On the House

I would like to start of this month's newsletter by thanking the volunteers who helped clean up the kitchen, canteen and back bar area on Sunday August 9th and Wednesday Aug 13th. Due to scheduling (we are pretty booked up between now and Christmas which is good) and other issues we decided to schedule the cleanup during the week. Thanks to the following folks: Anna Martin, Jackie Martin, Mike Carlson Jr., Betty Carlson, Smoky Stover, Betty Brewster, Mike O'Connell, Sarge Mizzell, Beth and Ted Tufts and Jerry Belding. Your hard work and elbow grease paid off and the post is looking better than ever.

Something else you may notice in the canteen is the addition of the ceiling fans thanks to the coordination of Mike Carlson. Bill Todd of R.J. Martin Electrical Contracting Inc. graciously donated the supplies and his two employees, Nick Shippy and Mike Carlson Jr. did the installation. Many thanks to Bill and his crew for doing a fine job.

This may sound like a repeat of the last news letter but again as many of you may have noticed it is been pretty hot in the canteen the past few weeks. Unfortunately our 2nd outside air conditioning unit that cools part of the canteen, the game room and part of the kitchen has failed and needs to be replaced. We are currently reviewing estimates to replace the unit and hope to have it up and running as soon as possible.

Last but not least I would like you to all welcome Skip Merrill as our new Canteen manager. Skip was a store keeper in the Navy and has the perfect background for the job.

Planned and Upcoming Events

• September 22nd, 4th Tuesday Night Special – Gumbo Dinner made with Crab, Shrimp, Sausage and Chicken.
• September 29th, 5th Tuesday Special – Liver and Onions Dinner. Salad and Dessert.
• October 10th – Coastal Center Fish Fry.
• October 24th – Quarter Auction (Adults Only) Dinner and Auction to follow.
• October 25th – Kitchen Cleanup
• October 31st – Canteen Halloween Party.

There is a suggestion box under the calendar board in the canteen. If you have a suggestion you think will improve our post or an activity you would like to have, drop it in the suggestion box. Your ideas are important to us and our post.

Thanks and remember, the House Committee meetings are open to all members and we welcome you to sit in. Also, the minutes of the previous meeting are posted on bulletin board in the game room.

Ted Tufts
House Committee Chairman

New AMC travel Web site.

In July of this year, Air Mobility Command (AMC) unveiled its official AMC Travel Web site. If you are looking to see the world and want to travel Space Available, this page is your one-stop shop for all your travel needs, including Passenger Terminal contact information, locations, and regulatory guidance.

Visit amc.af.mil/amctravel/index.asp for the latest AMC travel information.

Ted Tufts

This Month in Military History

• September 10, 1813 - War of 1812: US naval forces under Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeat the British at the Battle of Lake Erie.
• September   2, 1864 - American Civil War: Union troops under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman capture Atlanta.
• September   7, 1901 - Boxer Rebellion ends in China.
• September   1, 1939 - World War II: Nazi Germany invades Poland beginning World War II.
• September 17, 1944 - World War II: American and British paratroopers land in Holland as part of Operation Market-Garden.
• September   2, 1945 - World War II: The Japanese surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri ending the war in the Pacific.
• September 15, 1950 - Korean War: United Nations troops under General Douglas MacArthur land at Inchon and push the North Koreans back to the Yalu River.
• September 22, 1980 - Iran-Iraq War: Iraq invades Iran beginning a war that lasts eight years
• September 11, 2001 - War on Terror: Al Qaeda attacks the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Ted Tufts

VA health Care

Last year the Ralph H. Johnson VA medical center was rated number 10 out of 155 VA hospitals. The rating was based on: access, patient satisfaction, and quality of care in which it rated number 2. Its computerized patient record system, VISTA is unsurpassed. There's no waiting, I can go to any VA hospital or clinic and they've got immediate access to my medical records.
crda.org/news/local_news/va_hospital_ranked_no__10-1003

With all of the political back and forthing on health care I thought you might find the following blog interesting:

Ezra Klein
Washington Post Business Blogger
Thursday, August 13, 2009; 12:00 PM

Cleveland: Phillip Longman made a convincing case in his book "Best Care Anywhere" that the VA health system not only achieves high quality but is also very effective at managing costs.

…(Phillip Longman) does offer some reasonable suggestions on how to nudge the private sector into adopting the VA model. How closely would you say the bills moving through Congress are aligned with his suggestions?

Ezra Klein: They're not at all aligned with his suggestions. VA is socialized care. The point he makes is that its incentives are thus better than private care: The system makes money by keeping people healthy, not by running more tests. The one exception is that a big chunk of the VA story is the development and use of VISTA, an open source health IT program that's made the VA system much more modern and computerized than most health care. That is something that people are trying to include in this bill.
t.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/08/06/DI2009080602925.html?hpid=discussions

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Defense Biometric Identification System

If you have to get onto the Charleston Air Force Base or any other military installation… you'll need to register for a new DBIDS (Defense Biometric Identification System) ID card before March 1st at the Charleston Air Force Base.

The process of registering for the DBIDS card was reported in the August 14th issue of the Charleston Air Force Base paper the Airlift Dispatch ~ "Extension allows for longer DBIDS registration" sc/workspaces/www/templates/domains/airlift.sc/archives/airlift-august-18-09.pdf

The 437th SFS is setting an IOC date for the DBIDS of Nov.1 working for an FOC date of March 1. DBIDS registration will continue at the Dorchester Gate VCC during the IOC. Controllers will monitor the wait time to ensure lines do not get too long.

Only holders of their own DOD cards, and only those holders of their own DOD cards can have their card updated in the DBIDS requiring photo and finger print processes.

During the IOC phase of Nov. 1 through March 1, security forces will make frequent checks to ensure personnel are registered. Personnel not registered will be encouraged to proceed to the Dorchester Gate VCC. After the FOC date non-registered personnel will be directed to the Dorchester Gate VCC. Security forces will increase their capacity at the Dorchester Gate anticipating long lines as the FOC date approaches.

Whew!
An alphabet soup explosion…

Contact Bob Trout at 963-3623 or George Kennedy at 963-7607 to answer your questions.
Editor Mike Petrovick for
Norris Stevens, Judge Advocate Emeritus