THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 22, 1997 TAG: 9701210354
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Staff report
LENGTH: 75 lines
WEEKLY BRIEFING
WEEKEND SHIP TOURS: Two Navy ships will be open to visitors from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The guided missile frigate Robert G. Bradley will welcome tourists at Norfolk Naval Station. Visitors should enter through Gate 2. At Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, the dock landing ship Carter Hall will be open. Enter through Gate 1. For last-minute changes, call the Tour Office at 444-7637.
NAVY SEALS CAPTURE MURDER SUSPECT: Two Navy commandos assigned to SEAL Team Four at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base chased and captured a murder suspect in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua Jan. 8. Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Crimmins and Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Sterrett were on the island conducting a site survey for an upcoming exercise when they witnessed a disturbance at a local beach hotel and heard shouts that a fleeing bicyclist had just killed a woman. The sailors pursued the suspect, helped apprehend him and turned him over to local police.
SPEED LIMIT CHANGES: Effective Feb. 10, the speed limit on Bellinger Boulevard and Patrol Road on Norfolk Naval Air Station will be 25 mph, a reduction from 35. The limits are being lowered to standardize the air station's permitted speed.
NEW PRESIDENT OF VIETNAM VETERANS: George Duggins of Chesapeake has been elected national president of the Vietnam Veterans of America. The first African-American president of the service organization, Duggins is a life member of the VVA's Tidewater Chapter 48. He served with the Army Security Agency from 1965 to 1969, and was stationed in Vietnam from 1966 to '67 and 1968 to '69.
TRICARE PHONE NUMBERS CHANGE: Citing heavy loads on its Hampton Roads telephone system, TRICARE military treatment facilities, branch medical clinics and offices with the 677-6xxx and 677-7xxx number series have begun a six-week switch to new numbers. The new numbers will begin with the prefix 314, and have the same last four digits as existing numbers. During the six weeks, both 677 and 314 exchanges will work - but after that, it's 314 or nothing. For more information, call Dan Wilmoth at 314-6445.
GOLDEN YEAR FOR THE AIR FORCE: Marking the Air Force's 50th birthday and the 80th anniversary of flight operations at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, the 1st Fighter Wing will host free monthly history tours of the base at 2 p.m. each Friday, beginning Jan. 31. The hourlong tours will run through August. To sign up, call 764-2018.
TRADOC RECEIVES HAMMER AWARD: The Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), headquartered at Fort Monroe in Hampton, has received Vice President Al Gore's Hammer Award, given to federal employees who are helping the government work better and save money. TRADOC's Reinvention Center Mission Support Laboratory received the award for its efforts to cut red tape, put customers first and otherwise boost productivity.
A PIECE OF THE ACTION: The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation will receive $59,000 from companies that participated in an August sales promotion by the Defense Commissary Agency system. The firms donated 25 cents for each case of their products sold during the ``Salute the Women in the Military'' drive. The Women in Military Service Memorial, under construction at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, is scheduled for completion in October.
TEAM EFFORT YIELDS SAFER STREETS: At least several potential drunk drivers never got behind the wheel New Year's Eve thanks to SoberRide, a traffic safety program sponsored by the Norfolk Naval Base, Yellow Cab of Norfolk, Drive Smart Hampton Roads and several area nightclubs. Holiday posters urged nightclub patrons to notify their waiters if they felt they had consumed too much alcohol to drive home safely; Yellow Cab would carry them free of charge. The program focused on young drivers attending six area colleges and stationed at 15 local Navy commands, and will return on St. Patrick's Day - which, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is the second deadliest holiday for alcohol-related traffic deaths.
SWAB THAT. . .UM, CAR: The Navy Exchange Quik Mart at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base now boasts a car wash, the first of its kind in the exchange system. The car wash offers customers a choice of express, deluxe or ultimate service, using equipment touted as safe for cars and the environment. In its first month, it drew more than 2,800 customers.