AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2013 | VOL. 2 NO. 35

Caption This62013 Run foryour Lungs 5K6 JBA Buzz7

The Allentown Splash,Tennis and Fitness Parkheld its first Doggie Dive-Inevent for Fort Washingtonresidents Sept. 6. Althoughthe outdoor facilities wereclosed for the summer, lo-cal residents were invitedto take a dip with their dogsbefore sanitizing the poolfor the season. The ASTFPalso provided donated doggietreats and drinking water forthe furry, four-legged friends.

DOGGIE DIVE-INMAKES A SPLASH

A four-legged guest dives into the pool in pursuit of a tennis ball thrown by her owner.

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

A Temple Hills resident takes a dip with her dog, Nickle.see DIVE-IN, page 8

Since 1842, Prince George’s County resi-dents and visitors have enjoyed the annualCounty Fair. Times have changed, and ourcounty has grown, but the week after LaborDay is still known for the simple pleasures

of thrill rides, live music, agricultural and4-H competitions, baby contests, carnivalgames and once-a-year comfort foods at thefairgrounds in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Prince George’s CountyFair a 172-year tradition

PHOTOS/BOBBY JONES

A family is all smiles at the annual Prince George’s County Fair in Upper Marlboro Sept. 7.

see FAIR, page 3

BY TERRI MOON CRONKAMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

When someone is in crisis and feelingdespondent, reaching out for help is astronger step to take than doing nothing,which can lead to a worsening state, a Mili-tary Crisis Line responder told AmericanForces Press Service Sept. 10.Tricia Lucchesi of Canandaigua, N.Y.,

said she encourages service members, fam-ilies, veterans and friends to feel comfort-able calling the crisis line.She said people contact the crisis line to

discuss a variety of issues, from feeling sui-cidal, depressed or anxious to feeling pres-sure from finances or relationships, amonga wealth of other concerns.“I want to encourage people to reach out,

day or night, any day of the year,” Lucchesisaid. “Our veterans and service membersthat do the best are the ones who makethose calls.”To reach skilled responders who are

knowledgeable of military culture, dial1-800-273-8255 and press No. 1. The cri-sis line also is available by cellphone textby dialing 838255, or through online chatat http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/Ac-tiveDuty.aspx.Lucchesi said callers can expect a live

person and not an electronic menu to an-swer their calls.People can call the crisis line to speak

with trained professionals about theirproblem safely, anonymously and confiden-tially, “which is really important,” Lucchesisaid.“We stay on the phone for as long as it

takes,” she added. “We’ll do whatever weneed to do to get that person the help thathe needs,” she added.Callers receive a follow-up call from a

suicide prevention coordinator the next

day, or another professional who’s linkedinto the crisis line team. A “compassionatecallback,” follows about 10 days afterward,Lucchesi said, to make sure the callers con-nected with the services they needed, andso responders can make sure callers arefeeling better.While some service members hesitate to

seek help because they fear it will nega-tively impact their military career, Luc-chesi advises them to make the call to thecrisis line before matters worsen.“Military people do worry about [career

impact], but if they’re getting to the pointwhere they’re so much in crisis, they needto call us,” she said. “It becomes imperativefor us to get them help, [and] if they don’tcall, their military career could be at risk.”The Military Crisis Line, also known as

the Veterans Crisis Line at the same phoneand text numbers, is a joint effort betweenthe Defense and Veterans Affairs depart-ments. It provides worldwide services foractive duty troops, veterans, family mem-bers and concerned friends of those in cri-sis, Lucchesi said.“Suicide has become such a prominent

issue, the [departments] are working close-ly together to create a system to assist ourmembers without them having to worryabout their careers or confidentiality,” shesaid.As the nation observes Suicide Preven-

tion and Awareness Month, Lucchesi said,she wants people to know they will find awelcoming environment of helpful respond-ers who will stay on the phone with a calleruntil a “safety plan” is in place. A safetyplan varies by individual, she explained,but can typically involve callers commit-ting to seeking suggested help and variousresources, and taking other actions such as

MilitaryCrisisLine saves lives

BY MAJ. JOEL HARPER89TH AIRLIFT WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The home of Air Force One has a newcommander.Colonel David L. Almand took command

of the 89th Airlift Wing from Col. MikeMinihan in a ceremony Sept. 6 at JointBase Andrews.“Thank you for placing this sacred trust

upon me. This is the greatest day of my AirForce career, and it is a privilege for us tojoin the SAM Fox family,” said Almand.Both former and new commanders agreed

that the wing’s successes are made possibleby its most valuable resource--its people.“You are the best and brightest Mobility

Airmen in the world,” said Almand. “Thisceremony today allows us to celebrate theawesome responsibility that we have.We willensure the standard of perfection prevails.”Lt. Gen. Darren W. McDew, commander

of 18th Air Force, presided over the cere-mony and presented Minihan the Legion ofMerit, awarded for exceptionally meritori-ous conduct.Minihan moves to Headquarters, Pa-

cific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam, Hawaii, where he will serve asdeputy director of operations.“Thank you to the members of the 89th

Airlift Wing. It’s simply humbling to watchyou in action. You will always occupy theposition of honor and have my eternal re-spect and gratitude,” said Minihan.

Almand, a 1990 graduate of the U.S.Air Force Academy, comes to the 89th af-ter serving as the commander of the 375thAir Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base,Ill. A command pilot with more than 4,100flight hours, Almand has flown the C-141B,C-17A and KC-135R aircraft in support ofmultiple operations in Somalia, Bosnia,Iraq and Afghanistan.The 89th Airlift Wing is responsible for

worldwide special air mission airlift, logis-tics, aerial port and communications sup-port for the President, Vice President, cabi-net members, combatant commanders andother senior military and elected leaders astasked by the White House, Air Force Chiefof Staff, and Air Mobility Command.

89th Airlift Wingwelcomes new commander

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS AARON STOUT

Col. David L. Almand, right, assumescommand of the 89th Airlift Wing from Lt.Gen. Darren W. McDew at the 89th AirliftWing Change of Command on Joint BaseAndrews, Md., Sept. 6, 2013. McDew, thecommander of the 18th Air Force presidedof the ceremony.

see CRISIS LINE, page 7

BY GLORIA KWIZERAAIR FORCE PERSONNEL CENTER

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Air Force Personnel Center officialsare reminding Air Force civilian employ-ees that they need to create their Office ofPersonnel Management electronic OfficialPersonnel Folder account in order to accesstheir personnel records.The OPM eOPF application, which re-

placed the Air Force Civilian Electronic

OPF, is a secure, electronic personnelfolder which contains civilian personneldocuments, such as notifications of per-sonnel actions for federal appointment,awards, promotions, and the recent fur-lough notice. It also includes documenta-tion of benefits elections, such as ThriftSavings Plan contributions, life insur-ance, and health benefits.“This is an important tool in manag-

ing your career and ensuring your records

are correct,” said Chuck Zedek, eOPF pro-gram manager. “We highly urge employ-ees to set up their new eOPF accounts andview their records sooner than later, be-cause if there are delays or issues we canget them resolved now rather than at thelast moment when an individual needs tohave the information.”This self-service tool enables em-

ployees to electronically view and printOPF documents, and to update emer-

gency data. Civilian employees will beprompted to change their password ev-ery 60 days.For guidance on how to create an

eOPF account, visit the myPers websiteat https://mypers.af.mil. For additionalassistance, contact the OPM eOPF helpdesk at 866-275-8518 or email eopf_hd@telesishq.com. Employees with questionsconcerning specific personnel actions ordocuments should contact their servicingpersonnel representative.

Civilians must create eOPF account to access records

01040404B

2 Friday, September 13, 2013Andrews Gazette

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint Military Publications,9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md., a private firm in no wayconnected with the U.S. Air Force or any branch of the UnitedStates military. The appearance of advertising in these publica-tions, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute en-

dorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Forceor the products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for pur-chase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, na-tional origin, age, martial status, physical handicap, political affiliation orany other non merit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, presidentmminar@dcmilitary.com

John Rives, publisherjrives@dcmilitary.com

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Lorraine Walker, page designlwalker@gazette.net

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COURTESY OF THE RETIREEACTIVITIES OFFICE

Funeral directors have online toolsThe Department of Veterans Af-

fairs has an online funeral directorsresource kit. Funeral directors mayuse the kit when helping veteransand their families make burial ar-rangements in VA national cemeter-ies or in Arlington National Cem-etery, operated by the Department ofthe Army. The website helps familiesplan burials and apply for VA memo-rial benefits. Videos are available inEnglish and Spanish. The website isavailable at www.cem.va.gov/cem/funeraldirector.asp. VA maintains3.2 million grave sites in 131 VA na-tional cemeteries. More than 118,000veterans and family members wereinterred in fiscal year 2012. Informa-tion on VA burial benefits can be ob-tained from national cemetery offices,from www.cem.va.gov or by callingVA at 800-827-1000. To make burialarrangements at a VA national cem-

etery, call the cemetery schedulingoffice at 800-535-1117. For informa-tion about interments at ArlingtonNational Cemetery call 877 907-8585.

Autism program expandsA congressionally mandated pilot

program enhances existing DefenseDepartment care and treatment formilitary children with autism. An es-timated 8,500 children of active dutymilitary families have a form of au-tism. Expanded services through theautism pilot program will also allowretirees and their families to receiveASD benefits. There is no change inbenefits to anyone enrolled in thebasic medical program that beganlast year. The pilot program was de-veloped by crafting requirementsthrough consulting with experts inthe field and advocacy groups to findvalidated tests and the best strategyfor the right care at the right time.There is “an expanding need and rec-ognition” of military families withchildren who have autism, accordingto a spokesman. “We continually try

to improve … [and] expand our net-work of providers. I think we haveone of the most robust networks avail-able,” he added.

DFAS phone menu changesThe Defense Finance and Account-

ing Service in Cleveland has alteredits telephone menu options. If youneed help with your military retiredor annuity pay, choose option 1 afterdialing either 800-321-1080 or 888-332-7411. If inquiring about myPay,choose option 5.The Retiree Activities Office is open

10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday throughFriday. Visit the office in Building1604 at California and Colorado Av-enues or call us at 301-981-2726. Oure-mail address is rao@andrews.af.mil.Call the office before your visit to en-sure a volunteer is on duty. The RAOhas a website at www.andrews.af.mil;Under “Helpful Links” click on “Retir-ees Activity Office” for information onretiree subjects, including past copiesof “Retiree Corner.”

Retiree Corner

BY CHRIS BASHAMSTAFF WRITER

This week, my son did somethingsome people tell him he can’t do. Anewly minted 20-year-old, he movedout, to share a house with friends.The neighborhood is a little

sketchy, but not more than he canhandle with diplomacy and wit. Therent is reasonable, mostly becauseof the aforementioned sketchiness.When he announced a few monthsago that he had lined up a place tolive, he described it to me in such away that made it clear that he knewexactly what he was doing and how tomake it work. He’s got my admiration.Sometimes, though, when he men-

tioned his plan, or now that he’s movedout, people have said that he shouldn’ttake the risk. He shouldn’t “waste” hishard-earned money on a place to stay,

when he already had a room in hischildhood home, right down the streetfrom where he works. People tell himhe doesn’t know how hard it will be,or that he’s foolish to not rely on hisparents to provide for his every needfor as long as they’re willing.And that, folks, is the problem with

America today.When I graduated high school,

fully intending to go to college andnever return, my parents gave mesomething just as important as threeyears’ college tuition. They handed mea new set of luggage. The message? Asmy mother would put it, “Go, and Godbless you, but go.”No parents do everything right,

but looking back I think this was oneof the best things my parents did.They let me know, quietly and withgenerosity, that I was no longer achild. I was free to move on, and build

a life for myself beyond the familiarconfines of my childhood home.There have been times that my

parents have been less than pleasedwith the choices I have made, andtimes when they felt the safest thingfor me and my children was to comehome, at least for a little while, but Ialways thought back to that set of lug-gage and remembered: I have left thatlife behind. When my actions haveconsequences that seem too heavy tocarry, I need to just pack them in mysuitcases and keep moving, forward.I asked my son if he needed any-

thing for the new house. He smiled atme, a confident, sparkling grin, andsaid, “Nah, I’m good.”And you know what? He is. He’s

making a life, exactly the way hewants to, and he’s doing it whether or

Commentary:Fly, be broke, be free!

September 13Desert Storm Veterans Association Golf Tournament

Meadows Farms Golf Course, 4300 Flat Run Road, Lo-cust Grove, Va.9 a.m.Enjoy golf, lunch and drinks while you support the

VII Corps DSVA Scholarship fund. For information con-tact VIICORPSDSVA@aol.com.

September 13 - 14Defenders’ Day CelebrationMaryland Historical Society and Fort McHenry, Bal-

timore, Md.Events all day at each location on both days See a

recreation of the 30 x 42 ft. flag which inspired Fran-cis Scott Key to write about our Star-Spangled Banner,living history encampments featuring military drills,cooking demonstrations, musket and cannon firing,dress parade, fife and drum music and a children’s pro-gram featuring authors and local historians. Enjoy apatriotic concert including the 1812 Overture, completewith cannon fire and fireworks. For information visitwww.mdhs.org/star-spangled-banner-project.

September 14Prince George’s County Master Gardeners Garden-

ing Expo and Fall Festival6707 Groveton Drive, Clinton, Md.Noon - 5 pm.Bring the family to shop for plants, get your plant

problems diagnosed, see presentations, take a gardentour or participate in a garden art workshop. For infor-mation visit www.mastergardener.umd.edu.

HOTTICKETSAround Town

see HOT TICKETS, page 7

see COMMENTARY, page 5

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3Friday, September 13, 2013 Andrews Gazette

Fairgoers scream with joy as they plungedown a 100-foot drop on the Super Shot.

Colorful lights from a drop tower and Ferris wheel light upthe skyline in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Upper Marlboro residents Addison Sellman, 4, left, and her sister Mor-gan, 2, display a little swagger and butterfly face paintings at the PrinceGeorge’s County Fair Sept. 7.

“Grupo Esmerado” is one of several musical acts to entertain the crowd.

Children spin through the night air in aChairoplane ride.

Vendors offer everything from classic funnel cakes tocotton candy to Italian and Polish sausages.

FAIR, from page 1

01040664B

4 Friday, September 13, 2013Andrews Gazette

BY JEFF SCHOGOLAIR FORCE TIMES

Changes starting Oct. 1:- Supervisors must approve

tuition assistance requestsSubstandard performers cannottake classes until they improveNo TA for two degrees of thesame typeWhat’s the same:- TA up to $4,500 per year or

up to $250 per semester hourNo restrictions on types of class-es toward new type of degreeNo changes in eligibility rulesfor good performersUnder new rules, both enlist-

ed Airmen and officers will needto get approval from their super-visors before the Air Force willoffer tuition assistance for class-es. The rules are effective Oct. 1,according to the Air Force, whichis the first service to announceits tuition assistance plan forfiscal 2014. Requiring approvalfor tuition assistance allows su-pervisors to manage their forcebetter, said Kimberly Yates, chiefof Air Force voluntary education.If supervisors know that mis-

sion needs will take up most ofan Airman’s time, they can tellthat Airman that now is not theright time to take classes, Yatessaid in an Aug. 29 interview.The change also allows super-

visors to become more involvedin their Airmen’s professionaldevelopment, she said.“It provides an opportunity

for mentoring, so when thoserequests come in, it gives theopportunity for the supervi-sor to reach out to that Airmanand talk about what their goalsare,” Yates said. “We also want tomake sure that our Airmen canbe successful in the courses thatthey take. We don’t want them toget involved in courses they maynot be able to finish because themission is going to take so muchof their time.”

For clarity’s sake, the term“supervisor” refers to whoeverrates you, Air Force spokeswom-an Capt. Erika Yepsen said.“Supervisors are expected

to exercise good judgment andwork together with their Airmento build a degree plan that ismanageable for the Airman andbalances the Airman’s educationgoals with the mission,” Yepsensaid in an email.Some Airmen told Air Force

Times they have concerns aboutthe new policy.One Airman stationed in

the southeast U.S. is worriedthat supervisors could blockeducation benefits for Airmenthat they want to force out ofthe service.“If people view you as a bad

Airman, say they want you out ofthe Air Force, they can deny youthe education that the Air Forceguarantees you and that’s goingto look bad on an EPR [enlistedperformance report], which even-tually is going to force you outof the military,” said Kim, whoasked that her last name andrank not be used in the story. “Ifyou don’t have good EPRs, youdon’t get promoted.”Another issue is that Airmen

may not meet school deadlinesif they have to wait for their su-pervisors’ approval before takingclasses, she said.“If your supervisor sits on

your paperwork and your collegestarts classes, they’re not goingto just let you in,” Kim said.But the supervisor’s role is to

see if you meet the criteria fortuition assistance, not to decideif you are worthy of it, ChiefMaster Sergeant of the Air ForceJames Cody said.“The supervisor can’t just ar-

bitrarily slow roll it and do that,”Cody said in an Aug. 29 inter-view. “We’re professionals. That’snot what we’re about. If thathappens, that supervisor has a

supervisor and Airmen alwayshave a recourse.”What the supervisor is sup-

posed to do is make sure there isno administrative action pendingagainst an Airman for failing tomeet standards before approvingtuition assistance, Cody said.“There is no provision in there

for supervisors to just arbitrari-ly decide, ‘Hey, I don’t think youshould be able to do it,’ ” he said.“There are certain conditionswhere Airmen are not eligible tobe able to use TA. That’s whata supervisor is to apply thatagainst, not a personal feelingabout something to the degreewhere it would seem like it’s per-sonal, not professional.”No TA for poor performersWhile the Air Force has not

changed who is eligible for tu-ition assistance, Airmen whohave been cited for substandardperformance cannot take class-es until the action against themhas been resolved, officialssaid. That includes Airmen whohave received a referral, faileda physical fitness test or are ona control roster.“Airmen may be in a situa-

tion where it’s just not right forthem to take a class because ofother constraints on them, soin order to manage better, themanagement controls were puton,” Yates said.Being on a control roster

means going through six monthsof observation, evaluation andrehabilitation, Yepsen said.“You cannot be put on the

control roster as a substitute formore appropriate administra-tive, judicial or nonjudicial ac-tion,” she said. “If you have beenon the control roster for six con-secutive months and you are notrehabilitated, more severe actionmust be initiated. While on thecontrol roster, you may not bepermitted to PCS, be promotedor re-enlist.”

Staff Sgt. Lisa Wright told AirForce Times that she does notthink it’s fair to deny tuition as-sistance to Airmen who are try-ing to rehabilitate themselves.“They can’t better themselves

if you’re going to deny themeducation,” said Wright, whois stationed at Hurlburt Field,Fla. “An A1C [airman first class]typically can’t afford educationon an A1C’s pay so if you’re go-ing to take that asset away fromthem, how are they going to bet-ter themselves on a rehabilita-tive tool?”Once Airmen come off the con-

trol roster, they can take classesthrough the normal process,Yates said. When asked if fewerAirmen will be eligible for tu-ition assistance under the newrules, she said: “I think it’s tooearly tell that.”There are no changes to how

much money Airmen receive intuition assistance, Yates said.You can still get up to $4,500per year or up to $250 per se-mester hour.The Air Force has also not put

any restrictions on which classesyou can take, so you are still al-lowed to take classes that do notrelate directly to your careerfield, she said.“As long as it’s on their ap-

proved degree plan, they cantake it, and that approved de-gree plan can be of their choos-ing,” Yates said.The new rules prohibit Air-

men from getting two of thesame type of degree, so if youalready have one bachelor’s de-gree, you can’t pursue anotherone, she said.“There are a couple of excep-

tions to that and that would befor example a Community Col-lege of the Air Force degree,”Yates said. “We also have a listof members who will changetheir AFSCs [Air Force SpecialtyCodes] and they would be eligi-ble for a second degree.”

If you want to take a languageclass, the Air Force encouragesyou to take one in a language forwhich the service has a shortageof linguists, Yates said. You candiscuss which language you wantto take when you set your educa-tion goals with your supervisor.“They would be working with

their education counselor whenthey talk about programs thatthey are interested in taking,”she said. “There’s also a list onthe Air Force portal [website]that lets them know what theshortage languages are so theycan refer to that.”When budget cuts took effect

in March, the Air Force brieflysuspended tuition assistance,then Congress stepped in. It re-quired the Air Force and otherservices to offer tuition assis-tance, but lawmakers did notprovide any money to pay for it.That meant money went to tu-

ition assistance that could havebeen used to keep two squadronsin the air, Cody told Airmen atJoint Base Andrews in April.At the time, the Air Force

had exhausted most of the mon-ey for tuition assistance, so ithad to take from elsewhere tofund the program for the rest ofthe fiscal year, Cody said in hismost recent interview. For fiscal2014, the service believes it hasbudgeted enough money to meetdemand, so there shouldn’t beany tradeoffs.“We want that opportunity to

remain available to our Airmen,”he said. “We know how impor-tant it is to them. It’s importantto our Air Force. It’s certainlya force multiplier when our AirForce is more educated. So that issomething we valued before, wevalue today and we will continueto value in the future. When wesuspended it earlier in the year,it wasn’t because we didn’t value

Cody on new TA rules: Education is the ‘force multiplier’ for Air Force

see TA RULES, page 5

01040658B01040625B

5Friday, September 13, 2013 Andrews Gazette

SUSAN STALDER

Alexandria, Va. (Sept. 9, 2013) — The Military Offi-cers Association of America and Syracuse University’sInstitute for Veterans and Military Families will launchThe Military Spouse Employment Survey Sept. 16. Thisanonymous, voluntary survey provides a platform for allmilitary spouses to share their challenges of employmentwhile on active duty. Its results will enable MOAA andthe IVMF to better understand military spouse unem-ployment and underemployment. The survey takes ap-proximately 30 minutes to complete and will be availableat www.moaa.org/milspousesurvey through Oct. 16.This study will focus on the employment pattern of

all military spouses, especially related to their long-termcareer trajectories. All active duty, National Guard andReserve, veteran, and surviving spouses who are 18 yearsand older are encouraged to participate by sharing theirstories, experiences and lessons learned.According to the 2010 Department of Defense Man-

power Data Center, there are 725,877 spouses of activeduty service members and 413,295 spouses of Reserveand Guard members. An estimated 15 million veterans’

spouses and more than 5.8 million surviving spouses livein the U.S.“MOAA has been a leader in identifying and address-

ing issues related to spouse employment and this effortwill allow us to further our work in this area,” MOAAPresident Vice Adm. Norb Ryan said. “We believe thedata from this survey will shed light upon challengesspouses face with their employment goals so we can bet-ter address their issues.”“We believe this research will provide insight into

both employment and career barriers and opportunitiesfor military spouses, including career progression,” saidMike Haynie, IMVF executive director. “Further under-standing of these issues will also contribute to our abil-ity to provide support as military families transition tobeing veteran families. We look forward to working withMOAA to identify important policy issues and practicesrelated to military spouse employment that will impactboth the military and veterans communities.”To encourage as much participation as possible,

please share the #MilSpouseSurvey with other mili-tary spouse communities.Survey results will be released in the spring of 2014.

Military spouses: Be heardMOAA and IVMF launch milspouse employment survey

not anyone else approves or demonstrates confidence inhis ability to pull it off. When I look up at my tall, tall son,I am proud to see him striding on those long legs in thedirection of his own choosing. And if you think he can’t doit, you can just sit down and shut up about that, becauseI’ve known him for 20 years, and the son I know is a manwho does exactly what he sets out to do, no matter whetheranyone else thinks it is worthwhile or achievable.I’m almost in awe. And then he leans down for a hug,

and I can see on his face the truth of it all: He is not achild, anymore. But I will always be his Mom.

COMMENTARY, from page 2

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com

BY LANESSA HILLUSAG PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Fort Detrick hosted a 50-year commemoration of theDirect Communications Link, widely known as the Wash-ington-Moscow Hotline, Aug. 29.The link was first established by the U.S. and Soviet

governments Aug. 1963 via undersea cable, in the wakeof the Cuban Missile Crisis. A special earth station wasbuilt at Fort Detrick to operate over the Russian sat-ellite system; after an extended test period in Augustof 1978, the Detrick Earth Station became part of the“Hotline” system.In addition to the Direct Communication Link between

the American and Russian presidents, the Detrick EarthStation provides communication links with the RussianFederation in support of the State Department’s NuclearRisk Reduction Center, a special link connecting the U.S.Secretary of State with their counterpart in Moscow andcircuits for the White House Communications Agency andthe Office of the Secretary of Defense.“The system is very robust, as you might imagine,”

said Craig Bouma, civilian executive officer of the DetrickEarth Station. Workers at Detrick have daily electronicinteractions with their Russian counterparts.Roald Sagdeev, former director of the Soviet space ex-

ploration program, said the system still is critical.“It’s very important to make sure we can keep this,

especially at the time of what’s happening in Syria,” Sag-deev said.

Moscow Hotlineat Fort Detrickcommemorates50 years

it, it was because we didn’t have the money to pay for it.”But the Air Force is budgeting less money for tuition

assistance. The service initially budgeted $128 millionfor tuition assistance this fiscal year; however, demandwas so high that it needed another $90 million to fundthe program for the year, Air Force officials said.For fiscal 2014, the Air Force has budgeted $102 mil-

lion for tuition assistance, roughly half of this fiscalyear’s requirement.Reprinted with permission from Air Force Times

TA RULES, from page 4

01040365B

6 Friday, September 13, 2013Andrews Gazette

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Runners start the “Run for Your Lungs” near theWest FitnessCenter on Joint Base Andrews.

The 2013 Run for your Lungs 5K at-tracted 102 runners Sept. 6, and raisedawareness of the benefits of smoking ces-sation and exercise on lung health. DustinKonba ran the 3.25 mile race in 19 min-utes, 57 seconds, for the fastest time. Thefastest female, Mary Kay Robinson, fin-ished in 23 minutes, 11 seconds.West Fitness Center Fitness and Op-

erations Specialist Sabine Lopez saidthat the next race challenge, the ZombieApocalypse Freaky Fun Trail, will be held6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the MPF Track. Theevent will include a mile sprint for adults,a miniature obstacle course for childrenand a half-mile walk for families aroundthe track to collect candy from severalstations. Costumes are welcome.

2013 Run for yourLungs 5K draws 102

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Sabine Martinez. West Fitness Centerfitness and operations specialist, givessafety instructions to runners at thebeginning of a “Run for Your Lungs” 5Kheld Sept. 6.

CAPTION THIS

Send your silly captions for this week’s photo to cbasham@dcmilitary.com. The funni-est ones will be used in a future edition of The Andrews Gazette.

Low-income Prince George’s County homeowners who are elderly or disabledand unable to do necessary work to maintain their home may apply for assis-tance through Christmas in April Prince George’s County. The next work dayis scheduled for April 26, 2014. All work is done at no cost to the homeowner.Applications for next year’s renovation day are due by Nov. 1, 2013. For

information and applications, or to volunteer, contact Executive Director MaryKucharski at 301-868-0937, cinapg@aol.com, www.christmasinaprilpg.org or bymail at Christmas in April Prince George’s County, 7915 Malcolm Road, Suite102, Clinton, Md. 20735.

2014 Christmas inApril deadline nears

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7Friday, September 13, 2013 Andrews Gazette

JBA Buzz

Edward LillyDECCA cashier,Joint Base AndrewsCommissary

Reprina MortonBowie StateUniversity Nursingprogram student

David LoganNational Galleryof Art specialpolice officer,Washington, D.C.

Senior AirmanCherrelle Rojas11th SecurityForces GroupVisitors ControlCenter customerservice clerk

“If I was five yearsyounger I would changemy health condition byexercising a little more,participate in moreoutdoors activities andspend less time on thecomputer.”

“If I was five years olderI would be studying forMaster Sergeant. That’swhere I see myself.”

“If I was five yearsyounger I would finishmy Masters degree inBusiness Management.”

“If I was five yearsyounger I would havegraduated from BowieState University with mynursing degree.”

If I were five years younger or older, I would...

securing weapons and pills that could beused to take one’s life.“Just agreeing with somebody that they

can do that, and knowing they’re goingto get some help, takes away some of thehopeless feelings they have,” she said. “Iso-lation is an issue for many of our veterans,service members and their families. We’rehere 24/7, and we never want anyone tofeel alone. They don’t have to sit in emo-tional turmoil all by themselves.”Responders don’t want veterans or mili-

tary personnel to become suicidal, Lucche-si said. “We much prefer that they call uswhen they’re in crisis so we can point themto services. We don’t want to risk losingany of them,” she added. “Any person whocalls the crisis line has the choice abouthow much information they want to share”.The only time an anonymous call could

require more identifying information iswhen the need for help delves further, butonly when the caller gives permission tolink to such resources, Lucchesi noted.DoD leadership has for several years

worked to remove the perceived stigmaattached to seeking mental health help.

Lucchesi said she hopes a reduced stigmais why the crisis line has produced an in-crease in calls, chats and texts. Yet, thereare other reasons why contacting the crisisline has increased, she said.“People who have used the line learned

we’re not just going to send rescue out tothem. They can call here for all kinds ofreasons, and if they can [set up a] safetyplan, they don’t have to worry about a po-liceman or emergency services showing upat their door,” Lucchesi said.“We’re very aware that [such actions]

can cause a financial burden, increasestigma, and be a problem for some people,”she added, but noted that if crisis line re-sponders are concerned someone is aboutto take his or her life, emergency servicesmight be necessary.Lucchesi emphasized the importance of

contacting the crisis line - by calling, tex-ting or chatting, whichever is more com-fortable for a person in crisis.“Someone could call here totally hope-

less and have no reason at all to live,” shesaid. “And if we’re doing our job well, bythe time that call ends, they’re feeling dif-ferently.”This article originally appeared on www.

Defense.gov.

CRISIS LINE, from page 1

September 15Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963Family Theatre, 1333 H. Street N.E.,

Washington, D.C.6 p.m.Hear a staged reading of the play,

commemorating the 50th anniversary ofthe bombing at Sixteenth Street BaptistChurch in Birmingham, Ala. For informa-

tion visit http://www.project1voice.org/.

September 15Rusticway Chamber GroupDavies Memorial Unitarian Universal-

isty Church, 7400 Temple Hill Road, CampSprings, Md.6:30 p.m.The Davies Concert Series presents the

“Trout Quintet” by Franz Shubert and tehD Minor Piano Trio by Felix Mendelssohn.For information visit www.dmuuc.org.

HOT TICKETS, from page 2

BY SOPHIE PETITTHE PRINCE GEORGE’S GAZETTE

Prince George’s County Executive Rush-ern L. Baker III (D) announced his choiceTuesday for the head of a newly formedaccountability office that will investigateethics complaints against county officialsand employees.Robin Barnes-Shell, a former lawyer

within the Prince George’s County PublicSchools system, will serve as acting execu-tive director of the county’s Office of Ethicsand Accountability, an independent agencythat will investigate accusations of unethi-cal conduct and refer cases to the countyOffice of the State’s Attorney as needed.Barnes-Shell, 51, of Glenn Dale now

awaits confirmation of her selection by theCounty Council, said Baker spokesmanScott Peterson.

Barnes-Shell will essentially be layingthe foundation for the office, which Bak-er established in 2012 to fulfill his initialcampaign pledge to make governmentmore transparent, Peterson said.A corruption probe found that Baker’s

predecessor, Jack B. Johnson (D), tookmore than $400,000 in bribes in exchangefor favors extended to developers and hewas sentenced in 2011 to more than sev-en years in prison. Johnson’s wife, LeslieJohnson, a former county councilwoman,was sentenced to more than a year in pris-on for her role in the pay-to-play scheme.Among Barnes-Shell’s immediate pri-

orities is hiring three staff members, andbeginning training and educating countygovernment employees so they know thepolicies they are expected to follow, Barnes-

Baker selects PrinceGeorge’s ethics director

see ETHICS, page 8

8 Friday, September 13, 2013Andrews Gazette

DIVE-IN, from page 1

Bruges, a Belgian Shepherd, departs the pool after retrieving a bite toy for his owner.

Allentown Splash, Tennis and Fitness Park staff members provided doggie treats.

A guest swimmer tries to retrieve a pair of tennis ballsfrom the pool.

Annemarie Moskala-Jarman of Burtonsville dries off her dog after a cool dip in the pool.

Shell said.“I accepted the opportunity of starting

up the office because I have a strong back-ground of starting up offices and puttingin place processes and procedures,” shesaid. “[County residents] can expect wewill get the office up and running, and rollout the education and training phase.”From 2008 to 2012, Barnes-Shell

oversaw Prince George’s County PublicSchools staff complaints and student dis-cipline, an experience she said will helpher in her new position.The office will also provide whistle-

blower protection, meaning people willbe able to call in anonymously and reportabuse without fear of retaliation, Peter-son said.“It’s not just about finding corruption,

it’s about education so that all [county]employees understand all the rules andtraining,” Peterson said. “It’s not just areactive office, it’s a very proactive office.”Peterson said an announcement would

be made when the whistleblower hotlinewould be live.“The opening of our new Office of Eth-

ics and Accountability is an important

step forward for Prince George’s County. Iknew this office would need a leader withexperience building a concept or idea intoa reality,” Baker said in a statement. “I amconfident that [Barnes-Shell] will createan effective and efficient office that willensure our government and its employeesare held to the highest ethical standards.”Phil Joyce, a professor of public policy

and government accountability at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park,said the office represents Baker’s contin-ued effort to increase government trans-parency, although he cautioned againstexpecting immediate results as that hasnot always been the county’s culture.“From everything that I have seen,

County Executive Baker actually doescare about government accountabilityand performance, but it’s a difficult thingto pull off,” Joyce said. “It’s a good thingbecause it suggests there’s an apprecia-tion at the highest level for governmentaccountability. I’ve been impressed withwhat they’re trying to do, but they’re try-ing to turn the direction of a battleship.”Prince George’s Gazette staff writer

Jeffrey Lyles contributed to this arti-cle. This story originally appeared inthe Sept. 10, 2013 edition of The PrinceGeorge’s Gazette.

ETHICS, from page 7

9Friday, September 13, 2013 Andrews Gazette

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10 Friday, September 13, 2013Andrews Gazette