Message Center

Senator Arlen Specter, D-PA, has penned a post at The Hill Blog, saying:

Currently, soldiers who are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries abroad are charged interest on their federal student loans. This bill would prohibit interest from accruing on direct student loans, regardless of the date of origination, for all service members on active duty for up to 60 months. This would save the average service member between $1,183 and $1,479 over the course of a 12- to 15-month activation period.

Relief from federal student loan interest during deployment is a practical and important way to honor the men and women who serve our country. This bill will help service members and their families transition from active duty by lessening this undue financial burden, especially during this tough economic climate.

Read his entire piece on this important issue in The Hill Blog.

Department of Veterans Affairs wants to make sure you know how to get your VA GI Bill emergency check, if needed. Watch their PSA below for more details.

For more information on the new GI Bill, download MOAA’s PDF!

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation will dedicate the Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel among a crowd of hundreds of U.S. Marine Corps general officers at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on October 22, 2009 at 11a.m., in advance of the National Museum’s third birthday in November.

The nondenominational chapel will serve as a contemplative space where Marines and Americans can remember the service and sacrifices of those who have served the nation. Designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects, architects of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the chapel’s structure evokes images of improvised field chapels familiar to all combat Marines. The timber, glass and stone structure, standing within Semper Fidelis Memorial Park adjacent to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, includes an 8ft. tall etched glass, iconic image of a kneeling Marine in prayer and a reflecting pool.

Dedication keynote speakers include Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work, Marine Corps Commandant Gen James Conway, President and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation LtGen Ron Christmas, and Marine Captain and businessman, Timothy Day. Mr. and Mrs. Day, along with the Timothy Day Foundation, donated $5 million to construct the chapel. Ceremony components include a performance by the U.S. Marine Corps Band, a 21-gun salute, Navy bell ringing ceremony and official ribbon cutting.

WHAT: Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel Dedication

WHEN: October 22, 2009, 11a.m.

WHERE: The National Museum of the Marine Corps
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Triangle, VA 22172

The military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the longest military engagements since the Vietnam War and are the most severe test to date for the nation’s all-volunteer military force. More than 1.8 million people have been deployed since 2002, many of them more than once.

A study was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and conducted within the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies and the defense Intelligence community.

The study, “How Have Deployments During the War on Terrorism Affected Reenlistment,” is available at www.rand.org.

Launching aircraft from a full-size aircraft carrier still is being done much as it was in World War II — by steam. But that is about to change.

The U.S. Navy is building an Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) that will provide a smoother launch with more launch energy potential.

While steam catapults require large and heavy maintenance-intensive ancillary systems, such as oil and hydraulic systems, water to brake the catapult, pumps, control systems and motors, EMALS has a smaller footprint and does away with most of steam’s auxiliary systems.

“EMALS basically is an electric motor, and while most are circular, ours is a linear electric motor,” says Navy Capt. Randy Mahr, program officer for the Aircraft Launch & Recovery Equipment Program Office PMA251. “These are motors that have been used on people movers, electric trains, and in the theme park industry, but the chief difference is ours is bigger and will accelerate things faster.”

Mahr says because EMALS has fewer moving parts than a steam catapult — essentially the armature that holds the plane on track is the only part that moves — the system will deliver higher reliability and require less maintenance, which will reduce the number of sailors required by about 20.

The EMALS catapults will look the same as steam-powered ones, Mahr says, but EMALS provides constant acceleration down the length of the catapult, putting less stress on the airplane. EMALS also handles launches of lighter and unmanned aircraft more smoothly, he adds.

Because EMALS must deliver so much electricity to launch an aircraft, it will require 12 motor generators on board to power the carrier’s four catapults. The CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, under construction in Newport News , Va., expected to launch in 2015, will be the first ship to use EMALS.

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.

“The Way We Get By” has its national broadcast premiere on the POV (Point of View) series on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, at 9 p.m., in a special presentation on PBS. (Check local listings.) American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, POV is the recipient of a Special Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking. The series’ 22nd season concludes on Wednesday Dec. 30, with the special presentation “Patti Smith: Dream of Life”.

On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting more than 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. “The Way We Get By”, directed by Aron Gaudet and produced by Gita Pullapilly, is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Bill Knight, Jerry Mundy and Joan Gaudet find the strength to overcome their personal battles and transform their lives through service. This inspirational and surprising story shatters the stereotypes of today’s senior citizens as the greeters redefine the meaning of community.

Watch the trailer and learn more at http://www.pbs.org/pov/waywegetby/ and www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom

The U.S. military is supporting recovery operations in American Samoa and the Philippines.

The Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force named July 09 – Jul 10, Year of the Air Force Family. The Year of the Air Force Family will provide leadership at all levels a vehicle to communicate information and data to Airmen, family members, surrounding communities and DoD audiences on the variety and scope of programs offered by the Air Force. The Year of the Air Force Family will be used to highlight the many successful programs already in place and to inform Airman and their families of the development of new programs, unveiling them throughout the year.

Check out the site in support of Air Force families and see their listing of upcoming events, latest articles, and resources on education, housing and more!