AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 | VOL. 4 NO. 18

BUSINESSVeteran business owners sought

for training program, Page 3

HEALTHHypertension,

the silent killer, Page 6

COMMENTARYCelebrating Asian American,

Pacific Islander Heritage Month,Page 2

BY SENIOR AIRMANMARIAH HADDENHAM

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Members of Joint BaseAndrews recognized the ac-complishments of threemili-tary working dogs during aretirement ceremonyMay 1.

Sam, Guero and Besyserved approximately sev-en years each under thecare of their handlers atthe 11th Security SupportSquadron, with the excep-tion of Besy, whose careerstarted at Joint Base Ana-costia-Bolling.

“With a sense of smell20 times more powerfulthan a human’s, MWD’sare a vital asset to AirForce operations and areconsidered essential fordetection of explosives,narcotics and can be usedas attack dogs when neces-sary,” said Tech. Sgt. Man-uel Garcia, 11th SecuritySupport Squadron mili-tary working dog sectiontraining supervisor.

Combined, theseMWD’s completed morethan 31,000 search hoursand cleared approximately297,000 vehicles. Their ef-forts provided detectioncapabilities for more than180 foreign heads of stateand dignitaries transition-

ing through the NationalCapital Region, and sup-ported more than 100 mis-sions for the Departmentof State and United StatesSecret Service.

During the ceremony,all three dogs were award-ed the Meritorious ServiceMedal and were officiallyretired from service.

“Besy, Guero and Samhave blazed their trailfollowing in the legacy ofthose canines who haveserved before them,” saidJoseph Rector, 11th Secu-rity Forces Group director.“They have made JointBase Andrews a saferplace to work and live.”

The Military Working

DogAdoption program, en-acted by Congress in 2000,allowed adoption of retir-ing dogs to law enforce-ment agencies, formerhandlers, and other per-sons capable of caring forthe dogs. Thanks to this,following the ceremony,the dogs were collected bytheir new families.

‘Paws’ for retirement

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ SENIOR AIRMAN MARIAH HADDENHAM

Guero, military working dog, yawns after receiving his Meritorious Service Medalduring a retirement ceremony on Joint Base Andrews, May 1. After being official-ly retired during the ceremony, Guero left with his new adoptive family.

BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

Surrounded by a sea ofmore than 2,000 exuber-ant and colorfully clad par-ticipants, Senior MasterSgt. Demetrica Jefferis andTech. Sgt. Jenne Markov-itz prepared mentally andemotionally to participate inthe 2015 Avon 39 The Walkto End Breast Cancer nearthe Washington Monumenton May 2. The walk drewapproximately 260 cancersurvivors.

The Airmen, both survi-vors of breast cancer,becamefriends and shared their sto-

ries of triumph with othersurvivors while attendingmonthly meetings of a newbreast cancer support groupcalled Together in Pink,established by Jefferis atthe Malcolm Grow MedicalClinics and Surgery Centeron JointBaseAndrewsmorethan a year ago.

It would be their firstwalk in the annual eventwith participants from allover the nation. They werecommitted to completingthe combined length of 39.3miles – 26.2 miles on May 2and 13.1 miles onMay 3.

Jefferis wore several

Airmen meet Avon 39 challenge

BOBBY JONES

Senior Master Sgt. Demetrica Jefferis gets high fivesas she passes by a tunnel of supporters during mileone.

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCEBRINGS B-17 TO JBA

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS PHILIP BRYANT

Braden Licciardi, an event participant, gets insidethe ball turret of the B-17G Texas Raiders at JointBase Andrews, May 4. See photos on page 4. see AVON, page 3

BY LESLIE C. SMITHSTAFF WRITER

It’s 2 o’clock in the morning in Bowie. There arefew cars—much less people—around in the darkenedshopping center parking lot. Alone in the Chick-Fil-Aparking lot sits a large touring bus,wrapped in imagesof service members and first responders. It is only up-on approaching the bus do you see a little movement—three people readying for a 5-mile trek to Landover bybicycle.

John Driscoll, Lane Riley and Tommy Morrow tak-ing on the moniker Raiders of the Night (for the nightshift they take on during the relay) prep for the nextleg of the relay.

Each has special reasons for taking on the chal-lenge.

A journey to bring back themeaning of Memorial Day

see RELAY, page 5

PHOTO BY LESLIE C. SMITH

Tommy Marrow, Lane Riley and John Driscoll – Raidersof the Night – prep to start the 2 a.m. leg of the Carry theLoad, a 27-mile relay from West Point, N.Y., to Dallas.

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, May 8, 2015

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint MilitaryPublications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.Air Force or any branch of the United States military.The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsementby the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force orthe products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, presidentmminar@dcmilitary.com

John Rives, publisherjrives@dcmilitary.com

Tiffany Arnold, page designtarnold@gazette.net

Leslie Smith, editorlsmith@dcmilitary.com

Bobby Jones, photographerbjones@dcmilitary.com

May 8–911th Annual Green Man FestivalRoosevelt Center, Crescent Road and Southway

Drive, GreenbeltJoin us, rain or shine, for two days of “green” cel-

ebration and fun in beautiful Historic DowntownGreenbelt! Festival activities will reconnect us tothe folklore of ancient civilizations through science,art, music and myth by featuring many local artists,musicians and performers from Maryland as wellas other parts of the country. Visit www.greenbelt-greenmanfestival.org.

May 8Live At Montpelier: Ken Navarro8 p.m.Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Road,

LaurelDuring the past 25 years, Ken Navarro has per-

formed in every major U.S. city and has had nu-merous Top 5 hits on national radio. He began hisrecording career in Los Angeles performing andrecording with artists like Doc Severinsen, NellCarter, John Patitucci, Ann Jillian and Alex Acuna,and has shared the stage with artists such as Spy-ro Gyra, Chuck Mangione, Najee, Chris Botti, TheRippingtons, Jean-Luc Ponty, Keiko Matsui, DavidBenoit, and many others. ($) Call 301-377-7800 orvisit www.arts.pgparks.com.

May 10Mother’s Day Brunch & JazzNoon–4 p.m.Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex,

8001 Sheriff Road, LandoverCome celebrate all mothers, while enjoying a de-

licious catered Brunch and listening to the soundsof smooth Jazz. If that is not enough, participate ina Fashion Show and model your most elegant, im-pressive spring hats. ($) Call 301-583-2400 or visitwww.pgparks.com.

May 10—Sept. 27Movies on the Potomac6 p.m.National Harbor, 137 National Plaza, National

HarborNothing says summer like an evening under the

stars-and there’s no better way to enjoy the seasonthan Movies on the Potomac at National Harbor onSundays. The 2015 season runs through Sunday,Sept. 27. Meet us at the Plaza’s big screen for aevening of ocean breezes and all-ages fun! Bringyour lawn chairs and enjoy the show! Free. Call1-877-NATL-HBR or visit www.nationalharbor.com.

Hot ticketsaround town

Wi-Fi inCommissaries

Commissary patronsnow have Wi-Fi access. Ma-ny patrons come to the com-missary with smart phonesand tablets. Wi-Fi helpsthem maximize their com-missary benefit, said a De-fense Commissary Agency(DeCA) spokesman. Anyonecan access the store’s Wi-Fifrom the sales floor area.Us-ers must accept the DeCA’s“terms of service” agree-ment and somewebsites areblocked. Patrons with ques-tions about access shouldcontact the store’s customerservice representative.

Claims ProcessingImproved

More than 1.3 million

veterans received deci-sions on their VA disabilitycompensation and pensionclaims in 2014—a recordnumber, surpassing lastyear’s production by morethan 150,000 claims. Thissecond year of record-break-ing production comes asVA continues to transformthe way it provides benefitsand services. The disabil-ity claims backlog (any dis-ability claim pending longerthan 125 days) was reducedby 60 percent from the peakbacklog in March 2013. Ac-curacy of VA’s decisionscontinues to rise from an 83percent in 2011 to a 90 per-cent accuracy level today. Atthe medical issue level, ac-curacy is at 96 percent. VAonce processed 5,000 tons

of paper annually. Today, itprocesses 93 percent of itsdisability claims electroni-cally. For more informationon VA benefits and pro-grams, call 1-800-827-1000.

Circle the DateRetiree Appreciation

Day, hosted by the 11thWing, will be observed Sat-urday, Oct. 27, at Joint BaseAnacostia-Bolling. The an-nual event alternates be-tween JBAB and Joint BaseAndrews. Retired Col. JimDaugherty, director of Retir-ee Activities Offices at bothbases, made the announce-ment in conjunction withCol. Brad Hoagland, 11thWing commander. Activi-ties will be centered at theBolling Club, starting with

a Health Fair offered bythe 579th Medical Group atJBAB.Annual influenza im-munizations are scheduledfor the fair.Ballroompresen-tationswill provide informa-tion updates on a variety ofsubjects of interest to themilitary retirement commu-nity. The Bolling Exchangeand Commissary are alsoexpected to provide specialsales incentives.

The Retiree Activities Of-fice is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Monday throughFriday.Vis-it the office in Building 1604at California and ColoradoAvenues or call 301-981-2726. Call before your visitto ensure a volunteer is onduty.The RAOhas awebsiteat www.andrews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

BY DR. ROBERT B. KANEAIR UNIVERSITY,

DIRECTOR OF HISTORY

In 1978, Congress es-tablished Asian-PacificAmerican Heritage Weekto celebrate the achieve-ments and contributions ofAsian and Pacific IslanderAmericans to U.S. historyand culture. In 1990, Presi-dent George H.W. Bushextended the celebration tothe entire month.

On Oct. 23, 1992, Con-gress officially designatedMay of each year as AsianAmerican and Pacific Is-lander Heritage Monthto recognize the achieve-ments and contributionsof Americans of Asian orPacific Islander ancestry tothe rich heritage and cul-tural fabric of the U.S.

The theme for 2015 is“Many Cultures,OneVoice:Promote Equality and In-clusion.”

Congress selected Mayfor this celebration be-cause it includes the anni-versaries of the arrival inthe U.S. of the first Japa-nese immigrants on May 7,1843, and the completion ofthe first transcontinentalrailroad on May 10, 1869,partially by the labor ofthousands of Chinese im-migrants

The term “Asia-PacificIslands” includes the con-tinent of Asia; the Pacificisland groups of Melanesia,Micronesia and Polynesia;the island groups of theWestern and Central Pacif-ic, such as the Philippines

and the Marianas; and Ha-waii, the 50th state of theU.S. About 5 percent of thepopulation of the U.S. is ofAsian or Pacific Islanderdescent.

Perhaps the most well-known Air Force memberof Asian-Pacific Islanderancestry is Ellison Onizu-ka. Born in 1946 in Ha-waii, he entered the AirForce in January 1970 andflew a variety of aircraft,eventually logging morethan 1,700 flying hours. InJanuary 1978, he becamean astronaut candidate forNASA.

Onizuka flew his firstspace shuttle missionaboard the Discovery inJanuary 1985. He was amission specialist aboardthe orbiter Challengerwhen it exploded a littleover one minute after

launch from the KennedySpace Center, Florida, onJan. 28, 1986. Congressposthumously promotedhim to colonel, and the AirForce renamed SunnyvaleAir Force Station, Califor-nia, after Onizuka on Jan.26, 1994. The Air Force of-ficially closed the installa-tion in September 2011.

Another part of theAsian-Pacific Americanheritage is the Army’s100th Infantry Battalionand the 442nd Regimen-tal Combat Team, whichwas made up of Japanese-Americans from Hawaiiand others that were heldin detention camps. Thedetention camps were es-tablished by the U.S. gov-ernment in February 1942in result of the attack onPearl Harbor by the Japa-nese Imperial Navy on

Dec. 7, 1941, and housed120,000 Japanese-Ameri-cans who had been livingin Pacific Coast states.

They, like the TuskegeeAirmen, fought prejudiceat home, as well as tyran-ny overseas, during WorldWar II.

By May 1945, the 442ndRCT and the 100th IB,fighting in Italy and south-ern France, had become themost highly decorated U.S.military units of their size.They had accumulatedmore than 18,000 individ-ual decorations for brav-ery, including 18 Medalsof Honor; 52 DistinguishedService Crosses; and 9,500Purple Hearts, with manySoldiers earning multipleawards. In addition, thetwo units collectively re-ceived seven PresidentialUnit Citations.

One of the most well-known members of the442nd RCT was DanielK. Inouye, the first U.S.congressman of Japaneseancestry and the secondlongest-serving senator.During World War II, hereceived a battlefield com-mission and promotionto second lieutenant. Healso received many deco-rations to include the Dis-tinguished Service Cross,which was later upgradedto the Medal of Honorin 2000. He is among 30Asian-Americans who havereceived America’s highestmilitary award. He servedas U.S. senator from Ha-waii from to 1963 until hisdeath on Dec. 17, 2012.

CommentaryCelebrating Asian American, Pacific Islander Heritage Month

COURTESY PHOTO/NASA

STS-51L crew members pose during a break incountdown training in the White Room at LaunchPad 39B in November of 1985. From the left areChrista McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik,Francis “Dick” Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smithand Ellison Onizuka.

Andrews GazetteFriday, May 8, 2015 3

pink several pink satinstrips with the names ofcancer survivors and dona-tion supporters around herwaist,whileMarkovitzworea pink sash with the wordsurvivor across it.

“I’m wearing the namesof survivors who sufferedfrom this disease and peo-ple who died as a publicdisplay in honor to themand tribute to their fight. Indoing this, it’s not just theirname I’m carrying. It’s theburden, the pain, fatigueand struggle of them tell-ing their loved one I havecancer, only to leave themalone. All of these thingswent through my mind as Idid the walk,” said Jefferis,Air Force Element Depart-ment of Defense superin-tendant and First Sergeant.

“I’ve supported the fightagainst breast cancer fora long time, because mymother passed from it, andmy cancer is actually ge-netic. It runs through thefamily onmymother’s side,”said Jefferis.

A cancer survivor of justover 14 months, Jefferis isthankful to be spared fromthe long-term treatmentsthat can some time taketheir toll on cancer victims.“Mine was detected very

early on. I was diagnosedwith a common,but less life-threatening form of breastcancer called Ductal Carci-noma in Situ (DCIS), but Ineeded a bilateral mastec-tomy because it was in bothbreasts. I didn’t need chemo,I didn’t have to go throughtreatment for radiation orhormone therapy,” said Jef-feris, anAir Force veteran of26 years.

“When I retire this sum-mer, I would like to startvolunteering and enlist thesupport my Air Force coun-terparts,” Jefferis shared.

A fewyears ago,Markov-itz found out that she wasin stage two of Ductal Car-cinoma in Situ cancer whilestationed at Little Rock AirForce Base as a medical lo-gistics technician. She no-ticed a lump in her breastbut thought it to be harm-less because she was young,in good physical shape anddidn’t have any family his-tory of cancer.

“I’d gotten a 97 onmyPTtest. I thought I was super-healthy,” said Markovitz.Fortunately, she men-tioned the lump to one ofher friends in the Women’sHealth Clinic, who advisedher to come to the clinic im-mediately. Six months later,she was diagnosed withcancer.

At one point in her ca-reer,Markovitz thought hercurrent job as an AirmanLeadership School instruc-torwas in jeopardy.Shewasselected for the special dutyassignment at the 707thForce Support SquadronAirman Leadership Schoolat Ft. George E. Meade pri-or to her diagnosis.Her newbosses questioned if shecould perform her job withthis disease.

“I knew that I could dothe job. But by the time Istarted teaching I was ‘baldas a bat’,” said Markovitzjokingly. “At first, it wassomewhat of a distraction,because the students didn’tknow about my cancer.Eventually, I used my storyin my teaching to furthermotivate them. I believethat surviving the cancerhelped me to overcome anychallenge after that,” saidMarkovitz, now a four-yearcancer survivor.

Although the both werenewcomers to the event,they enjoyed the new foundfriendships and stories theyheard along the way withveteran walkers.

“When the walk gottough, I thought of thosemoments of fear,doubt, inse-curity and I pushed myself,thinking if I can go throughtreatment and surgeries, I

absolutely can do this.”Markovitz painfully re-

counted when she wentunderwent chemo therapy,noting, “I had such bad neu-ropathy that I couldn't walksometimes at all while goingthrough the treatments. Ithurt so badly. A lot of it re-ally came down to diggingdeep and grabbing what Ihaddown in thereandpush-ing through whatever thefeatmaybe,”Markovitz said.

“The walk ended with awonderful and emotionalclosing ceremony that re-so-lidified my connection withevery person there: Thecrew that made it possible,the walkers that walked forsomeone they loved, some-one going through treat-ment right now, the walkerthat walked for everyone,Avon for creating the event,all the hospitals and clinicswho treat patients, the uni-versities that research curesand better treatments andthe survivors that still fighttoday,” added Markowitz.“The entire weekend wasawesome and I'll definitelybe doing it again.”

For more informationabout AVON 39 The Walkto End Breast Cancer, visitwww.avon39.org or join the#Powerof39 conversation onFacebook, Instagram, Twit-ter, andYouTube.

AVON, from page 1

Apply now for the Na-tional Center forVIP train-ing program at the BolgerCenter Hotel and Confer-ence Center in Potomacfrom June 9-11.

Veteran Institute forProcurement (VIP) is aneducational program forowners, principals and C-level executives of veter-an-owned businesses. TheVIP is a 27-hour, three-daycomprehensive certifica-tion program designed forveteran businesses to in-crease their ability to wingovernment contracts. Todate, 446 veteran-ownedbusinesses have graduatedfrom the program.

The VIP classes are of-fered to one executive fromeach enrolled businesses.Class size is limited to 50.The program is fundedby Montgomery CountyChamber CommunityFoundation, partners andVIP sponsors, and is of nocost to participants.Enroll-ment is open to veteran-owned businesses nation-wide.

Eligible applicants:1. Must be an owner,

principal or C-level execu-tive for a veteran-ownedbusiness

2. Have been in busi-ness for at least two yearswith a minimum of threefull time employees

3. Have experienceworking on Federal gov-ernment contracts as aprime and/or sub-contrac-tor to a prime

4. Be a small business.VIP is for veteran busi-

ness executives with in-terest in best businesspractices in these areas:accounting/budgets/devel-oping rates; compliance;contracting—teaming,joint ventures, RFI; financ-ing/capital management;human resources; insur-ance; marketing, proposalsand capture management;program management/in-ternal controls.

Formore information orto apply, please visit www.nationalvip.org.TheBolgerCenter Hotel and Confer-ence Center is located at9600 Newbridge Drive.

–Montgomery CountyChamber Community

Foundation

Veteran businessowners sought fortraining program

1050791 1051067

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS PHILIP BRYANT

Capt. Denise Duriga, 11th Wing Protocol chief, looks out the window of the B-17G TexasRaiders at Joint Base Andrews, May 4. Texas Raiders is one of two in the CommemorativeAir Force organization and one of 11 still flying.

B-17G Texas Raiders, sits on the flightline at Joint Base Andrews, May 4. The aircraft was ondisplay to commemorate Victory in Europe Day which will be celebrated today. The TexasRaiders is a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress that is part of the Commemorative Air Force, anonprofit organization located out of Midland, Texas.

Chief Master Sgt. Todd Cole, 89th Airlift Wing command chief, walks through thebomb bay of the B-17G Texas Raiders at Joint Base Andrews, May 4.

Commemorative Air Force brings B-17 to JBA4 Andrews Gazette Friday, May 8, 2015

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Experiencing his firstyear, Riley comes from amilitary family, “It hasbeen impressed upon methat the freedom we en-joy everyday wasn’t reallyfree. It was a good way toshow appreciation. Thisperhaps provides a way forpeople in my generation tohonor and celebrate Me-morial Day.”

“I don’t necessarilycome from a military fam-ily like Lane does; butwhen you are asked to dosomething like this andyou really do see that Me-morial Day has becomemore or less a vacation dayyou can’t say no,” sharedDriscoll in his second yearof participating.

Marrow, retired Armyand 20 years as a firefight-er, is one of the drivers forthe bus for the relay. Heshared, “It was such anopportunity, a way for usto remember. You meet somany people and as youare walking you quicklyget to know people andtheir stories – strangers nolonger after that. I drovelast year and I didn’t hesi-tate to do it again.”

This journey started inWest Point,N.Y., onApril 28and will only end once they

reach Dallas on MemorialDay weekend – some 2,000miles later. It was on May4th that this journey passedthroughMaryland.

What is this journeyabout? It is Carry theLoad, a 27-day relay thatprovides a way to honorand celebrate military, lawenforcement, firefightersand rescue personnel whohave sacrificed for thiscountry, as well as theirfamilies.

According to the cre-ators, it is a way to restorethe true meaning of Memo-rial Day while raising mon-ey for non-profit partners.

This nonprofit was

founded by Clint Bruceand Stephen Holley, twoformer Navy SEALs. Thegenesis of the relay waswhen Bruce had becomefrustrated with what Me-morial Day had become—just another day off fromwork and not about sacri-fice. Bruce strapped on apack and walked, honoringfallen brethren and shar-ing their pain.

Driscoll hops on the bi-cycle and Riley jumps inthe chase car. It is a quick20 minute trip to the nextleg’s starting point. Peopleat the gas station approachthe bus, intrigued by thepictures and “Restoring

the True Meaning of Me-morial Day” emblazonedacross the side.

It becomes apparentthis scene repeats itselfnumerous times duringthe journey as they sharestory after story of peopleinquiring about their pas-sage withmany joining therelay spontaneously. It was4 a.m. when they beganthe next leg from Landoverto cross over into Wash-ington, D.C. They asked,“Do you want to walk?” Itwas then that the report-er joined the numbers ofspontaneous journeymen.

During the trek, Rileyshared stories of those

that have joined the relayon different legs.

“People start talkingand start sharing – theytalk about their experi-ences, about their lovedones. It’s somewhat heal-ing.There have beenmanystories that really touchedmy heart,” Riley shared.

It is still dark whilecrossing the D.C. line; thewalkers stop for a quickselfie tomark themilestone.

While walking alongthe road – somewhat pre-carious in some places –there are horn beeps aspeople look over to see theAmerican Flag and theCarry the Load Flag thewalkers are carrying.

As dawn appears, thenext meeting point is athand. There are teammembers there to greetwith high-fives and a greatbig bear hug from Bruce.

“It started out for mejust being really angry –the reason I startedwalkingwas because I was mad; tonow, to just not being angryat all. How can you be an-gry after seeing this? Howcan you be angry when areporter walks up at two inthemorning trying to figurethis thing out; and then justwalks because they just getit.You can’t stay angry afterthat,” Bruce said

“For me, one of my bigmissions is to continue topool the numbers of peoplewho need to see that thisstill matters and that thesesacrifices matter. And, then,extend that recognition towhat I call the sacrificialservices: law enforcement,fire fighters rescue/EMTpersonnel. The risk is thatyou could not come home atnight;andtheydo it overandover again.We’ve taken a lotof ground in helping the na-tion celebrateMemorialDay.We want to take the wholemonthofMay tohonor theseother men and women whohave sacrificed for us andsay, ‘Hey, what you do mat-ters,’” Bruce noted.

“Every year I look for-ward to these spontaneousmoments – I love whenpeople sign up – but thosespontaneous momentswhen someone walks upto you and goes, “Hey whatare you doing?’ and youtell them and they say,‘Okay I’m walking’,” Bruceshared.

Visit CarryTheLoad.org to join the relay, makea donation, or volunteer.Follow Carry the Load onFacebook, Twitter (@Car-ryTheLoad) and Insta-gram; share who you arecarrying with the hashtag#CarryTheLoad.

RELAY, from page 1

The relay team joins with several local walkers to start the first Washington, D.C.leg of the relay just after sunrise.

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Andrews Gazette6 Friday, May 8, 2015

BY MAJ. DERRICWHITESIDE

779TH MEDICAL OPERATIONSSQUADRON

High blood pressure,called hypertension, is oneof the most common con-ditions seen in a doctor’soffice. Blood pressure isidentified through screen-ing with the use of a bloodpressuremachine, ormanu-ally by a technician. It’s of-ten called the “silent killer”because patients typicallydo not feel when their bloodpressure is elevated butthe elevation can cause aheart attack, stroke, kidneydamage or even prematuredeath.

“High blood pressureplaces stress on the kidneysand is particularly danger-ous for those with uncon-trolled diabetes or kidneydisease, who may alreadyhave injury to their kidneys.The extra stress from highblood pressure could lead toneeding dialysis. Individu-als with diabetes or kidneydisease, regardless of age,shouldmaintain their bloodpressure at 140/90 or less,”said Lt. Col. Assy Yacoub,Internist, 779th MedicalOperation Squadron.

“Those under age 60should maintain a bloodpressure of 140/90 or less.Those over age 60 shouldmaintain a blood pressureof 150/90 or less. Individu-als are diagnosed with hy-pertensionwhen their bloodpressure is greater than150/90 on two separate oc-casions,” said Yacoub.

“It is very important tomonitor your blood pres-sure and follow up withyour doctor when you noticethat your blood pressure isnot in the normal range.Your physician will adviseyou on the best option toget your blood pressure un-der control. Typically, thisincludes a lifestyle modifi-cation such as weight lossthrough diet and exercise.A low salt diet is recom-mended along with mod-erate aerobic activity forat least 30 minutes a day,three to five days a week. Ifthat does not work,medica-tion may be required,” saidYacoub.

“I suffered from highblood pressure for over 20years and more recentlydiabetes. I didn’t want tocut my life short so I madesome simple changes to mylifestyle, which included,watching my diet, limitingsalt and sugar, and exer-cising three times a week.With the help of Dr. White-side, I’ve been able to con-trol my diabetes withoutinsulin and have reducedmy blood pressure,” saidMr.William Gage, an Air Forceretiree and patient of Dr.Whiteside.

“I monitor my bloodpressure several times aday to ensure it remains un-der 140/90 and always takemy medication at the sametime each day. If my pres-sure goes up I take time outto rest. I also follow up withmy doctor about four timesa year,” said Gage.

Hypertension:Thesilentkiller

U.S. AIR FORCE/79TH MEDICAL WING

Dr. Derric Whiteside, 779th Medical OperationsSquadron, Internist, takes the blood pressure ofSenior Airman Timothy McSheehy, 779th MedicalOperations Squadron, Medical Technician.

“I didn’t want to cut my life short”William Gage, Air Force retiree

While getting a large taxrefund is nice, it’s not muchof a benefit to allow thegovernment to hold yourmoney until it refunds youroverpayment. By changingyour withholding amount,you might receive moremoney on your paycheckthat you can save in aninterest-bearing savings ac-count throughout the year.There are rules about howmuch you must have with-held or paid in estimates toavoid IRS penalties. Con-sult your tax advisor tomake sure you are properlycovered.Fund your 401(k),

403(b), TSP or tradi-tional IRA. By deferringwages into your pre-tax re-tirement plan,youwill keepyour taxable income lower.With these plans, you cansave money for retirementand enjoy the benefits ofgetting tax-deferred com-pounding of earnings with-in the accounts.Maximize your flex-

ible spending account.Contribute pre-tax earn-ings to an employer-spon-sored health or dependentcare flexible spending ac-count. You can reduce yourtax liability and use themoney saved for medical,

dental and dependent careexpenses.Give. For 2015, you can

gift anyone in the amountup to $14,000 withouthaving to fill out a gift taxreturn. If you’re married,both you and your spousecan give gifts, doubling the$14,000 to $28,000. Justmake sure that the gifts aregiven by Dec. 31.Estimate taxes if

you’re self-employed. Toavoid an underpaymentpenalty on the unpaidamount,your estimated taxmust be at least the lesserof the following: 90 percentof the tax liability shown on

the return for the currentyear or 100 percent of thetax liability shown on thereturn for the prior year.You may want to use the“safe planning” techniqueto avoid a possible under-payment penalty, whereyou make estimated taxpayments of at least 100percent (or 110 percent ifthe AGI was in excess of$150,000 for the prior year)of the actual tax liability forthe prior year.

Learn more by visitingthe Andrews Federal On-line Education Center atwww.andrewsfcu.org/membereducation.

Year-round tax strategies

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