AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014 | VOL. 3 NO. 11

Smithsonianconcerts tocoincide withCherry BlossomFestival

6CNO Says: ‘NoPlan’ to ChangeRetirement

4 NGB Vice Chiefparticipates in2014 US SenateYouth Program

6

BY AIMEE FUJIKAWA

11THWING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Soft hues adorn this immacu-late abode, casting a spell of tran-quility upon the guests at FisherHouse, which serves militaryfamilies who have traveled awayfrom home to be with a loved onein their time of need. The lengthof stay is unknown, but the mem-ories and relationships createdhere will last a lifetime, as theybecome member of the extendedfamily.Janet Grampp is a former

air traffic controller. She is theheart of this house. The formerStaff Sgt., who once safely guided

planes, now guides these familiesto a home away from home.“I have had the opportunity to

meet thousands of families go-ing through some pretty toughtimes,” said Janet Grampp, theJoint Base Andrews Fisher Housemanager.Grampp joined the Air Force in

1979 at 20 years old, continuingthe tradition that started withher grandfather, her father, her-self and now her children.As one of five children growing

up in the military, they faced thechallenges of traveling every twoyears and living in many differ-ent places. They were always the

new kids in school, having to startover.“It shaped who I am as an

adult, and gave me the tools tocope with stressful situations,”said Grampp. She was fortunateto have very strong and influen-tial role models in her parents,whom she describes as “hard-working, honest, funny, loving,kind and compassionate.”“My father encouraged us to

be strong and independent,” shesaid. “I credit my parents for giv-ing me the support and strengthto choose a path that was a little

The heart of JBA Fisher House

BY KETSIA COLIMONMONUMENTAL SPORTS & ENTERTAIN-

MENT FOUNDATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Monu-mental Sports & EntertainmentFoundation and Telos Corporationjoined forces this past Novemberfor the inaugural WashingtonWizards Courage Program. Hatswith the word “Courage” writtenin the Wizards’ wordmark weresold with 100 percent of the pro-ceeds benefiting Tragedy Assis-

tance Program for Survivors.TAPS is a nonprofit organiza-

tion that provides ongoing emo-tional help, hope and healing toall who are grieving the deathof a loved one in military serviceto America, regardless of theirrelationship to the deceased, ge-ography or circumstance of thedeath. TAPS offers comfort andcare through comprehensive ser-vices and programs, includingpeer-based emotional support,case work assistance, regional

seminars and retreats for adults,Good Grief Camps for children,and grief and trauma resources.Founded out of tragedy in 1994,TAPS has assisted more than44,000 grieving military familiesand their caregivers.Courage hats autographed by

Wizards players including Brad-ley Beal, Marcin Gortat, OttoPorter, John Wall and MartellWebster were sold at the VerizonCenter Team Store resulting inproceeds of $31,571.77.

Program earn morethan $30,000 for TAPS

“COURAGE” CAPS

SUBMITTED PHOTO

During the Wizards game against the Brooklyn Nets March 15, Ted Leonsis, majority owner, chairman andCEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment was joined by John Wood, Telos CEO and Chairman to pres-ent the funds to Bonnie Carroll, founder and president of TAPS.

BY ALETHA FROST11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Joint Base Andrews welcomedseven community and civic lead-ers into the 2014 Honorary Com-manders Program during an in-duction ceremony luncheon heldMarch 7 at The Club.The Joint Base Andrews Hon-

orary Commander Program en-courages an exchange of ideasand experiences, as well as friend-ships between key leaders of thebase’s surrounding communities,JBA commanders and Airmen. Inaddition it allows base command-ers and their units to learn moreabout local leaders and the localcommunity.“This program positively im-

pacts community and base’sinteraction by building andstrengthening our relationshipswith our local neighbors” said Col.Bill Knight, 11thWing/Joint BaseAndrews commander.

The diversity of JBA’s sixwings, two headquarters andmore than 50 tenant organiza-tions impact not only missionsand surrounding communities inthe National Capital Region, butmissions across the entire De-partment of Defense and aroundthe world.“Each honorary commander

will have the opportunity to servetwo years in the program,” Knightcontinued. “One of our goals is tohave all honorary commandersvisit their respective units anddevelop a better understandingof the important operations thatoccur here at JBA every day andmost importantly the servicemembers that make them hap-pen.”Honorary Commanders are

invited to attend events on baseand in the surrounding communi-ties that Airmen from Joint BaseAndrews support. In turn, HCCs

may also invite the units theirunits to participate in events inthe local community.During the luncheon, each in-

ductee received a certificate ofinduction and an Honorary Com-mander’ s lapel pin.2014 Joint Base Andrews Hon-

orary Commanders are:- Pamela Rodriguez, financial

adviser, First Command- Dr. Jacqueline Brown, direc-

tor, Prince George’s CommunityCollege’s Government and Com-munity Affairs- Tammi Thomas, chief of staff,

Bowie State University- Christian Rhodes, education

policy adviser, Prince George’sCounty- Pamela Creekmur, health di-

rector, Prince George’s County- Brian Partylo, owner, Chick-

Fil-A, Brandywine, Md.- Shawn Toler, director, Imag-

ine Public Charter Schools, Md.

Joint Base Andrews inducts seven new Honorary Commanders

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ AIRMAN 1ST CLASS NESHA HUMES

Shawn Toler, second from the right, regional director of ImagineSchools Maryland, receives an honorary commander’s inductioncertificate from Col. Bill Knight, 11th Wing commander, and Mr. JimEstepp, JBA senior honorary commander, far right, during a ceremo-ny March 7 on Joint Base Andrews, Md. Toler is the honorary com-mander for the Air National Guard Readiness Center. He is joined byCol. Eric Mann, far left, deputy commander ANGRC.

see HEART, page 3

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

The monthly meeting of thecouncil of the Town of Morning-side showed signs of conflict inthe small town March 19, overa subject most people would seeas an easy win for the town:Youth flag football.Darnell Franklin of Capitol

Heights, coach of the Morning-side Monarchs adult flag foot-ball team which has been prac-ticing out of Douglas PattersonPark for the past three seasonsin preparation for the team’sparticipation in the Mid-Atlan-tic Flag Football League play,and team manager Jabari Whit-low of Morningside, came to theTown of Morningside’s monthlymeeting to request a donation of$3,085 from the town to pay foruniforms and league fees. In re-turn, they offered to start a freeyouth flag football, cheerlead-ing and dance program for lateelementary and middle schoolstudents.“I think it is a positive way

to go. I really do,” said councilmember Todd Mullins.Vice Mayor James O. Ealey

said that although he is in fa-vor of youth programs, he didnot want to fund the Monarchsunless they were run under theauspices of the Town of Morn-ingside’s Recreation Committee,which also plans the town’s an-

nual Independence Day paradeand Breakfast with Santa andoccasional community movienights.“I don’t have a problem with

programs to support our youth.The more the better. But itshould come through the Rec-reation Committee we alreadyhave formed. I could not goalong with a second organiza-tion coming along, separatefrom the Recreation Commit-tee,” Ealey said.Recreation Committee Presi-

dent Susan Mullins, wife ofTown of Morningside CouncilMember Todd Mullins, said thatthe recreation council is not cur-rently prepared to run a youthfootball program. Asked by Eal-ey if that was due to a lack offunds from the Town, she said,“Yes, there is a funding issue.But I can’t decide whether ornot the Recreation Committeewill work with Mr. Franklin ornot without discussing that withthe Recreation Committee.”In a contentious vote, with

Council Member Sheila Scottabsent and new Council Mem-ber Lori Williams ineligible tovote on unfinished business ather first council session, May-or Kenneth “Chrys” Wade andCouncil Member Mullins votedto fund the flag football team,with Vice Mayor Ealey objecting

Town of Morningsidedivided over youthsports program

see SPORTS, page 7

BY ALEX COLLINSGAZETTE INTERN AND

BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

Robert Dwight Jenkins, aretired Navy Chief Petty Of-ficer, celebrated his 98th birth-day March 13, with an intimategathering of friends and cowork-ers at the Joint Base AndrewsCommissary conference room.Jenkins, a part-time Com-

missary bagger, was honoredby Chief Master Sgt. WilliamSanders, 11th Wing/Joint BaseAndrews command chief, whothanked him for his past mili-tary service and gave Jenkinsa commemorative coin andcongratulatory letter for his 30

years of dedicated work at theCommissary on behalf of Col.Bill Knight, 11th Wing/JointBase Andrews commander.Theresa Guice, administra-

tive assistant to the head abg-ger, was among Jenkins’ otherwell wishers.“It’s been a pleasure to work

with Mister Jenkins,” saidGuice. “We are glad to recognizehis milestone and he’s been afaithful, dedicated employeehere for several years.”Jenkins celebrated more

than three decades of workingas a part-time bagger at thecommissary in February.“He never misses a day of

work,” said Guice. “He’s worked

Andrews’ bagger celebratesmilestone birthday

see BAGGER, page 4

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2 Friday, March 21, 2014Andrews Gazette

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint Military Publications,9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md., a private firm in no wayconnected with the U.S. Air Force or any branch of the UnitedStates military. The appearance of advertising in these publications,including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement

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HOTTICKETSAround TownMarch 21 - 23Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey CircusVerizon Center, 601 F Street N.W., Washington, D.C.Showtimes varySee animal acts, acrobats, clowns, magicians and all

sorts of things, “Built to Amaze,” in this year’s show. Forinformation visit http://verizoncenter.monumentalnet-work.com/.

March 22 - 23National Cherry Blossom Festival Family DaysNational Building Museum, 401 F Street N.W., Wash-

ington, D.C.Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.Make cha-shitsu tea house structures, cherry blossom

popcorn trees, wind chimes, wafuku-clothed paper dolls,and spring pinwheels; try on traditional Japanese cloth-ing and see the Capitol Movement dancers, Blues AlleyYouth Orchestra jazz musicians, Greenbelt S.I.T.Y Starsjump rope team, Joy of Motion Dance Center’s DanceFu-sion Jazz Project, and more. For information visit http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

March 22National ShamrockFestRFK Stadium, 2400 E. Capitol St. NE Washington, DC.3 p.m. - 11 p.m.Get your Irish on at the largest Saint Patrick’s Day

party and street festival in the D.C. area featuring dozensof live bands. For information visit http://www.shamrock-fest.com/.

COURTESY OF THE RETIREEACTIVITIES OFFICE

Pharmacy pilot programunderwayTRICARE for Life beneficiaries

are urged to enroll in TRICARE’sPharmacy Home Delivery or use amilitary pharmacy for some pre-scriptions. The five-year pilot pro-gram, mandated by Congress, re-quires beneficiaries to get certainmedications through home deliveryor at a military pharmacy for refillsof maintenance medications takenfor chronic conditions. TRICAREdoes not pay for these medicationsfrom a retail pharmacy. The pro-gram does not include medicationsfor acute conditions taken for a lim-ited time, such as antibiotics or painmedications or any generic medica-tions. Beneficiaries are notified ifthey obtain a medication coveredunder the program. They have two“courtesy fills” available through aretail pharmacy before they are re-sponsible for the entire cost of theirmedication. Call Express Scriptsat 877-882-3335 to switch to homedelivery. New prescriptions may be

required to be filled at a militarypharmacy. Some may be exempt, in-cluding those with other prescrip-tion drug plans or those living over-seas. Nursing home residents maycontact Express Scripts for a waiverfrom the program. Home deliveryoffers a 90-day supply of medicationwith no copays for generic drugs and$13 for brand-name drugs. Switch-ing from a retail pharmacy to homedelivery can save beneficiaries up to$152 annually for each prescription,officials said.Veterans’ retirement homes pre-

serve independence The ArmedForces Retirement Home’s two cam-puses in Washington, D.C. and Gulf-port, Miss., offer model retirementcommunities designed for maleand female residents to maintainan independent lifestyle. Militaryretirees from each service branchare eligible to live at the homes ifat least one-half of the veteran’s ac-tive service was not commissionedservice, other than as a warrantofficer or limited-duty officer. Ap-plicants must be at least 60 yearsof age. There are no initiation orregistration fees. For complete eli-

gibility requirements and to receivean informational brochure, contactthe AFRH Marketing Office at 800-422-9988, or write to AFRH, PAO/Marketing, #1305, 3700 North Cap-itol Street N,W., Washington, D.C.20011-8400.

Medal shiftedThe Defense Department has

moved the Kosovo Campaign Medalto the Armed Forces ExpeditionaryMedal. The KCM recognizes contri-butions of U.S. military personnel insupport of Operation Joint Guard-ian since 1999 as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force in the Balkans.

The Retiree Activities Office is open10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday throughFriday. Visit the office in Building1604 at California and ColoradoAvenues or call us at 301-981-2726.Our e-mail address is rao@andrews.af.mil. Call the office before your visitto ensure a volunteer is on duty. TheRAO has a website at www.andrews.af.mil; Under “Helpful Links” clickon “Retirees Activity Office” for infor-mation on retiree subjects, includingpast copies of “Retiree Corner.”

Retiree Corner

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

As I look out the window by mydesk, the latest snow heaps are melt-ing slowly into standing puddles ofmud. I hesitate to check the weatherforecast, because, honestly, if we’regetting any more snow this seasonI don’t think I want to know aboutit beforehand. I’d rather live in mylittle bubble of denial for as long asI can. Yesterday was the first dayof spring, after a winter that hasseemed determined to drag on for-ever. On an official sort of level, atleast, we have turned the corner andsummer is on its way.My friends and I are about evenly

divided, these days, between people

like me who have started to wearsandals to get the mail or take outthe trash, even at the risk of frost-bite, and realists: The people whojust gut up and put another pot ofchili on the stove. I applaud theirstalwart determination to not bebothered by another week of cold,windy, unpromising weather. Andthen I go out for another bag of pot-ting soil, or a stack of gardeningbooks, or an ice cream cone.You can eat ice cream cones this

week and they won’t melt all overyour hand, no matter how slowly youlick. So, well, we have that going forus, or at least we do if we’re not over-ly concerned about the next round ofphysical fitness assessments. And,although my hummingbird feeder

has yet to have a single visitor, I of-ten hear birdsong mixed in with theroad noise, basketballs bouncing onthe pavement and motorcycles rev-ving in the distance.When human events like the up-

heaval in Eastern Europe and the asof yet unexplained disappearance ofa Malaysian passenger plane seem topile on to the harsh, unpleasant andwintry feeling of the world, it is goodto be reminded that the world keepsturning. Winter comes to an end,sooner or later. The flowers bloom,the skies clear, the days grow longerand, for a while at least, we can allenjoy the beauty of spring.Nothing lasts forever. Not even

this winter.Spring has sprung, andsoon all things will be made new.

CommentaryIt is spring. Really.

1036399B

01041286B

3Friday, March 21, 2014 Andrews Gazette

different than my contemporaries.”Her father passed away 28 years ago.

Her mother, Rachael Munroe, now 75 yearsold, lives with Grampp and volunteers atFisher House almost every day.“Rachel has always had a strong work

ethic, raising five children as a workingmilitary wife, while moving around theworld,” said Grampp. “She kept a cleanhouse, kept us fed, worked at various jobsin the locations where we lived and took usto church on Sundays. She was, and still isa dynamo.”There is no doubt Grampp makes a dif-

ference. The traits inherited by her parentsmake doing her job come as second nature.While most people keep their jobs separatefrom their personal lives, for her, there isno separation when it comes to the busi-ness of caring for others.“Who she is personally is who she is pro-

fessionally,” said Master Sgt. Chris Sweet,11th Force Support Squadron Military andFamily Support Center non-commissionedofficer in charge.Sweet and Grampp met in September

2008 when he and his three children ar-rived from Germany following his wife,Jessica, who was Medevac’d to Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center.“Janet welcomed us with open arms into

the Fisher House family, and in turn, shebecame a part of our family,” said Sweet.“She has the ability to make you feel likeyou are the only guest.”The Sweets stayed for three months,

along with Chris’s parents, while Jessicareceived cancer treatment, and then movedout to buy a home of their own for Christ-mas. She died February 2009.“Our family was shattered and Janet

was still right there,” he said. “She brought

over enough food to feed an army and hugsfor everyone.”Grampp has been a great influence to

many.“She is like a godmother to me and

without her even knowing, she became mymentor, my role model, the person I went tobounce ideas off of,” said Sweet.Her family has had its share of tragedy.While caring for her extended families,

she has been the primary caregiver for themajority of her life with her family - rais-ing her four children, caring for her in-lawsand her parents.“My mother-in-law suffered from Al-

zheimer’s and my husband and I had herwith us for several years,” she said. Shetook care of her mother during a five-yearbattle with cancer.Being on the receiving end of care gave

her a profound appreciation for the peoplewho helped take care of her mother-in-lawin hospice.This journey at the Fisher House and

facing so much loss would be very emo-tionally challenging for any caregiver,and there have been days she cried onher way home from work. But it has alsobeen a gift.“I get more than I give,” she said.

Grampp feels blessed to be in the positionto help others and it gives her the enthusi-asm to do what she does every day. Helpingothers is gratifying, but the families shehelps are what truly inspire her.To maintain a healthy balance, giving

and receiving are like the tide’s ebb andflow.“I find humor in my life, and it’s my sav-

ing grace,” said Grampp, a self-proclaimedbeach bum. “I find that walking on thebeach is the best therapy for me.”This year marks Grampp’s 20th anni-

versary as the heart that makes the An-drews Fisher House a home.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIMEE FUJIKAWA

Janet Grampp is the Fisher House manager at Joint Base Andrews, Md., serving militaryfamilies for the past 20 years. She is a third generation Airman and enlisted at the ageof 20 where she spent eight years as an Air Force air traffic controller.

HEART, from page 1

BY RENEE M. CARTERARMY & AIR FORCE EXCHANGESERVICE PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Military students can turn goodgrades into rewards with the Army &Air Force Exchange Service’s You Madethe Grade program. From first-graders tohigh school seniors, pupils who maintaina B average or higher are eligible for theprogram that recognizes academic excel-lence.The You Made the Grade program

rewards military students with a cou-pon booklet filled with free offers anddiscounts. Students with a B average orbetter can also enter the You Made theGrade semiannual sweepstakes to re-ceive gift cards worth $2,000, $1,500 or$500.“The Joint Base Andrews Exchange is

proud to reward military students whomake it their mission to do well in school,”said Joint Base Andrews Exchange Gen-eral Manager Tony Pares.

“Military men and women’s childrenface unique challenges inside and out-side the classroom,” he said, noting Mili-taryFamily.org reports that most militarychildren will attend nine different schoolsfrom kindergarten through 12th grade.“The Joint Base Andrews Exchange rec-ognizes these students’ challenges, andthey deserve to be rewarded.”Students, including those who are

home schooled, can receive a You Madethe Grade coupon booklet by presentinga valid military I.D. and proof of an over-all B average at the Joint Base AndrewsExchange’s customer service department.Eligible students can pick up one couponbooklet for each qualifying report card.Entries for the gift card sweepstakes

drawing can be submitted twice a year,with drawings typically held in June andDecember.Students and guardians can visit the

Joint Base Andrews Exchange for moreinformation about the You Made theGrade program.

Joint Base Andrews Exchange rewardsstudents with You Made the Grade program

11TH FSS MEMBERS PROVIDE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORT DUR-

ING LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS NESHA HUMES

From left, 11th Force Support Squadron members Ramune Gelzinyte-Branch, Presi-dental Inn Lead Guest Service Representative,; Kathy Murphy, JBA Club CateringManager; Tommy Henderson, The Club General Manager and Richard Eckhart, TheClub Operations Manager are the Joint Base Andrews Warriors of the Week. Thefour were recognized for their outstanding support during the Senior Leader Orienta-tion Conference, which was held recently at the Smart building here. More than 100general officers attended the event, and the 11th FSS received accolades for theirpresidential-level service, epitomizing the 11th Wing vision of vigilant and precise Air-men making a global impact.

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4 Friday, March 21, 2014Andrews Gazette

BY CHIEF MASSCOMMUNICATION

SPECIALISTJULIANNE METZGERCNO PUBLIC AFFAIRS

In a one-on-one inter-view last week and duringa March 18 all hands call inMayport, Fla. Chief of Na-val Operations Adm. Jona-than Greenert assertedthat changes to the militaryretirement system are farfrom taking effect and thatthere is no plan in place tochange it.Greenert made it clear at

the all hands call and in arecent “Conversation with aShipmate” interview, “If youwear the uniform today, to-day’s retirement system isyour retirement system.”Pushing back on recent

retirement articles, Green-ert told Sailors in Mayport,“There is no plan today tochange retirement.”Greenert said the ru-

mors of retirement changesstem from the Departmentof Defense recommenda-tions to the Military Com-pensation and RetirementModernization Commissionreviewing military retire-ment for Congress.

The President estab-lished the commission toconduct a review of militarycompensation and retire-ment systems. The commis-sion must submit a reportof its findings, along withits member’s recommenda-tions, to the president andCongress by May 1, 2014.“Any retirement change

that would take place isquite a ways down theroad,” said Greenert.When asked about the

possibility of a new retire-ment system, Greenertsaid “It’s going to be a fewyears before we get one puttogether, studied, voted onand implemented.”An overhaul to military

retirement is being consid-ered to ensure fiscal sus-tainability for the ArmedForces as well as ensurequality of life for servicemembers who choose tomake the military a career.Greenert said if there

are changes, service mem-bers will have the option totransition to a new systembut will still have the op-tion to stay in the currentretirement system underwhich they signed up.

CNO Says: ‘No Plan’to Change Retirement

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS ADAM HEN-DERSON

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert andMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevensspeak with Sailors during an all hands call held March 18aboard Naval Station Mayport.

here Tuesday through Friday, fromnine to 11 a.m. since 1984. We arehis family and we love him like afather and grandfather.”Four members from Jenkins’

church choir sing a gospel song inhis honor.Jenkins was born March 13,

1916 in South Carolina. Jenkins’aunt adopted him when he was twoyears old and raised him in Lake-land, Fla. After graduating fromWashington Park High School, Jen-kins worked for various companiesincluding, Greyhound, Hechinger,and Amtrak before working for thegovernment as a file clerk.In 1942, Jenkins was drafted in-

to the Navy and served as a Stew-ard/cook for several Navy admirals,where he later met and befriendedPetty Officer 3rd Class Dorie Miller,a noted war hero, who received theNavy Cross for his bravery duringthe Dec. 7, 1941 attack on PearlHarbor.Later in his military career,

while stationed in Massachusettshe served as one of the Navy’s firstblack recruiters. Additionally, hetook classes in public speaking andstudied journalism at Harvard Uni-versity.On Oct. 12, 1963, Mr. Jenkins

retired as a chief petty officer andmoved back to Florida. During his

retirement, Jenkins did some trav-eling and consequently decided tomove back to the Washington, D.C.area.Jenkins, well known by his co-

workers and resident communi-ty, is featured in a book entitled,“The Messman Chronicles: Afri-can-Americans in the U.S. Navy,1932-1943.” The book is the firstto address the contributions of thethousands of unheralded Sailors ofAfrican descent who served as Na-vy mess attendants, officer’s cooks,and stewards from the early 1930sand won respect in frontline combatwhen the war began.Jenkins also attends the Guild-

field Baptist church in NortheastWashington, D.C., where he was atreasurer for 26 years and he stillsings on the men’s choir.During the gathering Jenkins

noted some of his hobbies are trav-eling, eating, and sleeping while let-ting the TV watch him. When askedabout his diet, Jenkins attributeshis good health to eating plenty offruits and vegetables. “And I don’teat red meat or pork,” said Jenkins.He also attributes good health tohis job as a part-time bagger at theJoint Base Andrews Commissary.“I do it because it’s good exercise,”

said the spry nonagenarian, whostill drives to work.Jenkins has lived to reach an

age that many only dream of. Whenasked about the secret to his lon-gevity, he quickly noted, “One of thereasons why I’ve lived so long is be-cause I didn’t have anyone to arguewith anyone.”

BAGGER, from page 1

Robert Jenkins displays a plaquefrom the Defense CommissaryAgency recognizing his 98th birth-day and dedicated 30 years ofservice to the Joint Base AndrewsCommissary.

PHOTOS BY ALEX COLLINS

Robert Jenkins bags groceries for a Commissary patron during his part-time job of 30 years at the Joint Base Andrews Commissary.

Chief Master Sgt. William Sanders,11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews com-mand chief, congratulates RobertJenkins for his 30 years of serviceto the Joint Base Andrews Commis-sary during his 98th birthday cel-ebration March 13.

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5Friday, March 21, 2014 Andrews Gazette

Lt. Col. Virgil L. Scott regretfully announces thedeath of Master Sgt. Serena Veirimaa. Anyone havingclaims against or indebtedness to the estate of MasterSgt. Serena Vierimaa, contact Lt. Col. Virgil L. Scott,Summary Court Officer, at 703-681-5597.

Death notice

BY JASON ALDERMAN

Good news for peopleshopping for a mortgage– and for current home-owners facing foreclosurebecause they can no lon-ger afford their home loan:New mortgage regulationsdrafted by the ConsumerFinancial Protection Bu-reau recently took effectand they provide a slew ofnew rights and protectionsfor consumers.One of the cornerstones

of the new mortgage rulesis that lenders now are re-quired to evaluate whetherborrowers can afford torepay a mortgage over thelong term – that is, afterthe initial teaser rate hasexpired. Otherwise, theloan won’t be consideredwhat’s now referred to as a“qualified mortgage.”Qualified mortgages are

designed to help protectconsumers from the kindsof risky loans that broughtthe housing market to itsknees back in 2008. But ob-taining that designation isalso important to lendersbecause it will help protectthem from lawsuits by bor-rowers who later prove un-able to pay off their loans.Under the new ability-to-

pay rules, lenders now mustassess – and document –multiple components of theborrower’s financial statebefore offering a mortgage,including the borrower’sincome, savings and otherassets, debt, employmentstatus and credit history,as well as other anticipatedmortgage-related costs.Qualified mortgages

must meet the followingguidelines:• The term can’t be lon-

ger than 30 years.• Interest-only, negative

amortization and balloon-payment loans aren’t al-lowed.• Loans over $100,000

can’t have upfront pointsand fees that exceed 3percent of the total loanamount.• If the loan has an ad-

justable interest rate, thelender must ensure thatthe borrower qualifies atthe fully indexed rate (thehighest rate to which itmight climb), not just theinitial teaser rate.• Generally, borrowers

must have a total monthlydebt-to-income ratio of 43percent or less.• Loans that are eligible

to be bought, guaranteedor insured by government

agencies like Fannie Mae,Freddie Mac and the Feder-al Housing Administrationare considered qualifiedmortgages until at least2021, even if they don’tmeet all QM requirements.Lenders may still issue

mortgages that aren’t qual-ified, provided they reason-ably believe borrowers canrepay – and have documen-tation to back up that as-sessment.New, tougher regulations

also apply to mortgage ser-vicers – the companies re-sponsible for collecting pay-ments and managing cus-tomer service for the loanowners. For example, theynow must:• Send borrowers clear

monthly statements thatshow how payments arebeing credited, including abreakdown of payments byprincipal, interest, fees andescrow.• Fix mistakes and re-

spond to borrower inquiriespromptly.• Credit payments on

the date received.• Provide early notice to

borrowers with adjustable-rate mortgages when theirrate is about to change.• Contact most borrow-

ers by the time they are 36

days late with their pay-ment.• Inform borrowers who

fall behind on mortgagepayments of all availablealternatives to foreclosure(e.g., payment deferment orloan modification).With limited exceptions,

mortgage servicers nowcannot: Initiate foreclo-sures until borrowers aremore than 120 days delin-quent (allowing time to ap-ply for a loan modificationor other alternative); startforeclosure proceedingswhile also working witha homeowner who has al-ready submitted a com-plete application for help;or hold a foreclosure saleuntil all other alternativeshave been considered.For more details on the

new mortgage rules, visitwww.consumerfinance.gov/mortgage.Bottom line: You should

never enter into a mortgage(or other loan) you can’t un-derstand or afford. But it’snice to know that stron-ger regulations are now inplace to help prevent anoth-er housing meltdown.

Jason Alderman directsVisa’s financial educationprograms.

New mortgage rules protectagainst risky home loans

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

Jenny La Sala did notgive much thought to thewartime love letters herparents had saved throughthe years, until Tom Bro-kaw took up the cause ofpreserving the stories ofthe World War II era in hisbook, “The Greatest Gener-ation.” La Sala shared someof her father’s letters withBrokaw, who asked to pub-lish several of them in hissecond book about the war.“I realized for the first

time, these were not just‘Dear Darling,’ and ‘Hello,Sweetheart.’ This was astory and I realized I hadto publish these stories andtell it,” La Sala said.She gathered more than

300 of her father’s letters,thinking she would publishthem as a family heirloomfor her children and grand-children. The letters spanDavid Clinton Tharp’s firstdays in boot camp in 1943through his service as a101st Airborne paratroop-er serving in Europe until1945, and were written tohis sweetheart back home,his future wife, Betty Lou.“The book took on legs

and I’m following it,” LaSala said.

After publishing “Comesa Soldier’s Whisper,” shelaunched a Facebook page toaccompany the book, whereshe shares WorldWar II sto-ries and collects war storiesfrom veterans of other warsand their families.“I hear from veterans

from all walks of life. I havemore than 10,000 followers.The Facebook page has al-lowed me to share storiesand the comments that Iget back are just so heart-felt and so rewarding; youcan see that the stories thatI post are reaching a lot ofpeople,” La Sala said.What started out as a

family project, and turnedinto a book and Facebookpage reaching generationsof veterans, has taken asurprising turn back to-ward home for La Sala, aswell. Divorced since 1987,La Sala showed the bookto her ex-husband, a Viet-nam veteran, who told herhe was surprised at howwell he could relate to hisformer father-in-law’s writ-ings from a previous war.“He told me his mother

had kept all his letters fromVietnam, and I said, ‘Howis it that I don’t know that?We were married 14 years.’These veterans, regardlessof war or generation, they

come back, they don’t talkabout it.”La Sala’s book and social

media outreach has led herto work on a second collec-tion of wartime letters. Hersequel to Comes a Soldier’sWhisper, including letterssent by service membersduring the conflicts in Ko-rea, Vietnam, Iraq and Af-ghanistan, is slated to bepublished in August.“I’m very pleased with

the way the manuscriptis unfolding. You’re see-ing that the wars change,but the Soldiers don’t,” LaSala said. “They have thesame hopes, fears, desires,wants and needs. The samethings they look forward towhen they come back home,if they come back home. Inever would have imaginedthis happening from pub-lishing my dad’s letters.”Many of the veterans

and family members con-tributing to the projectspeak of the difficult expe-riences they wrote aboutduring the war--and oth-ers they were not able toface until long after combatceased. For La Sala, thesestories of post-traumaticstress disorder are no sur-prise.“I lived with three im-

portant men in my life with

PTSD. My father camehome from war with a dif-ferent personality, eventhough I was not born untilyears later. My brother, ofcourse, I knew he did twotours. He came back angry,depressed. Nobody under-stood. He gave up in 2009.My ex-husband didn’t gethelp until 20 years afterour divorce,” La Sala said.“Sharing these stories ishealing my little family.And then I began to realizethere is something biggerhere. This has the potentialto heal other families whoare not talking.”“Comes A Soldier’s Whis-

per” is available at www.comesasoldierswhisper.com. A portion of the pro-

ceeds from the book’s salesgoes to support OperationFirst Response, an organi-

zation which serves wound-ed warriors and their fami-lies.

Comes a Soldier’s WhisperNewbook exploresWorldWar II through letters home

Comes a Soldier’s Whisper tells the story of World War IIthrough the letters of an American Soldier.

Jenny La Sala came toterms with her father’sexperiences in World War IIafter compiling his wartimeletters into a book.

6 Friday, March 21, 2014Andrews Gazette

The Security Forces Blotterkeeps members of the Joint BaseAndrews community informedand aware of the crimes and of-fenses that occur throughout thebase each week. If you have anyinformation that may help theSecurity Forces solve a crime orprevent a criminal act, pleasecontact BDOC (Base DefenseOperations Center) at 301-981-2001, CRIME STOP LINE at301-981-2677 (COPS), or theinvestigations section at 301-981-5656.

8:10 p.m., March 9: SecurityForces responded to the Presi-dential Inn for a larceny. Callerrelated they went to check on

their laundry and discoveredtheir clothes were missing.Approximately $400 worth ofclothing was taken. The 11 SFSInvestigation section took overthe investigation.

8:55 p.m., March 11: Anindividual was driving whileunder the influence of alcohol.Individual consented to submitto a breath test which resultedin a BAC of .18 grams of alco-hol per 210 liters of breath. Theindividual was charged accord-ingly.

1:03 p.m., March 13: A wit-ness reported he saw suspiciousactivity at Building #1713/Han-gar 5. Witness stated seeing anindividual throwing a package

over the flight line fence. Wit-ness also stated another indi-vidual was seen receiving thepackage on the opposite side ofthe fence. Security Forces re-sponded and made contact withboth individuals. Security Forc-es inspected the package whichheld an assortment of aircraftparts. Both individuals werebriefed on proper procedure fordelivering and accepting pack-ages.There were 14 citations is-

sued for distracted driving fromMarch 7 through March 13. Alldrivers were issued a base driv-ing revocation letter resultingin their driving privileges beingsuspended for seven days.

Security Forces Police Blotter

BY TERRI FEDONCZAK

It’s March, time for warmerweather and the portent of pa-rental doom—Spring Break. Howcan such a festive idea evoke somuch dread? Because we haveall heard the horror stories.I talked with one mom last

week who said, “When I thinkof Spring Break, my mind au-tomatically jumps to NataleeHolloway,” and she’s not alone.I live in an area that is knownfor Spring Break visitors, as weare near bars and beaches. Ev-ery year, at least one teen is hurtor killed by making really poorchoices. As parents, what can wedo to protect our kids? Here area couple of simple tips that willhelp calm the dread:Vote with your money for good

choices:My girls are forbidden from

going to raunchy Spring Breaksites, and I enforce that by notpaying for travel expenses tothose places. Even though mykids are adults, they are stillpoor college students lackingfunds to sponsor their own fes-tivities. I vote for safer alterna-tives with my dollars. If my kidswant to go to places you see onMTV, they will have to raise thefunds themselves. This elimi-nates most of the argumentsright off the bat. I make choicesbased upon our family value of

helping others; sometimes thatmeans helping others make goodchoices. By basing my decisionson our family values, I don’t haveto fight my kids; I just remainfirmly rooted in what’s right forour family.Approve roommates, especial-

ly if you pay for the room:Get cell numbers for all the

roommates. This may be tricky,but if they want to stay in aroom paid for by you, they willcomply with your rules. Talk tothe roommates to let them knowthat you care about all of them.Tell them to designate a driverand never leave a friend alone.There are really sketchy peopleout there who prey upon singlegirls. Make sure your kids aresurrounded by kids who have thesame values. This will nip mostproblems in the bud.If your kids pay for them-

selves, trust them:You have raised your kids to

act according to your family val-ues. Figure out what is impor-tant to your family and tell yourkids that you expect them touphold those values when theyare away. Remind them that ev-eryone has camera phones, andthose pictures will follow themforever. If they drink too much--forbidding it won’t stop it--theyneed to pick a buddy to watchout for them. I know what collegestudents are like; after all, I wasone back when dinosaurs roamed

the Earth.If your kids are still in high

school, don’t let them go on aSpring Break trip without achaperone you trust—period:If you are unsure whether the

chaperone seems trustworthy,err on the side of caution. Bettera mad kid than a damaged one.When plans are set, release

the outcome:Even if you have taken all

these precautions, some uncer-tainty may still remain. Takegood care of yourself to quietthe worry that inevitably ariseswhen your kids are outside yoursphere of influence. Set up emer-gency contingencies before yourkid leaves you. A quick text onceor twice a day will let you knowthat they are alive and well.There are no guarantees that

your child will be perfectly safeon Spring Break or any othertime. Some things are out of yourhands. But if you have raisedyour kid to be a good person withself-respect and respect for oth-ers, have faith that your yearsof effort will prevail and thatyour kid will make good choices.Eventually, we just have to letgo and have faith that our lovewill guide them even when theyaren’t with us.

Terri Fedonczak is the co-au-thor of “Field Guide to Plugged-In Parenting, Even If You WereRaised by Wolves.”

Spring Break tips for parent survival

BY BY CHIEF MASTER SGT.JENN PAGNARD

The 2014 National CherryBlossom Festival continuesthrough Sunday, April 13 withdozens of events throughoutmetropolitan Washington, D.C.Several concerts by two of theAir Force Band’s ensembles arescheduled during the 25-day cel-ebration for Washingtonians andvisitors alike to enjoy.On March 21 and 28, Max Im-

pact, the premier rock band ofthe U.S. Air Force, will perform20-minute concerts at the Smith-sonian’s National Air and SpaceMuseum’s “America by Air” pa-vilion. The Air Force Strings willpresent mini-concerts at thissame location on April 4. All ofthese performances will begin onthe hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.No tickets are needed for thesefree concerts.The Air Force Strings will also

perform a concert at the Smith-sonian’s Hirshhorn Museum at11:30 a.m. April 12. The per-formance will feature works of

Japanese American composers.The concert will be conducted byMajor Michael Willen. Accordingto the National Park Service, thecherry blossoms are scheduled topeak from April 8 to 12--just intime for this concert. This con-cert is free and no tickets areneeded.Willen is looking forward to

performing this unique reper-toire at such a poignant loca-tion. He said, “This festival hasbeen called ‘The Nation’s Great-est Springtime Celebration,’ andwe’re thrilled to be a part of it.With this concert, we look for-ward to emphasizing our nation’simportant partnership with Ja-pan at the amazing HirshhornMuseum.”This is the perfect opportunity

to see one of the most beautifulsights in the world--the cherryblossoms in full bloom in our na-tion’s capital and enjoy some freeconcerts at two wonderful loca-tions.

Smithsonian concertsto coincide withCherry Blossom Festival

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY MASTER SGT. TARA ISLAS

The Air Force Strings perform a holiday concert at the National Air& Space Museum. The Strings and Max Impact will perform severalconcerts there during this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.

BY BY MASTER SGT.ANDY AXELRADAIRMEN OF NOTE

The Airmen of Note is des-tined for a banner year in 2014with numerous jazz festival ap-pearances scheduled for thespring and summer months.We got the ball rolling early

with a Valentine’s weekend eventat the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festivalheld in Rockville, Md. The festi-val invites 12 high school bandsfrom the region including NorthCarolina, Virginia, Maryland,D.C., West Virginia, Delaware,Pennsylvania, New Jersey, NewYork and Connecticut to competein both large and small ensembleformats. This was a great oppor-tunity for the Note to perform foryoung aspiring jazz musiciansand industry heavies in our ownbackyard.On April 2, the band will re-

turn to Wyomissing, Pa. to per-form at the 24th Annual BerksJazz Festival. We’ll be show-cased in the Reading Ballroomat the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Our75-minute set starts at 6:45 p.m.We are excited to join forces

with world-renowned saxophon-ist Bob Mintzer to celebrate the“Count Basie Legacy” on April23. The concert will be held atthe Ronald Reagan Building be-ginning at 6 p.m. It is part of the10th Annual Big Band Jam inWashington, D.C.In May, the band heads south

to perform at the Jacksonvilleand Atlanta Jazz Festivals, per-forming on May 23 and May25, respectively. Additionally,Master Sgt. Tyler Kuebler willbe leading a Jazz EducationalWorkshop in conjunction withthe Atlanta Festival on May 24.

On our way through the Mid-west, we will be performing atthe 27th Annual Elkhart JazzFestival on June 22. Roundingout this trip, the band will swinginto the “Windy City” to cel-ebrate Independence Day withback-to-back performances, July3 and 4, at Chicago’s Navy Pier.

Last but not least, we close-outthe summer performing at theDetroit Jazz Festival.The band is very much look-

ing forward to getting back onthe road again and reconnectingwith all our dedicated fans atthese great festivals and venuesaround the country.

Airmen of Note announcesjazz festival appearances

U.S AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR MASTER SGT. BOB KAMHOLZ

The Airmen of Note perform for the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival inRockville, Md.

BY KATHLEEN CANFIELD779TH MEDICAL SUPPORT

SQUADRON

The 779th Medical GroupCommander, Col. Thomas Canti-lina, will host a Health Consum-er’s Advisory Council meeting2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27 inthe 4th floor conference room ofbuilding 1050, at Malcolm GrowMedical Clinics and SurgeryCenter.This forum is open to the

entire military community. Ac-tive duty, retirees and familymembers are welcome to attend,

learn about services and pro-grams and voice concerns orpositive feedback.Topics will include ongoing

construction of the new Ambula-tory Surgery Center and parkinggarage as well as what to expectover the next year, discuss Phar-macy and TRICARE programs,as well as process improvementinitiatives.Your input is vital, and will

enable us to make continuousimprovements to meet yourhealth care needs. For informa-tion call 240-857-8925.

Health Consumer’s AdvisoryCouncil to meet March 27

COURTESY DEPARTMENTOF DEFENSE

EDUCATION ACTIVITY

The Vice Chief of the NationalGuard Bureau, Air Force Lt. Gen.Joseph L. Lengyel, interactedwith Phillip Ramirez and AvalonRoche March 11 during the 52ndannual United States SenateYouth Program here.

Ramirez and Roche, pictured,are two Department of DefenseEducation Activity delegates se-lected to attend the event heldMarch 8-15.The DODEA students were

selected from among hundreds ofapplicants to attend the 52nd an-nual Washington Week programand each will receive a $5,000college scholarship.

NGB Vice Chief participates in2014 US Senate Youth Program

7Friday, March 21, 2014 Andrews Gazette

BY LUKE SCHATZLE

That’s right baseball fans, win-ter is over, which means baseballis back!! If you’re anything likeme, there are two seasons in yourlife: Winter and base-ball. I’ve been waitingsince the last out ofthe World Series inBoston for the sea-son to start again, soI won’t waste any ofyour time, either.For the next couple

of weeks, I’ll give youa preview of the divi-sions and my picksfor who wins each di-vision, along with the wild cardwinners. I’ll start with the Ameri-can League East, since this is thedivision that holds our currentWorld Series Champion BostonRed Sox.Boston made a few changes

this year starting with the de-cision to not offer a contract toJacoby Ellsbury, who takes hisspeed and injury-prone body tothe Bronx. Along with him, Bos-ton lost Stephen Drew, opting togive Xander Bogaerts his shot asstarting shortstop. Ryan Demp-ster decided to call it a career andJarrod Saltalamacchia took histalents to Miami. Some key ac-quisitions include the signing ofA.J. Pierzynski to replace Saltal-amacchia as well as the signing ofthe fragile Grady Sizemore just incase Bradley Jr. isn’t ready for thestarting gig in center field. Thecore team is still in place withBig Papi Ortiz, Pedroia, Lackey,Lester, Buchholz, Victorino, andNapoli. All in all, not a splashyoff-season for the World Serieschampions, but probably enoughto be a legitimate contender inthe A.L. East. My prediction: An-other playoff run after winningthe division.Moving on to the New York

Yankees, as predicted and statusquo for not making the playoffs,the Yanks did what they do best:Spend money at an alarming rateon aging veterans in the hopes

they can still perform at a highlevel. That rarely works and prob-ably won’t work this year either.Some key acquisitions for theYanks include Jacoby Ellsbury,Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann

and of course Japa-nese import Tana-ka. The Yanks arecounting on healthyreturns from MarkTeixeira and theircaptain, Derek Jeterand are happy topush Rodriquez outthe door for the entire2014 season due tohis suspension. Theyalso overspent on a

few veteran players to fill voidsand bench roles. All in all, a verysplashy off-season, but probablynot enough to right the ship. Myprediction: Another early off-sea-son after a disappointing and ex-pensive 83-win season.After a productive season in

2012 the Baltimore Orioles re-gressed a bit in 2013. The O’s hada relatively quiet off-season anddecided they needed only a fewkey elements for their team tocontend. They signed Nelson Cruzto help out on offense and UbaldoJiménez for their pitching staff.They lost a few utility playersand signed a few as well with nobig names there. The big questionfor Baltimore going into the sea-son is, when will Manny Machadobe healthy again? He is their fu-ture and one of the key playerswho make their team turn. TheO’s will get another productiveseason out of home run cham-pion Chris Davis, and probablyanother stellar defensive seasonout of Matt Wieters behind theplate. The question is whetherit’ll be enough to compete in theA.L. East. My prediction: A solid,80-win season, but not enough fora playoff spot.Unless you live in Toronto, you

probably didn’t hear anything theToronto Blue Jays did this winter,because they essentially stayedidle in the hopes their injuredplayers would return healthy

and the vets would return toform. Unfortunately, this won’tbe enough to compete in the A.L.East. The Jays are counting onan aging R.A. Dickey to duplicatehis one good pitching season thatwon him a Cy Young award, andhoping that Jose Bautista canstay healthy all year. The onlykey improvement I can see is thereplacement at the catching posi-tion, adding Dioner Navarro toreplace J.P. Arencibia. This isn’texactly a “win now” attitude, so,sorry, Jays’ fans, it’s going to belong season. My prediction: A be-low .500 winning percentage withno shot at a playoff spot.This brings me to the final

team in the A.L. East, the Tam-pa Bay Rays. If they gave out anaward for how to squeeze everypenny out of every player andbuild a contender each and everyyear, Tampa Bay wins it. The factthey can continue to contend yearin and year out with no moneyis a testament to how well thatteam is managed. I don’t seemany changes in that winningformula this year. The off-seasonfor the Rays was pretty muchstatus quo: Let expensive play-ers leave, spend very little, maketrades where they can, and com-pete. This off-season they spendmore than usual by agreeing toterms with James Loney at firstbase and didn’t trade David Priceas I expected. The pitching rota-tion of Moore, Price, Cobb, Archerand Hellickson will get it doneand Longoria and a full season ofWill Myers will be enough to keepthem in games. My prediction: A90-plus win season and one of theWild Card spots.Looking at the A.L. East as a

whole, not a big change at the topas both Boston and Tampa Baywill reach the playoffs again. Ilook forward to providing moreinsight as the season gets readyto start.

Luke Schatzle is an avid base-ball fan and former player fromlittle league through my youngeryears.

Talking BaseballBaseball is back!!

on procedural grounds. Ealey alsoaccused Wade of supporting theflag football team’s plans to starta youth program in the town be-cause of suspected participationin the adult team, which Wadesaid was not based in fact.“If as the mayor I’m wrong,

then I’m wrong, and the motionwon’t pass. Since I am the mayorand I’m conducting this meet-ing, the motion is passed,” Wadesaid, after asserting that he hadno connection with the adult flagfootball team other than a cordialrelationship with Franklin, andthat his actions on the motionwere not out of line with previouscouncil activity.“The hypocrisy and favoritism

shown by this council has gone onlong enough,” said Stacie Wade,wife of the mayor. “If MayorWade can’t vote on the flag foot-ball team on which he does notplay, because of a friendship withMr. Franklin, then Mrs. Mullinsshould be removed from the Rec-reation Committee because she ismarried to Council Member Mul-lins, and if Mrs. Foster runs fora council seat and wins then sheshould be taken off of the Recre-ation Committee, too.”Ealey suggested the motion

be reviewed by the town’s attor-ney to determine whether it waspassed legally. Upon review bythe town’s attorney, it was foundthat Wade’s action on the motionwas within legal bounds, but thatthe motion could not pass becausetoo few voting members partici-pated in the vote.“Everybody in town’s for it.

What we were told by Coun-cil Member Mullins is that theRecreation Committee will havenothing to do with us,” Franklin

said. “The youth want to do morethan just Breakfast with Santaand movie night. I don’t wantto bring up race--it’s 2014 andI don’t want to bring it up. ButMorningside is 25 percent white,75 percent black, and all the wom-en on the Recreation Committeeare older, white women. White,black, purple or green, middle-aged women can’t teach football.And the 75 percent of black youthin this town are not reading thetown newsletter to find out what’sgoing on.”Whitlow and Franklin said

that to participate in football,cheerleading and dance pro-grams, they require that youthalso give back to the communityby helping elderly neighbors withyard work and street cleaningand other community service. It’sa formula Franklin has seen suc-ceed with youth in the CapitolHeights neighborhoods where he

has coached in the past.“We were willing to give the

town of Morningside all the timewe have to work with kids. Ev-erybody on the (adult) team, ifthey don’t have kids, they’re kidsthemselves, 18, 19 years old. Wewelcome the community to comeout and support the adult team,and they do. But there is ap-prehension from the RecreationCommittee--you want to squasheverything that could help withthe kids that doesn’t involve you,”Franklin said.“We’ll still go forward with the

program,” said Franklin. “We justneed to find other sponsors.”The Morningside Monarchs

practice at Douglas PattersonPark each Sunday, and welcomenew participants, spectators andyouth interested in learning moreabout the upcoming youth orga-nization.

SPORTS, from page 1

PHOTO/CHIS BASHAM

From left, Morningside Chief of Police Amos Damron, Clerk TreasurerJanice B. Diggs, Council Member Lori Williams, Vice Mayor James O.Ealey, Mayor Kenneth “Chrys” Wade and Council Member Todd Mul-lins discuss raising the fine for speed violations from $60 per infrac-tion to $75 per infraction at the March 18, 2014 Town Meeting held inthe Morningside Municipal Building. Although Morningside’s citationsare less expensive than those in nearby jurisdictions, the councilvoted not to raise them because, as Vice Mayor Ealey said, “We don’tneed the money, and we shouldn’t raise fees just to be in line witheveryone else.”

BY AIR FORCE PUBLICAFFAIRS AGENCY

OPERATING LOCATION - P

Starting June 1, Airmen de-ployed to several locations willsee significant changes to payprograms.The biggest change includes

the discontinuation of immi-nent danger pay, or IDP, in mul-tiple countries.The DoD-wide announce-

ment impacts Airmen deployedto 15 countries.“The IDP recertification pro-

cess is an assessment that in-cludes input from combatantcommands, the joint staff andthe military services,” said Lt.Col. Kevin Naman, Air ForceCompensation and Travel Poli-cy Division. “The resulting dis-continuation of IDP at a certainlocation by no means diminish-es the hard work and sacrificesour Airmen make at these loca-tions daily.”Locations where IDP desig-

nation is discontinued include:- The six land areas and the

airspace above Bahrain, Ku-wait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ser-bia and Montenegro- The nine land areas of East

Timor, Haiti, Liberia, Oman,Rwanda, Tajikistan, United Ar-ab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan andUzbekistan- The water and air space

above the Persian GulfThe IDP changes will not

impact deployed members’ com-bat zone tax exclusion statusexcept for Airmen serving inKyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uz-bekistan. Personnel serving in

these locations will no longer beeligible for the CZTE, which in-cludes pay exclusion from grossincome and extension of mosttax action deadlines.Reductions in IDP will be

offset somewhat by increasesin Hardship Duty Location Pay(HDP-L). HDP-L monthly rateswill increase to $150 in EastTimor, Haiti, Liberia, Monte-negro, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia,Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistanand Uzbekistan. The HDP-Lrate for Airmen serving in Bah-rain will be established at $50.Members deployed to the

impacted locations cannot begrandfathered into the previouspay entitlements.“These adjustments are go-

ing to be effective on 1 June 14so the best way to prepare is toknow how your location will beimpacted,” said Naman.Airmen deployed in the fol-

lowing locations will see nochanges June 1, and will con-tinue to receive IDP:Afghanistan, Algeria, Azer-

baijan, Burundi, Chad, Colom-bia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Demo-cratic Republic of the Congo,Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethio-pia, Greece (Athens only), Indo-nesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan,Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya,Malaysia, Pakistan, Philip-pines, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ye-men, Mediterranean Sea andSomalia Basin.If Airmen have any ques-

tions about their pay, Namanencourages them to visit theirlocal financial services office.

Changes coming todeployed Airman pay

FROM SECRETARYOF THE NAVY PUBLIC

AFFAIRS

Secretary of the NavyRay Mabus released,March 18, 2014, the De-partment of the Navy’sinvestigation into thecircumstances surround-ing the tragic events ofSept. 16, 2013, at theWashington Navy Yard.The investigation

team, led by Adm. JohnRichardson, focused onthe prior military andemployment history ofthe shooter, Aaron Alex-is; the events of Sept.16; and post-incidentresponse. The team alsoassessed how well theDepartment of the Navyimplemented programsand policies designed to safe-guard people and protect mis-sion capabilities.Specific details of the shoot-

ing and Alexis’ possible motivesare the subject of the ongoingcriminal investigation and arenot part of this investigation.The investigation was con-

vened under the Manual of theJudge Advocate General, and is,therefore, commonly referred toas a “JAGMAN.”Mabus acknowledged accep-

tance of the JAGMAN investi-gation. A number of actions todeter insider threats and im-prove implementation of forceprotection, physical security,incident response and emergen-cy management policies havealready been taken. A compre-

hensive list of both completedand ongoing tasks is availableon the Navy FOIA website.The JAGMAN investigation,

the SECNAV memorandumaccepting the JAGMAN inves-tigation findings and recom-mendations and forwarding theJAGMAN investigation to theSecretary of Defense, and theSECNAV memorandum task-ing DoN components, are alsoavailable on the Navy FOIAwebsite.“Safeguarding our people re-

mains critical to our nationalsecurity,” said Mabus. “Throughall of the actions taken as a re-sult of the investigation, weseek to improve our ability toprotect our people, and reducethe likelihood that events likethis will happen again.”

SECNAV ReleasesWashington NavyYard Report

U.S. NAVY GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MASS COMMUNI-CATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS MARTIN L. CAREY

The Naval District Washington logomodified with the traditional blackband to honor the 12 victims of theSept. 16th shooting at the WashingtonNavy Yard building 197.

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MMiilliittaarryy SSppoouusseess::MMiilliittaarryy SSppoouusseess::Military Spouses:

WWEE WWAANNTT YYOOUUWWEE WWAANNTT YYOOUUWE WANT YOUComprint Military Publications is seeking interested militaryspouses in the Northern VA area to sell advertising into ourmilitary newspapers & websites. A great way to support yourfamily’s income while supporting your military community’spublications. Telecommuting is available for part of the week!Looking to share your understanding of military lifestyle with

local businesses who want to reach the bases/posts.

For more details please contact Publisher John Rives at:jrives@dcmilitary.com, and include your resume.

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8 Friday, March 21, 2014Andrews Gazette

CAPTION THIS

Send your silly captions for this week’s photo to cbasham@dcmilitary.com. The funniestones will be used in a future edition of The Andrews Gazette.

9Friday, March 21, 2014 Andrews Gazette

10 Friday, March 21, 2014Andrews Gazette