Still Serving Headline Image
Issue 2008-06 — June, 2008

This newsletter is published monthly by the Military Retiree Assistance Office outside Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Korea. It is provided primarily for the information of retirees of all services and their families living in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The information contained herein may not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Department of Defense, the U.S. military services and their component commands. If you are receiving this newsletter directly by e-mail, it is because you have subscribed to it and confirmed the subscription. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please follow the instructions contained at the end of the newsletter. All issues of the newsletter are maintained in HTML and Text formats on an index at the Retiree Activities Office web site. The index allows direct access to each news item in each newsletter.
Contact the MRAO: in Korea 031-663-0319; outside Korea 82-31-663-0319; e-mail: mrao@rao-osan.com              

Notices


Korea Retirees' Schedule of Events

MRAO Summer Vacation

The Military Retiree Assistance Office will be closed for summer vacation 14-25 Jul. Please restrict your requests for assistance during this time to true emergencies.

Korea Retirement Services Office

E-Mail Newsletter Format

While using the previous commercial service to send the e-mail newsletter, I had to create two versions of the HTML format newsletter: one version was used to post to the web site and the second version was used to send the newsletter via the e-mail service.

Since creating my own newsletter mailing capability, I believe that I will be able to send the posted version of the HTML newsletter via e-mail and eliminate the need for a separate version for e-mail. To that end, I am e-mailing the same version of the HTML newsletter that is posted on the web site.

The HTML format newsletter you receive via e-mail should look exactly the same as the version posted on the web site. If you have a problem of any kind receiving and viewing this version of the newsletter, please notify me at still-serving@rao-osan.com. I will send the second version and then see if that fixes your problem. However, I cannot be responsible for fixing problems that may be caused by filters on your system that block images or that deem my newsletter to be Spam. (Regarding the image blocking, I've found that blocking the images also blocks some or all of the code responsible for much of the formatting and colorful text of the newsletter.)

Korea Retirement Services Office

In This Issue

 

Medical Care Matters

 

VA To Contact Vets, Offer Info on Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to contact nearly 540,000 combat veterans and provide them with information about health care and other benefits they have earned. "We will reach out and touch every veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom to let them know we are here for them," said Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. James B. Peake in an April 28 statement. Beginning May 1, VA planned to call roughly 17,000 veterans who were wounded or became sick while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, and offer to assign case managers for everyone who does not already have one. Later, a contractor hired by the VA will call other veterans who have yet to contact the agency. VA employees will make follow-up calls if necessary.

Armed Forces News Issue, May 3

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Korean Health Insurance Adds Long-Term Care Coverage

On May 8, we received a letter from the Korea National Health Insurance Corporation. The letter advised that all persons covered under the National Health Insurance program (including overseas Koreans [F-4 visa] and foreigners [with F series or E series visas, for example]) would be compulsorily covered by long-term care insurance effective from July 1, 2008. The additional cost would be 4.05% of the health insurance premium. The health insurance for foreigners costs about $60 per month in 2008. With the addition of long-term care insurance, the cost goes up to $62.43.

More details will be provided when they become available.

Jack Terwiel

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Clock Ticks on Medicare Fix

Everyone in Congress wants to stop a 10.6% cut in Medicare and TRICARE payments to doctors that's scheduled to take place on July 1.

Medicare administrators don't want the cut to happen either, but they're worried about how to administer the program if Congress waits until the end of June – or worse yet, until sometime in July or later – to change the law.

This week, they told Congress that the law needs to be changed by June 16 in order to allow Medicare computers to be reprogrammed by July 1. If they don't get updated guidance by that date, Medicare will have to implement the cut on July 1 and undo all the erroneous payments later if and when Congress changes the law.

Is that doable? Yes, because the same thing happened a couple of years ago, when Congress had to make a retroactive payment fix. But it's a nightmare for Medicare (and TRICARE) administrators, and even more so for the doctors who have to suffer the income and book-keeping consequences. MOAA worries that such frustration may cause some doctors to stop seeing elderly and military beneficiaries.

Congressional leaders would love nothing better than to meet the June 16 deadline, but they're struggling to find ways to pay for the $15-$18 billion cost of the fix that a majority of legislators are willing to accept. Like it or not, that's turned into a political football, with Republicans and Democrats preferring different options. And many on the Hill seem in no mood to compromise in this election year.

To [the Military Officers Association of America] MOAA, it's unacceptable to hold TRICARE and Medicare-eligibles' access to care hostage to these kinds of political considerations. Congressional leaders need to work out a compromise – and fast – to stop that from happening.

MOAA Legislative Update, May 9

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Pay Matters

 

SBP Accounts Being Reviewed

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is currently reviewing all military retiree accounts affected by the new "Paid-Up SBP" law. On Oct. 1, retirees who are at least 70 years old and have paid at least 30 years of premiums will no longer have to pay premiums to keep the coverage. The change will be reflected in the Nov. 2008 pay statement. If a retiree does not meet the eligibility criteria on Oct. 1, the premiums will stop when the retiree has met both criteria – reached age 70 and paid SBP premiums for 30 years. Eligible retirees will be notified by DFAS via mail regarding the status of their account and premium payment count.

NAUS Weekly Update, May 2

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[U.S. Citizens] Who Work for Exchanges, MWR to Get Pay Boost

Military spouses are among the U.S. citizens working for military non-appropriated fund (NAF) activities overseas who soon will get extra money in their paychecks.

A Defense Department policy clarification requires the military exchanges and all morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) activities to pay post allowances to more U.S. citizens working overseas – including local hires, many of whom had not previously received the allowance. Employees who had been entitled to the benefit will receive retroactive pay back to Dec. 1, 2001. Defense officials will give the services guidance later on procedures for the back pay, including how employees will apply for it, Pentagon spokesman Army Lt. Col. Les Melnyk said.

The estimated cost to pay the post allowances is $68 million, Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, told lawmakers April 17.

Officials estimate that about 4,600 U.S. citizens living overseas and working for non-appropriated fund activities qualify for the post allowances, a monthly payment that could range in the hundreds of dollars. But some already receive the allowance, including employees of Army MWR, the only NAF activity that pays the allowance to all its overseas U.S.-citizen employees. Marine Corps MWR was paying some of its local hires, and Navy MWR was paying post allowances to a small number of people, Melnyk said.

About 967 Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees will start receiving the allowances, spokesman Judd Anstey said. The adjustments were effective April 19 and should be in May 2 paychecks.

The Navy Exchange Service Command has about 270 affected employees. The new allowance will appear in employees' May 8 or May 9 paychecks, depending on their location, spokeswoman Kristine Sturkie said. Information was not available at press time about how many of these are military spouses.

Melnyk said post allowance is in the works for all NAF activities, which have different pay cycles. The activities must certify by May 5 that they are paying the allowance, said the memorandum to the services signed by Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. He noted that in December, the department confirmed that some U.S. citizens hired overseas in Defense Department NAF positions were not paid post allowances, as required. "This is an oversight that must be corrected immediately," Dominguez said in his memo.

The retroactive pay to Dec. 1, 2001, is consistent with the six-year statute of limitations for claims against the federal government. Under Defense Department policy, U.S.-citizen employees are eligible for post allowances unless they are part-time, intermittent, or U.S. family member summer/winter hire employees. "For NAF, this means that all U.S. citizens in full-time NAF positions in the 'regular' employment category are eligible for post allowance," Dominguez wrote. "There is no distinction between employees who are recruited from the states and those who are locally hired overseas."

Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Va., asked about the inequity for military spouses. She noted that a spouse working for a military exchange in Virginia Beach would get regular pay, but if she moved to Germany, she would get the additional post allowance. "Can you explain to me why we would treat a spouse differently based on where the husband is stationed or the wife is stationed?" Drake asked.

"There was a request for us to review the policy as it was currently being implemented," Arsht said. "It was either the [inspector general] or the [Government Accountability Office] that reviewed the policy and told us that we were to treat the two different populations in the same fashion," she said, referring to U.S. citizens hired locally overseas, compared with U.S. citizens recruited in the states to move to an overseas job. "The allotment is similar to a cost-of-living payment. So if you're entitled to it, you need to know you're entitled to it and be paid it," Arsht said.

Drake said she is concerned about the effect on MWR accounts. Arsht said officials will have to accrue the money to prepare for what the "outside possibility" cost could be.

Family advocates raised concerns about the effects, too. "There's only so much money in the MWR system. They will be either giving less to MWR or driving prices up," said Jessica Perdew, deputy government relations director for the National Military Family Association.

News of the Force (page 2), May 5

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Tracking the 2009 COLA

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently announced the monthly consumer price index (CPI) for April. The April figure is a 0.7% increase from March and is also a 3.5% increase over the 2007 COLA base.

Has the COLA midway through the Fiscal Year foreshadowed the year-end COLA? Take a look at the COLA breakdown the last three years:

Year As of April Year-End COLA
2005 2.8 4.1%
2006 2.3% 3.3%
2007 1.5% 2.3%
2008 3.5% ?

MOAA News Exchange, May 21

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Convert Your Paper Savings Bonds Using SmartExchange

Did you know that if you own paper savings bonds, you can trade them in for electronic bonds in TreasuryDirect, using a program called SmartExchange?

SmartExchange allows TreasuryDirect account owners to convert their Series E, EE and I Bonds to electronic securities in a special Conversion Linked Account within their online account. With a TreasuryDirect account, you enjoy all the benefits of having online 24-hour access to manage your holdings, without having to keep track of paper securities.

Who's Eligible for SmartExchange?

If you're a TreasuryDirect account owner, you can exchange paper savings bonds on which you are the sole owner, a co-owner, or the owner with a beneficiary. As an account owner, you can also convert paper savings bonds purchased as gifts for someone else, or bonds you have obtained through inheritance or other change in ownership.

Why Should You Use SmartExchange?

Electronic securities give you a greater degree of flexibility and convenience than paper securities and here's why:

How Do You Use SmartExchange?

Making the SmartExchange is easy:

Interested in more detailed information on SmartExchange? Check our FAQs for answers to your questions about the conversion process.

[Thanks to Gene Zeilfelder for noting this service and a note of caution from Gene: The TreasuryDirect website is not forgiving of errant keystrokes, and a mis-key will probably require logging on again.]

TreasuryDirect website

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Legislation Matters

 

Veterans' Benefits Boost Approved by House VA Committee

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee approved a routine cost-of-living increase for disabled veterans on Wednesday of this week. The bill (HR 5826) would provide an increase in veterans' disability benefits and dependency and indemnity compensation for veterans' families.

A spokesman for the bill's sponsor, Ciro D. Rodriguez, D-Texas, said the measure has particular importance this year because of the lagging economy and because some veterans live solely on the payments.

The cost-of-living increase, to be effective Dec. 1, 2008, is based on the Consumer Price Index and tied to the annual cost-of-living increase awarded for Social Security payments. That figure has not yet been determined, but last year's increase was 2.3 percent.

Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is sponsoring the Senate companion bill (S 2617). The Congressional Budget Office has not issued a cost estimate for either measure so far.

The bill is expected to pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president, Rodriguez's spokesman said. Congress can block the benefit increases, but it has approved them every year since fiscal 1976. [Source: CQ Today Online News]

TREA Washington Update, May 2

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HASC Completes 2009 NDAA, Recommends Reducing Military Retiree COLA

On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) completed action on H.R. 5658, the FY 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, and reported the bill to the full House for further consideration.

It may appear, on first look, that the House Committee rejected the Pentagon and Task Force plan to steeply raise TRICARE fees and prescription costs. However, unlike the Senate's rejection of higher fees, there's a serious wrinkle in the HASC version.

Instead of outright rejecting the Pentagon plan, Personnel Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Davis (D-CA) decided that retirees could help cover the costs of TRICARE by absorbing a one month, one percent reduction in their COLAs. In other words, Chairwomen Davis would have retirees pay for their TRICARE benefits from their retirement pocket instead of their healthcare pocket.

Subcommittee Ranking Member John McHugh (R-NY) objected to the plan and said he would find a more palatable alternative. According to Tom Philpott's Military Update column, Subcommittee Chairwomen Davis "shrugged off McHugh's criticism, saying difficult choices had to be made."

NAUS Memo to House Members: Here's a "less difficult" choice for our U.S. Congress: how 'bout getting your priorities straight. End "free health care for illegal immigrants" and keep the promise made to Americans who gave a lifetime to military service defending our country and our way of life.

NAUS Weekly Update, May 16

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Supplemental War Spending Bill Upended in House

Thursday, the House approved a war-funding bill (HR 2642) without any funding for the war. That's right. The emergency supplemental funding bill that started as a war-funding bill is now headed to the Senate without any war funding at all.

The funding failed on a 141-to-149 vote with 132 Republicans voting "present," holding back their support to protest against domestic-spending items Democrats added to the must-pass legislation.

While there's no war funding, the legislation does contain a domestic spending package including an extension of unemployment benefits, a NAUS-endorsed expansion of funding for veterans' education benefits, a tax increase on wealthy taxpayers, and a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin within 30 days with a "goal" of withdrawal within 18 months.

The war-funding bill without war-funds now goes to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was hopeful that debate on the supplemental could begin Monday, May 19 (see next item).

NAUS Weekly Update, May 16

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Supplemental War Spending Bill Stalls in Senate

A series of delays has put on hold the critical emergency-spending bill (HR 2642) to cover Iraq and Afghanistan war costs for the remainder of 2008. Leaders in the House and Senate now say final action is unlikely to be completed before the Memorial Day recess. Without the extra money, Pentagon officials warn that by June the services will run out of money and be forced to cut elsewhere to cover war costs. Though once assured that Congress would finish the bill by early May, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid now believes the bill may not be completed until mid-June. Debate, however, may begin next week.

NAUS Weekly Update, May 16

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Panel Acts on TRICARE, Commissaries, Survivors, Reserve Benefits

The House Armed Services Committee completed its draft of the FY2009 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 5658) this week, approving a long list of changes affecting every segment of the military community. Here's a summary:

One final note: Fixing the TRICARE fee hike problem posed a technical budget challenge for committee leaders, because it required some level of "mandatory spending" offsets – either finding ways to increase revenues (e.g., selling DoD property) or cutting other mandatory spending programs (retired pay, TFL, SBP, etc.).

Leaders came up slightly short on the revenue side and resorted to a budget maneuver that shifted 1% of retiree pay from September 2013 into October 2013 (the next fiscal year). All involved acknowledge that there's no intent to allow this to actually happen (they have five years to come up with the required alternative offset), and it's not the first time such things have been done, and then corrected later.

But retirees are very sensitive that past congressional actions actually have curtailed their retired pay, and MOAA urges legislators to resist getting used to such administrative maneuvers.

MOAA Legislative Update, May 16

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More Maneuvering Over the War Supplemental

When the House comes back next week to deal with the War Supplemental (HR2642) they will face several difficult choices. The Senate version (which passed with a veto proof margin) included the provisions of Senator Webb's new GI bill (S22), but did not include the House's surtax on individuals making at least $500,000 that paid for it. This will anger the Blue Dog Democrats. It included federal subsidies for birth control pills and devices at University health clinics and Planned Parenthood centers.(the provision is similar to a bill, S2347 introduced by Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) last November).

This will anger some conservative coalitions. "Sneaking a divisive provision into a war spending bill that will help Planned Parenthood ... is politics as usual – not change," said John Hart, spokesman for conservative Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma). The Senate also deleted several House provisions including: (1) a non-binding call to withdraw all our troops in Iraq by June 2009 and (2) a provision that would grant H-2A work visas for foreign agricultural workers for up to 5 years. But it did include extensions of unemployment insurance, changes in Medicare and Medicaid and other pieces of domestic spending. If the House Blue Dog Democratic members refuse to vote for the domestic spending the bill would probably fail. If the Republicans vote 'present' (as they successfully did 2 weeks ago to protest the domestic spending) the bill may fail. So we can expect a great deal of maneuvering on both sides of the aisle next week.

TREA Washington Update, May 30

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Federal Service Matters

 

Cost Issues Raised on Benefit Improvement Bills

Cost concerns were raised at a House hearing regarding two pending benefit improvement proposals, one to encourage greater participation in the TSP and the other to raise the age of allowable dependent coverage in the FEHB. The TSP proposal, which the TSP governing board recommended but that has not been introduced yet as a bill, would automatically set a default personal contribution of 3 percent for all newly hired employees and set a default fund of the lifecycle fund most closely corresponding to a projected retirement eligibility date. The FEHB proposal, HR-5550, would extend family coverage to age 25; typically it cuts off at age 22 under current policy, although "temporary continuation of coverage" is available for up to 36 months afterward, with the enrollee responsible for paying the entire premium cost.

TSP Proposal Seeks to Overcome Inertia

The TSP says that many employees apparently simply never get around to making personal investments--missing out on government matching contributions as well as tax-advantaged account growth--and many simply leave their investment money in the current default fund, the G fund, even though that might not be the appropriate fund for them. Agency automatic and matching contributions still would not begin until after a waiting period. However, a TSP official noted at a House federal workforce subcommittee hearing that the change could have "potentially significant" costs--the direct additional cost to agencies from making more matching contributions, and a cost in lost tax revenue because the employee contributions would be from pre-tax money. The tax expenditure aspect might bring the proposal under the sway of the Ways and Means Committee, complicating prospects for passage.

FEHB Proposal Changed

The subcommittee passed the FEHB benefits extension bill, although changing it to take into account cost concerns. At the hearing, an OPM official noted that the agency estimated in 2005 that expanding coverage to dependents up to age 25 as a simple extension of current coverage would add $200 million in costs--which would have to be shared by both the government and all enrollees. Union officials termed that estimate-- which they said would translate into a 0.7 percentage point increase in premiums--too high given the youth of the persons who would be brought into the premium pool. However, in passing the bill, the panel amended it to create a separate extended coverage benefit that insurance companies would offer as a supplemental policy, but for which the enrollee would pay the entire cost--which OPM said would be in the neighborhood of $135 a month.

FEDweek Weekly Issue, May 7

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Concerns Raised Over Employees Sent to War Zones

The House Armed Services Committee has expressed concerns about how federal employees who are injured or become ill in combat zones, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, are treated medically after returning home. The report says that about 10,000 federal employees have served in those countries in the last seven years to support security, political, and economic development – a number separate from the many thousands of employees who have been mobilized into active military duty and sent there. A report said that civilians face challenges in receiving proper medical treatment for their wounds, approval for admission to military treatment facilities and help with the process of filing workers' compensation claims once they return.

While returning DoD employees are eligible to continue receiving care at military facilities, there is a "lack of understanding" by those facilities regarding that policy. In addition, non-DoD employees are not eligible and they may not get the specialized care for combat-type injuries since civilian facilities lack the expertise that military facilities have in those areas, committee members said.

FEDweek Weekly Issue, May 14

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Community Matters

 

VA Benefits Authorized by 2008 NDAA

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act included authorizations that affected availability of certain benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These benefits are explained in a letter that VA sent to VFW Service Officers. [Letter provided by Chris Palombi, VFW Asst Pacific Dept Service Officer]

Military Retiree Assistance Office

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Bank-Issued Credit and Debit Diminishes Military Shoppers' Return on Investment

The use and expense of bank-issued cards continued to climb at BXs and PXs last year as processing fees at Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) facilities for debit and credit transactions jumped approximately 2 percent, ultimately sapping more than $75 million from exchange operations and, in turn, military quality of life programs.

While all purchases, regardless of the form of payment used, can help strengthen the exchange benefit, shoppers who use the exchanges' exclusive Military StarSM Card maximize their individual impact on critical Morale, Welfare and Recreation efforts.

"Exchange shoppers who pay smartly keep more money in the military community because banks charge an average of 1.85 percent of the transaction total when accepting their credit or debit cards," said AAFES' Chief Operating Officer Mike Howard. "Traditionally, two-thirds of earnings generated from sales at the exchange are paid to Morale, Welfare and Recreation, while the other third is invested in improvements that enhance the shopping experience. With 100 percent of AAFES earnings going back to exchange patrons, decreased fees can quickly add up to additional arts and crafts supplies, reduced greens fees or even a new aquatic center."

Since 2001, AAFES shoppers have paid more than $384 million in fees to card-issuing banks, resulting in lost revenues for the military community. Unlike bank cards, profits generated from Military StarSM Card purchases are shared with military communities through contributions to MWR services. These funds reduce the tax burden of all U.S. citizens and are used to fund Youth Services, Armed Forces Recreation Centers, aquatic centers, post functions and golf courses that are enjoyed by military families across the globe.

"Using the Military StarSM Card is one of the easiest ways for troops to directly impact their Exchange and MWR benefits," said Howard. "Reducing unnecessary expenses such as bank fees not only go a long way in strengthening the overall exchange benefit, but also the dividend operations annually generate for the military community."

The Military StarSM Card is accepted at all AAFES, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Exchange activities, as well as the Exchange Catalog and the Exchange Online store at www.aafes.com.

Authorized exchange shoppers can learn more about the Military StarSM Card by visiting www.aafes.com and click on the Military StarSM Card icon.

AAFES News Release 07-029, May 19

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Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard® to 'Go Where You Go'

Using a Military Star SM card became even more rewarding May 1 with the military exchange system unveiling of the Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard®.

A new program that rewards exchange shoppers for everyday purchases made both on and off military installations, the card combines the advantages of the existing Military StarSM private label card with the power of a Chase Rewards Program.

"The Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard automatically chooses the appropriate line of credit so authorized exchange shoppers earn maximum points whenever or wherever the card is used," said AAFES' Chief Operating Officer Mike Howard. "It functions as a Military StarSM Card where accepted and as a MasterCard everywhere else. In either case, purchases produce rewards for cardholders."

Introduced in early 2008, the Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard program offers more possibilities with the ability to earn two points per dollar for qualifying 'on installation' purchases and one point per dollar for qualifying purchases made 'off installation.' The new co-branded card will also incorporate flexible reward options that can be redeemed with as little as 2,000 points. Once approved, account holders will be mailed a complete catalog of reward options such as cash back, free airline tickets and even exchange gift cards.

"The Military StarSM Rewards program finally allows the exchanges to offer the ultimate convenience to authorized shoppers: two lines of credit and only one card," Howard said. "With that said, the Military StarSM Rewards card is not a replacement for the Military StarSM card. In fact, authorized exchange shoppers who currently have a Military StarSM card and sign up for the new card will receive two different lines of credit to provide maximum flexibility when choosing a method of payment."

"Chase is excited to extend its relationship with AAFES and offer a great rewards program," said Shelley Sanders, senior vice president, Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. [NYSE: JPM]. "By using this new card, cardmembers can earn double rewards just for shopping at their favorite store. Chase is the bank that keeps up with customers' busy, dynamic and ever changing lifestyles with valuable products and services that meet their needs."

Additional details concerning the Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard will be available under the 'exchange credit central' section of www.aafes.com.

APG News, May 22

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Laughing Matters

 

In Search of Perfection

A friend asked a gentleman why he never married.

Replied the gentleman, "Well, I guess I just never met the right woman ... I guess I've been looking for the perfect girl."

"Oh, come on now," said the friend, "Surely you have met at least one girl that you wanted to marry."

"Yes, there was a girl ... once. I guess she was the one perfect girl; the only perfect girl I really ever met. She was just the right everything ... I really mean that she was the perfect girl for me."

"Well, why didn't you marry her," asked the friend.

"She was looking for the perfect man."

Chaplains's Notes by way of Christian Voices, May 3

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Planning Ahead

George and Edith had been high school Sweethearts 50 years ago, but had gone their separate ways after graduation. Then, two years ago, their paths crossed again, and they began seeing each other regularly. With age 70 just around the corner, They decided they might as well spend the rest of their lives together.

Excited about their decision to marry, they went for a stroll to discuss the wedding and what plans needed to be made. Finding themselves in front ot a drugstore. George said, "Let's go in. I have an idea." They walked in and asked the pharmacist: Are you the owner?" Yes sir, I am, he said. "How can I help you?"

George: "Do you sell heart medications?"

Pharmacist: "Of course."

George: "What about medications for rheumatism, osteoporosis and arthritis?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds."

George: "How about support hose, waterproof furniture pads and Depends?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, sir."

George: "Hearing aids, denture supplies and reading glasses?"

Pharmacist: "Yes."

George: "What about eye drops, sleeping pills, Geritol, Preparation-H and Ex-Lax?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely."

George: "You sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, indeed. But why all these questions?"

George smiled, glanced shyly at Edith and replied, "We've decided to get married and we'd like to use your store as our Bridal Registry."

from the Internet

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Golf Course Hazard

Dale is 90 years old. He has played golf every day since his retirement 25 years ago.

One day he came back home looking downcast. "That's it," he told his wife. "I'm giving up golf. My eyesight has gotten so bad that once I've hit the ball, I can't see where it went."

His wife sympathized with him, and made him a cup of coffee. As they sat down, she asked, "Why don't you take my brother with you and give it one more try?"

"That's no good," sighed Dale. "Your brother is 103. He can't help."

"He may be 103, but his eyesight is perfect," she said.

The next day Dale headed off to the golf course with his brother-in-law. He teed up, swung, and squinted down the fairway. He turned to his brother-in-law and asked, "Did you see the ball?"

"Of course I did," was the response.

"Where did it go?" asked Dale.

"I can't remember!"

Christian Voices, May 27

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Why God Made Moms

Brilliant answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Mikey's Funnies by way of Christian Voices, May 24

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Jack Terwiel, Director

 

Director's Corner



 

Update on an Osan Icon

Jim Price is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Aju University Medical Center. Jim fell and hit his head, and he is now in a coma.

The latest report I have is that he has started to suffer the failure of internal organs and the prognosis for recovery is very poor, according to the doctors who are treating him.

Jim is a long-time member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and so VFW Post 10216 took the opportuity of Armed Forces Day this year to unveil a permanent tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen in the form of a wall of photos depicting the unit, of which Jim was a member. At Osan's Armed Forces Day parade, I had the opportunity to take a picture of Jim Price. Please keep Jim and his family in your prayers.

Jack Terwiel

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In My Opinion

As a military retiree, I have a great interest in the state of our military forces. In wartime, that interest rises to a very high level. We and they are in a war now and my interest in our current military forces' ability to successfully accomplish their mission has turned to concern.

In my opinion, implementing the Surge was a great plan and the success it has achieved is testament to the ingenuity of the plan. As we read (mostly on the Internet rather than via the main stream media) of daily successes in suppressing terrorism, destroying al Qaeda and turning enemy combatants into allies, it's hard to find sufficient support for the plan in those we citizens elect to our House of Representatives and to the Senate. I intentionally included several items in Legislation Matters to illustrate the lack of seriousness that so many of these Congressional members seem to display towards funding this war. I am concerned that their lack of seriousness results in greater threats to our military forces and sends a very important message of the wrong kind to our enemies.

What's the solution? Vote!Well, this is an election year and you can make your voice heard with your ballot. That's the American Way, as is unconditional support to our military forces to allow them to do the job they've been tasked to complete. Now's the time to ensure you have completed and submitted your Federal Post Card Application so that you can make your voice heard among the cacaphony of naysayers. If you can't find the application locally, go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program's Web site at http://www.fvap.gov, then fill out, print and mail the application to your local voting officials. Upon approval of the registration form, you will be mailed a ballot, probably sometime in September.

Jack Terwiel

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Elegant Solution

When I was working as a contractor with programmers, I learned the phrase 'elegant solution' that programmers used to describe code that results in a clean and neat product. Well, I'm not a programmer, but I do write the HTML code for the rao-osan.com web site and this newsletter and I do it 'from scratch' using only a text editor. When I did the news item on the AAFES Star Card, I started it using the HTML superscript code and the result was this 'inelegant code' as shown here:

"Using a Military Star SM card became even more rewarding May 1 with the military exchange system unveiling of the Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard®".

This method overrides the vertical line spacing and makes for a sloppy appearance that's also hard to read. So I searched the Internet and found an 'elegant solution.' Instead of using the superscript code 'sup' I created a new code I named 'super' that reduces the font size to 9 pixels and moves the affected text up to the top of the vertical space allocated to that line. Because the ® symbol was too small to decipher at 9 pixels, I created a separate code I called 'reg' that allowed me to resize the ® to a readable size of 12 pixels. The result is:

"Using a Military Star SM card became even more rewarding May 1 with the military exchange system unveiling of the Military StarSM Rewards MasterCard®".

Jack Terwiel

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