Tsunami Relief

After tsunamis devastated the region around the Indian Ocean and claimed at least 150,000 lives, the U.S. military responded with tons of relief equipment and the aid of its servicemembers.

The Air Mobility Command, the Air Force component of U.S. Transportation Command, delivered helicopters and relief equipment totalling more than 1.7 million pounds, as well as 748 emergency response personnel to aid the victims and support relief operations in the region.

“Helicopters provide a lifeline to get water, food, and medical supplies into these communities to sustain them in the early stages of a disaster,” says Edward Fox, a U.S. Agency for International Development official.

In other military efforts, the USS Bonhomme Richard and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit used their airlift, sealift, and medical capabilities to deliver some 50 tons of aid to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group ferried food and medical supplies to the Indonesian province of Aceh. The Navy also deployed the hospital ship USNS Mercy to the Indian Ocean with medical staff, equipment, and supplies to treat patients suffering from illness and infections.
 
The U.S. Army deployed forces to provide medical treatment, evacuation, and supply distribution capabilities as well as to help with the assessment of the damage to the countries’ infrastructure and aid with reconstruction planning.

Work It!

Grab your résumé and head to MOAA’s fifth annual career fair, held April 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, Hall D. More than 100 employers from business, law enforcement, DoD contractors, federal and state government, and the nonprofit sector will be there. In 2004 the fair attracted 192 employers and more than 2,100 job seekers, and on average, participating employers reported meeting more than 60 candidates each with whom they wanted to conduct interviews.

Job seekers should take advantage of free classes offered at the fair, including “How to Work a Career Fair,” “Finding a Job in the Federal Government,” and “Evaluating Employer Benefits Packages.”

The fair is free and open to servicemembers of all grades and their spouses. E-mail careerfair@moaa.org for more information.

Partners in Recruiting

In an effort to improve the environment for recruiters, MOAA has teamed up with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., far right, and Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, commanding general of USAREC, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to form the partnership.

“I think the partnership will go a long, long way and will make us both stronger,” says Rochelle. Ryan and Rochelle believe the Army’s goals of “reconnecting” with American communities will be strengthened by recognizing the patriotic contributions of MOAA chapters and members throughout the United States. In turn, MOAA members can assist Army recruiters in establishing contact with key “centers of influence” in their communities.

“MOAA chapters and members can let individual soldiers know they are valued in the community,” says Ryan.

USAREC has agreed to include information about MOAA activities in local USAREC unit informational materials, and MOAA will encourage local MOAA chapters to sponsor recruiters.

Give a Designated Scholarship

Looking to give? MOAA’s designated scholarship is the perfect gift to honor a friend or loved one with a permanent named scholarship. Barbara Hedges did just that by establishing a designated scholarship in her husband’s memory. A group of employees at General Dynamics in Arlington, Va., recently raised $17,500 at a single fundraising event to establish a scholarship. Both of these designated scholarships, along with more than 500 others, provide a $500 grant and interest-free loan to a military student who is pursuing an undergraduate degree. Need more information? E-mail Cindy Amos at cindya@moaa.org or call (800) 234-6622, ext. 169.

Get Your Rewards

MOAA now offers the MOAA Rewards American Express (AMEX) credit card from MBNA. The new card has all the features of WorldPoints, including airline travel with no blackout dates, along with the merchant and travel features offered by AMEX. And there is no annual fee.

Rewards are automatic. The first time you use your card for a purchase, the points start accumulating (as a first-time user, you also earn 2,500 bonus points). You earn one point for every dollar you spend on purchases, and you also can earn double points when you purchase certain promotional items.

More than 1,700 American Express Travel Service locations in more than 130 countries provide a home away from home, with counselors ready to help make travel arrangements, reservations, and more.

Picture This

Submit your photos now for the Military Officer patriotic photo contest. MOAA will accept submissions until March 15, 2005, in four categories: camaraderie, military family, on duty, and vintage. First-place winners will receive $500 and have their photograph published in the July 2005 issue of Military Officer. Download rules and an official entry form at www.moaa.org/magazine/photocontest.pdf or call MOAA’s Member Service Center at (800) 234-6622 to have them mailed to you.

In Review

Afterburner: Naval Aviators and the Vietnam War By John Darrell Sherwood. New York University Press, 2004. $32.95. ISBN 0-8147-9842-X.

The U.S. air war in Vietnam was massive and costly but never decisive, despite the 7.6 million tons of bombs dropped on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In his new book, U.S. Navy historian John Sherwood explores the roles and effectiveness of naval aviators during the Vietnam War.

Though Sherwood tries to avoid a dry, academic approach, this reads like a doctoral thesis loaded with statistics and footnotes. Still, he ably discusses “the war nobody was supposed to know about” in Laos, the complexities of carrier flight operations, the resourcefulness and courage of Navy POWs, and the tactical and strategic bombing of North Vietnam. Best is his vivid portrayal of air-to-air combat between U.S. Navy jet fighters and North Vietnamese MiGs.

Europe’s Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914? By David Fromkin. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. $26.95. ISBN 0-375-41156-9.

World War I was the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century, slaughtering an entire generation and changing the world’s political and social structure forever. According to Boston University professor David Fromkin, however, the Great War was no accident, no surprise, and not avoidable.

Fromkin’s latest book, one of the best describing the real origins of World War I, suggests Germany and Austria-Hungary both had long planned to start a European war, no matter what other nations said or did to prevent it.

Fromkin offers a scholarly, detailed, and dramatic account of the manipulation, aggression, and maneuverings in Berlin and Vienna, Austria, and the miscalculations in Belgrade, Serbia; Paris; London; and St. Petersburg, Russia. His conclusions are stunning and convincing, especially in light of General Helmuth von Moltke’s advice: “When starting a world war one has to think very carefully.”

— William D. Bushnell

Check Your Credit

Congress finally has taken steps to help consumers navigate the confusing and intimidating world of credit reports. A new federal law allows every consumer to receive a free credit report annually from the three major credit reporting agencies—Equifax,
Experian, and TransUnion.
 
The program is being phased in from Dec. 1, 2004, through Sept. 1, 2005, using the following schedule: Dec. 1, 2004—western states; March 1, 2005—midwestern states; June 1, 2005—southern states; Sept. 1, 2005—eastern states and all U.S. territories.

Checking your credit report annually is an important safeguard to protect your credit integrity, so be sure to take advantage of this new free service.

TRICARE Update

TRICARE Prime Eligibility: If you are age 62 and worked for at least 10 years in Medicare-covered employment, your spouse can get Medicare parts A and B at age 65. Your spouse no longer will be eligible for TRICARE Prime, but will be eligible for TRICARE For Life (TFL) as long as he or she has purchased Medicare Part B. If you are NOT yet age 62, your spouse still should apply for Medicare Part B at age 65 to avoid paying a higher Part B premium. If spouses are NOT eligible for Medicare Part A premium-free when you turn 62, they will receive a Formal Determination (letter of disallowance) from the Social Security Administration, which they must use to update their ID card so that they can remain in TRICARE Prime.

When you turn 65, you and your spouse will be eligible for Medicare Part A under your Social Security number, and you both will be eligible for TFL.

Active Duty Spotlight

Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake once thought he’d never fly again. An Air Force pilot, he broke his right leg in a motorcycle accident in 1998 and suffered a hospital-borne infection. He eventually replaced his leg with
a prosthesis equipped with micro-technology. On Oct. 25, 2004, Lourake returned to the cockpit and is the Air Force’s first above-the-knee amputee pilot.

You said that once you began educating yourself about prosthetics you realized flying again was a real possibility. During the last 10 years, advances in technology have allowed amputees to become much more active. With my “C-Leg” (a microprocessor-assisted intelligent prosthesis), I learned I could do everything in the cockpit I did before. My biggest challenge was convincing everyone else.

How did you do it? I made a videotape of my physical therapy sessions that demonstrated what I could do with my prosthesis and sent it to the medical board reviewing my case.

You and your wife visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and talk to soldiers and Marines who are amputees from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. I show them my leg and talk about what it’s been like for me. I explain that life can again be normal for them. It’s an honor speaking with them. When I leave, I feel like they’ve given me a lot more than I’ve given them.

— Rob Newell

Attention!

Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.

The Coast Guard (Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 2004, $75): Written by a team of historians and officers, the story of the U.S. Coast Guard is told in this handsomely illustrated, large-format book published with The Foundation for Coast Guard History.

America Supports You: This new Web site, launched by DoD, showcases the many activities taking place across the nation in support of U.S. troops. The site, which highlights organizations and individuals coordinating local and national support efforts, has logged nearly a million hits since its inception. Visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.

Military History Channel: The History Channel will launch a new network in spring 2005 dedicated exclusively to military history, covering topics ranging from the great battles to the generals, the foot soldiers, and the military equipment. A Web site, www.history.com/military, will complement the channel.

Find a Commissary Near You

You can shop easier thanks to the new commissary locator, a driving-distance calculator and mapping feature at www.commissaries.com. It’s just one of several changes to the Defense Commissary Agency Web site designed to help patrons maximize their shopping experience. The locator uses ZIP codes and driving distance to provide a list of commissaries. Each commissary on the list is linked to a Web page that provides a link to driving directions. Additionally, each of the 272 commissaries listed maintains its Web site to provide the most current shopping information.