THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 12, 1994 TAG: 9410120480
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICHARD GRIMES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Are there museums in the area dealing with the military?
Yes. They include the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, inside Norfolk's Nauticus; the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton; the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis and War Memorial Museum of Virginia, both in Newport News; the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia in Virginia Beach; and the Light Ship Museum and Naval Shipyard Museum, both in Portsmouth.
Other museums with military displays include the MacArthur Memorial Museum in Norfolk, the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, and believe it or not, an exhibit called Tom's Military Museum and Militaria Shop in Virginia Beach.
Service-run museums, like the naval and Casemate museums, charge no admission. Many others offer a discount for military personnel.
Museums without a military bent also offer discounts to military personnel, retirees and dependents. The latest in this group is the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, offering $1 off beginning Nov. 1.
All these museums are listed in the phone book.
I am currently on orders transferring to a new duty station. How can I get my mail or check to see if it has arrived at my new duty station?
Before you left your old command, you should have been asked to provide a forwarding address - anything from your new command to your Aunt Mimi's address in Idaho.
If you did forward the mail to Aunt Mimi, and she hasn't received it, you should contact the post office serving her neighborhood. The people there should be able to help you track down your mail. If you sent it to your new command, contact the people who handle the mail there. Ships, for instance, usually have a ship's post office.
If you don't know who handles the mail at your new command, contact your sponsor there.
My husband was in the military for 30 years. He has since retired in the last 10 years. He does not have survivor's death benefits. Can he get them?
Unfortunately, the answer seems to be no. The Survivor's Benefit Plan, a plan designed to give a veteran's family continued monetary support after his death, requires enrollment at the time of retirement.
Once enrolled, the veteran designates how much he would like his family to continue to receive after his death and pays a premium based on that amount. When he dies, normal retirement pay will stop, but survivor's death benefits continue.
The only other way to circumvent the normal procedure is to enroll during Open Season, a rare event that Congress has to authorize. The last Open Season began April 1, 1992, and ended March 31, 1993.
Officials at the Navy Family Services Retired Activity Office don't know when or whether there will be another one.
For more information, you can contact the Retired Activities Office, 444-2102. by CNB