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Show Hilltop ¥ Hill AFB, Utah 84056-5824 Flu vaccinations in Building 249 This year's influenza season got off to an early start and it is ramping up as peak season nears. Flu season usually peaks in late January or early February yet Utah has seen a surge in influenza cases over the last few weeks. An estimated 36,000 people die from the flu and its complications in a regular season, according to the CDC. Help protect yourself this year. Receive your annual flu vaccine at Hill AFB Occupational Medicine Clinic, Building 249, 6th Street. No appointment is needed. Stop by Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m., at no cost. There will be a flu booth set up in the BX front lobby Jan. 17, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Base civilians, active duty TriCare eligible (Reservist, family members, retiree, and National Guard) are welcomed. Weekly Since 1948 www.hilltoptimes.com hilltoptimes@standard.net Vol. 73 No. 2, Jan. 10, 2013 'mown Fiscal cliff legislation affects military, civilian paychecks American Forces Press Service W ASHINGTON 4 The legislation President Barack Obama signed Jan. 2 postponed the fiscal cliff and means changes to military and civilian paychecks, Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials said Friday. The legislation increases Social Security withholding taxes to 6.2 percent. For the past two years during the "tax holiday" the rate was 4.2 percent. The increase in Social Security withholding taxes affects both military and civilian paychecks, officials said. For civilian employees, officials said, this will mean a 2 percent reduction in net pay. For military personnel, changes to net pay are affected by a variety of additional factors such as increases in basic allowances for housing, subsistence, longevity basic pay raises and promotions. Service members could see an increase in net pay, no change or a decrease, military personnel and readiness officials said. For military members, Social Security withholding is located on their leave and earn- ings statement in the blocks marked "FICA taxes" 4 for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Defense Department civilians will see the change on their leave and earnings statement under "OASDI" 4 for old age, survivors and disability insurance. See PAYCHECKS I page 5 Col. Sarah Zabel, 75th Air Base Wing commander, discusses challenges the Air Force and the base face in an exit interview granted to the Hilltop Times and StandardExaminer journalists. The interview was conducted Jan. 3 and the colonel addressed several topics of interest for those who work at Hill AFB. Martin Luther King celebration Jan. 17 Dr. Forrest C. Crawford, Weber State University, assistant to the president for diversity, will speak at a commemoration in connection Martin Luther King Day. "Walking in their Footsteps," will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The luncheon, from 11:30 to 1 p.m., will be held at The Landing. Club members pay $12, non-members $14. The menu includes a first choice of a traditional club sandwich, on a croissant with ham, turkey, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato with fresh fruit and potato salad or another choice of crisp chicken dijon salad, crispy fried chicken tenders over fresh greens with cucumbers, tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese with honey mustard dressing and a roll. For more information contact Sam Ingram at 801-586-2360 or email samuel.ingram@hill.af.mil . Palace Chase/Front briefings Jan. 15 A briefing open to all military members will be held Tuesday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., and 2 p.m.-3 p.m., on the Palace Chase/Front options and how to apply. Master Sgt. Bill Todd, Air National Guard In Service Recruiting officer will be conducting the briefings in Building 385 (FTAC classroom). For questions or more information email william.todd.5@ us.af.mil . Warrior Call wil be Jan. 25 by 75 SFS Come to the Landing on Jan. 25 at 4 p.m., grab your beverage of choice and prepare to hear from the 75th SFS as personnel present information from the Area of Responsibility from the point of view of security personnel. Base Theater Free Movies Saturday, noon — "Brave" (PG) Saturday, 3 p.m. — "Taken 2" (PG-13) Saturday, 6 p.m. — "Argo" (R) TODD CROMAR U.S. Air Force Col. Zabel reflects on the past year BY MARYLou "If you think about when we started this time last yeat; we had just found out about some personnel reductions, we had just found out about the AFMC reorganization, and we spent the whole spring preparing for that." GORNY Hilltop Times editor T he Hilltop Times and the StandardExaminer sat down with Col. Sarah Zabel, 75th Air Base Wing commander, for a series of questions Jan. 3, before the Change of Command ceremony to be held next week (Jan. 11). You are moving on? I am moving on. The change of command is Jan. 11. Will you be around after that? Not for long. The timing of this change of command is because I'm going on to a class that all new generals go to. About the time it winds up I'm expecting to move into another job. That other job hasn't been announced yet, it is not expected to be here or Tinker, so I can't do any active planning until it is actually announced. As you approach your new role, how do you look back on the previous year here at Hill Air Force Base? We've been through so much. If you think about when we started this time last year, we had just found out about some personnel reductions, we had just found out about the AFMC reorganization, and we spent the whole spring preparing for that. That actually happened in the summertime. In the meantime, there was an F-16 crash. There is always just so much going on, and we had to find new jobs for the people who had lost their jobs displaced through the reorganization. Right after that we had a very intense inspection. In fact they did 6 inspections at once. They called it a consolidated unit inspection. Immediately after that there was so much going on in the fall to make the gains that the AFMC was trying to make by doing this reorganization, making sure that we end up in a better place. So it just has been such a busy year. Air Force face and what excites you most about those challenges? The biggest challenges we're looking at mostly revolve around the budget, the very sharply diminishing budget, and we don't even know how much it's going to diminish as a result of the fiscal cliff or sequestration. So we are definitely dealing with reductions in our budget but we don't see any reduction in our workload at this point, so that's a big challenge. What excites me is whenever there is plenty, it is so easy to get complacent and just get used to having a lot. This budget What strikes you most about the challenges that Hill Air Force Base and the See ZABEL I page 4 Look inside this week's Hilltop Times for • • • One, two, hree, LEGO! Students compete in robotics challenge See page 9 `30 for 30' 00-ALC commander issues challenge to Aine See page 7 Wingmen advocates Director discusses beginnings See page 5 |