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What: First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony of the Distinguished Sailors 44-cent Commemorative First-Class stamps. The event is free and open to the public.

When: 10:30 a.m., Thurs., Feb. 4, 2010

Where: The Arleigh and Roberta Burke Theater
United States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004-2608

Who: Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Juan M. Garcia, III
Vice Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, III, Director, Navy Staff
Retired Rear Admiral Edward K. Walker Jr., Supply Corps. USN, President U.S. Navy Memorial
Postmaster General John E. Potter

Relatives of some of the sailors will be available for advance phone interviews and be on-site at the event.
Background: The stamps commemorate four Sailors who served with bravery and distinction during the 20th century: William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy and Doris Miller.

Commander of U.S. naval forces in European waters during World War I, William S. Sims (1858-1936) was an outspoken reformer and innovator who helped shape the Navy into a modern fighting force.

After serving as one of the top destroyer squadron commanders of World War II, Arleigh A. Burke (1901-1996) had an equally distinguished postwar career in which he played a major role in modernizing the Navy and guiding its response to the Cold War.

Described by a shipmate as “like a bull” who couldn’t be stopped, John McCloy (1876-1945) holds the distinction of being one of the few men in the nation’s history to earn two Medals of Honor for separate acts of heroism.

The first Black American hero of World War II, Doris Miller (1919-1943) became an inspiration to generations of Americans for his actions at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was later awarded the Navy Cross. (Actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., portrayed Miller in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor.)

Carter Floor Remarks:

Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. As the author of the identical companion bill, H.R. 1182, and the Representative to Fort Hood, Texas, I rise in very strong support of the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act. First, allow me to thank everyone who has worked for the last few years to bring us to this point to include Senators Burr and Feinstein for taking up this cause and shepherding this past-due reform through the Senate. I would also like to thank Chairman Filner for supporting our military spouses and requesting the bill be taken up today. We greatly appreciate all the V.S.O.s who lent their support including the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force Sergeants Associations, AMVETS, the VFW and the Military Spouse Business Association. Above all, I would like to thank all the military spouses who encouraged their Representatives and Senators to support this bill. Finally, I would like to extend a very special thanks to Rebecca Poynter and Joanna Williamson, the two entrepreneurial spouses who brought us this issue and devoted so much of their own time toward its passage.

This small measure will provide invaluable relief to numerous military spouses who regularly uproot their entire lives to accommodate the needs of our Armed Forces.

The Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act provides basic civil relief to our men and women in the Armed Services in exchange for their voluntary service. These range from relief from adjudication while deployed in combat to maintaining a single state of domicile regardless of where their military orders may send them. This state of domicile provides an important stability for our soldiers, airmen, and marines. Though their orders may send them to numerous states, they are able to simplify their state income tax requirements, maintain property titles, and continue to vote for the elected officials from their hometown. Without the SCRA protections, the service member would have to deal with all of those every time they move to a military installation located in a different state.

This bill would amend the SCRA to allow a military spouse to claim the same state of domicile as the service member for the purposes of state income and property taxes as well as voter registration. Spouses could elect to stand united with their spouse – not only in support of our country – but sharing the same state as a home base. This reform would prevent a military family from suddenly losing up to 10 percent of their income if they are called upon to relocate to a different state. This is a significant loss of income that occurs as a direct result of government orders.

S. 475 would also provide the impetus for military spouses to put their names on deeds and titles, which would build and strengthen their own credit and further ensure legal protection.

But their spouses must still deal with those stresses even while faced with the challenge of moving, finding schools for child

With Veterans Day coming next week, I ask that all of us not only remember our service members current and past, but take a moment to remember all the military spouses who have sacrificed for and supported our soldiers. Keeping that in mind, I ask my colleagues to grant this invaluable relief to our military families and support the passage of the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act.

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

“When are you going to get me my ID card?”

The questions started three years before she could even have one. Unimpressed by DoD regulations requiring her to be at least 10 years old, she continued nagging us about it for a long, long time.

Of course, it didn’t help when her best friends turned 10 and obtained the coveted card before she did. Indeed, that only upped the stakes as far as the card-less one was concerned.

“When are you going to get me my ID card? All my friends have theirs already.”

We reminded her that she was only nine and despite her identity crisis, it just wasn’t going to happen until she reached the big 1-0.

Her birthday finally arrived and somehow we successfully dodged the proverbial bullet. In fact, we became quite good at it.

There always was a plausible excuse.

Dad is TDY at a conference. Mom has a PTA meeting. Your sister is sick. It looks like rain. Don’t you have homework to do? Maybe tomorrow, honey…

Another card-less month passed by and yet another. She would be eleven in two short months and the excuses were getting harder to manufacture by the day.

There weren’t any more conferences to attend. The PTA meeting was long since over. Her sister was feeling much better. The sun was shining, and no, she didn’t have any more homework to do. Sadly, it would seem that tomorrow had arrived despite her parents’ greatest efforts to keep it at bay.

“It’s a conspiracy! You guys just don’t want me to grow up, that’s what it is!”

Busted by the brat.

Ten months, six days, seven hours and fourteen minutes after she was eligible, we caved and finally took her to get an ID card. To her horror and our consolation, we documented the occasion, step-by-step, using my cell phone’s camera.

Afterwards, on a trip to the PX to buy her a new wallet for her new ID card, I learned that we weren’t the only excuse-making parents out there as I overheard one mom loudly whisper to another, “I just don’t know how much longer I can get away with not getting her that ID card!”

About the Author: Janet Farley is author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2007) and The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, 2004). Visit her Web site at www.janetfarley.com.

Those who can, do.
Those who can do more, volunteer.

There was a big tent and enough hot dogs and soft drinks to supply a small city for an undetermined length of time. There were gift certificates, camera flashes, and a constant stream of comfortable chatter among the attendees. The event’s goal was to recognize and show appreciation to the many community volunteers who contributed their time and talents over the course of the past year. It happened last month in my community. I’m certain it happened in some form or fashion in yours, too.

While April has passed us by, we find ourselves in another month, May, in which we can show appreciation to all those in the greater military family.

Such appreciation, often buried in the business of living our day-to-day lives, always is relevant. Because let’s face it. When you take the time to peel back the layers on the subject, you can easily see that, in or out of a military uniform, regardless of the month posted on the calendar, volunteers matter.

Without them, we wouldn’t have an all-volunteer military.
We wouldn’t have coaches guiding our youth in team sports.
We wouldn’t have the welfare and leadership that comes from our spouses clubs and spread throughout the corners of our communities.
We wouldn’t have thrift shops or well-shelved libraries.
We wouldn’t have baggers at the commissary or Girl Scouts selling cookies.
We wouldn’t have PTAs or other parent involvement in school activities.
We wouldn’t have that extra hand where we need it the most.

Definitely not in it for the money, volunteers often are the cornerstones in our communities, making our world a better place for all of us.

Now that is something to appreciate.

About the Author: Janet Farley is author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2007) and The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, 2004). Visit her Web site at www.janetfarley.com.

“In Their Boots,” a documentary film project that began early in 2008, is hitting the road for a 10-month national tour to raise awareness about the challenges facing U.S. servicemembers and exploring ways to improve veteran care. The new documentary about these issues will be released during the 10-city tour, which begins in March.

In its first year, it produced 12 documentaries, released them in a weekly Webcast online at www.intheirboots.com, and generated substantial media coverage in its effort to raise awareness for the sacrifices servicemembers, veterans, and their families are making as our country continues to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  A three-minute summary of the work from 2008 can be seen at http://intheirboots.blip.tv/#1847450.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

• March, San Francisco — A who’s who crowd of the veteran’s community in Northern California for the Premiere of Broken Promise.  Broken Promise raises the issue of mental health care for returning veterans, and offers a model for the VA to consider to improve its mental health care treatment.
• April, Houston — explore the complexities of traumatic brain injury, the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• May, Washington, D.C. — to highlight the problem of homelessness among veterans and effective ways to address it.
• June, Atlanta — to demonstrate the need for “veteran’s courts” and alternative sentencing to support veterans in their efforts to reintegrate when they return home.
• July, Chicago — to examine the impact on children of losing a family member in the war.

These events are all free and open to the public.  For more information, visit www.intheirboots.com.

The Miss Universe Organization will deploy Crystle Stewart, Miss USA®2008, and Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe®2008, to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to visit troops as part of a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour Mar. 20-25. Traveling abroad to boost morale, the duo will talk with military families, dine with troops, and pose for photos.

A longtime supporter of America’s troops and the USO, the Miss Universe Organization has deployed more than 20 titleholders on USO tours since 1999. Among those to have traveled overseas include, Rachel Smith (Miss USA®2007), Hilary Cruz (Miss Teen USA®2007), Susie Castillo (Miss USA®2004), Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA®2003), and Justin Pasek (Miss Universe®2002).

“I am proud to carry on the Miss Universe Organization’s legacy of titleholders participating in USO tours,” said Stewart. “There’s nothing more important or more honorable than the work our troops do everyday.  Because of them we’re free and have infinite opportunities.”

For a list of USO tours, visit www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment. To learn more about the USO or to find out how to support the troops, visit www.uso.org.

Put a comma here, a new sentence there. That idea belongs in the scope, not in the recommendation. The existing regulation is unfair; let’s change it. We have to flip-flop that sentence to give the statement more impact.

Impact, after all, is the main point.

Throughout military communities the world over, people from every branch of service huddle over laptops, PowerPoint presentations, flipcharts, and Post-It Notes. They give of their valuable time and insight to facilitate change in their respective communities. They are the volunteers who serve as delegates for the Army Family Action Plan Conference, which despite its name, works for the greater good of all military service members and their families.

To be sure, tensions during the conference can run high at times with idea ownership and advocacy a passionate pursuit.

“Ladies, please, please, enough with the testosterone,” jokingly pleads one poor Marine who finds himself in the middle of a heated discussion between two opposing family members. He puts the sparring partners at ease and everyone in the room laughs. The Marines have saved the day once again. Semper Fi!

The diverse group continues filtering through all the many issues submitted by community members. Some of the ideas are terrific and you wonder why they haven’t been implemented yet. Others clearly are full of misinformation, while others seem to be from those having personal issues or grudges. Those are usually the ones providing the afternoon’s entertainment.

Late in the day, the eyelids are heavy and the once-ambitious moods have turned tired. Everyone is ready to go home for the day, but the required work is not yet complete. Way too cheerful facilitators and their assistants bring on the chocolate in full force in an effort to revive the volunteers.

“Will that be a Snickers bar or Reeses cup for you?”

Thanks to the caffeine jolt, inspiration strikes yet again. By day’s end, the group has read through 62 issues, giving each submitted idea genuine attention, respect, and consideration even if the author did not. A volunteer has been selected to represent the group and they are ready to present their recommendations to the command and the other delegates.

The process of making a positive impact has begun and all of us are sure to benefit.

About the Author: Janet Farley is author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2007) and The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, 2004). Visit her Web site at www.janetfarley.com.

You’re invited to participate in Social Security’s first national webinar — Retire Online — tomorrow, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. EST. Join Social Security for a demonstration of the new online application and discuss key features that will allow you to complete the new online retirement application in as little as 15 minutes.

To RSVP for the webinar, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/survey/retireonlinersvp.htm.

One of the attractions of being an independent consultant or operating a small business is the opportunity to manage a complete customer relationship. An important aspect of that customer relationship is managing accounts receivable. And even the best client list will include some customers who can’t get their bills paid in a reasonable amount of time — typically within 30 days of receiving an invoice. Moreover, the percentage of delinquent accounts likely is to increase, as some of your best customers suffer cash flow difficulties and reduced access to credit in this difficult economic environment.

Ironically, a recent headline in the business press observed that even debt-collection agencies are experiencing hard times because there’s little cash left to squeeze from strapped consumers. Accordingly, here are some ideas to help ensure your bills get paid.

•    Provide shocking levels of customer service. Many consultants do a poor job documenting the work performed and the value they add for their clients. Make sure your output is quantified and reported to the customer at least weekly. If working remotely, look for opportunities to stay connected and ensure you’re immediately available during core business hours. When working with large organizations, get acquainted with the people responsible for paying bills. If asked to offer recommendations and ideas, avoid generalities and boilerplates. Give clients a product that offers succinct recommendations and exceeds their expectations, and you will maximize the likelihood of getting paid.

•    Don’t let delinquent accounts linger. You should give a telephone follow-up within a week after an invoice has been unpaid for 30 days, and recognize that collecting overdue bills while maintaining good customer relationships requires deft people skills. The best approach: Start with the attitude that the client wants to pay, and try to identify why the account is delinquent. If a client is waiting for someone else to pay them, ask for copies of the relevant paperwork. Be ready to offer ideas to help clients find the money, such as tapping a personal credit card, line of credit, home equity loan, or even a pay-day lender.

•    Don’t negotiate with yourself. Fees should be agreed upon before work commences, and a client’s inability to pay an invoice does not warrant a reduction in charges. Moreover, if you negotiate a fee down, there is high likelihood that the reduced fee becomes the new baseline for future work. Better to insist on a partial payment now, with precise terms agreed upon for subsequent payments.

•    Document your efforts. Follow-up phone calls with e-mail or certified snail-mail documenting the relevant points of the discussion and reiterating the negotiated arrangements for payment.

If payment problems persist, be prepared to transition the client to a pay-in-advance basis. In extreme cases, consider terminating the business relationship to minimize future indebtedness. However, recognize that the odds of eventually obtaining payment are diminished if the business relationship ends. Consider also a client’s business development value. I have, at times, carried a delinquent client because of his or her visibility or networking value. However, every 30 days I unambiguously remind the client that he or she needs to write me a check.

About the author: Jim Carman is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a retired Navy captain. He writes, lectures, and coaches job candidates on interview skills and career building topics.