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POSITIVE CHANGE TO BONUS QUALIFICATIONS
NGB now lists two new Critical UICs for Maryland that qualify
Soldiers in those units for either the six-year $15,000
extension/reenlistment Bonus or the $7,500 three-year Bonus when the
Bonus program suspension is lifted. Any units starting with either
“TPD” or “840” now qualify. Previously MD had no units on the
Critical UIC List.
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AWOL SOLDIERS WILL HAVE BONUSES RECOUPED
Please note that IAW NGR 600-7,
Chapter 3-10, once a Soldier “accumulates nine unexcused
absences within a 12-month period effective on the ninth unexcused
absence…” (9 MUTAs or normally their 3rd drill), units
will process that Soldier for recoupment of Reenlistment/Extension
Bonuses and the termination of their Student Loan Repayment. This
can be another tool in encouraging non-productive Soldiers to return
to duty or avoid being AWOL.
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VA EXTENDS COMBAT VET CARE FOR FIVE YEARS
Those who were discharged [from Active Duty] between Nov. 11,
1998 and Jan. 16, 2003, including veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan,
and never took advantage of VA's health care system, have until Jan.
27, 2011 to apply for five years of free VA health care for
most conditions. This measure increases a two-year limit that has
been in effect nearly a decade.
The five-year window is also open to activated reservists and
members of the National Guard, if they served in a theater of combat
operations after Nov. 11, 1998 and were discharged under other than
dishonorable conditions. It applies to care in a VA
hospital, outpatient clinic or nursing home. It also extends VA
dental benefits -- previously limited to 90 days after discharge for
most veterans -- to 180 days.
The five-year deadline has no effect on veterans with medical
conditions related to their military service
since they may apply at any time after their discharge from the
military -- even decades later -- for medical care for
service-connected health problems.
This change was made in order to honor a commitment to the
newest combat veterans. “By their service and their sacrifice,
America’s newest combat veterans have earned this special
eligibility period for VA’s world-class health care,” said Secretary
of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. The new provision was part
of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 signed by
President Bush on Jan. 28, 2008.
Veterans who take
advantage of this five-year window to receive VA health care can
continue to receive care after five years, although they may have to pay copayments for medical
problems unrelated to their military service. Copayments range from
$8 for a 30-day supply of prescription medicine to $1,024 for the
first 90 days of inpatient care each year.
For the latest news releases and other information, visit VA
on the Internet at
http://www.va.gov/opa.
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OCS INFO WORKSHOP
More
Officer Candidate
School Information Workshop have been added to ensure max
participation. During these presentations, the entire OCS program
will be covered, including enrollment requirements. There is also a
tour of the OCS barracks.
The 70th will host
2 more upcoming OCS information sessions at Camp Fretterd in 29th
Division Hall at 1000 on the following dates:
5 Apr 08
3 May 08
With assistance and
command emphasis, we can guide and mentor Soldiers to take the next
step in their military career. Sending Soldiers to this workshop and
the OCS program benefits the MDARNG. Some might see it as losing a
good Soldier or NCO, but overall it improves the Guard and
individual units immensely.
OCS seminar
information posted at: GKO at the 70th Reg’t Website (under OCS Bn.)
POCs: MAJ Colette Topfer (Bentley), OCS Co. Cdr, (w) 410-702-9634
(c) 443-253-1021
colette.topfer@us.army.mil or LT Ron Martin at 410-702-9661.
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SCHOLARSHIPS:
Not applying for scholarships is like turning down free money!
Spouse Scholarship - Up to $1,000 ç 15 Mar deadline
The National
Military Family Association’s Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse
Scholarships are awarded to spouses of Uniformed Services members
(active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees, and survivors)
to obtain professional certification or to attend post secondary or
graduate school. Scholarships range in amount from $500 to $1,000,
and the number awarded each year varies depending on funding.
Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and
board.
Scholarship selection is based on completion of some survey questions
that will help NMFA advocate for education changes, short-answer
questions, and an essay question that will help them to get to know
the spouse better. To be considered, your application must be
completed by midnight March 15, 2008.
www.nmfa.org
Hispanic Student
– Up to $5,000 ç
15 Mar deadline
For the 10th
year, M&T Bank is awarding scholarships of up to $5,000 to qualified
undergraduate college students or applicants who are Hispanic or of
Hispanic descent through the nationally recognized Hispanic College
Fund.
To be eligible, students must be pursuing degrees in business,
finance, marketing, accounting or another business-related field and
must have demonstrated a notable level of academic success.
Students can apply online at
www.hispanicfund.org. Complete eligibility requirements are
available online and at local M&T bank branches. The deadline is
March 15, 2008.
American Patriot
Freedom Scholarship - $1,000/Soldiers & families
Homefront America,
a troop-support organization based, recently announced it will, for
the third year, award 25 $1,000 scholarships in May 2008 to benefit
military children. The scholarship is open to dependent students of
active-duty service members, retirees, disabled veterans or fallen
service members, including activated or deployed Guardsmen and
reservists.
Candidates for the
scholarships must submit an essay of 500 words or less on one of
four approved topics. All applications must be postmarked by
April 25, 2008. Complete eligibility requirements and rules are
at the Homefront America website.
http://www.homefrontamerica.org/
State Academic
Scholarships
In addition to the
MDARNG State Education programs and the Montgomery GI Bill (Federal
education assistance), your state delegate might have their own
scholarship program. Check with your local delegate’s office or
website to inquire about a little-advertised program that can help
with college tuition for you or your family.
White
House Program for Students or Recent Grads
The
White House Internship provides an opportunity to experience
day-to-day life at the White House while working on a variety of
tasks and projects. In addition to normal office duties, interns
attend weekly lectures, volunteer at special events, participate in
tours, and contribute to a community service project in the
Washington, D.C. area. White House Internships are unpaid
positions and participants are responsible for arranging their own
transportation and housing. Approximately 100 interns are chosen
each spring, summer, and fall to participate in this highly
competitive program.
To
apply: Please read the
Intern Application and the
White House
Office descriptions carefully at:
www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html Office
descriptions can help you determine your areas of interest and
assist you in making an informed decision about which offices might
fit your qualifications. Interns will be selected based on their
application and demonstrated interest in public service. Applicants
must be:
-
At
least 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship
-
Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college or
university, or graduated the previous semester
-
A
United States citizen
Completed application materials must be submitted to Meghan
Espinoza, Intern Coordinator in the office of White House Personnel,
at
intern_application@whitehouse.gov
(202) 456-5979
on or before
the following deadline (the deadline for the summer internship has
already passed):
Fall
Internship: August 26 - December 12, 2008; Application Deadline:
June 3, 2008
Free SAT-ACT
(College Entrance Exam) Software - $200 Value
For the second
year, a group of NFL, NFL Europe, AFL and CFL football players have
sponsored several million dollars worth of $199 SAT and ACT test
prep programs for every family in the U.S. Military (all
branches-active or retired). Specifically, the sponsorship allows
any military person (active or retired) to request as many programs
as they need for the students in their lives. The Department of
Defense has created a secure website to quickly confirm a person's
military status. Personnel can access the confirmation and request
pages through several military related associations and
organizations, including Military Home Front website for families,
which offers access to the forms to confirm military status and to
process the order. Programs ship to domestic U.S. addresses and APO
addresses. The sponsorship covers the regular purchase price of $199
and the family pays only the S&H. To learn more about the program
and the NFL/CFL players who are providing this offer visit:
http://sat.eknowledge.com/military.asp To learn more about the
products, go to:
www.eknowledge.com
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DISCOUNTED SKI VACATIONS FOR MILITARY: Up to 50% off
Two resorts are advertising sizeable discounts for skiing (be sure
and bring your military ID.) In the Northeast, Sugarloaf Mountain, a
Maine ski resort, is offering $39 lift tickets to all military
personnel and dependents. This is more than
50% off
regular ticket pricing.
Discounted lodging is also available. Contact them by calling
1-800-THE-LOAF or go to
www.sugarloaf.com
Closer
to home, Wintergreen Resort in central Virginia, a four-hour drive
from Baltimore and adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers 20%
off on all lift tickets, rental equipment and tubing. If you stay at
their lodges Sun-Thurs., you’ll also get 20% off. Contact them at
1-800-926-3723
or at
www.wintergreenresort.com
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PROGRAMS FOR YOUR KIDS
Drivers'
Education -
offered for
children ages 15.9-to-18 yrs old by SKIESUnlimited
at the Rules
Driving School, Inc in Aberdeen. This class is held at the Aberdeen
Community Center located on Pulaski Highway. Class starts Monday,
March 10-25, 2008. The next class date after this is March 31-April
15, 2008. The classes are conducted Monday-Thursday (closed
on Federal
Holidays), 6:00-9:15 pm. Cost is $295 per person.
Class includes 30
hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours behind the wheel
instruction. Students will be required to have a drivers permit
before any behind the wheel instruction. Parents are required to
attend the first class. Class is open to all DoD ID card holders.
Red Cross
Certified babysitter
- your child can become certified with SKIES and
Army Community
Service. This class meets Monday, March 24, 2008 930 AM-330 PM in
the Army Community Service classroom, bldg 2754 Rodman Rd.
Participants will need to bring a bag lunch. The class is open for
ages 13-15 yrs old. This is a free class, but
pre-registration is required.
These classes are
eligible under the Army Family Covent Guidelines. To register for
any of these classes, please call or come into the Central
Registration Office, located in bldg 2752, and call
410-278-7571/7479 to schedule an appointment. For more information
please email or call the POC: Stacie Umbarger, SKIESUnlimited
Director; 2752 Rodman Rd, Rm 206, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD;
410.278.4589 phone 298-4589 DSN
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MWR ACTIVITIES/FT. MEADE
Every month, the Ft. Meade Army Community Service (ACS) program
offers classes for service members, DoD civilian card holders, and
their family members. Most programs will be held in the Community
Resource Building located at 830 Chisholm Avenue. For more
information on exact times on these and other classes, go to the
website listed below or call 301.677.5590.
Upcoming
ACS
Activities
March 11: Employment with the Federal Government; Bouncing Back
- How to Stay
Resilient During Life’s Challenges; Active Parenting of Teens
Workshop
March 12: Wise Consumers & Predatory Lenders
March 18: Interviewing Skills
March 20: Investment & Funds for College
March 25: Building Healthy Relationships
March 26: Record Keeping & Insurance
At other Ft. Meade locations
One Sat. each month: Indoor Flea Market/Pavilion
Mar 14: St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/The Courses Clubhouse
Mar 15: Breakfast
with the Easter Bunny/The Courses
Apr 4-6: Central MD
Home & Garden Show/Pavilion
Apr 19: Spring
Sprint 5K/Murphy Field House; Military Child & Earth Day
Festival/Pavilion
Apr 26: Motorcycle
Show/Pavilion
Apr 30: Job
Fair/Club Meade (301/674-5240)
May 3: Pet
Exposition 2008/Pavilion
For more information on these and other MWR
programs, events, activities, jobs and special offers,
go to:
www.ftmeademwr.com
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DISCOUNTED SHOW TICKETS
Buy them from MWR before they go on sale to the general
public. Aberdeen Proving Grounds MWR has a limited number of
tickets available that can be mailed to you for the following
shows, most on Saturday & all are at the Baltimore Hippodrome:
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Camelot – 29
March, 2 p.m.
-
The Color Purple
–3 & 10 May (both Saturday), 2 p.m. plus Sunday, 11 May, 6:30
p.m.. Discount tickets were only on sale until 25 November.
Tickets vary in
price from $33.30-$87.00 (includes service fee and shipping ).
To order your
tickets:
-
Visit the
following website:
www.eventusher.com
-
Enter the special
password: 105MWRAPGMD
-
Follow the
instructions on the ordering page.
Price includes show
ticket only, no transportation is provided. Open to all DoD ID card
holders.
For more
information, please call 410-278-4011/4907 OR email OR visit the MWR
Leisure Travel Office located in the AA Recreation Center, bldg 3326
Erie St., Aberdeen Proving Grounds – they will mail tickets.
Their website is at
http://www.apgmwr.com/travel.html
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PRODUCTS DIRECTED AT THE MILITARY
If individuals soldiers are seeking tax or insurance
information directed at the military, they
may want to look at the attached web sites that are not
officially sponsored by the MDNG.
Free Tax Prep &
Filing
Military OneSource
offers free tax preparation and filing through H&R Block’s
TaxCut Basic Online or TurboTax’s Online
Free Edition. There are also links to other tax services,
including those for deployed Soldiers. For additional info:
www.militaryonesource.com
$3,000 of
free Life Insurance
Soldiers are being offered
$3,000 of free Accidental
Death & Dismemberment Insurance and a $10
VISA gift card from ASMBA (Armed Services Mutual Benefit
Association.) They claim there’s “nothing to buy and no obligation
to fulfill” and that “you won’t be charged or billed for anything.”
For additional info:
www.asmba.com
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PROGRAMS FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS
Housing for
Wounded Warriors Scheduled for Washington, D.C.
Operation Homefront
Village will provide a free, stable home for families of wounded
warriors who are completing their recovery, finishing school and job
training programs, and working to move forward with their lives. The
free, temporary housing will help families rebuild their finances so
that they may eventually qualify to buy permanent homes through
Operation Homefront's Wounded Warrior Housing Initiative.
Operation Homefront Village's first transitional housing
complex for wounded warriors will open in Texas on March 18, 2008.
This 20-unit complex of two- and three-bedroom units will be fully
furnished for families, complete with full utility services,
Internet access, cable TV and telephone service.
Operation Homefront
anticipates creating Village communities in San Diego, Phoenix, and
Washington, D.C. For more information on all of Operation
Homefront's programs for troops and wounded warriors.
http://www.operationhomefront.net/
Link to
Resources for Wounded Veterans
The VetConnect
program is designed to provide wounded warriors with a critical link
to resources. The program is run by Enable America, a non-profit
group dedicated to increasing employment opportunities for Americans
with disabilities.
VetConnect also
matches wounded warriors with casualty mentors and coordinates their
participation in wellness activities. This program has been expanded
to wounded special operations troops through the Care Coalition
Recovery Pilot Program, which was developed and implemented with the
help of U.S. Special Operations Command. For more information, visit
the Enable America website.
http://www.enableamerica.org/
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ARMED FORCES VACATION CLUB
Vacation Getaways
starting at $329* USD/week!
Great Destinations.
With a free
membership in the Armed Forces Vacation Club, you have ready access
to a world of exciting vacation destinations, including hot spots
ranging from Florida and California to anywhere in the world!
Why spend your
vacation in cramped quarters? Book through AFVC and your family can
spread out in spacious accommodations that are usually far bigger
than the average hotel room - with amenities that may include:
-
On-site
recreation facilities
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Full kitchen
(many units)
-
Washer and dryer
(many units)
-
And much more
Go for a night,
long weekend or week and choose from up to 3,500 resorts in 80
countries - even if you need to book at a moment's notice. Book
today by calling 1-800-724-9988
http://click.afvclub.com/t/STSFG/CD2RF/FW/L3HUEQ
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THIRD NGAUS CONFERENCE GOLF TOURNAMENT ç 8 Jun suspense
This fundraiser for the National Guard Association of the US
(NGAUS) 2008 Conference to be held in Baltimore, MD (Sep 2008) is
scheduled for Monday, June 30, 2008 at 08:30 A.M. Compass Pointe
Golf Course, 9010 Fort Smallwood Rd., Pasadena, MD 21122
www.compasspointegolf.com
Civilians welcomed! Individual players are welcome and will
be paired up.
There will be a Shot Gun Start and a Captain’s Choice! Golf
will be followed by a lunch.
Prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive and 1st,
2nd, and 3rd place teams.
Cost: $75 per golfer (includes golf, cart, prizes,
continental breakfast and lunch)
For additional info, POC is John Jean @ 410-561-5442 or Ron
Leard @ 410-576-6193
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NEW INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
NGB Extend to Defend - designed to enhance the recognition of Soldiers who
extend their
enlistment in the ARNG. It provides a more formal means for units
to
ceremoniously show
appreciation for their Soldiers’ commitment to continued service
in the Guard.
Soldiers who have extended since April 2007 are eligible.
Soldiers will be
presented with a certificate in a leather holder that features an
embedded coin.
The married
Soldier gets a tri-fold holder with a Certificate of Appreciation
for the Soldier and the spouse, with the Soldier’s Creed in the
center. There are coin cut-outs on each side. Whereas the single
Solder version is a bi-fold, coin cut-outs and Certificate of
Appreciation on the left side and the Soldier’s Creed on the right
(Soldier names are not on the certificates.)
In addition, any
Soldier who extends for six years will receive an embroidered
"Extend to Defend" hooded sweatshirt as will his spouse.
There are three
levels of recognition: Bronze, Silver and Gold. These levels are
awarded based on the number of years the Soldier has served in the
military. For example, one to nine years would qualify for Bronze,
10-14 years would be Silver, and 15-20+ years would be Gold.
Maryland
Incentives
In addition to the
NGB extension incentives mentioned above, the MDARNG also has
incentives for any Soldier that extended during FY07 and during FY08
(while supplies last.) They consist of an Extension Certificate
(with the Soldier’s name), T-shirt, penknife and pen (all with the
logo “I Remember.”) The BCCs that are responsible for your unit can
obtain these incentives with the very same extension form you send
them for the NGB incentives (4836 extension or DD4/1 re-enlistment)
mentioned above.
POCs: To receive
these incentives, contact your BCC (Battalion Career Counselor) or
Unit Retention NCO. They can input any 4837extensions (or DD4/1
Re-enlistments) that they receive (they’re needed for
accounting purposes.) On the copy that you send to the BCCs, please
write the shirt size of the Soldier on the bottom of the 4837
(include the spouse if it’s a 6 yr extension.)
Not sure who your
BCC is? The following POCs for the State Retention program can
provide you with their contact info:
58th
BCT - SFC Wittman
william.wittman@us.army.mil 410/979-3897
All other units -
MSG Beares
glenn.beares@us.army.mil 410/979-3762
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BENEFITS PRESENTATION
A one-hour
presentation on Soldier benefits – from the new Tricare health
insurance (for M-Day), dental care, education scholarships (families
too), bonuses, discount vacations & entertainment, VA Home Loans,
merchant discounts and a host of other money saving and career
enhancing benefits – can be scheduled through the JFHQ Career
Counselor, SSG Hodges 410/576-6060
howard.hodges@us.army.mil
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