NGAT Scholarship applications and nominations for NGAT Awards are being accepted through 15 Feb 10!

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "NGAT Scholarship applications and nominations for NGAT Awards are being accepted through 15 Feb 10!"

Rosemary Hill
6 years ago
Views:

3706 Crawford Ave Austin, Texas 78731-6308 512-454-7300 www.ngat.

Tasting Bowling Tournament Fun Run Welcome Party NGAT IDOL Party Spouses Luncheon Retiree Luncheon 26-28 March 10 -

Enlisted Breakfast Saturday Dinner Prayer Breakfast Book your hotel today!

1 3706 Crawford Ave Austin, Texas December 2009 Joint Conference Informative Business Sessions Exhibits Golf Tournament TX Hold em Tournament Wine Tasting Bowling Tournament Fun Run Welcome Party NGAT IDOL Party Spouses Luncheon Retiree Luncheon March 10 - Austin, TX NGAT Scholarship applications and nominations for NGAT Awards are being accepted through 15 Feb 10! Enlisted Breakfast Saturday Dinner Prayer Breakfast Book your hotel today! Registration forms and conference information is located at SEE YOU THERE!! SAVE SOME MONEY! Sign up for the Early Bird Registration Special. Special Ends 1 Feb 10. Official Conference Hotel Radisson Hotel & Suites 111 Cesar Chavez Austin, TX or $85 single/double plus tax (NGAT cannot guarantee rooms DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES AND PHOTOS FOR THE NGAT NEWS MAGAZINE IS 8 JAN 10!! SEND INFORMATION TO NGATNEWS@NGAT.ORG

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. Not with me around. MEOW! KEEP YOUR PETS WARM THIS WINTER Cold weather is hard on everyone, especially your pets.

Clean your pets regularly the cleaner the hair and fur, the better it insulates.

2 Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. Not with me around. MEOW! KEEP YOUR PETS WARM THIS WINTER Cold weather is hard on everyone, especially your pets. You may think that a fur coat makes them immune to the hazards of winter, but animals are as vulnerable as we are to chilly temperatures. Clean your pets regularly the cleaner the hair and fur, the better it insulates. Of course, the easiest thing to do is bring your pet indoors for the winter because most of them can't tolerate extremely cold weather. Pets lose most of their body heat through their foot pads, ears and respiratory track, so keep a close eye on them for signs of discomfort. If they whine, shiver, slow down or stop moving, take them inside. Also, remember that if you're feeling the chill, they are too. If you must leave your pets outdoors for an extended period, give your pets a solid shelter with thick, dry bedding and fresh water to protect them against inclement weather. Raise doghouse floors enough to avoid water runoff from entering, and drape a canvas curtain or other protection over the opening to buffer the wind. Make sure your pets have some blankets or towels to lay on to keep them warm. It is recommended that you put an emergency blanket under the top layer of your pet s towels or blankets. This lightweight blanket is made from aluminized non stretch polyester and stays flexible in freezing temperatures. It reflects body heat back to the body and will help your pet stay warm. It can be found in most stores where they sell any kind of camping equipment. If you have an outdoor patio consider enclosing your patio with 4ml plastic sheeting to keep the wind and the rain out and to warm your pets. Put cat baskets on a chair off the floor away from floor drafts. Cats have the peculiar habit of crawling up into car engines to stay warm, which can have hazardous results. Always check your car before starting it or give it a honk to ensure a cat has not made a home inside your car. It's dangerous to leave any pet outdoors when the temperature dips below freezing, so continually check the temperature. It's also important to adjust your pet's feeding during the winter. Outdoor dogs require up to 25 percent more energy to maintain body temperature, while cats and indoor dogs require fewer calories since they are getting less exercise. However, all pets require plenty of fresh drinking water, so make sure their water hasn't frozen or developed any ice crystals. Use plastic bowls to keep dogs' tongues from freezing to metal pans. Taking these precautions will keep your pets safe and warm until spring. Preserve your National Guard Heritage and sign up for Guard Muster. A living tribute to all the men and women of America s National Guard. A great gift for that someone who has everything. The Guard Muster is the permanent register of Guard men and women past and present, who have been enrolled into the Muster by themselves, or by those who wish to honor them. Names in the Muster are displayed electronically at a computer kiosk located in the National Guard Memorial Museum, as well as online on the National Guard Education Foundation website. Visitors are invited to search for individual records, which display a person s name, state, unit, place of birth and Guard duties performed. A donation of only $25 is requested for each Muster enrollment, with an additional $15 to include a photograph. The photograph can be added to the Muster at any time, and may be either black and white or color, and no larger than 8 x 10. Anyone who is or has served in the National Guard, the relative of a Guard member, or is a friend or supporter of the Guard is eligible for inclusion in the Guard Muster. Visit for more information. 2

OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE HONORS VETERANS The Outback Steak House on Hwy 183 at the Duval exit, north of the Arboretum in Austin, TX, will provide a complimentary Bloom'n Onion and draft adult beverage to

SONG BENEFITS THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD FAMILY SUPPORT FOUNDATION The song "Angel Flight" was written by Radney Foster about the seven Soldiers on board a 2-149th Aviation Regiment CH-47 helicopter,

3 OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE HONORS VETERANS The Outback Steak House on Hwy 183 at the Duval exit, north of the Arboretum in Austin, TX, will provide a complimentary Bloom'n Onion and draft adult beverage to all active and retired military personnel every Sunday, beginning 22 November, from 11: hours. This is to honor military veterans. SONG BENEFITS THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD FAMILY SUPPORT FOUNDATION The song "Angel Flight" was written by Radney Foster about the seven Soldiers on board a 2-149th Aviation Regiment CH-47 helicopter, call sign "Red River 44," that went down in southern Iraq on 17 Sep 08. The song and subsequent video tells the story of the Texas Air National Guard's 136th Airlift Wing and how they flew the Texas Soldiers home on an "Angel Flight." The music video was filmed in Grand Prairie and at the Fort Worth JRB. The video can also be viewed on You Tube at the following link: You can download the song at the following link for 99 cents: Proceeds from the sale of the Angel Flight song will benefit the Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation. We don t often ask you for help but regarding the two issues below we really need your help in getting the word to our congressional leaders that Inclusion of Title 32 Active Duty Service in the Calculation of Benefits Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Reduced Age for Receipt of Retired Pay for Members of the Reserve Component are important to our members. Please take a moment to visit the three links below and send a letter to our congressional leaders so they know these issues are important to us. Please forward this to your family, friends and fellow service members. The more support we have on these issues the better. EVERY LETTER COUNTS!!! Send yours today!!! Inclusion of Title 32 Active Duty Service in the Calculation of Benefits Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill Reduced Age for Receipt of Retired Pay for Members of the Reserve Component WE NEED YOUR HELP!! capwiz.com/eangus/issues/alert/?alertid= This year Texans have sent 6118 letters to our congressional leaders. That is an increase of 62% over the number of letters we sent last year. Every letter counts so keep them coming. Thanks so much for your continued support. 3

COMPUTERS FOR SOLDIERS If you or your loved one is an active service member in any of the US Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps), this program is for you.

The goal of this program is to provide an affordable computer to the families of troops so they can communicate with their loved ones.

As a result, we can afford to put together a full computer package for only $150 - a price that is significantly below wholesale. This system includes: Intel P4 1.

We believe that every military family deserves a low cost way to communicate and this program is NOT limited to low income families - any military family is able to purchase a computer

computersforsoldiers.org 2010 Scholarship for Military Children Program Scholarship applications are now available at commissaries worldwide and online through a link at www.commissaries.com and directly at www.

Only dependent, unmarried children, younger than age 21 (age 23 if enrolled as a full- time student at a college or university) of active duty personnel, Reserve, Guard and retired

The applicant must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university full time in the fall of 2010, or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to

What point in history would you visit and why? Applications must be turned in to a commissary by close of business Feb. 17, 2010.

4 COMPUTERS FOR SOLDIERS If you or your loved one is an active service member in any of the US Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps), this program is for you. This offer was initially limited to the families of deploying troops, but based on feedback from multiple sources, we have opened it up to ALL soldiers. The goal of this program is to provide an affordable computer to the families of troops so they can communicate with their loved ones. But not just any computer -- one that someone would actually want! We have a couple retail computer stores in Phoenix, AZ and buy tons of off-lease computers and laptops. As a result, we can afford to put together a full computer package for only $150 - a price that is significantly below wholesale. This system includes: Intel P4 1.7ghz computer with 512MB RAM, 40GB HD, Windows XP, keyboard, mouse, powered speakers, 15" LCD monitor, webcam, internal 56k modem, and a mouse pad. We believe that every military family deserves a low cost way to communicate and this program is NOT limited to low income families - any military family is able to purchase a computer through this program. Every system comes ready to use and preloaded with MS Windows XP, office productivity software (word processor, spreadsheet, etc) and antivirus software Scholarship for Military Children Program Scholarship applications are now available at commissaries worldwide and online through a link at and directly at Since the program began in 2000, it has awarded $7.3 million in scholarships to almost 5,000 children of Servicemembers. Only dependent, unmarried children, younger than age 21 (age 23 if enrolled as a full- time student at a college or university) of active duty personnel, Reserve, Guard and retired military members, survivors of Servicemembers may apply for a scholarship. Eligibility is determined using DEERS, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database. The applicant must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university full time in the fall of 2010, or be enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program. Applicants should prepare to submit an essay on the following topic: You can travel back in time; however, you cannot change events. What point in history would you visit and why? Applications must be turned in to a commissary by close of business Feb. 17, At least one scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location with qualified applicants. To find out more information, go to press_room/press_release/2009/deca_102_09.cfm Tell a Friend: Do you know someone who would be interested in our Computers for Soldiers program? Print out one of our.pdf flyer for your local bulletin board and let them know about these great computers! Don t forget to apply for the NGAT Scholarships. Deadline is 15 Feb 10

Support a veteran and buy a ticket and you too could be a winner.

5 Veterans Cash From The Texas Lottery The Veterans Cash is a $2.00 Texas Lottery ticket that IS CURRENTLY ON SALE. The proceeds from the sale of this ticket will help the Texas Fund for Veterans Assistance. There is over $10.5 million in prizes in this game. Support a veteran and buy a ticket and you too could be a winner. A Virtual Clinic to Treat the Stresses of War Many veterans are returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with serious problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but only one-third receive medical help. Jacquelyn Ford Morie, senior researcher for the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of California, has created a project called Coming Home which is a virtual healing center for veterans. Her hope is that veterans will be more comfortable seeking care in the virtual world she has created. The Institute for Creative Technologies specializes in building virtual humans, which are used for marketing and negotiations. These virtual humans can also act as museum guides in the virtual healing center, or they can assist a veteran with a virtual diagnosis. The veteran s project has been financed by the Army and the National Science Foundation. Another program has been backed by a military health insurer to use the Web to provide anonymous mental health care to veterans. For more information, please click on: or HOPE IS FOR HEROES Hope for Heroes is a free counseling service for military personnel and their dependants who live or work in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties. Masters-level trained counselors will provide either secular or pastoral counseling as requested by the client. All counselors except one are former military members or from military families. Counseling is provided at no cost by the Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care and is funded by a grant from TRIAD (Texas Resources for Iraq and Afghanistan Deployments). Services provided include mental health counseling for problems associated with pre-deployment stresses, as well as during- and post-deployment problems. Help is available for those suffering from depression and/or anxiety, or for those with a range of adjustment disorders to include PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Marital and couples counseling is available for military families experiencing relationship problems aggravated by the anticipation of the forthcoming absence or with problems that sometimes occur upon the reintegration of the family after redeployment. Counselors experienced with children and adolescents can help them cope with the long absences of their servicemember parent and can work with children struggling with problems of growing up in a single-parent home. As many as 30 percent of servicemembers deployed to combat theaters may experience some symptoms of PTSD upon return to their families. Many times, symptoms may not begin to show up until several months after the servicemember s return and then are first noticed by family members and close friends. Counseling services are provided at no cost to eligible servicemembers and their families. Confidentiality is provided in strict accordance with state laws. Documentation of counseling is not releasable to the government or military services. Hope for Heroes may be contacted by calling or online at -center.org. 5

LOW COST MILITARY SERVICE FLAGS Giant 28 x 40 waterproof, polyester flags Slips onto 1 horizontal pole, indoor or outdoor For a catalog of flags email dickamber@aol.

ders to R.D.Amber (U.S. Navy Vet, WWII) P.O. Box 5 Jobstown, NJ 08041 Be sure to include which branch of the service flag you want to order.

org TRICARE UPDATE Gray Area Retirees Implementation In an e-mail exchange between NGAUS Legislative Deputy Director Pete Duffy and Chief of TRICARE External Relations

6 LOW COST MILITARY SERVICE FLAGS Giant 28 x 40 waterproof, polyester flags Slips onto 1 horizontal pole, indoor or outdoor For a catalog of flags dickamber@aol.com Banners are $5.45 each or $62.00 per dozen (postage included in price) Mail Orders to R.D.Amber (U.S. Navy Vet, WWII) P.O. Box 5 Jobstown, NJ Be sure to include which branch of the service flag you want to order. Quality flags at a reasonable price. Do you want to receive the NGAT NEWS NUGGETS? Sign up by ing membership@ngat.org TRICARE UPDATE Gray Area Retirees Implementation In an exchange between NGAUS Legislative Deputy Director Pete Duffy and Chief of TRICARE External Relations Thomas Boyle, Col Duffy confirmed that TRICARE is working diligently on the Gray Area Retiree initiative, with an estimate for implementation between 11 and 18 months from now. Mr. Boyle assures NGAUS that TRICARE is working with its legal, technical, and administrative staff to make the process as quick and efficient as possible.

OFFICE 2007 SPECIAL Microsoft has a Special Offer for active and retired military personnell. For a limited time they are offering Microsoft Office Standard 2007 for only $49.99.

com log in at the top where it says log-in and start shopping. If you have never entered this site you will need to set up your account.

Adjutant General's 2009 Holiday Open House Celebration All members of the Texas Military Forces (Army, Air, State, Civilian Employees) are invited to attend the Adjutant General's 2009 Holiday

The celebration is to provide an opportunity for Texas Military Forces members and retirees to celebrate the importance and significance of the holiday season, and also to remember/ honor those

The holiday open house agenda will feature food, beverages and entertainment provided by MACOMs and staff Directors across the force, who will set up booths to showcase their creativity and

7 OFFICE 2007 SPECIAL Microsoft has a Special Offer for active and retired military personnell. For a limited time they are offering Microsoft Office Standard 2007 for only $ Buy now and save up to $349! For more information go to: go/ /direct/01/ To purchase Office go to log in at the top where it says log-in and start shopping. If you have never entered this site you will need to set up your account. Once in the AAFES site do a search for Microsoft Office Adjutant General's 2009 Holiday Open House Celebration All members of the Texas Military Forces (Army, Air, State, Civilian Employees) are invited to attend the Adjutant General's 2009 Holiday Open House Celebration, Friday, 18 December 2009, hours. The event will be held in the Building 8 Drill Hall, Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas. The celebration is to provide an opportunity for Texas Military Forces members and retirees to celebrate the importance and significance of the holiday season, and also to remember/ honor those Soldiers and Airmen who are deployed. The holiday open house agenda will feature food, beverages and entertainment provided by MACOMs and staff Directors across the force, who will set up booths to showcase their creativity and holiday spirit. In the spirit of friendly competition, impartial judges will award trophies for the best food and decorations. As part of the holiday open house, we will also be accepting donations for several of our local charities and TXMF members in need this holiday season. Donations such as toys, diapers, gift cards, and non-perishable food items can be dropped off during our holiday open house. Monetary donations may be made to the Texas National Guard Support Foundation or by calling (512) For donation drop-offs prior to 18 December 2009, please contact SSG Delaney, Toni L., (512) or MSG Evans, Tamika L., (512)

RETIREES ADVISORY COUNCIL Tuesday, 9 January 2018, 1000

RETIREES ADVISORY COUNCIL Tuesday, 9 January 2018, 1000 ***Disclaimer*** The information contained in this issue is for informational purposes only. The objective is to keep the military community informed. It is not an Official DoD sanctioned newsletter and