Military Shopping/MWR Benefit > Expanding to 3-Million More Vets

As about 3 million more people will soon be eligible to shop at military stores, officials are working to make sure these new customers will have access to bases, and that the shelves will be stocked. Starting 1 JAN, all service-connected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary veteran caregivers will be eligible to shop at commissaries and exchanges, and officials from three federal agencies are preparing the way. The newly eligible customers will also be able to use certain morale, welfare and recreation activities. It’s the largest patronage expansion in more than 60 years, said Virginia Penrod, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, who spoke at a recent meeting of the American Logistics Association.

Source: MilitaryTimes | Karen Jowers | July 22, 2019

VA Health Care Access Update 68 > Wait Time Tracking Progress Dismal After 5-Years

The Department of Veterans Affairs still fails to reliably track wait times for veterans seeking health care in the wake of a national scandal that five years ago found more than 200 veterans died while waiting for appointments, a federal watchdog agency reported. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing 24 JUL to assess the VA’s progress on wait times. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the wait-time scandal, which was first uncovered at the Phoenix VA hospital. It was later revealed the problems permeated throughout the VA health care system.  It’s difficult to compare wait times between the VA and the private medical sector because there’s not a standard method for calculating them, said Kenneth Kizer, executive vice president of Atlas Research and a former VA undersecretary for health. Moreover, private-sector providers don’t routinely make their wait times public.

Source: Stars & Stripes | Nikki Wentling | July 24, 2019

VA Lawsuit | Blue Water Navy > Wilkie Benefit Delay Disheartening and Unnecessary

A lawsuit was filed 22 JUL against Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie over his decision to delay claims processing for tens of thousands of “Blue Water” Navy veterans until next year. Military Veterans Advocacy and the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, arguing Wilkie doesn’t have the authority to delay work on the claims until Jan. 1, 2020 — a decision he announced earlier this month.  Disabled American Veterans sent a message to its members last week, saying the organization was working with lawmakers and other veterans groups to lift Wilkie’s stay on the claims. DAV encouraged Blue Water Navy veterans to file claims now, so they could receive benefits as soon as possible. “VA and Congress must find a way to move forward and begin granting Blue Water Navy veterans claims before it’s too late,” the message reads.

Source: Stars & Stripes | Nikki Wentling | July 22, 2019

And now for the humor page…………..

Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang > ‘Chuffed’ thru ‘CMC’

Note: 'RN' denotes Royal Navy usage. Similarly, RCN = Royal Canadian Navy, RAN = Royal Australian Navy, RM

= Royal Marines, RNZN = Royal New Zealand Navy, UK = general usage in militaries of the former British Empire

Chuffed – (UK) Extremely pleased.

Chunder – (UK) To vomit. Derived from "watch under!"

CINCHOUSE – Commander In Chief of the House, i.e. one’s spouse.

Cinderella Liberty – Liberty where one must be back aboard by midnight.

Circular Run – The result of a malfunction which causes a torpedo to return to its launch point. At least one US submarine was lost to a circular run in WWII.

Circus – In WWII, a fighter-bomber mission whose primary goal was to force the German fighter defenses to come up and engage. Usually consisted of a small bomber force and heavy fighter escort.

CIVLANT (CIVPAC) - Facetious description of one’s next duty station when he or she is leaving the service; CIV = CIVilian, LANT = atLANTic coat, PAC = PACific coast. Civvy Street – Civilian life.

CIWS - Close-In Weapon System, a short-range anti-missile point defense system commonly comprised of a radar system and rotary-barreled Gatling gun. In NATO, the system is the Vulcan Phalanx. A newer version, Goalkeeper, uses the GAU-8 30mm Gatling gun found in the A-10 Thunderbolt for increased range and destructive power. Can have anti-surface modes as well, for use against small craft and the like. Derisive interpretations of the acronym include: 'Christ, It Won't Shoot', and 'Captain, It Won't Shoot,' due to common maintenance difficulties.

Clear Datum - (1) (Submarine) To leave the area where you have been detected (see DATUM). (2) To leave the scene of the crime, especially when liquor and members of the opposite sex are involved, and particularly if the member of the opposite sex in question is a GRONK.

Clankie, Clanky - (RN) Mechanical Engineer.

Clara - The radio call from a carrier pilot on approach signifying that he has not sighted the BALL.

Class Alpha Fire – A fire which leaves ashes.

Class Bravo Fire – A fire involving flaming liquids.

Class Charlie Fire – An electrical fire.

Class Delta Fire – A fire involving special materials and firefighting methods. Commonly thought to consist of a fire involving flammable metals, which is one example of a Class Delta fire; another type of Class Delta fire involves deep fat fryer equipment.

Clobbered - Weathered in, as in "We made a good approach, but the field was clobbered and we had to divert," similar to WOXOF. Can also indicate a radio frequency that is over-used: "The tactical frequency was clobbered."

Cluster Fuck – An evolution remarkable for its significant lack of excellence. Mass confusion and chaos. Similar to a GOAT ROPE, Chinese Fire Drill, etc.

Clutch-Brake – A device used to engage or disengage an engine from a propeller shaft, and to stop the shaft if needbe.

CMC - Command Master Chief. Similar to the COB, but for surface, shore, and aviation commands. See also MCPOC.

Source: http://hazegray.org/faq/slang1.htm | July 31, 2019

Knowledge > Do You Know? So You Think You Know Everything? Did you know the following?

 A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

 A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

 A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue, Google "Crocodiles: Facts & Pictures - Live Science"

 A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

 A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (actually disputed at this time, to "might be 30 Seconds, if

not active)

 A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. Not sure about the builders measurement of a

Poofteenth, (said to be about 1/128th of an inch)

 A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

 A snail can sleep for three years.

 Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

 All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

 Almonds are a member of the peach family.

 An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know a few people like that)

 Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

 Butterflies taste with their feet. (Not standing on that again)

 Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.

 "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT".

 February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

 In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

 If the population of China walked past you, in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of

reproduction.

 If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red

lights.

 It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

 Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

 Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

 No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

 Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and Ears never stop growing.

 Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

 Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

 "Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.

 The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

 The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of Diesel that it burns.

 The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his

pocket.

 The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

 The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

 The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read Left to right or right to left

(palindromes).

 There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

 There are more chickens than people in the world.

 There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": Tremendous, horrendous,

stupendous, and hazardous.

 There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

 There's no Betty Rubble in the "Flintstones Chewables Vitamins".

 Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

 TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

 Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

 Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

 Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; Otherwise it will digest itself.

There, now you know (Almost) everything! (According to Virgil).

Source: Tailwaggers & Jokes