In the Know
Thursday, October 11, 2007
'Vet Stand Down ' volunteers needed
Volunteers are still needed for the annual Department of Veterans' Affairs Stand Down Nov. 1-2.
They will be asked to work one four-hour shift at the VA Medical Center in Salt Lake.
Stand downs are one part of the VA's efforts to provide services to homeless veterans such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits counseling, and referrals to a variety of other essential services, such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment.
Such events are coordinated between the local VA and other government and community agencies. For more information, call Lt. Col. Dave Rupe at 586-1884.
California bases deal with BRAC
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With the closure of six major Air Force installations in California by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the state has been going through a tremendous transformation since 1988. That is when it was announced that Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino would close. In 1993, March AFB in nearby Riverside was selected for realignment. Today, property transfers at both bases are 100 percent complete, totaling more than 6,700 acres in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.
The Air Force Real Property Agency is responsible for the milestone, including the complete transfer of Castle AFB in Merced, Calif. Rick Solander, AFRPA's base environmental coordinator, credits the communities and the environmental regulators for the teamwork that helped reach this goal.
In California, the other bases left to achieve "complete transfer" include McClellan AFB and Mather AFB in Sacramento and George AFB in Victorville.
Trainees get new uniform
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A huge step in the Air Force's transformation to the airman battle uniform occurred Oct. 3 at the basic training equipment issue at Lackland Air Force Base.
The trainees who entered the door at the uniform facility got a little something different in their duffel bags than the previous week's recruits -- four sets of ABUs instead of four sets of battle dress uniforms.
Brig. Gen. Darrell D. Jones, the commander of the 37th Training Wing, was on hand to take part in the event.
The general, who was wearing a set of ABUs himself, said he is very happy with the new uniform.
"This is a milestone for our wing," Jones said. "It is extremely important to start this process here because we are the gateway to the Air Force."


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