Issue 2008-08 — August, 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

Aug 4 – USAG-Humphreys Retiree Luncheon, see Notices below (first item) for details.
Aug 5 – For USAG-Yongsan, your Retirement Services Officer will be at Yongsan in the Soldier Support Center, Bldg 4034, Room 140, from 0900-1300.
Aug 12 – For USAG-Red Cloud, your Retirement Services Officer will be at the Camp Casey Soldier Support Center (Maude Hall), Room 139, from 0900-1300.
Aug 15 – Korea National Liberation Day, the Military Retiree Assistance office will be closed.
Aug 19 – For USAG-Yongsan, your Retirement Services Officer will be at Yongsan in the Soldier Support Center, Bldg 4034, Room 140, from 0900-1300.
Aug 26 – For USAG-Daegu, your Retirement Services Officer will be at Camp Henry's Education Center, Bldg 1820, from 1000-1300.
Sep 1 – U.S. Labor Day, the Retirement Services Office and Military Retiree Assistance Office will be closed.
Sep 8 – USAG-Humphreys Free Retiree Luncheon, see Notices below (first item) for details.

USAG-Humphreys Free Retiree Luncheon

The USAG-Humphreys free luncheon for military retirees will be held 1100-1300 on Monday, Aug 4, at the Alaska Mining Company (AMC), Camp Humphreys. Ms Chappell will discuss the ACS Volunteer Program and the new Chairman of the USAG-Humphreys Retiree Council, Mr. Charles Woods, will discuss Retiree Council issues.

The USAG-Humphreys free retiree luncheon is normally held on the first Monday of each month. Since Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September, that month's meeting will be held Sep 8 and the guest speaker will be Al McFarland, the USFK Mortuary Officer.

Korea Retirement Services Office

Retiree Appreciation Days Scheduled

The Third Annual Korea Retiree Appreciation Day will be held on USAG-Yongsan in Seoul on Saturday, Oct 11. Details will follow later.

The Annual USAG-Daegu Retiree Appreciation Day will be held on Camp Walker in Daegu on Saturday, Nov 8. Details will follow later.

Korea Retirement Services Office

2007 Retiree Appreciation Day Slide Show

The 2007 Korea Retiree Appreciation Day at USAG-Yongsan in Seoul opened the doors at 0800, and the event started at 0900. To help early arrivers to pass the time, I created a slide show. It consists of more than 300 slides, and it's titled, "1947-2007, 60 Years in Korea, From Occupation to Transformation."

I've provided the slide show to the new Retirement Services Officer to re-use as he sees fit. However, the other day a retiree came to me and complimented me on the slide show that I presented prior to the start of the Osan Retiree Appreciation Day in June. He said that the photos brought back a lot of memories, so I thought others might also like to see it.

With the retiree's comment in mind, I've uploaded the PowerPoint briefing to the web site and it's available for download. Be cautioned, however, that it's 31.4MB – that's MEGABYTES – or 32,208KB and you need a pretty fast connection to get it downloaded to your computer in a reasonable amount of time. Please don't try to view it from the web site; instead right-click on the link and select "Save As" or "Save Link As" to save it to your computer. It's available at http://www.rao-osan.com/osan-info/onbase/other/2007-RAD-slide-show.ppt. And for those who were kind enough to provide photos that are in the show, I hope you enjoy how they fit into the timeline.

Military Retiree Assistance Office

In This Issue

Medical Care Matters
Pay Matters
Community Matters
Federal Service Matters
- Raise Would Be Largest Since 2004
- Mileage Rate May Increase
Laughing Matters
RSO's Corner
- Death of an Osan Icon
- Web Site Standardization

Medical Care Matters

News in the TRICARE Pharmacy Program

TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) announced 2 important pieces of information concerning the TRICARE Pharmacy Activity. First it announced that civilian providers will now be able to receive DoD's Uniform Formulary electronically through RxHub. What this means is that your Doctor, or other health care provider, can see which drugs are preferred, what the co-pays are, etc., before they prescribe a particular drug. It can save a patient time, trouble and money. It is clearly also meant to be a first step toward electronic prescribing. TMA then announced that Express Scripts of St. Louis Missouri has been awarded the TRICARE Pharmacy Program Services (TPharm) contract. This contract combines the 2 current pharmacy contracts: the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy contract (TMOP) and the TRICARE Retail Pharmacy contract (TRRx). (Both contracts are presently done by Express Scripts.)

Express Scripts is expected to process over 78 million prescriptions in the first year of the contract!!! The TRICARE Pharmacy benefit is a huge program; if the base period (July 27, 2008-August 31, 2009 and the 5 options are exercised the total value of the contract (excluding the cost of the drugs) is $2,789,723,926!

TREA Washington Update, Jul 4

Atrial Fibrillation

This subtle condition can have serious consequences for your health. Fortunately, diagnosis is easy and treatment reduces long-term effects. To understand this condition you need to know how the heart works. It has four chambers – two atria on top and two ventricles below them – that subsequently fill with blood and contract to circulate blood throughout the body. The timing and sequence of the contractions are crucial and are controlled by the heart's own internal cardiac pacemakers.

Normally each chamber contracts about 70 times a minute, allowing it to fill with blood and empty, thus moving the blood efficiently. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the top two chambers of the heart flutter or quiver, rather than contracting rhythmically. These quivers are so fast and erratic that the atria does not have time to fully fill or empty. This means the ventricles, in turn, cannot fully fill or pump enough oxygenated blood throughout the body. As the heart's internal pacemakers try to regulate atrial fibrillation, the heart might beat too quickly or slowly. If too slowly there is not enough oxygenated blood circulated to meet the body needs and too quickly there is not enough time for the ventricles to fill between beats causing a similar reduction in oxygenated blood availability. In addition, if blood pools in the atria, clots can form and then travel to the brain causing a stroke.

Though atrial fibrillation can have serious consequences, for many people it goes unnoticed for years. A doctor often will recognize the irregularity of the atrial fibrillation heartbeat when he or she takes a patient's pulse or listens to the heart with a stethoscope during a physical examination. An EKG will show the altered electrical pathways and the irregularity of the heart rate and confirm diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Treatment depends on many factors. A doctor will look for predisposing conditions, such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hypoxia (low oxygen) from lung disease, abnormal thyroid function, alcohol or drug use, etc. and treat them first. If the heart is beating too fast, medication such as digoxin or propanolol can be used to slow ventricular rate. These medications may be needed for years. If too slow, an antrioventicular sequential pacemaker can be inserted to signal the atria and ventricles so they will contract more normally and improve circulation and oxygenation. Anticoagulants such as aspirin or warfarin can reduce clots and the risk of stroke in chronic atrial fibrillation.

If atrial fibrillation is of relatively recent onset, the heart is normal, and a patient is otherwise healthy, cardioversion can be used to electrically shock the heart back to its normal rhythm. Although this is the best procedure for some patients, it has serious risks and should be considered carefully. Almost 20% of people over 80 years of age have (or have had) atrial fibrillation. For more information click on 'arrhythmias' on the American Heart Association's web site www.americanheart.org. [Source: Military Officer, Ask the Doctor article Apr 05]

RAO Baguio Bulletin, Jul 15

TRICARE 'Backs' New Surgeries

If you've been dealing with pain from fractured vertebrae, you now have more choices for treatment. TRICARE recently approved two new back surgeries for beneficiaries with this type of pain. The two minimally invasive back surgeries – percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty – may replace the more invasive spinal fusion surgical procedure. This policy change is retroactive to March 1, 2007.

Many vertebral fractures, which usually occur in patients with osteoporosis, heal on their own with bed rest and anti-inflammatory medication in approximately three months. Surgery is only recommended when the pain persists beyond three months. The traditional treatment of spinal fusion surgery requires up to 12 hours in the operating room – and days of hospitalization afterward. Percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are outpatient surgeries that have patients back to relative normality in 24 hours. Although minimally invasive, all surgeries have risks, and you should consult with a doctor.

Approval must be obtained from a provider for either surgery. If you have questions about this procedure and its coverage under TRICARE, contact your primary care manager. You also can visit TRICARE's Web site for more information.

MOAA News Exchange, Jul 16

Congress Overrides President's Veto

As he promised, President Bush vetoed H.R. 6331 on Tuesday. In his veto statement, the President agreed with the intent of Congress to eliminate the drastic cut in Medicare reimbursements to physicians, but he did not agree with the plan to fund the measure by reducing payments to Medicare Advantage plans.

Tuesday afternoon the House took up the process of overriding the veto and after a short debate period passed the bill by a vote of 383-41. The bill was immediately sent to the Senate for consideration. Again after a period of debate, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 70-26.

[The National Association for Uniformed Services] NAUS is pleased that the cuts for Medicare reimbursements were avoided for now. Congress will again have to take up the problem in 18 months. Hopefully the formula that produces these cuts will have been fixed long before the time limit. And without the blatant partisanship that marked this bill and the debates. We can only hope that Congress will rediscover some measure of civility before then and remember that they are working for all America and not just their own interests.

NAUS Weekly Update, Jul 18

TRDP Benefits Enhancement Coming

Delta Dental has administered the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP) since the program began in 1998. This past year they were awarded a new contract to continue administering the program for another five years, beginning Oct. 1, 2008, and continuing through Sept. 2013.

The new TRDP contract includes additional benefits as well as an Enhanced Overseas Program. Beginning Oct. 1, the TRDP will offer the following new benefits:

Implants and related services at 50 percent of the allowable payment.
One- and two-surface composite resin restorations on posterior teeth at 80 percent of the allowable payment.
Three- and four-surface composite resin restorations will continue to be paid at an amalgam allowance, with the patient responsible for the remaining balance.
An increase in the orthodontic lifetime maximum to $1,500 from the current $1,200.

Enrollees in the Enhanced Overseas TRDP will be able to receive care through the program worldwide. Enrollees in the Enhanced TDRP – those who live in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories and Canada – will be able to receive care when traveling to other countries.

These new benefits, which come as a result of requests from enrollees and military and veterans associations, will significantly improve the TRDP, making it an even more comprehensive program. To learn more about the TRDP program, visit their website at http://www.trdp.org/news/DeltaDentalWins.html or call them at (888) 838-8737 (M-F, 6am – 6pm PST).

NAUS Weekly Update, Jul 25

(Jack Adds: Exploring the TRDP web site, I found only information related to U.S. coverage, but nothing on expanded overseas coverage that will begin in Korea on Oct 1, 2008. We should expect more details soon and learn whether Delta Dental will designate participating (preferred) dental service providers in Korea. If/when that information becomes available, it will be provided here and on the rao-osan.com web site.)

VA Offers New Online Resource Service

The Department of Veterans Affairs is offering a new online service, My HealtheVet, which is a gateway to veteran health benefits and services.

It provides access to: trusted health information; links to federal and VA benefits and resources; the Personal Health Journal; and online VA prescription refill service.

In the future, MHV registrants will be able to view appointments, co-pay balances, and key portions of their VA medical records online.

My HealtheVet is a powerful tool to help veterans better understand and manage their health, according to VA officials.

The Web site also features a section called "Learn About" which provides resources on a variety of topics such as computers, the Internet, phishing scams and telephone scams. Health information from A to Z plus medical dictionaries, an encyclopedia, journals, and more will be available soon.

To visit the My HealtheVet site, go to www.myhealth.va.gov/.

Air Force Retiree News Service Release 07-07-08, Jul 25

Pay Matters

New Board to Ensure Consistency in Disability Ratings

Former servicemembers who disagree with the disability ratings they received when they were discharged as unfit for military duty can now apply to have those ratings reviewed by a new Physical Disability Board of Review.

The Defense Department announced formation of the new board yesterday to reassess the accuracy and fairness of disability ratings assigned to discharged troops, Sam Retherford, the Pentagon's deputy director of officer personnel management, told American Forces Press Service.

Several task forces and studies cited inconsistencies in the way the military departments assigned disability ratings for similar conditions, he said. The Army tended to assign the lowest ratings, according to the studies.

"The findings were enough to warrant the creation of a Physical Disability Board of Review," Retherford said.

The new board could potentially affect almost half the 20,000 servicemembers processed through the Disability Evaluation System each year. Of these, about 10 percent have combat- or training-related injuries, Retherford said.

The board would, on request, review the cases involving a combined disability rating of 20 percent or less.

Disability ratings have a significant financial impact, determining if the servicemember qualifies for retired pay and military benefits such as health care and base privileges for life, or a one-time severance pay with no additional benefits.

Those who receive 30 percent or higher disability ratings – 1,296 during fiscal 2007 – are medically retired. In addition, more than 4,200 servicemembers were put on a temporary disability retired list last year, a status they can retain for up to five years.

If the combined rating is 20 percent or lower, troops are typically discharged with severance as unfit for duty, Retherford explained.

During fiscal 2007, almost 4,000 servicemembers processed through the Disability Evaluation System were returned to duty.

Of those separated as no longer fit for duty, more than 9,200 received a severance, Retherford said. Another 1,150 did not receive a severance, typically because their disabilities were due to misconduct or pre-service conditions.

Not all were happy with their disability rating findings. About 10 percent appealed their cases, Retherford said.

Now, under the Physical Disability Board of Review, troops will have one additional method of recourse. Retherford said he anticipates the board will review about 900 cases per year, all by request.

Former servicemembers separated from the military after Sept. 11, 2001, must apply to have their case reviewed, Retherford said. The Defense Department plans to launch an awareness campaign to ensure people who qualify for a records review know about the new board and how to apply.

The Defense Department designated the Air Force to operate and manage the new board, but it will include representatives from each military department, Retherford said. Board members will include line officers as well as medical experts, who will review documentary evidence. No former servicemember will appear in person before the board.

The board can recommend that the appropriate service secretary increase a disability rating, uphold the previous finding, or issue a disability rating when the previous board did not assign one, Retherford said.

However, the board cannot recommend a lower rating.

Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David S. C. Chu called the board an important step in ensuring affected servicemembers are treated fairly. "The PDBR has no greater obligation to our wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and former servicemembers than to offer fair and equitable recommendations pertaining to the assignment of disability ratings," he said.

American Forces Press Service, Jul 1

Yes, More on the GI Education Benefit

The VA has already put out a pamphlet on the "Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008". You can find it at www.gibill.va.gov. They have also set up a toll free number 1-888-GIBILL1 (442-4551) for the numerous questions you will have. Again, this new benefit will not go into effect until August 1, 2009. At the same time the Montgomery GI Bill is still in effect. It has not been repealed and it received a 20% benefit increase starting August 1 of this year – 2008. So a vet going to school full time now will receive an increase from approximately $1101 a month to $1300 a month. And remember this change [to the Montgomgery GI Bill] starts August 1, 2008.

TREA Washington Update, Jul 11

Cost Estimates of Vets' Benefits Change

Two provisions of the 2007 Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act cost more than original estimates, and Congress will probably have to come up with more money this year for the programs to continue. The price tag for providing disabled veterans with more money to purchase automobiles or other modes of transportation that are adapted to their special needs would double from its original $11,000 amount, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) told Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, in a June 26 letter.

The CBO also stated that an accounting oversight underestimated the costs necessary to pay pensions to surviving spouses of Filipino veterans. According to initial CBO estimates, it would cost $59 million to pay pensions to 4,000 spouses between 2008 and 2017; the new figures are $160 million for 11,200 surviving spouses during the same 10-year span.

Armed Forces News Issue, Jul 11

VA Announces Online Claims Applications

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will now accept online applications from veterans, survivors and other claimants for various benefits without the additional requirement of submitting a signed paper copy of the application.

People can now file initial applications for disability compensation, pension, education, and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits online. VA will process applications received through its online application Web site, VONAPP, without the claimant's signature. The electronic application will be sufficient authentication of the claimant's application for benefits. Normal development procedures and rules of evidence will still apply to all VONAPP applications.

VONAPP, found at www.va.gov/onlineapps.htm, is a Web-based system that benefits both internal and external users. Veterans, survivors and other claimants seeking compensation, pension, education, or vocational rehabilitation benefits can apply electronically without the constraints of location, postage cost, and time delays in mail delivery.

Officials announced that VONAPP reduces the number of incomplete applications received by VA, decreasing the need for additional development by VA claims processors. The online application also provides a link to apply for VA health care benefits and much more.

More than 3.7 million veterans and beneficiaries receive compensation and pension benefits from VA, and approximately 523,000 students receive education benefits. Approximately 90,000 disabled veterans participate in VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program.

For more information about VA benefits, go to VA's Web site at www.va.gov or call the toll-free number (800) 827-1000. [Source: VA News Release, Jul 16]

Air Force Retiree News Service, Jul 16

Tracking the 2009 COLA

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently announced the monthly consumer price index (CPI) for June. Energy prices drove up June's CPI 1.1% above May's value. This puts cumulative inflation at 5.7% since the beginning of the fiscal year in October.

MOAA Legislative Update, Jul 25

Community Matters

Ohio Gives Veterans In-State Rates At Public Colleges

In an effort to attract more veterans to Ohio public universities, Gov. Ted Strickland announced Tuesday that the State would charge no more than in-state tuition to all veterans attending college on the G.I. bill.

NAUS Weekly Update, Jul 11

Passes for Contractors Visiting Korea

A contractor without SOFA status visiting US Army Garrison-Yongsan requires a sponsor for the application (USFK Form 82) and the sponsor needs to be a US Government civilian employee or military (GS-9/O-3 or above).

The USFK Provost Marshal's office will also need a copy (fax or digital) of the contractor's passport to be submitted with the pass application.

Passes cannot be issued in advance as all pass holders must register in DBIDS. Therefore, if approved, the contractor's first stop should be to the Camp Kim Pass and ID where he/she will be able to register in DBIDS and get his/her pass.

It will be the sponsor's responsibility to recover the pass before the visiting contractor departs the Korean theater.

Without a DoD ID card, a visiting contractor will have to either obtain a USFK pass or be signed in and escorted when on USFK installations.

If the visiting contractor is retired military, he/she can register in DBIDS at any time at Yongsan Gate 17 visitor center, using his/her travel documents and retired ID card to register in DBIDS. Then he/she wouldn't need to complete the pass application or visit a Pass and ID Office.

adapted from USFK Provost Marshal e-mail, Jul 21

Ordinarily Resident Status and Contractors

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Republic of Korea states that a person who has been in Korea for a year and a day without SOFA status is considered 'ordinarily resident' and not eligible for employment that grants SOFA status.

The rule about 'ordinarily resident' status has not been enforced when contractors hire local residents for employment — until now. The Military Retiree Assistance Office has received word from some worried contractors who had been hired locally that enforcement has begun. This office does not know if the rule will be applied retroactively, jeopardizing some current contractor employees. It is, however, now affecting local hiring policies through enforcement.

Military Retiree Assistance Office

Federal Service Matters

Raise Would Be Largest Since 2004

If the 3.9 percent raise figure for 2009 progressing in Congress makes it into law, it would be the largest increase since the 4.1 percent increase paid in 2004.

The same amount was paid in 2003. The 2002 increase was 4.6 percent, the 2001 raise 3.7 percent, and the 2000 increase 4.8 percent. Since 2004, though, the raises have been lower – 3.5 percent in 2005, 3.1 percent in 2006, 2.2 percent in 2007 and 3.5 percent in 2008. Those are average figures; actual [Civil Service General Schedule] GS raises vary by locality.

The measure does not specify how the raise would be broken out for GS employees, but in similar past situations in which the raise was boosted above the White House request by 1 percentage point, that amount has been directed to locality pay and the remainder paid across the board.

If that practice is followed, a 3.9 percent average likely would produce raises ranging from about 3.5 percent in the lowest-paid localities to about 5 percent in the highest-paid ones.

Raises for Other Groups Would Vary

Raises for wage grade employees are set by a different locality pay system but are capped at the GS amount in an area (prior to 2004, they were capped at the GS average figure). Pay rates for employees in several high-level pay systems are linked to increases in executive schedule rates for political appointees, which are set under a different formula, which indicates a 2.8 percent raise for 2009.

Raises for employees in the largest high-level category, the SES, are not automatic, however, since the SES is under a pay for performance system.

COLA Count Is Even Higher

Through eight months [May 2008] of the counting period toward the January 2009 retiree [Cost of Living Adjustment] COLA, the indicated figure stands at 4.5 percent. A COLA of that amount or higher would be the largest since the 5.4 percent increase in 1990. CSRS retirees get the full COLA while FERS retirees who are eligible for COLAs – generally, not until age 62 – get 1 percentage point less, when the indicated figure is above 3 percent, as it likely will turn out to be.

COLAs, Raises Set Separately

The developments on the raise and COLA seem to have re-ignited some of the traditional misunderstandings regarding the two types of adjustments, including the common perception that they are linked in some way. The two are determined separately and one has no effect on the other. COLAs are for retirees and are set automatically according to an inflation index in which the average of one third quarter of a calendar year is compared to that of the next. Thus, the 2009 COLA will be announced in October when the September inflation number is released. Active employees get a pay raise – although many of them call it a COLA – that is set in the annual appropriations process, where numerous political and budgetary factors are involved. The starting point for raise deliberations typically is the employment cost index, which is a measure of wage growth, not inflation, for the 12 months ending in the third calendar quarter of the year preceding the one in which the raise deliberations are made. Therefore, the two types of adjustments don't track each other and one sometimes is significantly larger than the other.

FEDweek Weekly Issue, Jul 1

Mileage Rate May Increase

The rate at which the government reimburses employees for using personal vehicles for traveling on official business may increase soon as a result of a recent [Internal Revenue Service] IRS move to raise the mileage rate for certain tax deductibility purposes. The IRS rate increased from 50.5 cents per mile to 58.5 cents per mile effective July 1-December 31; the federal employee mileage rate is set by [General Services Administration] GSA and typically tracks the IRS deductibility rate, although there often is a lag time of several weeks or even months between an IRS action and a GSA action. The last time rates were increased in mid-year due to rising fuel prices was 2005. GSA already has said it will increase from 19 to 27 cents a mile the reimbursement rate for employees during relocations, reflecting another change made by the IRS.

FEDweek Weekly Issue, Jul 1

Laughing Matters

Medicare Coverage in a Nutshell

The phone rings and the lady of the house answers, "Hello?"

"Mrs. Ward, please."

"Speaking."

"Mrs. Ward, this is Doctor Jones at the Medical Testing Laboratory. When your doctor sent your husband's biopsy to the lab yesterday, a biopsy from another Mr. Ward arrived as well, and we are now uncertain which one is your husband's. Frankly, the results are either bad or terrible."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Ward asks nervously.

"Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's, and the other one tested positive for AIDS. We can't tell which is your husband's."

"That's dreadful! Can't you do the test again?" Mrs. Ward asked.

"Normally we can, but Medicare will only pay for these expensive tests one time."

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"The people at Medicare recommend that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him."

from the Internet

All Seniors Aren't Senile!

An older, white-haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side.

He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.

The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring.

The old man said, "No, I'd like to see something more special."

At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said.

The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement.

The old man seeing this said, "We'll take it."

The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, "By check. I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said.

Monday morning, the jeweler phoned the old man. "There's no money in that account."

"I know," said the old man, "but let me tell you about my weekend!"

from the Internet

Just Waiting

It was a small town and the patrolman was making his evening rounds.

As he was checking a used car lot, he came upon two little old ladies sitting in a used car.

He stopped and asked them why they were sitting there in the car. Were they trying to steal it?

"Heavens no, we bought it."

"Then why don't you drive it away."

"We can't drive."

"Then why did you buy it?"

"We were told that if we bought a used car here we'd get screwed ... so we're just waiting."

from the Internet

The Boss

My boss was complaining in a staff meeting the other day that he wasn't getting any respect. Later that morning he went out and got a small sign that read, "I'm the Boss." He then taped it to his office door.

Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said: "Your wife called. She wants you to bring her sign back."

Mikey's Funnies via Christian Voices

RSO's Corner

Death of an Osan Icon

In the June newsletter, I reported that Jim Price was hospitalized at Aju University Hospital, in a coma after a fall.

Jim died on July 20 at 7:10pm having never regained consciousness. His loss will leave a big hole in the Osan retiree community and in the Osan community as a whole. Everybody was familiar with Jim's smiling face around Osan. At the Armed Forces Day parade, I took this picture of Jim and it was only a matter of days later that Jim's accident occurred. The VFW Post 10216 held several functions to honor Jim, and the Osan community held a memorial service with flyover.

Jack Terwiel

Web Site Standardization

If you've visited http://www.rao-osan.com recently, and particularly if you glanced at Feedback from Jack, you'll know that I've been working on upgrading the web site code 'to standard.' Just about every page you visit now will have a small icon at the bottom to attest that the code for that page was validated at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web site validation service.

If you'd like to see how page validation works and give it a try, follow these steps:

Right click anywhere on the newsletter, a menu pops up
Select 'Source', 'View Source' or 'View Page Source' (depending on your browser) and a new window opens with the source code
On the keyboard, do Ctrl-A to select (highlight) the code and Ctrl-C to copy it
Come back to this newsletter and click on the 'Web Site Validation Service' link
When that screen pops up, click on 'Validate by Direct Input' to open an input box
Put the cursor over that box, click to place the cursor in the box and then do Ctrl-V to input the code
Click on the 'Check' button below the box and soon you should see
'This Page Is Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional!'
And if you want to see what happens otherwise, go to http://www.drudgereport.com, right click and repeat steps 2-7. I got 109 errors when I tried

When you reach the bottom of this newsletter, you'll see two icons, one on the left to indicate that the newsletter code has been validated and one on the right to indicate that the cascading style sheet (CSS) that specifies the design of the page is valid. If you tried the demonstration on validating, you now know how I spent my summer vacation — web page after web page, correcting errors one page at a time.

Jack Terwiel

Subscribing and Unsubscribing

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Contact the MRAO: in Korea 031-663-0319, outside Korea 82-31-663-0319; e-mail: mrao@rao-osan.com