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Show Hilltop 4 4•,4k/ * Weekly Since 1948 M.S. AIR F Hill AFB, Utah 84056-5824 IN THE KNOW New window opens for VERA/VSIPs Hill Air Force Base will be accepting applications for a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/ Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VERA/VSIP) from Jan. 3 through Jan. 24. Applications will only be accepted through Hill AFB's VERA/VSIP Interactive Program Web site (https://wbhill03. hill.afmc.ds.af.mil/vera_vsip/) . Check this web site for more information. The applicants selected and approved for VERA/VSIP are expected to be off the employment rolls by April 30. It is unknown at this time how many buyouts will be offered. Employees are encouraged to obtain their retirement estimate before applying. Employees may quickly calculate their own retirement estimates in the Employee Benefits Information System (EBIS) at https://wwa.afpcsandolph.af.mil/afpcsecure/PassReq. asp. Employees may also call the benefits and entitlements service team (BEST) at 1-800-525-0102 for annuity calculations and any retirement related questions. www.hilltoptimes.com hilltoptimes@standard.net Vol. 72 No. 1, Jan. 5, 2012 1.111111WM TriCare beneficiaries have several pharmacy options BY CHERYL PELLERIN American Forces Press Service W ASHINGTON — Despite Walgreens pharmacy chain which will no longer continue as a TriCare provider, beneficiaries have several options for filling prescriptions, Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen M. Lainez said recently. The retail pharmacy contract between Express Scripts Inc. (ESI), and the Walgreens pharmacy chain expired Dec. 31. Since the contract was not renewed, Walgreens will no longer be a pharmacy network provider, she said, but beneficia- ries will be able to find a nearby network pharmacy using the "find a pharmacy" feature at the ESI website, http://www. express-scripts.com/tricare. "We are committed to ensuring all our pharmacy beneficiaries are aware of See PHARMACY I page 6 CHECKING OUT JR. ENLISTED REC CENTER Col. Scott Long (right), 388th Fighter Wing commander, listens as Senior Airman Audrey Carlstrom explains updates at the Junior Enlisted Recreation Center and about holiday activities which took place at the center. For Warrior Call set for January 27 The next Warrior Call will be held at The Landing (formerly known as Club Hill) on Jan. 27. Senior Master Sgt. (Ret) Shawn Whitten will be talking about an Airman's experience at Abu Ghraib. 75th Medical Group January closures The 75th Medical Group Clinic will be closed on Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. more see page 4. Hill National Day of Prayer breakfast On Feb. 2, at The Landing (formerly known as Club Hill) a prayer breakfast will be held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer. Gen. (Ret.) Robert C. Oaks, former commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Training Command, will keynote the event to begin at 7:30 a.m. Tickets will be available from the chapel until Jan. 31 and from first sergeants until Jan. 27. Please RSVP by Jan. 30. The theme of the event is "Faith, Freedom and Prayer." Cost is $5 per person. Casting call for 4-H play today at theater The Hill Air Force Base 4-H Theater Club is holding auditions today, Jan. 5, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Base Theater. Auditions are open for youth in middle school and high school only. Rehearsals will be held throughout January on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:15 p.m. to about 7 or 8 p.m. with the final performances to be held Feb. 1-2. To participate in this original play you must attend the auditions. The Hill AFB Theater Club is a free club for military youth, their friends and other youth with base access. For more information contact the 4-H military club coordinator: April Danyluk at 415-645-3969 or april.danyluk@usu.edu . ALEX R. LLOYD U.S. Air Force Branch chief to keynote Jan. 11 luncheon BY MARY Lou CORNY Hilltop Times editor 6 6 1 am(chosen honored to be as) the guest speaker for this year's celebration," said Carolyn Smith, Ogden Air Logistics Center Scientist and Engineer Workforce Development Branch chief. "It's a great opportunity to pay tribute to one of this nation's greatest heroes." The event to be held Jan. 11 at The Landing, (formerly known as Club Hill) will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will cost $14 for club members and $16 for nonmembers. The luncheon will include fried and baked chicken, fried catfish, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, salad with ranch vinaigrette and peach cobbler. The event will feature vocalists, a Hill AFB choir and another short presentation portraying King and a contemporary attorney genSmith eral. "The greatest challenge in preparing a speech for African American History Month is to accurately recount the trauma of our history without the perception of blame while keeping progress made in accomplishing Dr. King's dream in perspective," said Smith. "Both recognition of the trauma and forgiveness of injustices are key enablers in realizing the dream," she said and then added, "As a noted spokesman (once) said, 'Without forgiveness, there is no MLK 2012 .. 14 v 1 lir 1 1 • 41' ,,,J oi.k '1 IF; Al¥ - F nRFAm RFA1117rn AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH SCHEDULE: See page 6 future." Smith has served as a supervisory engineer of military and civilians for eight years, and has 20 years of technical experience in missile Auto Hobby Shop shows its strengths BY ANNE MORRISON Hilltop Times staff T ucked away behind the Arts and Crafts Center lies an inconspicuous door next to a row of garages. To most, it could pass as just another base maintenance shop. But behind the little sign on the door that reads, "Auto Hobby Shop," lies a car lover's dream. The shop holds just about every tool and mechanism to get a car into tip-top shape, and with newly installed lifts See MONTH I page 6 See AUTO I page 6 Roy Gate traffic flow Roy Gate traffic flow patterns will return Jan. 23 to similar traffic directions as the other gates. lfi TIE KET Base Theater Free Movies Saturday, noon—"Abduction" (PG-13) Saturday, 3 p.m. — "50/50" (R) Saturday, 6 p.m. — "Dr. Strangelove" (PG) For review see page9 Look inside this week's Hilltop Times for • • • 11,689 to 9,765 High scoring, recordsetting game benefits service member families See page 9 Bragging rights Team Hill Look into which holiday cards earned them Who do you know that got promoted? See page 8 See page 7 |