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DID YOU KNOW?
May 2009 Delaware National Guard Retired Officers Association
Contact Brig Gen (DE Ret) Kennard Wiggins, Milheritage@aol.com, 410-398-0742
www.DNGROA.org
Calendar of Events
NGADE annual business meeting Wilmington 1800 1 May
DNG Plane Pull – New Castle Airport May 3, 2009
NCO/OCS Hall of Fame Ceremony - May 3, 2009
SFC Harry Grantland & SFC Deane Cressman Retirement - May 8, 2009
DAV Bus Trip to Washington, DC, May 9
Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation Meeting 12 May
49th Annual Kiwanis Armed Forces Day Luncheon - Wilmington 13 May
Delaware Military Museum Open House Fort duPont 1600 14 May
DNG Enlisted Association Annual Meeting - May 16, 2009
All Ranks Military Ball - Dover Downs 1700 16 May
City of Newark Memorial Day Parade May 17, 2009
USAWOA First State Chapter Golf Tournament - May 18, 2009
"A Day at the Blue Rocks" with DAV May 28, 2009
Memorial Day Ceremonies at the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Veterans Memorial
Cemetery in Bear May 30, 2009
DNGROA Annual Meeting and Picnic Saturday, June 6, 2009, at the Butterworth residence in
Crumpton, MD.
CW5 John Renzetti Retirement Dinner - June 7, 2009
ANG Retirees Annual Family Picnic Crumpton Fire Hall 25 July
NGAUS Conference - September 10-14, 2009
NGADE Meeting
The National Guard Association of Delaware cordially invites you to attend the
2009 NGADE Business Meeting Friday, 1 May at 1800 Join us for dinner at Timothy’s on the
Riverfront (930 Justison Street, Wilmington, DE)
Agenda Includes:
2009 Resolutions
NGADE Annual Reports
NGAUS Update
Elections
NGADE Awards
131st Annual Conference in Nashville
Positions to be elected*
President
Vice President - Army
Vice President - Air
Treasurer
Secretary
Rep at Large – Air
Company Grade Rep – Army
Delaware Military Museum Open House May 14
The Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation will host it’s second annual Open
House at the site of the Delaware Military Museum at Fort duPont on Thursday May 12 from 1600-
1900. Our invited keynote speaker is Governor Jack Markell, and our featured speaker will be
Nancy Lynch author of “Vietnam Mailbag”. Other invited guests include MG Vavala, officials from
Delaware City, and Dover AFB. Guest may enjoy refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, a tour of our
building, displays, and a modest gift shop with items for sale. Please RSVP to milheritage@aol.
com by May 6. Admission is free to museum members and $15 for non-members and guests.
All proceeds benefit the Museum fund.
The Delaware Military Museum is a keystone project of the Delaware Military Heritage and
Education Foundation, Inc.
The Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation collects and preserves material
evidence associated with Delaware related military units and individuals
of the uniformed services of the State and the United States, and interprets it so that coming
generations will understand the values of courage, loyalty and responsibility that inspire such
service. More information on the foundation can be found at www.MilitaryHeritage.org.
Retiree ID cards really do not expire
Some military retirees and others, including those who work in various offices on military
installations, believe that the "EXP DATE" on the back of a retiree identification card means the
card is no good after that date. That is not the case.
What that date reflects is when that individual is eligible for Medicare, and therefore eligible for
Tricare For Life medical coverage if enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. It has nothing to do with
the "EXPIRATION DATE" on the front of the ID card.
The "EXPIRATION DATE" on the front of the card determines when a person needs a new card. A
significant change is a person’s physical appearance, or a damaged ID card, also means a new
card may be necessary.
For the location of the nearest ID card issuing facility, visit http://www.dmdc.osd.
mil/rsl/owa/home. Officials suggest contacting the facility in advance to ensure hours of operation
and determine all the required documents needed for renewal.
Government-furnished headstones, markers, medallions
Several options are available to the survivors of eligible retirees for obtaining government-
furnished headstones, markers, medallions.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will furnish upon request, at no charge, a government
headstone or marker for the grave of any eligible deceased veteran in any cemetery around the
world. Headstones and markers are furnished to eligible spouses and family members of
veterans who are interred in a national, military post/base, or state veterans cemetery. For
veterans who have chosen columbaria inurnment, niche markers are also available.
A new public law affects already-marked graves. Public Law 110-157, signed Dec. 26, 2007,
allows the VA to furnish a government headstone or marker for the graves of eligible veterans
who died on or after Nov. 1, 1990, regardless of whether the grave is already marked with a
privately purchased headstone or marker. Under the previous law, when the grave was already
marked, only veterans who died on or after Sept. 11, 2001, were eligible.
This public law also gives VA authority to “furnish, upon request, a medallion or other device of a
design determined by the Secretary to signify the deceased’s status as a veteran, to be attached
to a headstone or marker furnished at private expense.” This benefit will be available in lieu of a
government-furnished headstone or marker, for veterans in privately marked graves who died on
or after Nov. 1, 1990.
VA officials currently estimate the medallion will be available in summer 2009. People interested
in the new medallion can visit the “New Headstone Device” Web page at http://www.cem.va.
gov/cem/hm/hmtype.asp for updated information regarding this new benefit.
Eligible veterans are entitled to either a government-furnished headstone or marker, or the new
device, but not both. People interested in submitting a claim for the new medallion can submit a
claim once a contract has been awarded for manufacturing the new product. Claim instructions
will be posted on the headstone device Web site. If, after seeing the final new medallion design,
people change their mind, they will still have the option to apply for a traditional government-
furnished headstone or marker.
There is no charge for the headstone or marker itself; however, arrangements for placing it in a
private cemetery are the applicant’s responsibility and all setting fees are at private expense,
according to VA officials.
There is no change in eligibility for veterans in unmarked graves. Regardless of the date of
death, VA will furnish, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker for the
unmarked grave of any eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world.
More information on government-furnished headstones and markers can be found on the http:
//www.cem.va.gov/
Burial in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery does not make prearrangements. However, upon the passing of the
veteran or veteran's spouse, the surviving spouse or personal representative should contact a
local funeral home to arrange for any desired services in their home town. While the surviving
spouse or personal representative is at the funeral home, the funeral director should telephone
the Interment Office at Arlington National Cemetery (703) 607-8585 to arrange for the interment
service.
Before scheduling the service, the cemetery staff will need to determine the eligibility of the
deceased. Upon verification of eligibility, they will schedule the interment. You can assist in the
process ahead of time by making sure you have the proper documentation and your survivor(s)
know where to locate that information. The key document required is your DD-214
(discharge/separation from the military). The DD-214 generally provides all required information
for verifying eligibility. The Web site www.arlingtoncemetery.org contains detailed information on
the documentation required for verification of eligibility.
Funeral honors available to eligible retirees, (regardless of interment at Arlington) consist of a
minimum of two uniformed armed forces members (one from the service of the deceased), the
folding and presentation of the American flag, and ceremonial bugle or a recording of “Taps” if a
bugler is unavailable. It is important to understand military funeral honors are not automatic. The
next of kin must request the honors and the funeral director must contact DOD by calling (877)
645-4667. For information about Chaplain Services at the Cemetery, contact the following: Air
Force Chaplain (703) 607-8954; Navy Chaplain (703) 607-8960; Army Chaplain (703) 607-8959.
Funeral services are provided Mon thru Fri, except federal holidays, during the hours 9:00 a.m.
through 3:00 p.m. Family and friends should arrive at the cemetery approximately one half hour
prior to the scheduled service time and must provide their own transportation for funeral services
at the Cemetery. They will be required to drive from the administration building or chapel to the
gravesite. The cemetery is open year round (365 days) for visitation from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.
m. 1 OCT thru 31 MAR and 8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. 1 APR thru 30 SEP.
Starting early next year, the Army will allow full military funeral honors at Arlington for all soldiers
killed in action. Full military honors include a caisson, band, colors team and an escort platoon in
addition to the standard honors of a firing party, bugler and chaplain. In the past, the caisson was
available only for officers killed in action because of limited availability. The persons specified
below are eligible for ground burial in Arlington National Cemetery. The last period of active duty
of former members of the Armed Forces must have ended honorably. Interment may be casketed
or cremated remains.
• Any active duty member of the Armed Forces (except those members serving on active duty for
training only).
service with the Armed Forces.
• Any veteran who is retired from the Reserves is eligible upon reaching age 60 and drawing
retired pay; and who served a period of active duty (other than for training).
• Any former member of the Armed Forces separated honorably prior to 1 OCT 49 for medical
reasons and who was rated at 30% or greater disabled effective on the day of discharge.
• Any former member of the Armed Forces who has been awarded one of the following
decorations: Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross (Navy Cross or Air Force Cross);
Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; Purple Heart.
• The President of the United States or any former President of the United States.
• Any former member of the Armed Forces who served on active duty (other than for training) and
who held any of the following positions:
a. An elective office of the U.S. Government
b. Office of the Chief Justice of the United States or of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
of the United States.
c. An office listed, at the time the person held the position, in 5 USC 5312 or 5313 (Levels I and II
of the Executive Schedule).
d. The chief of a mission who was at any time during his/her tenure classified in Class I under the
provisions of Section 411, Act of 13 AUG 46, 60 Stat. 1002, as amended (22 USC 866) or as listed
in State Department memorandum dated 21 MAR 88.
• Any former prisoner of war who, while a prisoner of war, served honorably in the active military,
naval, or air service, whose last period of military, naval or air service terminated honorably and
who died on or after 30 NOV 93.
• The spouse, widow or widower, minor child, or permanently dependent child, and certain
unmarried adult children of any of the above eligible veterans.
• The surviving spouse, minor child, or permanently dependent child of any person already buried
in ANC.
• The parents of a minor child, or permanently dependent child whose remains, based on the
eligibility of a parent, are already buried in ANC.
• The widow or widower of:
a. A member of the Armed Forces who was lost or buried at sea or officially determined to be
missing in action.
b. A member of the Armed Forces who is interred in a US military cemetery overseas that is
maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
c. A member of the Armed Forces who is interred in Arlington National Cemetery as part of a
group burial.
Note: A spouse divorced from the primary eligible, or widowed and remarried, is not eligible for
interment.
Provided certain conditions are met, a former member of the Armed Forces may be buried in the
same grave with a close relative who is already buried and is the primary eligible. (MOAA News
Exchange, December 17, 08)
Death of a spouse affects Survivor Benefit Plan coverage
Remember your retirement party 25 years ago? Do you remember out-processing? Do you
remember the Survivor Benefit Plan briefing you received?
If a retiree can answer “yes” to at least one of the questions, it is most likely the question about
the party.
Many retirees do not remember specifics about SBP coverage. Unfortunately, the Air Force
Retiree Services office receives calls almost daily from retired Airmen whose spouse has just
passed away, and the SBP coverage needs to be suspended.
Air Force SBP counselors advise retirees to send a certified copy of their spouse’s death
certificate, along with a brief letter or completed DD Form 2656-6 (SBP Election Change
Certificate), to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Cleveland. The mailing address
is: DFAS, U.S. Military Retirement Pay, PO Box 7130 London, KY 40742-7130; or via fax to (800)
469-6559.
Premiums are suspended effective the first day of the month following the month the spouse
dies. SBP spouse coverage is not terminated when a spouse dies. Coverage is placed in a
suspended status pending a possible future marriage.
For retirees who later remarry, there are several options available. For more information, please
click here, or visit the SBP portion of the Air Force Retiree Web site at www.retirees.af.mil.
Editor’s note
Each year at this time, Retiree Services is inundated with calls from people who did not receive
their 1099R necessary to file their federal income tax returns. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything
we can do other than refer callers/e-mailers to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Much like the traditional December holidays, the mailing of your 1099R and annual Retiree
Account Statement – in the same envelope -- happens at the same time each year – about mid-
December.
Those of you with an active myPay online account are very fortunate. Your 1099R and RAS is
posted online earlier in December, and you will not receive these documents by mail.
Those of you without an active myPay account are not so fortunate. For you, it’s more of a
challenge. All you can do is hope that your address on record with DFAS is current and correct,
and pray that the envelope doesn’t get lost in the mail.
If you have computer access, it’s imperative you establish an online myPay account by visiting
https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx. Request a Personal Identification Number, or PIN, and use
the online account regularly – every few months -- so it doesn’t become dormant.
If you do not have computer access, it’s critical you establish a myPay phone account. Call toll
free (877) 363-3677 to request a PIN for a phone account. It takes about two weeks for the PIN to
be mailed.
We understand your urgency getting your 1099R, but we don’t have them nor do we have access
to them. We also understand your frustration in trying to get through to DFAS via telephone. If the
option menu doesn’t rattle your rivets, the wait on hold just might. Take a deep breath. Be
patient. Remember to breathe. This too will pass.
Don’t wait to set up an account. Do it now. Avoid the rush. You’ll be glad you did next December.
Tax rates change for retirees, annuitants
CLEVELAND (AFRNS) – Retirees and annuitants may see a change in the amount of money they
receive May 1 thanks to a new tax credit.
Public Law 111-05, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was signed into law
by President Obama on Feb. 17. This act authorized a tax credit for most workers including
recipients of retired and annuity pay, and will reduce federal withholding tax rates.
These new federal tax rates were in place April 1 for the retired and annuity pay due May 1. The
new tables can be found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/n1036.pdf. People wanting to adjust their
federal tax withholding after this tax credit takes effect must submit a new Form W-4P. This form
is available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4p.pdf.
Mail a completed Form W-4P to: U. S. Military Retired Pay, P.O. Box 7130, London, KY 40742-
7130; fax it to (800) 469-6559; or make the adjustment through an active myPay account online at
ypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx. (Courtesy of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service).
Dorgan to introduce retirement bill
The office of Sen. Brian Dorgan, D-N.D, has indicated he will be introducing a 2-for-1 retirement
bill consistent with our prioritized Joint Resolution #2: Relating to Amending Title 10, U.S.C. to
Reduce the Age a Reserve Component Member is Eligible to Receive Retirement Pay.
This bill would address the inequity of the present system and encourage longer service. It will
base the eligibility for receipt of retired pay on years of service, with the age to draw retirement pay
reduced by one year for every two years of service beyond 20 years, but not below age 55. If an
individual were to serve for 22 years, for example, that person would be eligible for retirement
benefits at age 59. NGAUS will closely follow the progress of the bill once it has been introduced.
Army may lose Joint Cargo Aircraft
An article in The Hill on April 21 reported that the Joint Cargo Aircraft C-27J program will no
longer be going to the Army. Also, the article claims that the "inner circle" of the Pentagon is
considering cutting the program in half and leaving the Air Force in charge of the remaining
planes. Instead of purchasing 78 or more C-27Js, the Pentagon could end up buying only 38, with
the fate of those aircraft unknown at this point. The Army National Guard was expecting to receive
C-27Js in 12 states. The Air Guard in six states anticipated receiving the aircraft.
The Pentagon "Roles and Missions" report concluded both the Army and Air Force should be
assigned the C-27J.
TRICARE changes advocated by DoD
According to Josh Rogin of the CQ staff, the Defense Department and Congress will begin
negotiations on the FY2010 defense authorizations and appropriations bills. The Pentagon will
be an advocate for increasing TRICARE fees and co-payments, which have not been increased
since 1995.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that the department will spend $47 billion in FY2010 on
health care, which is the fastest growing portion of the overall defense budget.
Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Armed Services Personnel Committee,
said, "In previous years, the main source of savings in the department proposals have been from
forcing a large number of beneficiaries out of TRICARE, which we believe is fundamentally
wrong."
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said, "I do not believe that raising the cost of health care on our military
families through fee and co-payment increases is the correct course of action. This would simply
place the burden of reform onto the men and women who protect this nation and their families."
No COLA for 2010?
The CPI rose 0.2% in March. Despite that gain, the CPI is still down 3.8% so far for this fiscal year.
Unless the CPI gains 4% or more over the next six months, there won't be any retired pay COLA
for 2010.
Guard Posture Statement Available
Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, released this week the "National
Guard Posture Statement 2010---America's Indispensable Force." This comprehensive
document outlines the present posture of the National Guard and the priorities that will be
pursued in the coming years to assure readiness. A copy can be found on the NGAUS Web site
www.ngaus.org by clicking on Defense Budgets.
Newsletters from each branch of service
Were you aware each branch of service has a newsletter available online? Below are the website
addresses for these newsletters: http://www.dfas.mil/rna-news/march2009/newsletters.html
Health care: The thing that ate the Pentagon
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, April 18, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ prescription for what ails the military health care system
includes replacing aging hospitals, and raising Tricare fees for working-age retirees, which
Congress has kept frozen since 1995.
“Health care is eating the [Defense] Department alive,” Gates told officers attending the Air War
College on Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., following a speech on the budget
there Wednesday.
The defense chief is visiting each service war college to explain in more depth plans for
“rebalancing” defense spending, starting with the fiscal 2010 budget request to be sent to
Congress soon. Goals are to take care of warriors and their families, enhance U.S. capabilities to
fight current wars, and reform weapons procurement, acquisition and contracting.
“I want to give you some more insight into the thinking and analysis behind my budget
recommendations and then give you a chance to ask questions and share your views,” Gates told
the officers.
One question came from a lieutenant colonel in the Louisiana Air National Guard who
complained that active duty health services were “worse” than those given “Medicaid recipients.”
He told Gates “Tricare does not even require professional board certification for its physicians.”
Two pediatricians in the Tricare network “serving the huge Maxwell-Gunter community,” for
example, were not board certified.
“It occurs to me that Tricare takes advantage of a community that is unwilling and unused to
complain,” the officer said. He asked Gates what initiatives might be in the works to make
“uniformed health care providers” the “norm” again or at least to raise standards for Tricare
providers that would be deemed acceptable for civilian government employees.
Gates conceded that reports he received on Tricare seem to run in “parallel universes.” In one,
Defense health officials present him with survey data showing “how well Tricare is doing and how
popular it is and how well it compares with private HMOs … And I leave the room feeling gratified.”
He gets a “very different story from every soldier, sailor, Marine and airman that I talk to” and from
military spouses, Gates said. Common complaints range from delays in getting appointments to
routine bureaucratic hassles to difficulties getting referred to medical specialists.
Meanwhile, Gates said, the department is to spend $47 billion in health care in 2010, costs that
are “eating the Department alive.”
The economic stimulus package passed in February includes money for new hospitals at Fort
Hood, Texas, and at Camp Pendleton, Calif. “But I also want the services to try and find the money
… to upgrade the hospitals at other posts,” Gates said, because more “world-class hospitals” on
base to will relieve pressure on the Tricare network of civilian physicians.
It also might persuade more retirees “to come back on post or base” if the care again is what
“people expect and want,” Gates added.
Many retirees likely would tell the secretary they’ve been denied access to base care and forced to
use Tricare.
“Another part of the problem,” Gates said, “is we cannot get any relief from the Congress in terms
of increasing either [Tricare] co-pays or the premiums. Tricare is now about a dozen years old.
There has not been a single premium increase allowed since the program was founded. What
medical plan in the nation has not had a single increase in the premium or co-pays in the last
dozen years?”
Gates said the department doesn’t seek fee increases for the active duty force or their families or
retiree beneficiaries old enough for Medicare.
The targeted, he said, are fees for younger retirees, “mostly working another job. And employers
will influence them to stay on Tricare because it saves the employer money.”
But the department also has learned a lesson, Gates said. For 2010, the defense health budget
will not assume again $1.2 billion in savings from Congress approving Tricare fee increases.
Bush administration budgets did so the last three years to force Congress either to approve
higher fees or to find ways to fill the funding hole. Those tactics only made lawmakers angry.
“You know, hit us over the head with a two-by-four three times, and we're beginning to get the
message,” Gates explained to Pentagon reporters last week. “We figure maybe we'll have a better
chance of having a serious dialogue with [Capitol] Hill if we go ahead and fund it and then begin
the conversation. So we'll keep our fingers crossed.”
Congressional staffers on key committees are divided on whether the Obama 2010 budget
request will call for any Tricare fee increases. With wars being fought on two fronts, some argue
the politics of such a move remain unacceptable. Others note that Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.,
and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chairman and ranking member on the military personnel
subcommittee, have said they could support modest Tricare fee increases for working age
retirees.
Even some retiree associations have said they wouldn’t protest some fee increases as long as
they didn’t exceed the annual percentage increase in retiree cost-of-living adjustments, and that
Defense officials first exhausted all other reasonable ways of curbing health care costs.
“Our main objection,” said a senior congressional staffer, “is that the department hasn’t done any
thoughtful analysis of what fees should be. They’ve just gone with that massive 10-years-worth of
inflation adjustment” to bring relative out-of-pocket costs for retirees back to 1995 levels quickly.
What also upset Congress was that most of the projected savings from fee increases were
based on assumptions that many thousands of younger retirees would stop using Tricare, or
would be discouraged from using their earned benefits and remain under civilian employer
health insurance.
Gates Unveils FY 2010 Budget
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made lawmakers and defense industry representatives sit up
and take notice this week when he unveiled key provisions in the Pentagon's budget for FY 2010.
He advocates cutting some weapons systems and restructuring other priorities. Here are the
highlights he outlined:
* Accelerate the purchase of F-35 fighters built by Lockheed Martin;
* Cut off production of Lockheed Martin's F-22 at 187, four more than the current number;
* Restructure missile defense programs;
* Cancel Lockheed Martin's VH-71 presidential helicopter;
* Cancel a $15 billion competition for new Air Force search-and-rescue helicopters;
* Slash the Army's $159 billion Future Combat Systems (FCS) by eliminating funds for
replacements for 72-ton tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles;
* Buy 31 more F/A-18 fighters built by Boeing;
* Cancel the $26 billion transformational satellite program;
* Increase the Special Operations force by 2,800 troops;
* Spend $2 billion more on intelligence and surveillance programs used heavily in Iraq and
Afghanistan;
* Add $500 million to increase the number of helicopter maintenance crews and pilots in
Afghanistan; and
* Spend $11 billion to pay for the increase in the size of the Army and Marine Corps
There will be more to come, as the details of the proposed defense budget are published in the
coming weeks.
U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., House Armed Services Committee chairman, called Gates' plan "a
good-faith effort." But he also asserted Congress' authority over how defense money is spent by
indicating that "the buck stops with Congress."
Heated debate regarding the changes proposed by Gates is sure to follow in both chambers of
Congress.
Construction at Army, Air readiness centers on track
Air Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
National Guard Bureau
Construction workers pour cement and attach exterior glass on an addition to the Air National
Guard Readiness Center April 16 during a warm spring day. The multi-million dollar expansion
project is about 40 percent complete and it will provide office space for the nearly 1,400 Air Guard
members that will work there by 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith)
(Released)
ARLINGTON, Va. (4/24/09) - Construction projects at the National Guard Bureau’s two readiness
centers will be completed by 2011 allowing the Guard’s joint staff to move out of a leased high-
rise here in Crystal City.
Jefferson Plaza 1 has been the bureau’s official location since August 1998. But the 2005 Base
Realignment and Closure law required NGB’s joint staff elements to move nearly 1,200
Guardmembers, federal workers and contractors.
The Air Guard Readiness Center’s expansion project at Andrews Air Force Base is in full swing.
The final batches of cement are being poured into the steel structure that connects the new
building to the older Conaway Hall.
The $52 million project is scheduled to be completed in less than a year.
Construction of the four-story complex, which began in November 2007, is proceeding on
schedule and on budget. “It’s about 40 percent complete,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Joseph
Lengyel, the center’s commander.
Planners said in less than 10 months office furniture will be carried in and occupants will get a
look at their new space.
The enormous crane that lifted the bulk of the building into place during the winter was
disassembled last week, giving the structure prominence over the base’s northeast tree line.
“That was a good sign of progress,” said Lengyel.
By September 2011, more than 1,400 Citizen-Airmen, federal workers and contractors will occupy
the campus.
As a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project, the readiness center will
be one of the Air Guard’s most sustainable, livable and energy-efficient buildings.
Lengyel said the Air Guard’s directorate offices in Arlington will join the existing directorates at
Andrews, allowing him to have all of his staff within walking distance.
“I can’t think of any single thing since I’ve been commander that has been more challenging for
the organization to work together [than] being in two separate locations,” he said. “This one single
event will do more to bring unity of effort toward any number of projects when we are all out here
as one organization.”
Lengyel and his Airmen support the Air Guard’s day-to-day operations of 88 flying units and 579
mission support units, their states’ governors and adjutants general. They also run a 24/7 Crisis
Action Team, which coordinates use of the Air Guard’s assets with state and federal agencies.
“It will soon be one-stop-shopping for the field, so they will be happy, too,” he said.
Ben Lawless, the chief of the engineering division in the Air Guard’s Installation and Mission
Support directorate, said the final push into the new space is being planned deliberately.
Pointing to an artist’s rendering of the finished expansion on his wall, he said, “We don’t want
people moving twice.”
“It’s more a campus program where we move those here into the new building, do renovations in
the old building and move people into that space.”
The project includes administrative offices, conference spaces and a cafeteria.
Built in 1985, the ANGRC’s Conaway Hall is named after retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John B.
Conaway, a former chief of the National Guard Bureau, who advocated for the readiness center.
“The vision we had a long time ago is coming true,” said Lawless.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Potomac, construction is just getting underway on an
expansion at the Army National Guard Readiness Center (ARNGRC).
Thousands of tons of dirt were dug out of the ground next to the existing ARNGRC to make a
foundation for a new building and parking garage.
The 15-acre complex is the location of the former Arlington Hall Station. It was rededicated in April
1993 at a cost of $38 million.
Prior to that, its staff members were located in the Pentagon and other office space throughout
the National Capital Region.
When completed, the current $98 million addition to the ARNGRC will provide 250,000 square
feet of office space for the National Guard Bureau and its joint staff of Citizen-Soldiers and -
Airmen, who will move out of JP-1.
“The design of the building and its proximity to the ARNGRC lends itself to the communicate,
coordinate and collaborate vision that General McKinley [chief of the National Guard Bureau] has
expressed for the National Guard,” said Army Maj. Gen. Peter Aylward, director of the Guard
Bureau’s Joint Staff.
“It also provides the force protection enhancements that we frankly do not get at JP-1,” he said.
Officials said the project is nearly 8 percent complete since the official groundbreaking just five
months ago.
“We started construction right about Thanksgiving time,” said Army Lt. Col. Rodney M. Graham,
program manager for the construction project.
He said workers are currently excavating and laying underground utilities.
Three floors of the addition and three levels of the parking garage will be underground, which
adds up to a lot of soil removal. “Thirty to 50 dump trucks carry dirt away from the job-site each
day,” Graham said.
The office space will focus on LEED standards, much like the ANGRC expansion, which includes
the use of natural and automatic lighting.
Sustainable, cost effective, energy conservation features will also be incorporated into the design.
Along with office space, it will feature an auditorium and conference and training rooms. The multi-
level garage will add several hundred parking spaces to the existing 640-vehicle garage.
The first moves into the new facility will begin the fall of 2010, said Graham. “We hope to build
exactly what they need so they can do their jobs.”
The Navy Invented Sex
A Marine and a sailor were sitting in a bar one day arguing over which was the superior service.
After a swig of beer the Marine says, 'Well, we had Iwo Jima.'
Arching his eyebrows, the sailor replies, 'We had the Battle of Midway.
'Not entirely true', responded the Marine. 'Some of those pilots were Marines, in fact, Henderson
Field on Guadalcanal was named after a Marine pilot killed at the Battle of Midway.'
The sailor responds, 'Point taken.'
The Marine then says, 'We Marines were born at Tunn Tavern!'
The sailor, nodding agreement, says, 'But we had John Paul Jones.'
The argument continued until the sailor comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion.
With a flourish of finality he says...... 'The Navy invented sex!'
The Marine replies, 'That is true, but it was the Marines who introduced it to women.'
Let us hear from you.
Your comments, contributions, complaints and praises are welcome. We’d like to know how we
can improve this newsletter. But we’d really like to know what our members are up to. If you have
a milestone to report we’d like to share it. Please contact us at : Milheritage@aol.com or call me
at (410) 398-0742. You can also write to me at 504 Blacksnake Road, Elkton MD 21921. Ken
Wiggins, Scribe
Delaware National Guard Retired Officers Association 306 Weiner Avenue,
Harrington Delaware 19952-1141
COL (Ret) James Testerman, President, jteste6847@aol.com
BG (Ret) Elliott Workman, Vice President MAJ (Ret) Roy Kemp,
Treasurer