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From 1942 to 1963, more than 40,000 enlisted servicemembers and warrant officers earned a commission through the U.S. Air Force Officer Candidate School (USAF OCS). The average candidate served five to six years and was motivated to make the Air Force a career, with a retention rate of 95 percent. A 1962 study of undergraduate pilot training showed OCS-trained officers maintained academic, flying, and military grades equal to Air Force Academy graduates and superior to those of aviation cadets or officers from officer training school and ROTC. However, the USAF OCS program was eliminated in 1963 due to the development of new programs to meet the needs of the U.S. Air Force.

Graduates now are working to preserve the memory of USAF OCS. Projects include:

• The establishment of the 63rd Officer Candidate Wing Association in 2005;
• Plans to place two benches engraved with the USAF OCS seal in the Memorial Park being created at Lackland AFB, Texas; and
• Plans to have USAF OCS displays in the Lackland History and Traditions Museum and the National Museum of the USAF at Wright-Patterson, AFB, Ohio.

Reunions in Washington, D.C., Wright-Patterson AFB, and San Antonio also are being organized for 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ending of USAF OCS.

For more information about any of the USAF OCS memorial projects and reunions, contact Tom Hansen at (253) 380-5261 or c130hans@msn.com, or visit www.usafocs1963.org.

Perhaps it’s karmic retribution for his on-screen tough guy persona, but James Gandolfini is a real softie when it comes to U.S. troops.

Gandolfini, who starred as gangster Tony Soprano in the HBO series The Sopranos, will be auctioning off 24 outfits from the long-running series, including the bathrobe he wore to fetch the morning newspaper in the opening credits of the show.

Proceeds from the June 25 pop culture auction at Christie’s will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit group that assists severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Estimates for the costumes start at $500, and are expected to haul in as much as $36,000 for the organization!

So let the bidding begin! Hey, it’s for a good cause.

You can read the full story on Yahoo! news.

Lowe’s announced today it will offer all active, reserve, honorably discharged, and retired military personnel and their immediate family members a 10 percent discount on in-store purchases made during the Memorial Day holiday. The discount is available May 22-26.

The discount is available on in-stock purchases up to $5,000. To qualify, individuals must present a valid military ID or other proof of service such as a VA card, VFW card, Veteran’s ID or discharge papers. Excluded from the discount are on-line sales, previous sales, special order items, installation and delivery fees, extended protection plans, gift cards, select Fisher & Paykel appliances, all Electrolux major kitchen appliances, and John Deere products.

In addition to offering military discounts throughout the year, Lowe’s has extended benefits for its employees serving in the military and offers employment opportunities to military personnel after their military service has ended.

The best preparation for a job fair begins several weeks before the event with researching the companies that are scheduled to attend. Researching your target companies enables you to better understand their career opportunities and prepares you to ask thoughtful questions. In addition to the positions posted on your target companies’ Web sites, there are a number of online sources from which you can gather information, including The Wall Street Journal, Barrons.com, CNBC.com, Aviation Week and Space Technology (for defense and aviation industry information), and the AFCEA Source Book (for details on information technology organizations).

In your research and preparation, don’t ignore smaller, less well-known companies. The majority of jobs in America are with companies with less than 500 employees, and smaller companies often offer employees a wider range of experience, greater access to senior-level employees, and more influence on the direction of the organization.

Next, consider how you will introduce yourself to recruiters. Often called the 30-second commercial, it’s designed to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most compelling strengths and achievements. Your 30-second commercial should express your employment goal; review your education, qualifications, and experience; and highlight how you have prepared for your career transition. Try to make it positive and upbeat, even if you are leaving your last employer because of a missed promotion. Your 30-second commercial should highlight your greatest strengths, avoid excuses, and emphasize your enthusiasm, adaptability, and loyalty.

Your résumé will be your calling card at the job fair. The résumé should not exceed two pages and do not attach a cover letter. Cover letters are used to introduce résumés that are forwarded via mail, e-mail, or by intermediaries. Bring twice as many résumés as there are companies participating in the job fair and consider preparing both a networking résumé — that is more generic — and a job-specific résumé — that is tailored to match the job requirements uncovered during your research. For additional ideas on networking résumés and job-specific résumés, visit www.moaa.org, click on Member Services, then Careers, and Career Fairs.

About the author: Jim Carman is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a retired Navy Captain. He writes and lectures on career transition topics.

“No! Don’t eat me!” appears to be the first sentence of my daughter’s book. She has titled chapter one “nightmare” and someone named Batty is frantically trying to wake Kiko up before he bites the big one (or someone bites him). It’s not clear to me. Apparently, my 9-year-old daughter has decided to follow in my career footsteps and officially launched her writing career. I gathered this because she left her document open on my computer, which she has been using without my knowledge up until now.

Clearly, based on the title of chapter one, she has a firm grip on the grown up world of work already. I had to ask her if she did indeed want to be a writer. She said yes and, of course, I was thrilled. As a mom, a career counselor, and a writer, I’m glad that she has an idea about what she wants to be when she grows up at this early age. Sensing a teachable moment at hand, I bravely asked her if she had thought about where she ultimately wanted to go to college. (Time, I’m often told by military spouses wiser than me, flies by too quickly). That’s when I saw the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes.

“College? Why do I have to go to college? I’m going to live here with you forever.”

Now, for years my husband wasn’t anywhere around, thanks to the U.S. Army. We were way behind the whole “raising a family” power curve, so this news flash that she wants to live with us forever just doesn’t bug. Not one bit. Unfortunately, I know the sad truth she hasn’t figured out yet. She won’t always feel that way. Until that time, I think I’ll just selfishly play long.

You can stay here forever, sweetheart. You can always go to college online.

However my six year old has different ideas. For some reason, she felt compelled to ask me a question about her own career path. “Do I have to be a soldier like Dad?” “No,” I explained. “You can be anything you want to be.”

She smiled her characteristic evil smile that convinces me the world will never quite be ready for her. Whatever she does, I just hope it’s legal.

— Janet Farley is the author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2008) and writes the career advice column JobTalk for the Stars and Stripes newspapers.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) will hold a Patriot Family Salutes the “Military Spouse” Calendar contest from May 11–July 28. Entrants are invited to write an essay of 300 words or less explaining what the nominee has done to support the military community during a deployment. Nominees must be authorized AAFES shoppers.

The 12 winners will receive a $500 AAFES shopping spree and have their essays published, along with their photos, in a “Military Spouse” calendar that will be available at all AAFES BXs/PXs in early November.

A complete description of the “Military Spouse” contest rules can be found online at AAFES.com. The contest is open to all authorized exchange shoppers. Entries must be postmarked or e-mailed to Patriot Family at aafes.com no later than July 28, 2008. No purchase is necessary to win.

On August 8, 2008, the seven MOAA chapters in Area Two of the California Council of Chapters (Cal-MOAA) will hold their first ever joint meeting on the historic USS Hornet, now a museum, and national historic landmark, moored at Alameda, California. The Hornet, first commissioned in 1943, is a veteran of 16 months combat in the Pacific in WW II and was the lead ship on the recovery of the Apollo 11 and 12 space capsules.

The purpose of the event is to take advantage of the great backdrop provided by the Hornet and bring together the several hundred members of the seven chapters in the San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay areas to exchange ideas and attract new members.

The featured speaker will be Christopher Michel, founder of Military.com, a former naval aviator and current MOAA member. The joint meeting will include a catered lunch aboard the Hornet and a tour of the many exhibits on the ship.

MOAA Day on the Hornet is open to all MOAA members and all current, former and retired officers, military survivors and their families. For more information or reservations visit www.cal-moaa.org.

Throughout May, which is Military Appreciation Month, America Supports You (ASY) supporters from coast to coast are planning and participating in special activities to recognize, honor, and show their gratitude for our nation’s servicemembers.

U.S. Armed Forces are being recognized in a variety of ways, on land and at sea. Service members aboard the USS Kearsarge will receive special guests and a notable performance as they sail from Norfolk, Va., to New York City for Fleet Week 2008; Operation Goody Bag, made up of middle school children, will perform their signature “Salute to the Troops” show, onboard the ship. Festivities also will be taking place on the USS Hornet, moored in Alameda, Calif., as part of TroopFest 2008, when Operation: Care and Comfort holds a festival and benefit concert to raise funds to send care packages to service members overseas. Members of the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco Giants, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the San Jose SaberCats will participate in TroopFest to show their support.

At Andrews Air Force Base, Md., members of the Armed Forces and nearly 50 ASY homefront groups will take part in the aerial attractions of the three-day Joint Services Open House, featuring the Thunderbirds and other military and civilian air and ground demonstrations. In addition, Gary Sinise and the Lieutenant Dan Band will perform a special concert at the Pentagon for military members and more than 50 America Supports You homefront groups.

As the title sponsor for the 2008 Brooks and Dunn Concert Tour series, ASY supporter Toyota will provide 400 complimentary tickets to servicemembers and spouses of the deployed for Brooks and Dunn’s May performances at Virginia Beach, Va., and the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif.

Sending support overseas, ASY groups, Tee It Up for The Troops, and For Our Soldiers have arranged a shipment of golf clubs, more than 20,000 golf balls, and supplies to set up a 250-yard driving range in Kuwait for servicemembers to enjoy during their downtime. Also, Stars for Stripes is bringing celebrity actor, director, and writer D.B. Sweeney to Southwest Asia to screen his movie “Two Tickets to Paradise” for troops deployed there.

To view the ASY Calendar of Support, visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.

The U.S. Navy’s new multi-mission helicopter, the MH-60R, will be equipped with FLASH (Folding Lightweight Active Sonar for Helicopters) sonar operating at a higher power and lower frequency than current dipping sonar.

Thales Underwater Systems and Raytheon Corp. works with DRS Sonar Systems in Gaithersburg, Md., to supply the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar (ALFS) system, which will serve as the chopper’s primary anti-submarine sensor system.

Phil Jones, vice president of operations for DRS, says the new sonar has four times the coverage of current sonar and can be used in both active and passive modes.

“The ALFS provides superior initial target acquisition and then reacquisition,” Jones says. “[The crew] can dip the system, transmit, locate a target, reel in the system, go to where they detected the potential target, and then reacquire it very quickly.”

The sonar is lowered and raised by a winching system using up to 2,500 feet of cable and includes underwater communication and environmental data collection capabilities, active and passive sonobuoys, and enhanced shallow water capability.

Jones says the low frequency active system of the ALFS specially is tuned to operate while in the littoral.

“It works very well in shallow water where reverberation is a problem and overcomes many of the difficulties you have in the littoral with similar sonars,” he says.

Jones expects that in the next two to three years 65 to 70 percent of the system will be manufactured by DRS in the U.S., instead of France, the site of current manufacture.

“The benefits are to protect the U.S. Navy from exchange rate problems and to make the product more economically, as well as supporting it in the country with on-shoring of jobs.”

Adm. Robert G. Sprigg, USN-Ret., vice president of Thales naval activities in the U.S., says the program started more than a year ago and forms “a starting point for a number of underwater technology areas, including submarine thin flank arrays and other towed array technologies.”

About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz., freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He’s also the author of the historical mystery, Full Moon (JoNa Books, 2005).