MOAA: Rapid Fire

The space shuttle Enterprise took center stage last November at the opening of the National Air and Space Museum’s James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. In 1977, the 122-foot-long shuttle was capable of hurtling through space at 17,500 mph and carrying 150,000 pounds. Though it didn’t make it into space, the shuttle reached the edge of the atmosphere and signaled a breakthrough in space exploration.

Now, it’s on display in the 53,000-square-foot wing of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which opened near Washington’s Dulles International Airport in December 2003.

The hangar includes a number of items that recall the glory days of space exploration, including cruise missiles and other rockets, Russian and U.S. prototype satellites, and one of the original Spacelabs. A jet-powered space suit worn by astronaut Bruce McCandless for an untethered space walk off the deck of the shuttle Challenger in 1984 hangs from the ceiling.

The Enterprise has a new paint job but still needs some work. About 60 woodpecker holes can be seen in the tip of the tail, and the leading edges of its wings are missing, used by NASA in its investigation of the space shuttle Columbia’s reentry breakup in 2003. But that doesn’t stop visitors from delighting in the display.

Thanks, Mom!

Operation: MOM has been activated to send care packages to U.S. troops around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. The group has sent more than 15,000 packages, which are filled with snacks, toiletries, disposable cameras, and more.

Operation: MOM was started by Dotty Selmeczki with her friend Gloria Godchaux when Godchaux’s son left for active duty in the Marine Corps after Sept. 11.

The support group, with 150 members in four states, representing all the services, meets monthly so members can share feelings about loved ones stationed overseas and offer each other encouragement.

“We have to keep ourselves emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy to support our kids,” says Selmeczki. Visit www.operationmom.org.

No More Float

If you are like millions of Americans who write checks without sufficient funds in their account and rely on the “float” — transaction-processing time between merchants and banks — to delay payment until the deposit has cleared, beware! The new “Check 21” system, effective Oct. 28, 2004, essentially eliminates the float by providing “real-time” debiting of an account. Also, banks no longer will return canceled checks; they will scan them into an image document system and destroy the originals, which may make it difficult for consumers to dispute fraudulent activity.

Is TFL For You? Unsure about your TRICARE For Life (TFL) eligibility? TFL is available to Medicare-entitled uniformed services retirees, including retired National Guard and Reserve members, Medicare-entitled family members and survivors, and certain former spouses. To participate in TFL you must be entitled to Medicare Part A and enrolled in Medicare Part B. A Medicare-eligible beneficiary who is the family member of an active duty servicemember is not required to purchase Part B and remains eligible for TRICARE Prime.

To learn if you’re eligible, contact the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System at (800) 538-9552 or go to your nearest uniformed services ID card facility. To locate the ID card facility nearest you, visit the Rapid Site Locator at www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl.

In Review

Alexander Hamilton By Ron Chernow. Penguin Press, 2004. $35. ISBN 1-59420-009-2.

In this dramatic but lengthy and overwhelmingly detailed book, noted biographer Ron Chernow follows Hamilton (1755–1804) from his illegitimate birth and impoverished childhood in the British West Indies to his rise as secretary of the treasury in President George Washington’s cabinet and his later, untimely death in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

Chernow tells how Hamilton wrote the influential Federalist Papers; created a central bank, national currency, customs service, and tax system; and managed the federal debt. Chernow also describes Hamilton’s bitter and hateful feuds with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams that resulted in the formation of the first political parties. This is a superb and entertaining portrayal of early American politics.

The Pentagon’s New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century By Thomas P.M. Barnett. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004. $26.95. ISBN 0-399-15175-3.

Naval War College professor Thomas Barnett offers a slick package of solutions for the new threats to global security. He suggests the United States adopt a new global map, dividing the world into two areas — the Functioning Core and the Non-Integrating Gap, new names for the haves and have-nots. He proposes the core nations make every effort to assimilate the gap nations, using globalization and connectivity to encourage stable governments, prosperous economies, and secure societies.

Barnett suggests the United States reorganize its military to provide a high-tech, powerful force to win any war and a low-tech, multilateral force to win the peace. His thoughts on military alliances with China and India are provocative and risky.

In addition to his annoying self-promotion, continually telling the reader how smart he is, Barnett’s ideas really are just cleverly packaged versions of old arguments.

March to Remember

Test your endurance and exercise your patriotism by joining the 2005 Bataan Memorial Death March. Held on March 20 at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the 26.2-mile course through high desert over paved roads, dirt trails, and sandy washes will take hikers to elevations varying from 4,100 feet to 5,300 feet. Water points and first aid stations will be regularly spaced along the course.

Individuals and five-person teams can enter in several categories and can choose to carry a 35-pound pack. Participants receive a T-shirt, certificate, and timing chip, and finishers earn a commemorative dog tag. The cost is $40 for an individual and $150 for a five-person team.

The march is conducted in honor of the heroic servicemembers who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II. Register online at www.bataanmarch.com or call (505) 678-1256 for a registration form. Entry deadlines are Feb. 19 by mail, Feb. 25 by fax, and March 10 online.

Ditch the Scissors

Commissary shoppers are among the top coupon clippers in the world, but the clipping part soon might be history. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is helping customers increase their savings by offering Internet coupons.

“Although we sell groceries at cost, we are always seeking new resources to help our customers increase their savings,” says Patrick Nixon, CEO for DeCA. “As the trend toward Internet coupons grows, this section of our Web site will continue to grow as well.”

Commissaries, and many other grocery retailers, stopped accepting home-printed coupons because of fraud, but Internet coupons have flourished. All 273 commissaries now accept computer-generated Internet coupons, as long as they have a bar code for scanning purposes and do not offer a free product. Visit www.commissaries.com.

Army Game Scores Big

The official U.S. Army game, an interactive multi-player video game that gives people a look inside the Army and the life of a soldier, is drawing high marks. “America’s Army” has registered more than 4 million users and now is one of the top games in the world.

The game can be downloaded for free from the Internet and allows players to try on being a soldier — virtually. Players go through basic training and airborne school, see how a soldier succeeds, and learn what happens when a soldier faces danger. In a survey given to 16-21-year-olds, 29 percent said “America’s Army” was the most effective method of generating interest compared to other Army sponsorships.

“America’s Army” also is being developed as a training device for soldiers. Some government applications, not available to the public, provide hands-on skills to soldiers. These applications include the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle and the Talon Robot, which has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy improvised explosive devises.

Soldiers can register to have the Army star next to their virtual persona so others playing the game know they are competing against a real soldier.

Retiree Spotlight

Maj. Mike Foster, USA-Ret., served two tours in Vietnam, logging more than 1,000 combat hours flying helicopters in the Army’s 173rd Assault Helicopter Co. He earned the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal with combat V. Last year, he participated in a project to donate a Huey helicopter to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History for a new exhibit chronicling military combat operations.

The Huey was flown around the country to give Americans a greater understanding of the Vietnam War. You were involved in the last leg of that mission.

Like a lot of Vietnam veterans, I had difficulty with closure. Seeing the interest people had in what we were doing was very gratifying.

I think there is a much greater awareness and appreciation for the sacrifices military members and their families make on our behalf.

It did. Wherever the Huey went, Vietnam vets would come out. It was great to feel that type of camaraderie again. We all went through a tough time. It was good to see others talking about their experiences in public.

We served because we loved our country. We were a team and dedicated to doing our duty. That same dedication is in the military today and on display right now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Attention!

Gods of Tin: The Flying Years (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2004, $24): James Salter’s story of his days as a fighter pilot in Korea is a riveting combination of fiction, journal, and memoir. Salter has written six other books, including The Hunters and Cassada.

Hitler’s Lost Sub (WGBH, $19.95): Now on DVD, this NOVA special recalls the time when Hitler’s submarines stalked U.S. targets miles from American shores. Fifty years later, a team of divers discovered an unidentified German U-boat off the New Jersey coast.

Liberty for All — A Musical Journey (Altissimo! Recordings, $19.98): This interactive CD features the sounds of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Corps Band performing such patriotic tunes as “God Bless America,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Help for Former POWs

The VA offers compensation for a number of service-connected injuries, diseases, and illnesses suffered by former POWs. Some conditions are covered regardless of length of captivity, including psychosis, depressive neurosis, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, anxiety, cold injury, stroke and complications, and heart disease and complications. If a former POW was interned for 30 days or more, a number of other diseases also are recognized, including atrophy, beriberi, chronic dysentery, cirrhosis of the liver, irritable bowel syndrome, nutritional deficiencies, and peptic ulcer disease.

To apply for compensation, complete the VA’s Form 21-526 and submit it to your VA regional office. You also can apply online at www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov.

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