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Show Hilltop February IWs 9, 2004 Commentary Action Line Dying veteran thought of others by Ma. John 1 Personal information J. Thomas Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AFB, Texas Reid S. Wyant is dying. His daughter called me looking for help putting together the items so that he could be buried in his Air Force service dress uniform. He served 30 years as an airman. And it seems he's still one of us. I was thinking what makes a person, who's lived life as a civilian since 1980, want to be buried in his uniform? I like to think maybe Service Before Self gets into your blood. After all, retired Senior Master Sgt Wyant switched his cancer treatment from Eglin AFB, Fla., not too long ago because the war was forcing them to cut back care, and he wanted the active-dutpeople to get taken care of first. "Always thinking of others," his daughter says. His daughter her name is Andrae Harris is helping care for him even as he edges closer to the end. She helps him plan it all out. Arlington National Cemetery was overruled by his wife, who wants him for eternity closer to family. Details like that. Mrs. Harris says she always knew her dad was a hero. He was awarded the Airman's Medal for saving three swimmers' lives "in front of my very eyes, without a care to his own safety." He almost lost his own life doing it, she says. And that pales in comparison to his courage facing his cancer. Senior Master Sgt. Wyant might say it's the friends you find that make the Air Force something you want to be buried with. "I've never known anyone who did not like my dad," his daughter says. A former commander, Col. Roger Andersen, still visits him at home. "They would both today," if they could, Mrs. Harris tells me. Reid Wyant's life with the Air Force began when the young Air Force had been around for just seven years. "His uncle was a rear admiral and told him to join the Air Force," Mrs. Harris says. Seems his uncle was a smart man. She says "he caught a bus to Pittsburgh and never looked back." I think he's looking back now. Looking back on the people he met as a munitions maintenance specialist and first sergeant. Born and raised in Kitanning, Pa., he served in North Africa, in the '50s; Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Korea in the '60s. In 1971 he was in Thailand. And plenty of stateside places in between. But no assignment was more important than the move from Denver to Bentwa-ters- , England. r and often mistreated by his That's where this boy grandfather, a guy who dropped out of school and put his kid brother Doreen. To hear Mrs. Harthrough college met his ris tell it, her mom's whole family fell in love with him. As much, it seems, as he loved the Air Force. Upon retirement from his second career he moved from Dallas to near Eglin where he fried fish and chicken for squadron picnics. And where a couple of years ago they first treated him for cancer. And it was to Eglin that he wentrecently with his family to get all of his affairs together and prepare a final will. , I've never met Sergeant Wyant. But I've worked with people just like him every day of my 12 years in the Air Force. I've served with loyal members of every service. And I'm off to Iraq soon to work again with the State Department and other agencies. People tell me to keep my head down when I go to Iraq. Instead I think 111 hold rny head high 7- out of respect for people like Sergeant Wyant and all those he represents, like my own dad, and my ACTION LINE is your opportunity to make Hill AFB a better place to live, work and play. or When you call Ext. send on Outlook to "HILL theft becoming an Increasingly QWith identity problem, and with devastating consequences both to the victim and other financial agencies, why must personal information be disclosed again for entry into a new system, when it already exists in other systems? Environmental Management is going to process all travel orders through the new PerDiemAzIng system for people who have open government travel cards. The form requires disclosure of bank account information and other personal information. All this information is already in the Hill payroll database for direct deposit of my salary and travel reimbursement. I asked the Comptroller Directorate why the information must be disclosed again and they replied the new PDA system requires it. Why can't that information be extracted from the existing system? ACTION LINE," your comments will be recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for action. Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems . y Col. Seb Romano before calling ACTION LINE. 75th ABW Commander This will help me better serve your interests. Items of basewide interest to the Hill workforce will be published in the Hilltop Times. Phone numbers The base agencies listed below can be contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: Security Forces Crisis Information Services Base Restaurants RetirementCompensation (civilian) Social Actions Employee Relations , Military Pay Civilian Pay Air Force Suggestion Program IG Complaints (for appointment) IG Complaints (after hours) Fraud, Waste or Abuse (recording) 8 75th Medical Group AThe n't interface the automated travel system, PerDiemAzing, doeswith the direct deposit database, nor PDA team have access to the direct deposit datadoes base. Our PDA administrator requests new user profiles only to ensure accuracy and consistency of the information in PDA. In PDA, banking information is the most important piece of information contained in the traveler profile. Reimbursement of TDY expenses is directed to the bank and account number provided by the traveler. If this information is incorrect, payments are rejected which, in turn, delays reimbursement to the traveler. Until our current financial systems are replaced or upgraded with advanced systems that interface, the Comptroller to PDA unless Directorate cannot bring new users e they provide and validate PDA information, even if it exists in other financial systems. When we receive the "PerDiemAzing Profile Data Request" (Ogden ALC Form 526) , every precaution is taken to ensure all Privacy Act and sensitive information is safeguarded. As soon as a traveler profile is loaded in PDA, the form is immediately shredded. re-enli- st 24-h- r. ....... Civil on-lin- am wondering about the different rules on hiring for civilian positions on base such as reinstatement and the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act. I've been informed that Hill isn't equipped to use VEOA to hire veterans. If this is the case, why are we being allowed to recruit under VEOA if there is no potential to use this route? Based on other information, a certain individual i know retired in e as a civilian, January and is now working under VEOA. Are special circumstances based on Ql wife-to-b- e, rank, retirement, etc through this process? ReinstatementTransfer doesn't allow us, unless you have a campaign badge, to apply even though we have served time in the military. VEOA is the only way I can get Into a position and if this process isn't working than I think you're discriminating against veterans who weren't authorized badges. There A ferent are two basic categories of appointing authorEach has difities: competitive and eligibility criteria based on the laws and regulations appointgoverning it. Generally speaking, or Vetering authorities, such as reinstatement-transfe- r ans Reemployment Act appointments are used more often than competitive (general public) appointments because they are faster, cheaper and easier to use. The Veterans Employment Opportunity Act has undergone substantial changes since its inception in 1999. Presently, it is a rather unique appointing authority in that it allows eligible veterans to compete alongside an -- father-in-la- When Mrs. Harris asked him the other day "why the service dress uniform for the burial?" he said that's what he has always worn for important events ... and he wanted his family to recognize him. His sense of humor is still healthy. Maybe one day, I'll ask to be buried in my service dress uniform. Like Senior Master Sgt. Reid S. Wyant wants to be, "with full military honors." In his case, the honor will be ours. . does not apply. However, this appointing authority may only be used by an agency when the agency is recruiting from among status candidates outside its own workforce. VEOA is intended to provide an opportunity for veterans to be considered when they have no other avenue under which they can compete. If a veteran can apply under any other recruitment source (a general public, Veterans Reemployment Act, or internal merit promotion announcement) , VEOA doesn't apply. If used inappropriately, the agency runs the risk of circumventing veterans' preference law by using this appointing authority. Whenever employment opportunities at Hill AFB are open to status employees outside our own workforce, they are also open to veterans, either under open competitive or Veterans Reemployment Act announcements. Because veterans can apply under these recruitment sources, VEOA does not apply. If your eligibility for appointment under a recruitment source such as Veterans Reemployment Act has expired, you may still apply under competitive announcements open to the general public. full-tim- i! ....... agency's merit promotion eligibles when the agency is accepting applications from outside its own workforce under merit promotion procedures. To be eligible, applicants must be a preference eligible or have separated after three or more years of continuous service performed under honorable conditions. To be referred, VEOA eligibles must rate and rank among the best qualified agency candidates using the same crediting plan. Because VEOAs are treated as "internal" candidates, veterans' preference Veteran's preference dirt-poo- Engineering. Pride Hotline Public Affairs Military Housing Maintenance Safety Office Union AFOSI Narcotics Hotline Family Assistance Center (when activated) . Hill Street views Hill 'Why would you encourage people to vote?' a(7 J ) r $; i or I fr Si 2te , I Col. Lloyd Jack 75th Communication Squadron, commander Senior Airman Jess Philips 75th Security Forces Technical Sgt. Dave Hosking 649th Combat Logistics Squadron, patrolman Support Squadron, "Voting gives people a voice. "Your future depends on it Especially, if you're in the mil- LL There are a lot of people in other countries who wish they had the rights that we do here. If s ironic that people here who have the right to vote often don't take advantage of that itary, you're voting for your next boss." technician "Every vote counts, and together, every person can change the outcome." Elizabeth Jaquish Family member Fred Newhouse Retired Army Shirley Newhouse Family member "People complain about the government and the president but they have no room to talk if they don't go out and vote." "It's important because voting is the only way we have to "You can't gripe later if you don't vote. People need to educate themselves on the issues and the candidates - listen to and read everything they can about the issues." elect our officials. People shouldn't be so complacent and should realize the importance of their vote." right" The U.S. Air Force J f J i J J X J f J J JJyL-fn! 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