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Show HMES January 21,2010 419th Family Readiness class on finances set Flu myths BY STAFF SGT. HEATHER SKINKLE 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs A t some time in their lives, most people have experienced financial stress. Tb help, the 419th Fighter Wing's Family Readiness office is sponsoring a class entitled "Financial Readiness for Today and Tomorrow." The class will be held Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the 419th Mission Support Group conference room on the second floor of Building 180. Delight Dehorty, 419th Family Readiness office, will teach the class. She has 13 years of financial experience. Dehorty says she learned about finances the hard way and is now looking forward to sharing her hardearned financial savvy with wing personnel. "My parents never taught me how to balance a checkbook, so I learned about finances through trial and error,? Dehorty said. "If I can help young Airmen, newly out on their own, and military families, then that would be great." Dehorty hopes to help 419th reservists take charge of their finances so they can focus on their other obligations, including their family, civilian career and military service. "Success with money is simply determined by your ability to manage and eliminate your debts, See FINANCES I page 10 debunked BY CAPT. LEONARDI ANTONIO Public Health S ince the novel H1N1 influenza began its trek around the world last spring, many theories have arisen as to its origins, modes of transmission and means of prevention. Much of this information is based on misunderstandings, falsehoods and the love of a good conspiracy theory. And because many of us get our news and information from non-medical sources, its time to discredit some of the common myths that are floating around. Myth No. 1 — "Flu vaccines contain Vaccinations are adjuvants that cause mandatory for all acan inflammatory retive duty and available sponse in the body." for TriCare beneficiaThis is not true. ries. Davis County and The seasonal flu vacWeber County Public cine and the H1N1 Health departments vaccine do not conhave a supply of both tain adjuvants. But H1N1 and seasonal to ease any potenvaccine. tial concern, adjuGo to http://www. vants are basically daviscountyutah.gov/ health/flu/default.cfm for substances such as more detailed informamineral salts, oils or tion. plant extracts that The 75th Medical are mixed with a vacGroup here at Hill Air cine to help stimulate Force Base also has the inflammatory H1N1 and seasonal response within the influenza vaccine availbody. It is the inflamable to all active duty matory response that and TriCare beneficiaforms our immunity. ries. Just come by the 75th Medical Group ImMyth No. 2 — munization Clinic. You "Getting the flu shot can call (801) 777-5209 causes the flu." for specific hours of Those of you who, dlSMn!^^19'1 have experienced For additional inforthis before may not mation, please contact believe the following; the 75th Medicai Group but the flu shot does Public Health Office at not cause the flu. The (801)586-9582. injectable flu vaccine More information is inactivated (killed) can always be found and therefore incathrough the CDC link at http://www.cdc.gov/ pable of causing the hiniflu/. disease. The flu-like symptoms some of you feel after receiving a vaccination is likely your body's immune system simply overreacting to something in the vaccine. Another explanation is that because it takes about two weeks before you acquire protection from the vaccination, if you contracted the flu before you were protected, you got sick. Myth No. 3 - "The (H1N1) vaccine production was rushed and has never been tested on humans." We have been producing influenza vaccines MANDATORY Photo by Drew Godleski and photo manipulation by Bryan Nielsen/Standard-Examiner. Guidelines on cell phone use—stateside Governor's Association reminds motorists of limits using a handheld cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place, while the he Governor's Highstate of Washington may ticket way Safety Association for the offense in addition to reminds motorists in other offenses. a January news release that Hill Air Force Base bans six states prohibit all drivers texting while driving and from talking on handheld cell handheld cell phone use. Hill phones while driving. CaliforAFB Security Forces will isnia, Connecticut, New Jersey, sue a ticket for text messaging New York and Oregon allow an while, driving for the first ofofficer to ticket a motorist for fense which will take the form BY MARY LOU GORNY Hilltop Times editor T of a U.S. district court notice of violating Utah State Code, a fine of $70 and an additional processing fee of $25, said Senior Airman Tchaikovsky Crosley, 75th Security Forces Squadron. This is in keeping with a Department of Defense directive in regards to federal employees text messaging while driving. This does not include pulling off to the side of the road where a car can be safely See LIMITS I page 9 See MYTHS I page 8 Remember family members when at-risk for suicide BY CAPT. SHANNON COLLINS . 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs K UNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea — Thirty years ago, my father changed my life, as well as the.lives of his other family members, forever. He took a shotgun and shot himself in the head. His death certificate reads, "Self-inflicted gunshot wound." I can't tell you how many times I've heard people joke about something being so bad, "that I should just shoot myself." As I hear songs like "Butterfly Kisses" and "Daddy's»Hands," as I watch a movie like "Father of the Bride," that phrase, "self-inflicted gunshot wound," echoes in my mind. I will never have that special relationship between a father and a daughter. I won't have anyone to walk me down the aisle or to celebrate Father's Day with. And it isn't because of a tragic automobile accident or a physical disease. It's because of sui- cide. The American Association of Suicidology's Web site states that suicide ranks second as a cause of death among young Americans, age 18-24, behind accidents and homicides. It's the 11th leading cause of death overall. In 2008', the Air Force had 38 suicides, which equates to 11 suicides for every 100,000 Airmen. This matches the Air Force average for the past five years (since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom). Of those Air Force members that completed suicide in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. The Army reported 140 confirmed/suspected suicides in 2008, a rate of 20 per 100,000 Soldiers — twice the national average. Army experts attribute the increase in suicides to the frequency at which Army soldiers deploy. In March and April of this year, I worked at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Office at Dover Air Force Base, Del., the final stop for military men and women who die overseas, primarily those who sacrifice their lives for our freedom while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The remains are processed and sent home to loved ones for burials and last rites. I witnessed more than a few who came back not from an improvised explosive device or mortar attack, but from suicide. My father served in the Air Force in the late 1960s as an enlisted aircraft maintainer here in the Republic of Korea. He served in a remote location during the Vietnam War and went into the war. His letters say he missed his family but that he was proud to serve. When he returned home from the war, he wasn't quite the same. He had lost many friends and may have suffered survivor's guilt, something many Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines face nowadays, serving backto-back deployments. He was 30 when See REMEMBER I page 8 HELPING AGENCIES Military Family Life Consultant (801) 586-8582/(801) 388-2501 Employee Asistance Program (Civilian Assistance) (800) 222-0364 (Free regardless of your health coverage) Team Hill Chaplain (801)777-3007 Mental Health (801) 777-7909 (For active duty during duty hours) Military One Source (800) 342-9647 Wingman Advocate (801) 777-CALL (2255) Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (801) 777-1985 / (801) 920-9179 Northern Utah Suicide Hotline 24-hour line: (801) 625-3700 |