FEATURED ARTICLES AND LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Aid and Attendance Rate Increase
The United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved a rate increase in the Veterans Administration's (VA) Aid and Attendance Pension rate.  The Aid and Attendance Pension provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing and undressing or taking care of the needs of nature.  It also encompasses individuals who are blind or in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity and offers eligibility for assisted care in an assisting living facility.  For more information, visit VA's Veterans Pension Program Webpage.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center. (From Military.com)

Retirees Taxable Income Up in 2011
Military retirees received 13 payments for 2011 unlike previous years that typically reflect 12 payments.  This isn't a mistake.  The pay schedule for military retirees changed in mid-2011 because of the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act.  The Defense Accounting and Finance Service now pays military retirees on the first day of the month.  When that day is a weekend or national holiday, we must move the official pay date to the previous business day.  As a result, the payment originally scheduled for Jan. 3, 2012 was issued Dec. 30, 2011.

Read more in the Military Advantage Blog. (From Military.com)

State Veterans Benefits Directory
Each state manages its own benefit programs.  The following is a list of links to the Website's for each of the individual states that offer veterans benefits.  Be sure to take advantage of the benefits you have earned by clicking on the link to your State Department of Veterans Affairs.  See what benefits your state offers.

GI Bill Benefits are worth up to $52,500.  Don't wait to use the benefits you've earned.  Find Schools with VA Approved Programs. (From Military.com)

VA Eyes Paperless Claims
Stars and Stripes reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) top claim processing official recently testified before the House veteran affairs' subcommittee on disability assistance.  Tom Murphy, director of compensation service for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), an agency for the Department of Veterans Affairs, testified that the only way to achieve VA's goal of every disability compensation claim being processed within 125 days and with 98 percent accuracy is to shift to a paperless claims system.  And that transformation has begun.  Opening statements and a Webcast of the January 24, 2012 hearing are available on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Website.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center. (From Military.com)

VA Hospitals Not Following Guidelines
A recent study has found that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals screen elderly men with limited life expectancies for prostate cancer at surprisingly high rates, even though guidelines recommend against such screening.  The study of 622,262 men at 104 VA medical centers was published online in the December 17, 2011 edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.  An abstract of the study is available on the Journal of General Internal Medicine Website.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center. (From Military.com)

VA Medical Benefits Updated
The Department of Veterans Affairs has published a regulation officially amending VA's medical benefits package to include up to seven days of medical care for newborns delivered by women veterans who are receiving VA maternity care benefits.  Newborn care includes routine post-delivery care and all other medically necessary services that are in accord with generally accepted standards of medical practice.  The effective date of the rule is Dec. 19, 2011, but the regulation applies retroactively to newborn care provided to eligible women Veterans on or after May 5, 2011.  For more information, contact your women Veterans program managers at your local VA medical center and visit VA's Women Veterans Health Care Webpage at www.womenshealth.va.gov/.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center. (From Military.com)

VA Medical Centers on Facebook
All 152 VA medical centers are now actively represented on Facebook, the world's largest social networking site.  VA currently has over 345,000 combined Facebook followers.  The Department plans to continue expanding its Facebook presence while also focusing on bringing Twitter to every VA medical center as well.  A directory of VA Social Media sites is available at the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) Social Media Directory at www.va.gov/opa/SocialMedia.asp.

To keep up with the military on social media, visit the Military.com Facebook page. (From Military.com)

VA to Add Blue Button App
The Veterans Affairs Department (VA) will offer a mobile app for its Blue Button feature this year so veterans have more options to view and download their personal health data from the department's patient portal.  Blue Button enables veterans to click to download their personal health information from the MyHealtheVet patient portal to a computer or personal health record, which can be viewed, stored or printed.

For complete guides to all veterans benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center. (From Military.com)

Veterans Benefit Calculator
The benefits calculator is designed to quickly and easily connect you with your benefits based on your service and duty status.  Get started finding your Federal and State benefits and Special Military Discounts. (From Military.com)

Space-A Planning makes its Way to Facebook
By Jill Laster
Staff writer

John Bretschneider / Staff graphic

Already pumped about your big summer trip?  If you're going to try to get to your planned destination using space-A, things may be a little easier next time you fly.

Nine passenger terminals in the space-available travel program - an Air Mobility Command entity that lets eligible military travelers fly at no cost on pre-planned flights - have started posting which flights are available and how many seats are on each flight for up to 72 hours on their Facebook pages.

If you want to fly space-A, here are a few things to know in advance.

You must be active-duty military, Guard, Reserve, retired or an eligible family member.  If you're unsure about eligibility rules, click here to check out the list of eligible travelers.

Keep in mind that, as when you fly standby on a civilian carrier, you won't automatically get a seat if you show up at the terminal on time.  You'll get on if the flight takes off as planned and seats are available - different passengers receive different priority based on their eligibility, date and time, and category of sign-up.

Air Mobility Command officials had been thinking about creating an app similar to those used by airlines, which let passengers know what planes are flying out of their terminal and how many seats are available on each one.  Instead, AMC did it for free using individual terminals' Facebook pages.

"We've always had a Web page that they could look at and dial-in phone numbers and information at the ports," said Col. William Zeck, Air Mobility Command's air transportation chief.  "But we realized that information, while it is accurate and is available, is not the way people communicate as much anymore."

The terminal at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, started using Facebook to get information to travelers in early 2011 and officials liked the feedback.  So this January, they and several other terminals began a trial run of the advanced flight notices at several bases; the trial is set to run through June.

AMC has about 50 passenger terminals in the U.S. and abroad.  Nine terminals are listed on AMC's travel Website, as posting advance flight information with additional terminals expected soon.

They are the terminals at Joint Base Andrews, Md.; Joint Base Charleston, S.C.; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; Osan Air Base, South Korea; Pope Field, N.C.; Ramstein; and Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

You can also post questions on those terminals' Facebook pages, and someone with the program will get back with you within 24 hours.

AMC officials don't have plans to force individual terminals to start posting advanced flight information on Facebook once the trial run ends, although Zeck said that they will strongly encourage it.

If you check out those Facebook sites, you may notice that many flights posted have "TBD" next to the number of available seats.  Zeck said that adding more frequent updates to seat availability is one of AMC's goals.

Want to give your feedback on the Facebook pages or on space-A in general?  Need more information about the paperwork you'll need to bring with you to the airport or how many luggages are you can carry?  Visit AMC's travel Website. (From Air Force Times)

Last Known WWI Veteran Dies at 110
By Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless
The Associated Press

LAC Hannah Shaw, right, on behalf of the RAF, presents Florence Green, with a cake on her 109th birthday.  Green, the world's last known veteran of World War I, died Feb. 7 at the age of 110.

LONDON - Florence Green never saw the front line.  Her war was spent serving food, not dodging bullets.

But Green, who has died aged 110, was the last known surviving veteran of World War I.  She was serving with the Women's Royal Air Force as a waitress at an air base in eastern England when the guns fell silent on Nov. 11, 1918.

It was not until 2010 that she was officially recognized as a veteran after a researcher found her service record in Britain's National Archives.

Green died Saturday at the Briar House Care Home in King's Lynn, eastern England, two weeks before her 111th birthday, the home said.

Retired Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye, director-general of the RAF Museum, said it was fitting that the last survivor of the first global war was someone who had served on the home front.

"In a way, that the last veteran should be a lady and someone who served on the home front is something that reminds me that warfare is not confined to the trenches," Dye said.

"It reminds us of the Great War, and all warfare since then has been something that involved everyone.  It's a collective experience ... Sadly, whether you are in New York, in London, or in Kandahar, warfare touches all of our lives."

She was born Florence Beatrice Patterson in London on Feb. 19, 1901, and joined the newly formed Women's Royal Air Force in September 1918 at the age of 17.

The service trained women to work as mechanics, drivers and in other jobs to free men for front-line duty.  Green went to work as a steward in the officers' mess, first at the Narborough airdrome and then at RAF Marham in eastern England, and was serving there when the war ended.

Decades later, Green remembered her wartime service with affection.

"I met dozens of pilots and would go on dates," she said in an interview in 2008.  "I had the opportunity to go up in one of the planes but I was scared of flying.  I would work every hour God sent.  But I had dozens of friends on the base and we had a great deal of fun in our spare time.  In many ways, I had the time of my life."

After the war she stayed in the area, raising three children with her husband Bob Green.

Once her service record was rediscovered, the RAF embraced the centenarian veteran, marking her 110th birthday in February 2011 with a cake.

Asked what it was like to be 110, Green said "It's not much different to being 109."

She praised the officers she had served during the war as perfect gentlemen.

"It was very pleasant and they were lovely," she said.  "Not a bit of bother.  They kept us on our toes and there was no slacking."

A delegation from the air base had been due to visit Green on Feb. 19 to celebrate her 111th birthday.

"When we heard the news there was a palpable silence, because we all hoped she would make it," said Squadron Leader Paula Willmot.

RAF Marham's station commander, Group Captain David Cooper, said Green "will be sorely missed and our thoughts are now with her friends and family."

World War I - "the war to end all wars" - killed about 20 million people in four years of fighting between the Allied powers - including Britain, France and the United States - and Germany and its allies.

The last known soldier to have fought in the brutal trench warfare that has become the enduring image of the conflict was Britain's Harry Patch, who died in 2009 aged 111.

The last American veteran of the conflict was Frank Buckles of Charles Town, West Virginia, who drove ambulances in France for the U.S. Army.  He died in February 2011.

The war's last known combatant, Royal Navy veteran Claude Choules died in Australia in May.

There are no known French or German veterans of the war left alive.

After Choules' death, Green became the war's last known surviving service member, according to the Order of the First World War, a U.S.-based group that tracks veterans.

Andrew Holmes of the Gerontology Research Group, the researcher who found Green's service record, also said she was the last known survivor of the conflict - and the sixth oldest person in Britain.

Green's husband died in 1970.  She is survived by two daughters, a son and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The date of her funeral was not immediately known, but Willmot said air force personnel would attend, and the RAF Association would provide a bugler and a Union Jack to drape on the coffin

"It will be a real send-off for her," Willmot said. (From Air Force Times)

Tuskegee Airman Gives Account of 'Lucky' Day

Tuskegee Airmen distinctive "red tails" provided cover for bombing missions during World War II.

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- Famed Yankees pitcher "Lefty Gomez" once remarked "I'd rather be lucky than good," but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. "Lucky" Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy's Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname "Lucky" "because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft."

In a first person account, Lester describes the day that July of '44 that would seal that nickname for the rest of his career.

Lester describes meeting his bomber at about 25,000 feet and had reached a level of about 29,000 feet when he and his formation spotted enemy aircraft.  "We were flying in a loose formation, about 200 feet apart and zig-zagging.  The flight leader commanded 'hard right and punch tanks' (drop the external fuel tanks).  I saw a formation of Messerschmitt Bf 109s straight ahead, but slightly lower.  I closed to about 200 feet and started to fire.  Smoke began to pour out of the 109 and the aircraft exploded.  I was going so fast I was sure I would hit some of the debris from the explosion, but luckily I didn't."

According to Lester, he saw another 109 to his right as he continued to dodge debris from his first kill.  "I turned on his tail and closed to about 200 feet while firing.  His aircraft started to smoke and almost stopped.  My closure was so fast that I began to overtake him.  When I overran him I looked down to see the enemy pilot emerge from his burning aircraft.  I remember seeing his blonde hair as he bailed out at about 8,000 feet."

Lester then began looking for his flight mates when he spotted his third 109 flying low, about 1,000 feet above the ground.  "I dove to the right, behind him, and opened fire.  As I scored hits, he apparently thought he had enough altitude to use a 'split S' maneuver (a half loop going down where the aircraft is rolled upside down and pulled straight through until it become right side up) to evade me.  As I did a diving turn I saw the 109 go straight into the ground."

According to Lester, it took a while to sink in that in the span of about five minutes he had downed three enemy aircraft.  "Everything went the same as in training except for the real bullets.  Real Bullets!!  Until then, the danger of the mission had never occurred to me." (From Air Force Link)

Buying Short Sale Properties with VA Loans
VA loans can be used to purchase short sale properties as long as VA guidelines are met.  Short sales are the result of a delinquent loan, and the borrower and mortgage servicer have agreed to sell the home at a discount to avoid foreclosure proceedings.  Using your VA home loan entitlement for the purchase of short sale real estate can have its advantages and disadvantages.

PROS TO USING A VA LOAN FOR SHORT SALE PURCHASE:

• Most short sale homes are offered for pennies on the dollar
• Buyer can buy the discounted home with little or no money down

CONS TO USING A VA LOAN FOR SHORT SALE PURCHASE:

• Offers can take a long time to process
• Properties are sold "AS IS" and often need repair before closing

After making an offer on a short sale, the potential buyer may often wait 60 days or longer before the seller replies with an acceptance or counter offer.  During this time, interest rates can go up or down.  VA borrowers planning to purchase short sale real estate should prepare for the wait.

The VA will not guarantee a property unless it is in safe livable condition and its sale price justifies the insured value.  Sometimes a short sale home will need repairs before it passes the VA appraisal/inspection.  Because most sellers of short sale real estate offer the home "AS IS", the buyer could end up paying for repairs to the home before he or she actually owns the property.  This can incur some risk should the sale fall through.

Buying a short sale home with a VA loan can save the buyer money if he or she is willing to work a little harder and wait a little longer.  The advantages of VA loans include:

• As little as zero cash down
• No monthly mortgage insurance premiums
• No penalty for early or pre-payment
• Competitive interest rates
• Up to 6% of closing costs and concessions may be paid by seller
• No additional credit underwriting required by VA for a Streamline refinance

More info about purchasing short sale real estate with a VA-backed loan can be obtained by contacting a qualified VA mortgage professional. (From Military.com)

PTSD Ruling Returns Benefits to Thousands of Vets
Military.com|by Michael Hoffman

Former airman Aimee Sherrod stopped going to the therapy sessions, even though she couldn't get visions of exploding mortars out of her head.

Military officials told her in one breath that she couldn't do her job because she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, but in the next breath said she was fine.

Sherrod received a 10 percent disability rating from the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2005, after the service medically discharged her.  The senior airman had completed deployments to Pakistan, Jordan and Iraq in her four-year career.  She left without even a military ID.

Even worse, she left questioning if there was anything wrong with her at all.

"I stopped going to sessions with the therapist because I figured since I got such a low rating that maybe nothing was wrong with me," said Sherrod, 31, who spent most of her service inspecting aircraft, mostly rescue helicopters.

During her deployment to Camp Sather, Iraq, the enemy launched a mortar barrage on her portion of the flightline.  She watched medics evacuate two airmen in her unit.  At home, she still hears the whistles.  The anxiety causes her to grind her teeth at night -so much that she broke a tooth.

Three years after her discharge, the Defense Department issued a memo mandating that service members diagnosed with PTSD receive a 50 percent rating when they retire.  A 50 percent rating guarantees lifetime TRICARE medical coverage and tax-free retirement payments.

While the ruling has helped hundreds of veterans over the past four years, more than 4,000 veterans like Sherrod, who left the service between 2003 and 2008, didn't have their records amended by the military corrections board.

Click here to find out more!

That was until Dec. 22, when the U.S. Court of Federal Claims settled a class action lawsuit that ordered the Defense Department to adjust the records of the more than 2,000 veterans named in the case to reflect a 50 percent disability rating to those diagnosed with PTSD.

Judge George Miller's ruling ordered the military to pay lifetime disability benefits to 1,029 veterans.  It also increased the disability rating of another 1,066 veterans who have received disability benefits upon separation, but received a rating below 50 percent.  The ruling also promised benefits to another 66 veterans who were class members, but had not yet completed their retirement benefits application through Veteran's Affairs.

Miller's December ruling ended a four-year battle between the military and veterans organized by the National Veterans Legal Services Program.  Lawyers on both sides slogged through a legal back-and-forth that saw the military break promises that further delayed benefits reaching veterans.

Sherrod was lucky.  Her husband is a pharmacist with medical benefits.  Bart Stichman, NVLSP's joint executive director, said many of the veterans who joined the class action lawsuit weren't so fortunate.

"So many veterans contacted us who needed help and didn't understand why the military wouldn't help them," Stichman said.

The Defense Department did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the ruling.

In most cases, veterans will receive back pay for missed retirement payments as well as medical charges they accrued since their discharge.  Each veteran with a disability rating above 50 percent will qualify to purchase life insurance coverage through the Survivor Benefit Plan; lifetime commissary and military post exchange privileges; eligibility for Combat-Related Special Compensation; tax free retirement payments; and lifetime medical care for themselves, their spouse and their children up to age 18.

Stichman and his organization heard from frustrated veterans who didn't understand why the military didn't automatically adjust their ratings if they had a PTSD diagnosis in their record.  The NVLSP enlisted the help of law firms that volunteer their time to represent veterans, such as Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

The legal team requested a list of every veteran discharged between 2002 and 2008 with a record of PTSD.  The team received a list of 4,400 veterans and immediately set up phone banks to contact each one.  Over 2,100 joined.

"It's very often the military doesn't do things unless they are forced to do it, especially when it comes to personnel and those who are already out," Stichman said.

Click here to find out more!

When presented with the case, the military tried to sidestep going to court.  Defense Department officials told Stichman a military board would immediately inspect the records of the each veteran who joined the lawsuit.

Stichman and his legal team never intended to sue for damages and felt this was a reasonable offer.

"We thought naively, but with good purpose, we could resolve the claims in one year.  It turned out to be much, much more time consuming than what we had expected," said Jim Kelley, a partner with Morgan Lewis who worked on the case.

Months went by and few veterans had their records reviewed by the military correction board.  Some would have had to wait seven years if the case hadn't gone back to court, Kelley said.

"In retrospect, they shouldn't have made this offer in the first place.  They should have gone straight to what they're doing in the settlement.  Why they would represent to the court and us that they'd do it quickly -- and then they didn't -- is the worst part," Stichman said.

The courts lifted the moratorium set on the case and the veterans waited until Dec. 22, when the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled in their favor.

Stichman said the settlement would not set a precedent for future cases because the Defense Department had already set the bar for veterans suffering from PTSD by awarding a minimum 50 percent rating.

"This was about making sure the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who came before the ruling got help," Stichman said.

For Sherrod, the disability payments will help, and the medical benefits will provide security for her family.  But it's the retiree identification card that will mean most to Sherrod.

She spent most of her life on Air Force bases, as both her parents retired from the service.  Her discharge marked the first time she couldn't get on a base and it hurt, she said.

"Yes, the medical benefits will help, but for me I just didn't like the fact I couldn't get on a base anymore.  It was part of me and it didn't feel right.  Now I can go on base and it feels like part of my family," Sherrod said.

Now a full-time mom to two sons and a daughter, Sherrod said she didn't understand why it took so much legal maneuvering for her and the other veterans to receive the benefits they earned with their service.

"All along I hoped we would win, but I knew we would because too many veterans had gotten hurt and I knew the judge would have seen that," she said. (From Military.com)

New Campaign Aims to Improve Troops, Retirees and Families' Health
By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, - The Defense Department has launched a "groundbreaking" obesity and nutrition awareness campaign aimed at improving the health and well-being of troops, retirees and their families across the services, DOD's top health affairs official announced today.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and TRICARE Management Activity director, joined First Lady Michelle Obama at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., this afternoon to unveil the campaign, which involves improving nutrition standards militarywide for the first time in 20 years.

"The Department of Defense is making a groundbreaking commitment to the health of our troops and their families," the first lady said in a news release today.  "And in doing so, they're not just sending a powerful message throughout the military community, they're sending a message to our entire country."

The campaign, developed by the Military Health System, will rally all of the services to encourage people to make better nutritional choices and to take a more active role in their personal health, Woodson said in an interview at the Pentagon yesterday.

"America has a growing problem," he said, noting the pun is intended.  "We have an issue of increasing obesity within the civilian population, [and] a history of poor nutritional choices, both in the civilian and military populations, that's affecting readiness."

Nearly 30 percent of potential military candidates ages 17 to 24 can't qualify for the military because they're overweight, Woodson noted.  Additionally, the military discharges about 1,200 entry-level candidates each year due to their inability to meet fitness and weight standards.

"This is really a national security issue if we've got a population of youth that could serve in the military, but can't serve because of weight standards," he said.

The Military Health System's campaign will call on the services and the Pentagon's office of military community and family policy to help in achieving the following:

• Updating menu standards at military dining facilities;

• Assessing the nutritional environment of military facilities; and

• Ensuring healthier foods are available in dining facilities, DOD schools and other places where troops, retirees and their families purchase food on bases, such as vending machines and snack bars.

In other words, as the campaign unfolds, high-starch and sugary treats will have to step aside as an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins move onto installations.  "Our intent is to look at opportunities to improve what's on the menu, and therefore, the choices," Woodson said.

DOD hasn't updated its nutritional menu standards in nearly 20 years, he noted.  "It's time to take a comprehensive look," he said.  "We know so much more about good nutrition and how to prevent disease" than ever before.

Military children will be an important focus of this campaign, Woodson said, noting the importance of developing healthy habits at an early age.

It's all about making good choices, he said.  A vending machine filled with soft drinks and sweets is an attractive draw for children.  But if that vending machine now contains apples, bananas and other healthy items, he added, children would make different choices.

"It's about facilitating good decisions and creating environments in which they'll succeed," he explained.

Today's children are tomorrow's service members and leaders, Woodson said.  "What we do, how we teach them, the environments we put them in, will predict how successful they will be later in life," he added.

The campaign also will focus efforts on military retirees, who will receive enhanced obesity-related counseling and nutritional information, Woodson explained. The Defense Department spends about $1.4 billion a year on health-related problems related to obesity, he noted, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis.

"Obesity is a preventable problem which, if combated, can help prevent disease and ease the burden on our overall Military Health System," Woodson said in the release.

"Our strategy within health affairs is moving from what we call health care -- just delivery of services -- to producing health in our population we serve," he said in the interview.  "It's about a mindset that looks at disease prevention rather than disease treatment."

This new, comprehensive initiative is not just about health care providers, but also is about partnerships, Woodson noted -- individuals, installation commanders, military and civilian communities, family programs, schools and parents working together to build healthier populations.

"There's a role everyone can play," he said.  "It's about catalyzing the movement and synergizing the efforts and the leadership to focus on health."

Woodson said he has high hopes for the new campaign.  "I think this will improve the health of the entire population," he said.

The first lady agreed.  "Whenever our men and women in uniform step forward, Americans take notice," she said in the release.  "When our service members make healthy eating a priority in their lives, the rest of us are more likely to make it a priority in our lives.

"Simply put," she added, "this is America's entire military once again stepping forward to lead by example." (TRICARE Management Activity (TMA))

Tricare Pharmacy Merger Worries Lawmakers
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer

Seven lawmakers have written to the Pentagon expressing concern over a proposed merger between the company that manages Tricare's pharmacy benefit and another corporate pharmaceutical giant.

The bipartisan group, led by Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said the transaction could lead to higher drug prices as well as a decline in benefits.

The lawmakers also have written to the Federal Trade Commission about the merger between Tricare's pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts of St. Louis, Mo., and Medco of Franklin Lakes, N.J.

The FTC is investigating the deal because it would create a company with control of about 30 percent of all U.S. prescriptions - for about 135 million people - and 60 percent of the mail-order drug market.

The two companies began talks last July.

"On its face, increased concentration suggests greater opportunity to leverage economies of scale and realize cost savings," the lawmakers wrote.  "However, there is little evidence that increased [pharmacy benefit management] market concentration will significantly lower costs for consumers or the American taxpayer."

The merger is opposed by the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents independent pharmacists, and Preserve Community Pharmacy Access NOW!  A coalition of 60 organizations and groups that believe the merger will hurt overall health care.

"This merger would further reduce competition in the already concentrated [pharmacy benefit management] market and could lead to higher prescription drug costs, limited patient choice and inferior service," NCPA Chief Executive Officer B. Douglas Hoey said.

An Express Scripts spokesman said he could not comment on the merger because Medco operates as separate company.  He expects the transaction to be closed during the first half of this year.

"The merger will be good for patients, employers and health plans - including Tricare - leading to safer and more affordable medicines.  It's the right merger at the right time for the country, which very much needs more affordable health care," Express Scripts spokesman Thom Gross said.

Public Health Service Rear Adm. Thomas McGinnis, chief of Tricare's pharmaceutical operations director, said the contract process will help keep cost increases in check.

Express Scripts won the Tricare contract in 2008 and is in its third exercised option year of five.  According to McGinnis, other companies are vying for Tricare's business, worth $6.1 billion in fiscal 2009.

"The only thing we worry about is adequate competition.  I can count five big players out there right now that are probably going to bid on the contract we have put on the streets.  … I don't know how many will bid but there are some big players even without the merger issue," McGinnis said. (From Air Force Times)

Once-lost Medals Returned to Family of WWI Maj.
By Jim Salter
The Associated Press

FESTUS, Mo. - Nearly a century after Maj. Ernest Slusher earned two medals for bravery during World War I, his family has them back.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel was in the St. Louis-area town of Festus on Thursday to return the Distinguished Service Cross and Croix de Guerre to Margaret Means, a relative of Slusher.

The medals were found in 2003 in a safe deposit box and turned over to Zweifel's office, which is responsible for unclaimed property in Missouri.  Slusher's family hadn't known about the safe deposit box, and Means only learned about the missing medals last year when the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported they were on display at the state Capitol in Jefferson City.  She contacted the newspaper, which directed her to Zweifel's office.

"It's the end of a long journey for Maj. Slusher's medals and his family," Zweifel said at a ceremony at the library.

Previously, medals that were found as unclaimed property in Missouri were auctioned off.

Zweifel pushed for a bill to end that practice and Missouri lawmakers passed a measure in 2010 requiring all military medals and honors are turned over to the Treasurer's office.  They are held there until the recipient or his or her family can be found.

Slusher, born in Dover, Mo., in 1875, was a doctor who served in the Spanish American War, then was a regimental surgeon in World War I.  On Sept. 29-30, 1918, he was repeatedly gassed while tending to wounded American and French soldiers near Charpentry, France.  He became so ill that he had to be carried away twice, Zweifel said.  Yet Slusher kept going back to the front lines, caring for more of the wounded.

After the war, Slusher returned to his medical practice in Kansas City, Mo.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in May 1919.  The date when he received the French medal wasn't clear.  Slusher died in 1957 at the age of 82.

"Doc Slusher was extremely proud of these medals, and displayed them in his medical office in Kansas City for decades," Means said.  "It is important to me that this piece of my family's history is back with us."

Means, 81, of Festus, said she would pass the medals on to her daughter and grandchildren.  She has been tracing her family's history for more than four decades.  Though a distant relative - she is the first cousin of Slusher's son's wife - Means' collection includes a photograph of Slusher wearing the Distinguished Cross medal, along with other medals and awards and the five letters that supported the awarding of the Distinguished Service Cross.

The medal is the second highest for valor in the American military, topped only by the Medal of Honor.  About 6,000 American soldiers received the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I.  The Croix de Guerre, or "Cross of War," is awarded for heroism by the French Military to French soldiers and allies who come to the aid of France.

Zweifel said that without the 2010 law, Slusher's medals would have been sold at auction and "might have been lost forever."  Most of the unclaimed property medals held by the Treasurer's office were, like Slusher's, and found in abandoned safe deposit boxes, Zweifel said.  Since the 2010 law took effect, Zweifel has returned 25 medals.  He is working with military and veterans organizations to find the owners of 84 medals.

"Every medal that I hold has a story," Zweifel said. (From Army Times)

Wait and See What the Administration's How Budget Proposals Effect Retirees
We are all waiting until next week to see the Administration's budgetary proposals concerning critical issues.  We are afraid we know what they will be from the statements made by Secretary Panetta.  But while there is a dramatic push to cut end strengths, increase the costs of health care for retirees, a proposal for a new round of BRAC, a complete overhaul of the military retirement system… there is also the start of looking at military options for dealing with Syria (from CNN, an anonymous senior U.S. official.  "The Pentagon is closely monitoring developments in Syria.  It wouldn't be doing its job if it didn't put some ideas on the table."  But absolutely no decisions have been made on military support for Syria.")….  And even more concerns over Iran. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

HASC Chairman Proposes Bill to Protect VA Healthcare Accounts
Last Friday House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Florida) introduced HR3895 "Protect VA Healthcare Act of 2012".  The bill would protect the VA's healthcare programs and accounts from the $1.2 trillion automatic across-the-board cuts that are scheduled, at this time, to happen next year.  The cuts are pending due to the failure last year to get a deficit cut reduction plan signed into law.  (2011 Budget Control Act)

For the past 6 months the Congressman (and numerous VSOs, including TREA) have been trying to find out if the VA accounts are exempt from these prospective cuts or not.  Representative Miller referring to his bill said: "Due to a conflict in the law, the Department of Veterans Affairs may be subject to a 2 percent cut in medical care, a cut that would significantly impact the care provided to America's veterans…I have not received any assurance, and more important, nor have our veterans, that these cuts will not take place."  Thus he introduced the bill to guarantee that VA is exempt.

TREA strongly supports this bill. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

Manchin, Kirk Unveil the Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus
Press Release from the offices of Senators Manchin, Kirk and Tester:

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today announced that they have formed the bipartisan Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus, which will work to decrease the unemployment rate of the nation's 857,000 veterans who are currently looking for work.  Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has also joined the caucus.

With combat operations drawing to a close in Iraq, and forces coming home from Afghanistan, the Senators believe now is the time to focus on the needs of these veterans once they return home.  The Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus will also work to reduce unemployment among members of the National Guard and Reserve, who have also faced challenges finding work.

In order to directly address employment-related issues, the Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus has four objectives:

1) Develop a robust Senate "I Hire Veterans" program, which will invite Senators to display the "I Hire Veterans" logo if they have a veteran or a current serving member of the National Guard and Reserves on their personal, state or committee staff.  The logo can be displayed in a Senate office, on business cards, or anywhere those Senators choose;

2) Hold monthly Member or staff-level events to share information on veterans employment initiatives;

3) Monitor veterans employment issues by working with constituents, government and service organizations to help provide solutions;

4) Work with local, state and national employers on a comparable "I Hire Veterans" program.

TREA vigorously supports this initiative, as it helps spotlight the continuing struggles of America's veterans to reintegrate back into the society that they risked their lives for.  Since the jobless rate among post-9/11 veterans continues to be higher than the national average and almost 20 percent of women who served in the military after September 11 are unemployed, there is much work to be done. (The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA))

2012 MOAA Tax Guide
Taxes by State
Includes information about sales tax, personal income tax, property tax, and inheritance and estate taxes.  Links to state tax Web sites and state tax forms also are included.

State Tax General Overview
If you plan to move to another state when you retire, examine the tax burden you'll face when you arrive.  Taxes are increasingly important to everyone, but retirees have extra cause for concern since their income may be fixed. (c) 2011, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

White House Medical Leave Relief for Military Families and Caregivers
Published by CDR René A. Campos, USN-Ret. under Health Care News, Health Care Resources

First Lady Michelle Obama announced new regulations to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) this week at the Department of Labor, which will support military families and caregivers of the wounded, ill and injured.

"We want to recognize the extraordinary dedication, sacrifice and service of our nation's caregivers, not simply with words, but with deeds," said Mrs. Obama.  "These are men and women and children who will do anything for their loved ones, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice, no matter the consequences."

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis joined the First Lady to recognize the contributions of caregivers, and highlight the many challenges facing servicemembers and their families when they come home-"many come home stressed, ill and injured…they need attention, care and support."

Generally, FMLA allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid or job protected leave within a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons such as birth, adoption or placement of a child, care of a family member with a health condition, or the employee's own health condition.

The Act was further expanded in 2008 to provide certain family members of the National Guard, Reserves or regular armed forces up to 26-workweeks in a single 12-month period to care for a servicemember with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty.

The White House and Department of Labor's rule changes would extend FMLA leave protections to not only include military caregivers but also military families as a whole.  Key aspects of the new rules would allow for:

• 26-weeks of military caregiver leave entitlement to cover family members caring for recent veterans with serious line of duty injuries or illness, including conditions that may surface up to five years after the member leaves military service.

• The spouse, child, or parent of an active duty servicemember to take leave to deal with deployment-related issues and events such as financial or legal issues, child care arrangement, or to attend military events before, during or after deployment to a foreign country.

• Up to 15-days of leave to spend time with a servicemember during rest and recuperation leave.

I was heartened to see such support continue to be a priority in our government, as well as very senior officials at the highest levels of the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Labor in attendance to celebrate these families-caregivers and endorse the new changes to the FMLA.

But nothing compared to the humble and extremely appreciative response of those military, veterans, families, and caregivers in the audience that day.

One caregiver, RyAnne Noss, spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Scott Noss who was injured in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in early 2007, reflected this appreciation, but more importantly, the incredible strength, determination and unfailing love she has for her husband-to care for him no matter what.

"I'm proud to have been by Scott's side through his rehabilitation and proud to have him home with me now where he continues to require around-the-clock-care…I'm proud to be my husband's caregiver," RyAnne told attendees.

Like RyAnne, many caregivers and military families appreciate any and all the help they can get.

MOAA wants ReAnne and other caregivers-families to know they can count on us to support them and be their voice. (c) 2011, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

Preserving Veterans' Voices
By Marilyn Pribus

Navy Chief Petty Officer Tom Camarda, a World War II veteran and volunteer at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., often encounters visitors wondering about a deceased family member.  "Personal histories are the only way to hand down what happened to our younger people," he says.  "That individual did not talk to them about the war, so they come here to learn."

Veterans History Project
Col. Bob Patrick, USA-Ret., is director of the Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, one of many oral history projects across the country that preserve these stories.

"Collecting and preserving veterans' stories tells the human experience of war," Patrick says.  "It's not about what the generals and historians and scholars have said but [rather] about the individual experience."

The VHP is the nation's largest veterans' oral history project, charged by Congress in 2000 with chronicling veterans from World War I to today.  A "collection" is created for each participating individual (living or deceased) and may include interviews, letters, diaries, photos, drawings, scrapbooks, and similar items.  It has more than 65,000 collections with about 10 percent available on the Internet.

"We'll never have everything online," Patrick admits.  "But the public can experience a cross section of the stories."

For example, the online collection about Cmdr. Darlene Iskra, USN-Ret., of College Park, Md., includes video and audio interviews and photos.  "The project is important because otherwise the stories would be lost forever," Iskra says.  "I wish I had interviewed my dad about his experiences during World War II.  Now, he's gone, and my siblings and I will never know what he went through."

Vietnam Archive Oral History Project
Other veterans' oral history projects deal with specific populations, such as women, Latinos, or a particular era.  One such specialized collection is the Vietnam Archive Oral History Project at Texas Tech University at Lubbock, which takes a scholarly approach to preserving military and civilian experiences in Southeast Asia.

"These recollections are extremely important and aren't chronicled anywhere else," says Dr. Steve Maxner, who launched the Vietnam Archive Oral History Project in 1999.  "Our virtual archive is considered by researchers to be the definitive archival resource on the Vietnam War," Maxner says.  "It's great for scholars now and will still be in 100 years."

To date, the project contains 20 million pages of archived material, with more than 3 million pages online that include interviews - mostly conducted by a full-time staff of trained historians - with people not only from the U.S. but also from the U.K., Australia, and Vietnam.

One of Maxner's own interviews, for example, dates from 2003 when he spoke seven times by phone with Maj. Bill Paris, USA-Ret.  They discussed Paris' service in Korea as well as in Vietnam.

"The interviews were difficult for me but vital if people are to understand what going to war really means," says Paris.  "It is worth it if it helps others understand that wars end on paper but stay in the minds of the participants until death gives us true peace at last."

Stories of Service Another project with a very different approach is Stories of Service, which operates nationwide.  It encourages young people to create three- to five-minute videos about veterans.  The Website offers a curriculum relating to the project with a free educator's guide and a digital story toolkit.

Camarda is the subject of such a video by Steve Shade, a high school student when he created the video.  "We gather information," says Shade, who is the son of an Air Force veteran.  "Then we write a script, and when the veteran approves it, he reads it as we record."  Personal photos and video clips are typically part of the final video.

"It feels like you are honoring the person by sharing the story," Shade says.  "Can I tell you about Tom?"  he continues.  "He and five friends enlisted right after Pearl Harbor."  He tells about Camarda's service as a Navy gunner on Texaco's tanker SS Virginia, which was in a convoy set upon by a German submarine wolf pack in 1943.

Camarda takes over the story.  "I was on watch at 2 a.m. and saw an ammo ship right in front of us just blow up in a humongous ball of fire," Camarda says.  "It started raining debris on us - clothes and letters and pieces of the bulkhead.  There was nothing left of the ship.  Nothing."

What can people learn from these oral histories?  "There's a big lesson for everybody about what we went through," says Camarda.  "We were on the brink back then.  Young men even lied about their age to get with the program.  People will know this was not easy."

"There are 17 million living wartime veterans," says Patrick, "but we are losing thousands every year."  If you have tales to tell or a friend or family member you want commemorated, investigate how you can accomplish this.  There is no time like today to start. (c) 2011, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

Where's the Faith?
Two weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta provided a first glimpse of major defense budget cuts to weapons systems and personnel programs for FY2013.

Just how deep those cuts will go won't be known until the White House rolls out all the specifics of the defense budget next week.

But the initial indications are they will broadly whack the military community including the currently serving, retirees of all ages, and their families.

Throughout the rollout, one phrase keeps coming up over and over: "keeping faith."

When President Obama was on hand for the Pentagon's announcement of the new defense strategy that included the $487 billion cut to the military budget, he said the budget "...maintains our military superiority and keeps faith with our troops, military families and veterans."

Secretary Panetta followed suit stating, "Given the significant fiscal constraints that have been imposed on this Department, our approach was to use this as an opportunity to maintain the strongest military in the world, to not hollow out the force, to take a balanced approach by putting everything on the table, and to not break faith with the troops or their families."

Shortly thereafter, the Joint Chiefs and Service Senior Enlisted Advisors sent their "32-star" letter to Congress stating that any changes to retirement, "...should grandfather benefits for those currently serving.  We cannot break faith."

But where is all this faith coming from?  Possibly the source of the phrase comes from a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) October 2011 report titled "Keeping Faith - Charting a Sustainable Path for Military Compensation" that's made the rounds among Pentagon leaders.

CSIS is a Washington-based think-tank that focuses on defense, security, and transnational challenges.  Former U.S. Senator (and Armed Services Committee Chair) Sam Nunn chairs its board, and John J. Hamre, former DoD Comptroller and Deputy Secretary of Defense is the chief executive officer.

Although the CSIS study does not "advocate for any specific outcome," it lays out recommendation after recommendation on ways to cut military spending on the backs of currently serving and retired members, to include reducing military compensation costs, reducing non-cash compensation (primarily the commissary benefit), and changing the retirement and military health care benefit.  Here are a few of the CSIS initiatives:

• 25% reduction of overall force levels (FY2013 budget proposal includes a 100K reduction)

• Cap annual pay raises below civilian pay growth (included in budget proposal for FY15)

• Freeze annual pay raises for one year or more

• Eliminate the statutory requirement for pay raises

• Overhaul the pay table (pay banding, targeted pay cuts for those that exceed pay for comparable civilians)

• Cut housing allowances below average housing costs

• Eliminate the "family" premium for housing

• Change the military retirement benefit (FY2013 budget proposal urges a BRAC-like commission to overhaul military retired pay)

• Move to a defined contribution retirement plan or combination contribution/benefit plan

• Delay the age of eligibility for military retired pay

• Offer lump-sum retirement buy-outs

• Base retired pay on highest 5 years' average pay rather than highest 3

• Adopt a reduced COLA adjustment to retired pay

• Restore original cost share relationship between DoD and beneficiary (MOAA note: there was no such relationship ever established)

• Offer lump sum value at retirement in exchange for forfeiting retiree TRICARE benefits

• Require enrollment fees/premiums for TRICARE Standard and TRICARE For Life (FY2013 budget proposal)

• Cut list of TRICARE-covered procedures

• Increase medical/pharmacy co-pays (FY2013 budget proposal)

• Cut health care eligibility of beneficiaries (dependents, former spouses, Congress, etc.)

• Incentivize the cheapest DoD delivery as cheapest for beneficiary (FY2013 budget proposal)

• Institute co-pays for "over-utilized" services

• Require retirees under age 65 with access to other health care to use that health care with DoD only as second-payer

As noted next to selected recommendations, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that several are included in the Pentagon's budget for FY2013.

Frankly, most of these ideas aren't new.  We've faced similar proposals from a wide variety of budget-cutters for decades on end.

But what MOAA takes issue with is the repeated corruption of the words "keeping faith."  The clear implication of that phrase is that the user's intent is to keep some prior commitment to those in uniform and their families.

But the actual intent is exactly the opposite: to whack troops, retirees and families in their quality of life, health coverage, financial well-being, and then try to put a positive spin on those actions by labeling them as "keeping faith" - we find this disingenuous.

It's not keeping faith with currently serving troops to boot tens of thousands of long-serving combat vets out of service and leave their remaining comrades in arms to continue their wartime deployments without adequate home time with their families.  It's not keeping faith with long-serving troops to whack the healthcare benefits they were promised in return for completing a service career.  Any leader supporting this plan who brags about protecting currently serving troops should also face any of those troops with retirement plans and add, "but once you're out the door, all bets are off."

And that's where the term "keeping faith" loses its meaning entirely.

If it's important to keep faith with those on active duty who can still change their minds and quit, shouldn't it be equally important to keep faith with those who believed the promises of their leaders that already induced them to complete two or three decades of service?

Can those who support changing the rules for retirees really makes any claim to be keeping faith?  Do they feel no responsibility to their predecessors?  And if not, do they think their successors will feel any responsibility to them?

DoD leaders and the administration feel an obligation to try to spin and sugar-coat these proposals in order to avoid "spooking" the all-volunteer force even while the country is still at war.

But military people aren't dumb.

They can tell when leaders and others who claim to be "keeping faith" actually are doing nothing of the kind. . (c) 2011, The Military Officers Association of America. Used with permission.

Copyright (C) 2011, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), all rights reserved. Part or all of this message may be retransmitted for information purposes, but may not be used for any commercial purpose or in any commercial product, posted on a Web site, or used in any non-MOAA publication (other than that of a MOAA affiliate, or a member of The Military Coalition) without the written permission of MOAA. All retransmissions, postings, and publications of this message must include this notice.

COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BASE - POST NEWS

Febuary

Following event information provided by the Langley/Fort Eustis Warrior Publications

Appreciation Night for Military Every Tuesday during February at High Tide Bar & Grill
Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA.

All Military with proper Military Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm starting on Feb. 14th through the end of February!

For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Riverwalk Restaurant's Valentine's 3-Day Dinner Special
Come join us with your Valentine for a Special Valentine's Three Course Dinner Menu at the Riverwalk Restaurant. February 14th 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. Call for information and pricing. 757-875-1522. Website: thttp://riverwalkrestaurant.net.

Literary High Tea at the Carrot Tree
Enjoy a delightful high tea featuring; Silk Sachet Teas; Scones & Biscuits; Petite Quiche; Tea Sandwiches; Dessert Plates, and more. Please join us on Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM on February 15th, 22nd and 29th at the Cole Digges House (circa 1720), 411 Main Street. Reservations recommended. Seating is limited. Call for pricing and more information. 757-988-1999.

15th-Marion Clayton, Love Letters From World War I

Appreciation Night for Fire, Rescue or Medical
On the 15th 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM Wednesday at High Tide Bar & Grill, Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA

All Fire, Rescue or Medical with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Appreciation Night for VA Inst. of Marine Science & Educators every Thurs. at High Tide Bar & Grill
Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA on Feb. 16 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM.

All Virginia Institute of Marine Science as well as Educator's with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Yorktown Wine Festival
Village Events, Ltd. is proud to host the 2011 Yorktown Wine Festival "The Best of Virginia in Yorktown" on Feb. 18th, 2011 from 12:00pm to 6:00pm at 400 Water Street.  Come to Yorktown's famous Riverwalk Landing and sample some of the Commonwealth's finest wineries.  Enjoy opening ceremonies with the Fifes and Drums of York Town and then fine art, food and entertainment!  Rain or shine.

For ticket information contact Don Willis, at 757-877-2933, or e-mail villageevents@cox.net.  Please visit our Please visit our Website at www.villageevents.org

Appreciation Night for Military Every Tuesday during February at High Tide Bar & Grill
Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA.

All Military with proper Military Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm starting on Feb. 21st through the end of February!

For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Appreciation Night for Fire, Rescue or Medical
On the Feb. 22nd 4:30 PM - 7:00 PMWednesday at High Tide Bar & Grill, Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA

All Fire, Rescue or Medical with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Literary High Tea at the Carrot Tree
Enjoy a delightful high tea featuring; Silk Sachet Teas; Scones & Biscuits; Petite Quiche; Tea Sandwiches; Dessert Plates, and more. Please join us on Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM on February 22nd and 29th at the Cole Digges House (circa 1720), 411 Main Street. Reservations recommended. Seating is limited. Call for pricing and more information. 757-988-1999.

22nd-David Neibuhr, Waterman's Museum, Life Along the Chesapeake

Appreciation Night for Fire, Rescue or Medical
On the 22nd 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM Wednesday at High Tide Bar & Grill, Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA

All Fire, Rescue or Medical with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Appreciation Night for VA Inst. of Marine Science & Educators every Thurs. at High Tide Bar & Grill
Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA on Feb. 23 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM.

All Virginia Institute of Marine Science as well as Educator's with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Riverwalk Restaurant's 2012 Winter Wine Dinner Series-Oscars Night
Riverwalk Restaurant, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA on Feb. 24/th 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM.

Join us as we roll out the red carpet in anticipation of the 85th Oscar Awards two nights later. With food fit for Hollywood royalty and wines to match each course, it's sure to be "An Affair to Remember". Call or visit www.riverwalkrestaurant.net for ticket information and pricing $ (757)875.1522.

Yorktown Wine Festival
Village Events, Ltd. is proud to host the 2011 Yorktown Wine Festival "The Best of Virginia in Yorktown" on Feb. 25th, 2011 from 12:00pm to 6:00pm at 400 Water Street.  Come to Yorktown's famous Riverwalk Landing and sample some of the Commonwealth's finest wineries.  Enjoy opening ceremonies with the Fifes and Drums of York Town and then fine art, food and entertainment!  Rain or shine.

For ticket information contact Don Willis, at 757-877-2933, or e-mail villageevents@cox.net.  Please visit our Please visit our Website at www.villageevents.org

Appreciation Night for Military Every Tuesday during February at High Tide Bar & Grill
Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA.

All Military with proper Military Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm starting on Feb. 28th through the end of February!

For more information call (757) 875.1522.

Literary High Tea at the Carrot Tree
Enjoy a delightful high tea featuring; Silk Sachet Teas; Scones & Biscuits; Petite Quiche; Tea Sandwiches; Dessert Plates, and more. Please join us on Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM on February 29th at the Cole Digges House (circa 1720), 411 Main Street. Reservations recommended. Seating is limited. Call for pricing and more information. 757-988-1999.

29th-Bill O'Donovan "Battle of the Capes and The Siege of Yorktown"

Appreciation Night for Fire, Rescue or Medical
On the 29th 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM Wednesday at High Tide Bar & Grill, Riverwalk Landing, 323 Water Street, Yorktown, VA

All Fire, Rescue or Medical with proper Identification will receive 20% off food purchased from the Bar and Grill from 4:30-7:00pm through the end of February!  For more information call (757) 875.1522.

CONTENT DISCLAMER
Although every effort is made to verify the information contained on this web site, neither the editor nor the RAO staff can guarantee the accuracy of information received from outside sources.

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Langley AFB Retiree Activities Office
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