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Show 388th Fighter Wing supplement to the Hilltop Times Thursday, October 18, 2001 Twice Monthly 388th FW off to Bright Star 90-perce- club nt The following people scored 90 percent or higher oo their end of course tests: Airman Ronesh Mislry, Staff Sgt, Sherri M. Kiernan and Staff Sgt. Robert J. Eeles, 388th Logistics Support Squadron; Senior Airman Monte H. Porter and Stall Sgt Steven E. Petere, 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron; Staff Sgt. Brandon G. Martin and Tech. Sgt. Kevin E. Jaqua, 388th Component Repair Squadron; Airmen First Class Ryan N. Dees and Andrea M. Edmonds, 4th Fighter Squadron; Airman First Class Con T. Danh and Staff Sgt. Alex Dunlap HI, 34th Fighter Squadron; and Airman First Gass Lisa C. Yates, 42 st Fighter Squadron. Egyptian training authority, said Capt. Mark Doria, 4th Fighter Squadron flight commander and 6 F-1- instructor pilot. A number of events will be conducted during and ground coalition Bright Star such as air-se- a maneuvers, parachute exercises, combat search and rescue, and more, said Captain Doria. People from the 4th FS and along with 23,000 area for those tran-- . and between hangars. Howbuildings siting at a salute area. Pentagon flag WASHINGTON -- - The huge American flag that hung to the right of the damaged area of the Pentagon was lowered Oct. 1 1 and folded with full military honors. Soldiers of A Company, 3rd Infantry, "The Old Guard," lowered the flag and folded it on the helipad just in front of where a hijacked airliner hit the Pentagon on Sept. 1 1 . Before Sept. 11, the flag belonged to the U.S. Army Band at nearby Fort Myer, Va. It is a garrison flag, the largest authorized for the mili- to learn different tactics from the unique perspective of pilots who have been trained under a different system." Bright Star is designed to improve and strengthen readiness, international, military and professional relationships between the U.S., Egypt and par- ticipating nations by cooperating in the exercises, according to Captain Doria. "Our role in this exercise is to learn how to build SL nt pay is suspended friends while I am there." 2 untarily. "Fees begin being charged at the 120-da- y point," said Captain Maulding. "Not only will you be delinand they will start collecting, but late payment fees will begin, quent like any other credit card." just sent Fees for delinquencies will be at least $ 1 67, according to an L. director and Col. of compaccounting, banking Morgan, Gregory by troller support for the Secretary of the Air Force. The fees cover the cost for Bank of America to recoup their money along with any costs incurred by DFAS. s past due In addition to any fees charged, accounts more than 1 y will be cancelled by Bank of America. Current policy is not to reinstate the card even if the account is settled after the 120-da- y mark. This could cause future problems since it is mandatory for the card to be used for certain travel expenses such as lodging and transportation. How can you avoid the late fees and delinquency notices? It's obvious. "Get back from your TDY, file your travel voucher and pay your bill," Captain Maulding said. There are several ways to repay Bank of America debts. Each month that there is activity on the travel card, the account holder will receive a bill. Pay the bill within 30 days, advises finance officials. 20-da- WASHINGTON - Defense department officials suspended the requirement that services track deployment days and pay $100 per day to troops who are deployed more than 400 : days in any two-yeperiod. The 2000 National Defense Authorization Act mandated that the services report how many days each servicemember spends deployed. Any servicemember deployed more than 400 days in the previous two years was to have received $100 for each additional deployment day past 400, DOD officials said. The counting started Oct. 1 , 2000, so the ear- ar liest anyone could have been eligible for the per diem is early November. Defense Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz nt announced the policy change in an Oct. 8 memo to the service secretaries. The suspension took effect immediately, he said. Counting was suspended by defense officials who invoked a "national security waiver" authorized in the initial law, said Brad Loo, deputy director for officer and enlisted personnel management. "Days they are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom are no longer being accumulated for purposes of per diem," Loo said. The suspension applies to all servicemem- , See Travel Card,' next page , In the aftermath of current military operations, most people probably aren't thinking much farther ahead than the next month or so. But now's the j : : 5 J ! Tech. Sgt. Enrique Zamora, 388th Fighter Wing security forces liaison, signs the dotted line after being by the Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. James Roche who was here Monday. After the ceremony, Secretary Roche addressed approximately 700 members of Team Hill and for answered questions from the audience. Sergeant Zamora three years and eight months. pay before any federal, and possibly state, taxes are deducting. The amount is not taxed until it is withdrawn from the TSP, presumably when you are in a i bers regardless of where they are deployed, ' because all are supporting the operation either directly or indirectly, he said. ' When the waiver eventually lifts, the services will resume counting the troops' deployed days ; where they left off. That is, a servicemember f who had 201 deployed days credited on Oct. 8 1 resumes the count at 201 when the waiver is I lifted, Loo said I The law provides the waiver so the services j I would not be penalized for deploying members in a time of national emergency, Loo said. Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Lohr , Enrollment begins for Thrift Savings Plan By Tech. Sgt. Sonja C.R. Whittington 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs nt ? especially with the current terrorist situation, said Captain Doria. USCENTCOM exercise planners are aware of the current situation and continue to act accordingly to lower the risk to U.S. forces operating in the region. However, in light of the Sept. 1 1 incident "the 4th FS is really excited to be able to participate in Bright Star," said Captain Doria. "I think it's great that we are able to go to Egypt and train with an Arab ally. I hope to be able to make some L"V ceremony. Jackson will present the flag to the Army leadership later. They will decide its ultimate destination Courtesy Air Force Press Sendee) High-deployme- r "When flying with other nations there are always things we can learn from each other and ways to improve ourselves," said Captain Doria. "I hope 90-da- ys soot-staine- : Among the participating nations are Jordan, Kuwait, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, United Kingdoms and France. If you are grossly behind on your travel card payments, you may have noticed a lower paycheck recently. Bank of America, the contractor for the government military travel card, began garnishing people's pay starting Oct. 1 to recoup debts that are delinquent more than 90 days. In July, 14 percent of the cardholders in the 388th Fighter Wing were delinquent 30 days or more foratotal amount of $23,000, explained Capt. Davis Maulding, wing comptroller. When an account reaches the delinquent status, the account holder will receive a letter from Bank of America that serves as intent to rnllfrt fnra Hpht At thnt nnint the servicemember will have r 30 days to pay the debt or make arrangements to set up a repayment plan. If neither action is taken, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will begin actions to collect the debt invol- : After the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, bandsmen sent the flag to the Pentagon- - During President Bush's visit to the impact site, 3rd Infantry soldiers and firefighters unveiled the flag and draped it over the side of the building. ' The flag had hung in place ever since. Each night, workers illuminated it with flood lights. d and ripped at one Today, the flag is spot where it rubbed up against the building. "This flag will never be flown again," Maj. Gen. Jim Jackson, commander of the Army Mil-- : itary District of Washington, said following the ; bare-bas- By Tech. Sgt. Sonja C.R. Whlttlngton 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs tary. ; approximately 43,000 troops from the other nations participating in the war games as well. No more free ride Tech. on Sgt. signs Government travel card delinqencies for another few years subject to automatic pay deducions ever, hats should be worn when arriving or departing in the area for a shift. Regardless of whether a hat is worn or not, the area remains ' ar games, which have been planned for more than a year, said Captain Doria. There are also be w conducted by the U.S. Central Command and Salute area Canberra Street is a no-h- 1 Around 1 00 Air Force members from Hill AFB left in early October to participate in Bright Star, one of the world's largest war games that has been scheduled every two years since the 1980s and is currently scheduled from Oct. 8 through Nov. I in Egypt. Although Bright Star can be considered a w ar game, it is a serious military coalition exercise 1 of conducting milisaid Captain Doria. "The 4th tary operations," FS has been continually training to operate from e locations and fly in large force exercises involving aircraft from numerous ally nations." Even though the 4th FS has continually trained for the exercise there is always some amount of risk when U.S. troops are deployed overseas, a coalition air force capable U.S. personnel have the chance participate in the st Class Nakita Carlisle 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs By Airman time to make a decision that could affect your financial future. The Thrift Savings Plan open enrollment season started Oct. 9 for active-dut- y and reserve military people. While the Thrift Savings Plan was established for Federal employees in 1986, this marks the first-tim- e the plan has been extended to the uniformed services. Enrollment is not mandatory or automatic. Each person will have to evaluate their financial situation and decide if it makes sense for them personally. "Weigh the benefits of the program against any potential disadvantages and decide if it's right for you," said Dotti Blesse, Personal Financial Manager, Family Support Center. The TSP is not taking the place of the traditional military retirement plans. Rather, it is similar to the '40 1 (k) plans' available in many private-secto- r corporations. The military member designates from 1 to 7 percent of his or her base pay to be directly contributed to the plan. This amount is deducted from Advertisements contained herein do not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force of Hill AFB. bomises to the TSP. To be eligible to contribute special or incentive pays, you must be actively contributing to TSP from your basic pay. There are five funds available to which you can designate your contributions. Contributions can be split among the funds; you can allocate any whole percentage of your contributions to any of the available funds. Each fund has its own advantages, risks and performance history. Remember, past performance is no guarantee of future earnings. "No one can decide for you if investing in the TSP is right for you or your family," said Blesse. "Each person should sit down and go over their financial records and make the decision themselves." A financial counselor is available at the base Family Support Center. While government employees cannot recom: mend one fund over another, assistance is available to provide a better understand of investing and risk assessment by attending TSP briefings at the base theater. Dates and times are posted on the FSC web-- . site (hill.af.milfamilyFSC20Home.htm). More information is also available on the Web at www.tsp.govuniserv lower tax bracket. For example, assume your annual basic pay is $26,000 (not including any special pay or allowances). You chose to invest 7 percent of your basic pay in the Thrift Savings Plan. Now assume that the annual rate of return in your chosen fund is also 7 percent. After 10 years, you would have contributed $18,200. But your TSP account would be worth $26,260. This does not take into consideration any future pay increases or contributions from special or incentive pays. The money isn't taxed until it is withdrawn from the account. The benefit can add up to a significant retirement fund. A staff sergeant for instance, whose annual base salary is $21,351, could decide to invest 7 percent of his monthly income, or $125 per month. Assuming he gets 7 percent return (not even including any future salary increases) after 10 years he will have saved more than $21,500. After 20 years of six-ye- ar investing at this same rate he would save about $65,000. And after leaving it there for 40 years, he would have more than $326,000 in his TSP savings. Another aspect of the TSP is the ability to contribute See More TSP Information on Page any special pays or incentive pays such as career Everything advertised Is available without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or other nonmerlt factor of the purchaser, user or patron. B ! |