At Your Service
For and about Hawaii's militaryBy Gregg K. Kakesako
Sunday, September 16, 2001
[IN THE MILITARY]
Calendar & Deployments
For Your BenefitSoldiers of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) Soldiers are expected to don their black berets in January. So far, 750,000 Army berets have already been delivered. Some will not receive
black berets by June 14However, there are still troops at more than 17 active-duty installations, including Hawaii, waiting for the new headgear. In May, the Army announced that not all soldiers would receive berets by June 14.
Fielding the berets was delayed because of one manufacturer's temporary shutdown and the Army's decision to set aside berets for sustainment purposes, said Jack Hooper, a Defense Logistics Agency spokesman. Bancroft Cap, located in Cabot, Ark., had to stop production when it was discovered that it was using materials from South Africa and Pakistan without getting an exemption to the Berry Amendment. The Berry Amendment gives preference to American-based companies for U.S. government defense procurements, Hooper said.
Exemptions were granted to Bancroft because American companies could not produce sufficient quantities to meet supply timelines, he said.
"Bancroft, the only domestic producer, had to lay off personnel and permanently lost a substantial portion of its government beret workforce," Hooper said, "thus affecting production levels the past several months."
Bancroft now is making the black berets again, and also is the producer of the Army's green, tan and maroon berets. It is working to establish a second textile factory shop.
The Defense Commissary Agency and The Fisher House Foundation have initiated scholarships to graduating high-school seniors or college-enrolled students representing more than 280 commissaries worldwide. Last year nearly 400 college and high school students received the $1,500 awards.
The scholarship program is open to children of active duty personnel, Reserve/Guard, and retired commissary customers. For more information, click on http://www.commissaries.com/documents/whatsnew/scholarships.htm#program_overview
The American Forces Press Service reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency hopes to grow a Russian-engineered variant of anthrax to test the effectiveness of the vaccine given to U.S. troops. A 1997 medical journal reported that Russia might have developed a modified anthrax strain. Concerned about its possible use as a biological weapon, agency officials requested a sample from Russia, but to date have received none. The agency started earlier this year to look into what it would take to get the legal approvals, get the interagency coordination, do the congressional briefings, and look into developing that strain so they could test vaccines and see what would have to be done to protect against it. No scientific work has been done so far in developing this strain. The proposed work, code-named Project Jefferson, would be in compliance with the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, which allows work that is purely defensive in nature.
"In the Military" was compiled by reporter Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He can be reached at 294-4075.
Sept. 29: TRICARE for Life briefing. 9 a.m. Schofield Barracks' Sergeant Smith Theatre. It is a new TRICARE entitlement for Medicare-eligible Uniformed Services retirees, eligible family members and survivors. [CALENDAR]
Oct. 27: Hickam Air Force Base's open house. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 16 static aircraft displays. Aerial demonstration by Thunderbirds. Free.
The list of military units and Navy vessels based in Hawaii and currently deployed overseas was not made available this week. [DEPLOYMENTS]
The Navy and the Hawaii National Guard said it would not be appropriate to release such information for security reasons because of the recent suicide hijacking-bombings at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Neither service said when such information would be made public again.
The Army said it did not have the manpower to prepare such a list.
[FOR YOUR BENEFIT] Question: I am a Filipino veteran who served in a Filipino-manned unit during World War II. What can the Veterans Affairs do for me? Benefit programs for
Filipino veterans depend
on when servedAnswer: It depends on when you served. If you served before Oct. 6, 1945, in the Regular Philippine Scouts you are entitled to all VA benefits under the same criteria as veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Regular Philippine Scouts, or "old scouts," were Filipino-manned special forces, units of the U.S. Army whose officers were Americans.
If you enlisted or re-enlisted in Filipino-manned units of the U.S. Army on or after Oct. 6, 1945, sometimes referred to as New Philippine Scouts, your eligibility is limited to certain benefits payable at a rate of 50 cents on the dollar. They include disability compensation payable to a veteran with service-connected conditions rated at 10 percent disability or more. The veteran also is entitled to receive special allowance for a spouse who is in need of aid and attendance of another person if the veteran is evaluated at 30 percent or more. Clothing allowance is payable to a veteran who is entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability for which he or she uses prosthetic or orthopedic appliances that tends to wear out or tear clothing, or if the prescribed medication damages the veteran's outer garments.
There also are benefit programs for survivors. Dependency & Indemnity Compensation is payable to eligible spouses, children and parents. Aid and Attendance is payable to surviving spouses and parents receiving DIC if they are patients in a nursing home or require aid and attendance of another person. Housebound is payable to surviving spouses qualified for DIC who are not so disabled as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person but who, due to disability, are permanently housebound. Dependents' Educational Assistance is payable to children of veterans who are eligible. While in the United States, the VA may furnish hospital and nursing home care and medical services to Commonwealth Army and New Philippine Scouts for treatment only of their service-connected disabilities.
Benefits currently not available include VA loans, specially adapted homes, automobile or other conveyances, burial and funeral expense allowance, plot or interment allowance, burial flag, burial in national cemeteries and headstones and markers. For more information, call 433-1000.
Question: I am a disabled military retiree and have recently learned that I might be eligible for a new special compensation for my disability. How does this work?
Answer: Last year Congress passed legislation that provides a special compensation for certain severely disabled retirees. Nondisabled retirees, with VA disability ratings of 70 percent or more which were incurred within four years of retirement, were provided this special compensation. This has been extended to certain military disability retirees effective Oct.1.
To qualify for this special compensation, a retiree must have (a) served at least 20 years of full-time active duty (or accumulated the equivalent 7,200 Reserve retirement points), (b) have been awarded a nondisability retirement from his or her parent service and (c) have been awarded a 70 percent or higher disability rating by the VA within four years of retiring.
The special compensation for qualifying members whose current VA or service disability rating is 100 percent (or rated as unemployable) will be $300 per month; those with current ratings of 90 percent receive $200 per month; those with 70 percent or 80 percent ratings, $100 per month.
Eligible veterans do not have to apply for this special compensation. Department of Defense and VA officials centrally identify qualifying retirees based on records' reviews. If a veteran believes he or she is eligible but hasn't been paid, make sure the qualifying rules are met and then notify the VA records section and ask to speak to the person responsible for verifying retiree eligibility for special compensation for severely disabled retirees. The eligibility verification must come from the VA.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran, call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049 or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
