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Show Hilltop .** 4 U.S. AIR P FOistiGk Hill AFB, Utah 84056-5824 IN THE KNOW Federal Woman's Lunch & Learn Participate in the Hill AFB Federal Woman's Program Lunch & Learn from 11 a.m. to noon Jan. 15 at the Hill AFB Chapel. Discussion will include tips and behavior modifications to stay rational when dealing with difficult people in the workplace. Linda Larsen, Hill AFB leadership trainer, will be the guest speaker. Lunch will be provided for a $5 donation. Register at https://cs.eis.afmc. af.mil/sites/1149/Hill/FWP/Lists/ Jan%2OLL%20Reservation/ AllItems.aspx. For more information, contact Jana Sheehan at 801777-4059 or jana.sheehan@ us.af.mil . T' M S Weekly Since 1948 www.hilltoptimes.com hilltoptimes@standard.net Vol. 73 No. 1, January 8, 2015 Child safety of concern Jaywalking near Southwest Gate is an unsafe practice By MICAH GARBARINO 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Children at Hill Air Force Base are putting themselves in danger and they may not even know it. Using the old crosswalks on 6th street, at the intersections of Charlestown Loop and Cambridge Lane, near the Southwest Gate, present safety concerns for children walking to and from Hill Field Elementary and the Youth Center. The base's supply of crossingguard volunteers dried up years ago, and with no traffic signals or stop signs at these intersections, officials shut down the crosswalks. The sidewalk on the north side of 6th Street was fenced off to prevent children from crossing the road at these uncontrolled intersections, said Kevin Patzer, 75th Civil Engineer Squadron pavement engineer. To cross 6th Street, pedestrians are supposed to use the intersection of 6th Street and Liberty Museum announces January speakers LAYTON — The Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB will host a series of featured speakers related to the base's history in January. They are part of the museum's Plane Talk series. Scheduled for January are: Jan. 17—Co. Charles Thomas Vono, KC-135 refueling aircraft and Minuteman ICBM Jan. 24—Richard Collings, Band of Brothers Tour Jan. 31—Jim Malrock, Load Master for numerous aircraft Looking ahead, on Feb. 14, Jon S. Beesley an F-117 test pilot, will speak. Plane Talk began at the museum more than 20 years ago. The speaker series has featured hundreds of notable military personnel, including former Utah Sen. Jake Garn and former Vietnam prisoner of war Col. Jay Hess. AF seeks enlisted nurse applicants The Air Force seeks enlisted nurse commissioning program applicants. Eligible active-duty enlisted Airmen interested in a nursing commission have until Feb. 27 to apply. For more information, visit http://1.usa . g ov/1qWw5J C. Warrior, Hess Fitness centers extend hours The Warrior Fitness Center and Hess Fitness Center will extend weekday hours of operation beginning Jan. 5. New hours are: Monday - Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday - Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holidays/Family Days, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See KNOW I Page 11 Road, which is controlled by a traffic light. This route is uphill and out of the way. Children looking to beeline and save time often run across the street and jump the fence. "It seems inconvenient to walk up to the light at Liberty Road and cross there, but the extra five minutes is not worth the danger," said 75th Security Forces Staff SerSee SAFETY I Page 11 Government travel cards receive tech upgrade Base Operating Status Changes In an effort to keep all members of Team Hill up to date with timely, accurate operating status information in the event of extreme winter weather or other emergency, Hill AFB Public Affairs is launching an informational campaign to explain where and how to find or receive information on the base's operating status when it changes from "open," as well as information on what each status means (i.e. Early Release, Delayed Reporting, Liberal Leave, Closed/Mission Essential Reporting, etc.) If necessary, Public Affairs will communicate these changes via the official Hill AFB Facebook page (www. facebook.com/hillairforcebase) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ hafb) profile. The Hill AFB Facebook feed is also available on Hill's public website (www.hill.af.mil). The Team Hill community is highly encouraged to check these sources first. Information will also be available on the Straight Talk line 801-777-9696. Changes to the operating status of the base will also be shared with other media outlets within the local community. 111 . Air Force Public Affairs Agency, Operating Location - P BAH rate remains the same for nearly all Hill AFB residents By MICAH GARBARINO 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs T he Department of Defense reduced the housing allowance rates for Hill AFB and the surrounding areas in 2015. However, Airmen who came to Hill before 2015 will not see a change to their current BAH rate. This is true for both Airmen who live on and off base. On average, Airmen who move to Hill after Jan. 1, 2015 will see 8 percent less than Airmen did in the past year. Some ranks will see a greater decrease than others. The reduction is the result of an annual review that is a joint effort between the local housing offices and the Department of Defense. "The BAH reduction for 2015 affects all ranks of incoming Airmen, officer and enlisted. We take a market analysis of current rental rates in the local area and send that up to DOD. They put that analysis up against certain criteria and come up with the average local cost of housing for Airmen with and without dependents," said Lareen Parkinson, 75th Civil Engineer Housing Office manager. Two changes were made to BAH rate computations for 2015: renter's insurance, which contributed an average of 1 percent to rates, was eliminated, and the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act reduced housing rates on average 1 percent for service members. Individual rate protection for service members remains an integral part of the BAH program. Even if BAH rates decline - including through the elimination of renter's insurance and the reduction in the calculated rate - a service member who maintains uninterrupted BAH eligibility in a given location will not see a rate decrease. This ensures that service members who have made long-term commitments in the form of a lease or contract are not penalized if local housing costs decrease. Airmen can find a current BAH rates calculator (and other BAH information) on the Defense Travel Management Office website at http://www.defensetravel. dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm Aside from housing, there were also other pay changes, not all of them reductions. The Defense Department announced the 2015 military pay and cornpensation rates for service members Dec. 22, with most service members receiving a 1 percent increase in basic pay. The new rates for basic pay, basic allowance for housing (BAH), basic allowance for subsistence (BAS), and the cost of living allowance (COLA) rates for the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) took effect Jan. 1, 2015. Basic pay for service members will increase 1 percent, except for general and flag officers who will not see an increase in 2015. See MILITARY I Page 10 WASHINGTON — Beginning this month, Citibank is issuing chip and PIN-enabled government travel cards (GTC) to new card applicants, individuals whose cards will expire in 2015 and individuals who have reported lost or stolen cards. This is the first phase in a multiphased rollout, which will enhance the security and convenience of government travel and pay systems. The new cards are embedded with a microchip that provides for transaction encryption and an elevated level of authentication. Chip and PIN technology strengthens data security, better protecting cardholders' personally identifiable information, as well as the government's sensitive transaction and payment data. "The cards are yet another tool to combat potential fraud," said Eric Cuebas, the director of Air Force financial services. "By working together with chip-enabled terminals, they ensure a more secure transaction by validating both the card and cardholder. Additionally, Citi's chip and PIN cards do not use radio frequency functionality and are strictly contact-only cards. Therefore, they are not susceptible to the skimming issue encountered by radio frequency identification cards." All cardholders should log into CitiManager and review mailing and email addresses and contact information under "My Card Account/Card Maintenance." The cardholder can also review their information using the account listing report in Citibank's custom reporting system. For more questions about chip and PIN cards, contact local APC5. Look inside this week's Hilltop Times for • • • Honor Flight Program takes its to nation's capitol See page 7 Economic Impact F-22 Contract Hill AFB brings $3.3B to No. Utah _ockheed wins jet award See page 7 See page 9 |