THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 1996 TAG: 9601020066
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Do all service personnel write to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis for information regarding their service record?
Yes, for all those who served in the military who need a copy of their service record or need verification and issuance of medals or unit awards can write to that center. For those who missed the column a couple of weeks ago, the address is 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63132.
I'm a retired reservist. Will I be able to use the commissary?
According to the Guard & Reserve Handbook, retired reservists 60 and over have unlimited shopping privileges at commissaries. Gray-area retirees, who are eligible to retire but have not yet reached age 60, can shop 12 times a year.
I was looking for some information about a decommissioned ship, the Preble. I think it was decommissioned around 1990 or 1991, four or five years ago.
The Preble was decomissioned Nov. 15, 1991. The guided-missile destroyer retired after 31 years of service.
My husband and I have been married for 14 years and are getting divorced. He has been in the military for 15 years. Where does that leave me as far as benefits are concerned?
Good question, but this gets a little confusing. Some former spouses do have access to full medical care or the use of commissaries. However, the ``20-20-20'' provision states that the couple must have been married for at least 20 years to someone who spent 20 years on active duty and at least 20 years of the marriage must have been while the service member was on active duty or a drilling reservist. Those benefits end if the ex-spouse remarries. Commissary and exchange benefits resume if the second marriage ends either by divorce or death. Medical care does not.
Where can I write to get information about the Blue Angels?
Write to the Community Programs Division, Office of Information, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C. 20350-1200 or the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels), Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla. 32508-7801.
I would like to know if you can give me some information on the ship Carpellotti (APD-136).
According to the American Naval Fighting Ships, the high-speed transport Carpellotti (APD-136) was decommissioned April 21, 1958. She was commissioned July 30, 1945 too late for active participation in World War II. She remained on active duty with the fleet based in Norfolk. by CNB