NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/soc/veterans/1436

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Subject: Navy News Service - 30 Dec 92
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NAVY NEWS SERVICE - 30 DEC 92 - NAVNEWS 067/92
     Navy News Service (NAVNEWS) contains official news and
information and is intended for distribution to all Navy people.
Please help pass the word.  NAVNEWS is available:
     -- by message to the NAVNEWS collective address
     -- on the CNO bulletin board, 1-800-582-2355/6940 or (703)
695-6198/6388
     -- by electronic mail from NAVNEWS(at)NCTAMSLANT.NAVY.MIL
     -- and on the BUPERS ACCESS bulletin board, 1-800-346-
0217/18/27, 1-800-762-8567 or [phone]/6059/8076, (DSN) 224-
8070.
                               -USN-
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR NAVNEWS 067/92
   Top News and Policy Stories
NNS378.  President Heads for Somalia, Restore Hope Continues
NNS379.  USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Heads for the Persian Gulf
NNS380.  Voluntary Exit Incentives Expanded to More Ratings
NNS381.  Joint POW/MIA Recovery Operations Continue in Vietnam
   Around the Fleet
NNS382.  Notable Quotable:  ADM Stanley R. Arthur
NNS383.  Salute to Excellence:  Puget Sound Naval Shipyard CBQ
NNS384.  Pacific Fleet Launches Self-help Program
NNS385.  USS Jason (AR 8) Rescues 13 Indian Sailors
NNS386.  USS Constellation (CV 64) Crew Receives Liberty Bell
NNS387.  Stinger Detachment Meets Gulf Challenge
NNS388.  President Sends Yuletide Greeting to Tripoli Sailor
NNS389.  This Week in the Navy:  January 3, 1944
   Personnel Notes
NNS390.  Insurance Hoax Targets Active-duty Personnel
NNS391.  BUPERS Lists Important Dates for Navy Personnel
NNS392.  Navy Introduces New Separation Codes on DD 214
   Short Splices
NNS393.  Navy News This Week
                               -USN-
         Top News and Policy Stories
NNS378.  President Heads for Somalia, Restore Hope Continues
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- As Operaton Restore Hope continues to unfold in
Somalia, President Bush is on his way to the famine-ravaged country
to see first-hand how the operation is progressing.  According to
the President, the visit will "show the concern all Americans feel
for the people of Somalia."
     While in Somalia, the President will have the opportunity to
see American service members in action in Mogadishu and Baidoa, and
will spend two nights on board a U.S. Navy ship anchored off the
coast of Somalia.
     In a press conference held at the White House before leaving
for Somalia, the President said he had been thoroughly briefed by
Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff Army Gen. Colin Powell on the relief effort.
     "They're doing a first-class job," the President said of
American forces deployed to Somalia.  "I just can't tell you how
proud I am of the young men and women that are serving halfway
around the world in this great humanitarian cause."
     The visit to Somalia will kick off a busy New Year's week for
Bush, who will leave Somalia for the Russian resort city of Sochi,
where he will meet with Russian President Boris Yeltsin to sign the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II).  The treaty will
eliminate approximately two-thirds of the two nations' strategic
nuclear weapons.  "In my view, this is good for all mankind," said
the President.
     When he arrives in Somalia, the President will find that U.S.
Armed Forces assigned to Operation Restore Hope continue to move
out into the Somalian countryside with little resistance from armed
bandits.
     Since the operation began Dec. 8 there have been a few
isolated incidents involving gunfire.  One incident involved a
firefight near the United Nations compound in Mogadishu, where
assistance was requested to help disperse the crowd.
     "After we got there the shooting had stopped," said Joint Task
Force (JTF) spokesman Marine Corps Lt. Col. Steve Ritter.  "F/A-18
and Cobra gun ships had flown in to the area as a flyover, but no
ordnance was expended from the air."
     On the afternoon of Dec. 27 Marines on patrol in Mogadishu
seized one 23-mm anti-aircraft gun, one 2.5 cal. machine gun, an
unidentified number of rocket propelled grenades and an unspecified
amount of ammunition.
     The number of U.S. Forces in the area has reached nearly
22,000.  In addition, coalition forces have provided 4,500 troops.
     Meanwhile, the difficult task of construction support is
underway.  U.S. Navy Seabees are hard at work in Mogadishu,
cleaning up the streets near the U.S. Embassy, airport and port.
Old junked vehicles, sand, debris, damaged utility poles and pot
holes have made the streets near those areas treacherous.
     In Kismayo, Seabees recently completed work preparing the
city's airport for the arrival of cargo aircraft that will carry
relief supplies.  Due to years of neglect, tons of bushes and small
trees had grown around the facility.  Within 36 hours Seabees,
working under cover provided by U.S. Marines, had cleared nearly
two million square feet of land around the perimeter of the
airport.
Compiled from official releases
                               -USN-
NNS379.  USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Heads for the Persian Gulf
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and
elements of its battle group departed the vicinity of Mogadishu,
Somalia, Dec. 27 for the Persian Gulf.
     Tensions in the Gulf have increased in recent days as Iraq has
repeatedly disregarded United Nations sanctions which established a
no-fly zone below the 32nd parallel.  In one confrontation, an
Iraqi fighter was shot down by a U.S. Air Force F-16.
     Kitty Hawk had been off the coast of Somalia assisting with
the humanitarian relief effort Operation Restore Hope after
relieving the USS Ranger (CV 61) Battle Group in the Indian Ocean
earlier this month.  Ranger had left the Persian Gulf Dec. 4 to
support Operation Restore Hope.
     Sailing in company with Kitty Hawk is guided missile cruiser
USS Leahy (CG 16) and fast combat support ship USS Sacramento (AOE
1).  Kitty Hawk is expected to arrive in the Gulf by the end of the
week.
Compiled from official releases
                               -USN-
NNS380.  Voluntary Exit Incentives Expanded to More Ratings
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy has implemented the third phase of the
Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) and the Special Separation
Benefit (SSB) programs.  The recent offer includes enlisted
personnel from five new ratings not previously eligible for the
separation programs in FY-93 and expands the eligibility to chief
petty officers in three more ratings.
     Phase III extends separation incentives to 3,072 more sailors
for a total of 26,622 sailors in 27 ratings, paygrades E-5, E-6 and
E-7.  VSI and SSB programs were offered to E-5's and E-6's in
October during Phase I.  In Phase II, the incentives were extended
not only to more ratings, but also for the first time to some chief
petty officers in certain ratings.
     VSI is paid in an amount equal to 2.5 percent times monthly
base pay times 12 times years of service.  This amount is paid in
equal annual installments commencing upon separation from active
duty and on each anniversary date for an amount equal to twice the
number of years of active duty service.
     The second option, SSB, is a lump sum payment made at the time
of separation.  The amount is equal to 15 percent of monthly base
pay times 12 multiplied by the years of service.
     According to the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS),
participation in these programs is strictly voluntary, with no
threat of involuntary separation or reduction-in-force (RIF) action
for those who decide to continue their careers until eligible for
regular retirement.
     Applications for the latest offer of VSI and SSB must be
submitted no later than Jan. 31.  All those approved for separation
will leave the Navy by March 31.  Requests will be processed on a
first-come, first-served basis if the number of applicants exceeds
the number of separations authorized.  Other details are explained
along with the many transition benefits available to sailors in
NAVADMIN 211/92 (CNO Washington DC 241755Z Dec 92).
Story by BUPERS Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS381.  Joint POW/MIA Recovery Operations Continue in Vietnam
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- On Jan. 2 technical representatives from the
United States and Vietnam are scheduled to continue joint
investigations and remains recovery operations pertaining to
unaccounted-for Americans in Vietnam.  This will be the 21st joint
field activity conducted by U.S. and Vietnamese representatives
since September 1988.
     The joint team will work in seven Vietnamese provinces and
plans to investigate 22 primary cases and excavate a crash site.
The team also hopes to investigate as many as 50 other cases and
will be prepared to conduct other excavations as appropriate.  By
the time this field operation is completed, the joint team will
have conducted at least the initial investigation of all 135 of the
highest priority discrepancy cases in Vietnam.
     There are 2,264 Americans still listed as missing or otherwise
unaccounted for in Indochina.  Of that total, 1,656 are listed as
unaccounted for in Vietnam.  To date, 270 Americans previously
listed as missing in Vietnam have been accounted for.
     During the most recent operation in Vietnam conducted from
Oct. 21 to Nov. 18, a joint U.S.-Vietnamese team conducted
operations in 11 provinces, investigated 54 cases, surveyed a crash
site and excavated two other sites.  Remains believed to be human
were recovered at two of these sites and are currently being
examined.
Story by USCINCPAC Public Affairs
                              -USN-
         Around the Fleet
NNS382.  Notable Quotable:  "The changes in our world and in our
country today require changes to our defense posture and the way we
do business.  I think our Navy and Marine Corps are headed in the
right direction to face these changes.  The Somalia relief
operation is a positive indication of our efforts in this new era.
After recently adopting our new Navy-Marine Corps strategy, which
focuses on facing regional, littoral missions, we are demonstrating
the unparalleled effectiveness of forward deployed, expeditionary
forces in our ongoing efforts as part of Operation Restore Hope."
-- ADM Stanley R. Arthur, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, in an
address to students at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey,
Calif., Dec. 17.
                              -USN-
         Salute to Excellence
NNS383.  Puget Sound Bachelor Quarters Receives Third Zumwalt Award
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- For an unprecedented third consecutive year,
the Combined Bachelor Quarters (CBQ) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
has earned the ADM Elmo R. Zumwalt Award (large category) for
Navywide excellence in facility quality, service and management.
     The award will be presented Feb. 4 in Williamsburg, Va., at
the DoD Professional Housing Management Association Conference.
     Under the guidance of Master Chief Mess Management Specialist
Herminio Bituin and Chief Mess Management Specialist David
Gonzalez, CBQ personnel focused on improvements in landscaping,
recreational and leisure offerings, interior decor and outdoor
signs in 1992.
     Next year the shipyard will initiate a "whole room concept,"
which will begin with the total renovation of 75 rooms.  Two new
bachelor quarters are also slated for construction in 1993.
Story by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS384.  Pacific Fleet Launches Self-help Program
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet has taken the
lead in one of today's most popular money-saving programs -- self-
help.
     Self-help programs allow Navy commands to repair, alter and
maintain facilities using Navy personnel assigned to those commands
instead of contractors or Navy public works personnel.
     According to LCDR John Bollinger, coordinator of the self-help
effort for the Pacific Fleet, the concept is becoming more and more
popular.  To assist Pacific Fleet commands with their self-help
efforts, Bollinger says he plans to "send books out to all shore
activity host commands within the fleet, giving examples of what
can be done to fix up Pacific Fleet bases."
     In addition, self-help centers that will provide materials,
tools and counseling for self-help projects will be established at
Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Naval Station San Diego and Naval Air
Stations Miramar and Lemoore, Calif.
     NAVSTA San Diego's self-help program has already saved the
Navy more than $5 million in one fiscal year -- over 100 projects
have been completed since last March and 20 projects are underway
at this time.
Story By JO2 Deborah Miller, CINCPACFLT Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS385.  USS Jason (AR 8) Rescues 13 Indian Sailors
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Crew members from San Diego-based repair ship
USS Jason (AR 8) rescued 13 men from a drifting fishing boat Dec.
15 in the North Arabian Sea.
     Indian vessel Vardna was en route from Bombay, India, to
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when it suffered engine failure and
had been adrift for approximately five days.  Low on food and
critically low on water, the fishermen lit torches as a distress
signal.
     Jason lookouts spotted the torches while watchstanders in the
combat information center reported a dead-in-the-water radar
contact and the decision was made to investigate.
     A small craft with people aboard was located and Jason's motor
whaleboat was launched.  After confirming the people needed help
and posed no threat, the 30-foot craft was brought alongside.  The
people were taken aboard and given medical attention and food.
     Jason crew members rigged towing lines and allowed Vardna's
crew to return to their vessel.  The U.S. ship towed Vardna to the
coast of Oman for further assistance.
Story by JO3(SW) Matt Sainopulos, USS Jason Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS386.  USS Constellation (CV 64) Crew Receives Liberty Bell
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (NNS) -- Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell presented
the city's highest award for community involvement to crew members
from USS Constellation (CV 64) Dec. 16 in a ceremony held at
Philadelphia's City Hall.
     "Many of the members of the crew have become friends with the
people here in the city.  They have built strong relationships with
the community and we're sorry to see you go," said Rendell, who
presented replicas of the Liberty Bell to Constellation's
commanding officer and crew members.
     Constellation is nearing the end of a two-and-a-half year,
$800 million Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.  When completed, the overhaul will
extend the service life of the 31-year-old aircraft carrier by
nearly 15 years.
     Constellation is scheduled to leave Philadelphia in early 1993
and return to its San Diego homeport in mid-1993.
Story by USS Constellation Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS387.  Stinger Detachment Meets Gulf Challenge
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Ships deploying to the Persian Gulf often get
an extra air defense edge from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command
(NAVCENT) in the form of the Stinger missile air defense system,
which is manned by teams of junior enlisted personnel and is widely
used in the Gulf as a final line of defense against hostile air
attacks.
     The Stinger is a portable shoulder-fired missile system that
works by picking up an aircraft's heat signature.  When fired, it
homes-in on the target and can destroy it in seconds.
     NAVCENT's Stinger detachment is comprised of undesignated
seamen selected for the program out of apprenticeship training.
Those selected must meet overseas screening requirements and
successfully complete special hearing and sight tests.  Selectees
receive three weeks of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and then
deploy to the Persian Gulf for a one-year tour.
     Aboard ship, a NAVCENT Stinger team consists of four seamen
and a petty officer-in-charge.  Stinger gunners stand watches from
sunrise to sunset and perform maintenance on their weapons.
When not on Stinger watch, team members work with petty officers
from a variety of divisions to learn about ratings for which they
are interested in striking.
     "I was attracted to the opportunity to work with the Stinger
missile, as well as the chance to strike for the rating of my
choice after I finish my Stinger gunner tour," said Seaman Recruit
James Elliott, who is assigned to a NAVCENT Stinger team on board
USS La Salle (AGF 3).
     Ships depend on the Stingers for extra defense, while the team
members depend on the ship's rated sailors to help them learn about
their prospective ratings.  This combination pays off for ships and
Stinger personnel, as it provides a more combat-ready afloat force
and broadens career opportunities for junior sailors.
Story by COMUSNAVCENT Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS388.  President Sends Yuletide Greeting to Tripoli Sailor
ON BOARD USS TRIPOLI (NNS) -- President George Bush surprised a
sailor on board USS Tripoli (LPH 10) with a phone call Christmas
morning.
     Calling from Camp David, the President conveyed his personal
holiday greetings to Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Servantes.
     "I'm calling you to wish you a merry Christmas and to thank
you for your duty over there, and for being away from home this
holiday season," said the President.  "We've had this program of
calling each year.  This is my last, but I'm certainly proud of
everyone who's serving our country and I just wanted to tell you we
appreciate it."
     Servantes, an interior communications electrician assigned to
the ship's closed circuit television system, was one of four naval
personnel to receive the annual Christmas greeting from the
President.
     "It was an honor and a privilege to be called by the
President," said Servantes.  "Now I can sit on the mess decks and
tell my shipmates the President said to say hello to everyone."
Story by USS Tripoli Public Affairs
                               -USN-
NNS389.  This Week in the Navy:
January 3, 1944 -- It was on this date that Marine Corps Maj.
Gregory Boyington was taken prisoner by the Japanese after shooting
down 28 enemy planes.
                               -USN-
         Personnel Notes
NNS390.  Insurance Hoax Targets Active-duty Personnel
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Active-duty military personnel are being
targeted by an insurance hoax that first plagued the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) more than 40 years ago.
     VA's Regional Office and Insurance Center in Philadelphia,
Pa., reports that requests from military personnel for a non-
existent insurance dividend have increased since the Persian Gulf
War.
     For many years the principal victims of the rumor were World
War II and Korean Conflict veterans who were told that VA was
sending a check for hundreds of dollars -- a so-called insurance
dividend -- to any veteran who requested it.  The current hoax
focuses on holders of Servicemen's Group Life Insurance (SGLI).
     The phony applications claim that dividends or refunds have
been authorized by Congress.  In fact, there is no such dividend
for veterans who do not keep their insurance in force, nor a rebate
for active-duty military personnel.
     The hoax applications are found in magazines, newspapers and
newsletters, or distributed in handbills.  Hoax mail has also
recently been printed on military unit or company letterhead.
     VA's legitimate insurance dividends are paid annually to
current policyholders, usually on the anniversary date of the
policy.  Payments are automatic to those who continue to pay
premiums and no application is needed.
     For more information on VA benefits, call 1-800-827-1000.
Story by Department of Veterans Affairs
                              -USN-
NNS391.  BUPERS Lists Important Dates for Navy Personnel
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) is
reminding Navy people of upcoming selection boards, application
deadlines and other dates that are important for Navy men and women
during January:
     JAN 1     New Year's Day (federal holiday)
               Astronaut Candidate Selection Program applications
               due
               Test Pilot School Program applications due (extended
               from Dec. 1)
     JAN 4     Persian Gulf Joint Duty Credit request applications
               due
     JAN 5     Career Recruiter Force Selection Board convenes
     JAN 11    LDO/CWO Inservice Procurement Board convenes
     JAN 12    Active O-6 Line Board convenes
     JAN 13    Night Detailing (1600-2200 EST)
     JAN 15    Medical Service Corps In-service Procurement Program
               applications due (extended from Dec. 15)
     JAN 18    Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday (federal holiday)
     JAN 21    E-7 Advancement Exam
     JAN 27    Night Detailing (1600-2200 EST)
     JAN 31    LT (O-3) fitness reports due
               E-3 and below evaluations due
     FEB 1     Letters to E-8/E-9 Active Selection Board must be
               postmarked no later than today
               Law Education Program applications due
                               -USN-
NNS392.  Navy Introduces New Separation Codes on DD 214
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- In order to accurately reflect a member's
separation from military service, the Navy has introduced two new
voluntary separation codes for use on the DD Form 214 "Report of
Separation From Active Duty."
     Separation Program Designator (SPD) codes are used to
categorize separations.  The new codes, KBK and MBK, are used for
personnel separating voluntarily from active duty, while
involuntary separations will continue to use the JBK and LBK
codes.
     Previously all sailors separating at End Active Obligated
Service (EAOS) were assigned a separation code of JBK or LBK,
regardless of whether the separation was voluntary or involuntary.
However, under the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP),
only involuntary separations receive the temporary transition
benefits.  All members separating from active duty, including
voluntary separations, will continue to receive transition
services, which are available from command career counselors and
family service centers/transition sites.
     To distinguish between voluntary or involuntary separation,
sailors were assigned reenlistment codes, some of which did not
always reflect a sailor's service.
     Sailors with the JBK or LBK codes will continue to receive
TAMP benefits regardless of the reenlistment code assigned.
     First-term sailors without approved ENCORE quotas are
considered involuntary separations and eligible for transition
benefits.  For more information on transition benefits contact your
local family service center or PERS 662 at 1-800-327-8197.  For
more details see NAVADMIN 208/92.
Story by BUPERS Public Affairs
                               -USN-
         "Short Splices"
NNS393.  Navy News This Week
     The Jan. 1, 1993 edition of Navy News This Week -- a
videotaped newscast generated for broadcast to Navy/Marine Corps
fleet and shore units -- includes the following stories:
HEADLINES:  USS Kittyhawk Departs for Persian Gulf; Panel Members
Discuss Women in the Military Issues; Navy/Marine Corps Relief
Society Helps Finance Education; PNC Parker Awarded the Navy-Marine
Corps Medal; U.N. Forces Secure Final Food Distribution Town in
Somalia; U.S. and Japanese Forces Join for "Keen Edge '93"; Three
Marine Fighter Squadrons Assigned Permanent Carrier Spots;
Commandant of the Marine Corps Reflects on 1992 and the Future; New
Tri-service Medical Care System Begins in Hampton Roads Area; Navy
Experts Give Advice on Coping With Stress; New Preventative HIV and
AIDS Program Educates Sailors and Marines; TV's "Major Dad" Star
and Wife Receive Honor for "Desert Storm"; Sailors and Marines
Share Resolutions for the New Year.
     QUESTIONS?  Contact Navy Broadcasting Service, Navy News This
Week, Bldg. 168, NAVSTA Anacostia, Washington, D.C. 20374-1682 or
call [phone], (AV) 288-5844.
     Input from fleet units ensures our most complete coverage of
global events affecting the Navy and Marine Corps.  Your video
contributions, on 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch or Hi-8 videotape, are needed.
                               -USN-
     Feedback on this issue, inputs for the next issue, questions
about distribution, and suggestions for improving NAVNEWS are
invited.  Help us make NAVNEWS better.  Contact NAVNEWS
     -- by message to NAVINRELACT WASHINGTON DC//NNS//
     -- by electronic mail to NAVNEWS(at)NCTAMSLANT.NAVY.MIL
     -- by U.S. mail to Editor, Navy News Service, Pentagon 2D340,
Washington, D.C. 20350-1200
     -- by fax to [phone] or DSN 225-6180
     -- or by calling us at [phone]; (DSN) 225-1888.
                               -USN-