It took place on Saturday, November 6, 2012 in front of the Base Operations Building on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
The guest speaker that day was General Craig R. McKinley, who served as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He was the first NGB Chief to serve as a four star general and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The masthead photo was taken by Steven Matsuda of Local Moments Hawaii. He was gracious to authorize the use of the photo. For more information, email Steven at localmomentshawaii@yahoo.com.
Major Parades & Street Activities on Oahu for May 2013. http://ow.ly/kuebc
Taken from a Twitter feed from Nancy Daniels @OutriggerPR
