| Show anaaftifoVi Weber Standard Thursday May 6 1999 7E Largest Reserve to Reservists put their serve when called life on hold Air Force husband two children ages 12 and 6 and a direct-sal- e cosmetics business “My husband will have to manage my business while I’m gone” she said There also are day care plans to confirm and school activities to scratch off the schedule The toughest moment will be saying goodbye to her children knowing she might not see them for several months “I’m not sure you can prepare yourself for that” Barbara said What if she faces 270 days away the maximum authorized under a presidential reserve call-u- p order? “I signed my name” she said “If that’s the requirement that’s what I’ll an Air Force Reserve electrician will drop law school at of North California and leave behind for three to nine months his government day job as electrician a He expects soon to be working shifts at least six days a week Michael end-of-ye- ar high-volta- servicing KC-135- E Stratotankers at an air base somewhere in Europe The disruption in his own life said Michael “is a small Tom sacnfice” compared to the good his unit Philpott the 940th Air Refueling Wing might do to aid Military ethnic Albanians Update fleeing Kosovo Barbara a logistics planning officer also with the 940th at Beale Air Force Base Calif will leave behind her since Gulf War begins call-u- p do” Because of threats of retribution lodged against NATO forces involved in the air campaign ground rules for press interviews with US forces ban the use of last names That doesn’t apply of course to Defense Secretary William Cohen who asked President Clinton to authorize the call-u- p announced April 27 As many as 33102 reservists will be activated for the Kosovo operation First to deploy are 2100 Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members and 47 tanker aircraft from nine air refueling wings across the country They are to help raise the tempo of air operations In a phone interview April 28 Cohen as the second described the call-largest in recent years Though far smaller than 265000 reservists activated for the Persian Gulf War this call-u- p “does a signal that this is serious that we’re in this to win” said Cohen Over the last decade Selected Reserve strength has fallen 25 percent to 877000 drilling members Active duty strength has dropped more sharply by 34 percent to stand at 14 million Hundreds of National Guard and Reserve volunteers participated in the first month of the Kosovo campaign providing half of US air refueling capabilities The call-u- p provides the first wave of replacements including 250 reservists and up to eight KC-- 1 35s from Beale “The bottom line” Cohen said “is we really can’t undertake any kind of sustained operation anywhere in the world without the Guard and Reserve” He acknowledged that a call-u- p pulls reservists away from families and civilian jobs and "has a fairly significant up impact on communities and employers” Cohen expressed appreciation for such support But it’s also not a bad thing he suggested that participation of US forces in a conflict is felt more directly by Americans through activation of reservists Not only are they efficient and professional Cohen said but reservists strengthen the bond between the military and society “Forget about the budgetary implications” he said “From a philosophical and societal point of view having a Guard and Reserve we can call up under these circumstances maintains that connection into communities so they know this isn’t simply a professional military out there somehow disconnected from their daily lives” Michael a single technical sergeant spent 1 8 months on active duty during the Persian Gulf War ferrying troops and supplies to and from Saudi Arabia “A lot of my friends got out when Desert Storm ended ’cause it was a lot of work” he said Even with law school Michael concedes he is better able to deploy on a few days notice than peers who are married or who work in the private sector Yet the whole team of the 940th he said sounds ready to go What has irritated him in recent days Michael said is the drumbeat of complaints from many Americans about the billions of dollars being spent on the Kosovo conflict "So many people talk about the money" he said “WeTe the richest country in the world Life is valued very highly here But yet on talk radio people talk about the money we spend You can’t put money on the same level as the lives we would save by stopping this aggression” Though going to a NATO air base Michael said he would welcome the chance to do something more for the refugees beyond keeping KC-- 1 35 tankers in the sky “I would volunteer to help move them or to build homes for them or whatever” he said “I would” His parents who live in Oklahoma support the operation too “My dad was Air Force” he said “He’s always been behind me And he supports the president on this” MILITARY SOUNDOFF Dual-retir- families don’t pay more ee Readers of Tom Philpott Update sound off ’s TRICARE PAYMENT When military are married to military it’s nice When one of the members retires he or she can hold dual status as both retiree and spouse of an active duty member Health care is taken of as a spouse Then it turns ugly When the second member retires the dual status is lost and TRICARE makes out like a bandit One retiree enrolls in TRICARE Prime the managed care option at a cost of $230 a year The other claiming dependent children under 18 - or 23 if the child is attending college - enrolls in Prime at the family rate of $460 care Total cost for the family is not $460 as allowed for other retiree families S690 If the government really cares about us these enrollment rules should be changed so the senior member is designated the sponsor and the other member be given dependent status That way a family does not overpay for health care We just learned about this extra cost at the customer service center at Cannon AFB because my wife is due to retire and we have an child Do you think something like this should happen? NM' ld eight-year-o- CHARLES F HEMPHILL Govis NM You’ve You don’t have pay more than S460 to enroll your entire family in TRICARE Prime according to Sylvia Sullivan spokeswomen for the TRICARE Management Activity in Aurora Colo To avoid the problem you’ve raised be sure to enroll in TRICARE Prime using a single social security number not as two separate retirees The enrollment system isn’t set up to recognize both numbers from the same family Therefore for medical purposes only one retiree will be the sponsor and the other should claim dependent status - Tom Philpott banning concurrent receipt of two payments for the same od of service - TP (800) Thank you for writing that column a couple of months ago re- DRUG DENIED garding eligibility of some veterans to receive partial rebates of VA disability pay that VA had withheld to offset the value of their Special Separation Benefit To update you I have received a refund check for money withheld to cover that portion of SSB I never saw - the amount that went to federal taxes The refund was $7250 That’s a lot of money for me almost half a year’s pay I hope other vets get refunds also Thank you for your concern SHARON HAYS VIOX Montgomery Ala For readers unfamiliar with bothe issue SSB is a lump-sunus offered during the drawdown peri- The law was changed retroactively last year for SSB recipients only Those who had their entire SSB recouped by the VA suddenly became eligible for refunds equal to the federal tax paid on the SSB Veterans who believe they are eligible should contact their VA regional officer at: 1 SSB REFUND m been misinformed to entice voluntary separations VA withhold disability pay from eligible veterans until enough time passes that the government in effect recoups a veteran’s severance pay or their SSB The recoupment is required under a law 827-100- 0 I just had the opportunity to use the Defense Department’s National Mail Order Pharmacy Program but without success health condiMy “long-term- ” tion - the criteria for using the program - is arthritis In January a new drug Celebrex was put on the market and can be found in all civilian pharmacies but NOT in military ones Celebrex considered far superior to other arthritis drugs reportedly has no side effects such as kidney liver or stomach damage common with existing drugs Surprise! The mail order pharmacy program does not fill prescrip-Uo- n for it I trust you can elicit the reason JM DELVITTO FDA-approv- Springfield Va A Defense Department 1 By Consumer Reports) (Rated phar- macy official said Celebrex is such a “very new drug” that “the jury is still out on the clinical importance of the ‘reduced side ” Introducing the Personal Pace System Just place your hands on the handle and go Personal Pace automatically mows at e the the pace you want to go system at a Toro intelligent new dealer today Self-Prop- Test-driv- self-prop- The DoD committee that de- cides what drugs to make avail- able at base pharmacies or through the mail order program did review Celebrex recently but “postponed a decision to add it because the cost of the benefit could not be justified with the available data to date” the official said The committee will continue to review Celebrex weighing costs against the potential benefit to patients Meanwhile it remains excluded from military drug formularies - TP REG $46995 New! Mower with Exclusive SALE 95 Personal Pace® Personal Pace Self-Prop- System puts you in control hp Toro GTS® engine on the guaranteed-to-stafirst or second pull or Toro fixes it FREE! Patented Recycler® cutting system mulches for a healthy and beautiful lawn 60 rt COSTLY BARRACKS Regarding the military’s 1 1 barracks standard I was disappointed to note some misdirected priorities We should spend those billions of dollars for force readiness not politically correct options such as this Toro® Recycler® (Side discharge also included ) 5 year lull warranty Model 20042 79 95 Bagging Kit At least the Marines have or close to the right idea As a retired enlisted and officer of the US Navy I know whereof I speak DON OLSON San Diego Calif Letters may be edited for clarity or space Write to: Military Forum PO Box 1230 Centreville Va 20122-823- 0 to: or send IF YOU'RE HUNGRY FOR MORE POWER BE PREPARED TO STUFF YOURSELF Newgate Mall The Toro Wheel Horse® CMotkts Day” 50 OFF! Flower and Vegetable GREEN J SODA SEEDS 4 Cans 2 lbs £?crackers $1 BEANS Namebrand Fresh K Cal JUICE F Reg $229500 umifli I? OQ I lor I Namebrand 4 lbs CREAM 20-6- I HASH BROWNS ICE 3R COPY PHANTOM iE ©PERUk Tractor n TICKETS TO BE GIVEN AWAY MAY 8TH AT 4:00 PM PRESERVES ORANGE SAVE MM Enter To Win HXL Climb aboard a Toro law n tractor that satisfies your need for power Starting at $1999 Test drive one today 155 hp Briggs & Stratton OHV engine oil filter Pressure lubrication and spin-otransmission Hydrostatic 38” Recycler mowing deck standard Add cart snow blade or bagger Special £i’c nts Safmtcfay cALay StK Namebrand 1538 l p— OFF ON VITAMINS 0 I While Supplies Last I 'bii ! a -- I - rfe LAYTON GROCERY OUTLET TV tamtfr Srt K Thai CSE3 I I ———— ——————— — — — Qi£t SpcctaCd wwwtorocom j A Dcauiifc! Ccrcrsfc Trinket Cox Per $250 OHlf POWER EOUIPIV1EBJT I 5990 With Your Purchase of $25 Or More 1110 Newgate McU 62 1 0760 -- When you want it done right S 1900 VI ROY — I 025-312- 5 |
