THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 1997 TAG: 9701290626
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Staff report
LENGTH: 79 lines
WEEKLY BRIEFING
CHEER UP THE VETS: Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is seeking school groups, local celebrities and volunteers to help cheer up hospitalized veterans in the days around Valentine's Day. From Feb. 9 to 15, the center will offer a special salute to ``America's heroes,'' offering volunteers a chance to visit patients who may be far from family or friends. To schedule a visit, call the Voluntary Program Office at 728-3124.''
TRICARE PHONE CHANGES: TRICARE Medical phone numbers were recently changed for its military treatment facilities, branch medical clinics and offices. Extensions with the 677-6XXX and 677-7XXX number series have changed, their prefixes becoming 314-6XXX and 314-7XXX and their last four digits remaining the same. The TRICARE Service Center is not included in the changes; its number remains 677-6000.
ENTERTAINMENT WITH PUNCH: Fort Story's annual boxing show, to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the post's gymnasium, Bldg. 707, features the 1997 All-Navy Boxing Team and local boxers in about 10 matches. Two female boxers also will be featured in the final match. Admission is $3.50 at the door, $3 advance. The event is open to the public.
NAVY MEDICAL Q&A: The Portsmouth Naval Medical Center will hold a health care question-and-answer session at 10 a.m. Feb. 11 in the Norfolk Naval Air Station theater, Bldg. U-40, to provide a forum for active-duty service members, their families and military retirees. Rear Adm. Robert Ziemer, commander of the Norfolk Naval Base, will host the session, which will explore such topics as influenza and the current flu season, TRICARE, and area medical and dental commands. For more information, call Community Health Services at the Naval Medical Center, at 322-4981.
COAST GUARD RESERVE OPENINGS: Fifth Coast Guard District, headquartered in Portsmouth and spanning five states, has 250 positions available in the reserves. The program requires participants to serve for one weekend per month and one two-week training period each summer. For more information, call 1-800-GET-USCG or 757-483-8796.
BLACK HISTORY OBSERVANCE: Dr. Harrison B. Wilson, president of Norfolk State University, will be guest speaker at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 3 for Fort Monroe's opening ceremony to observe African-American History Month. The program is free and open to the public. It will be held in Bldg. 42, the post theater. For more information call 727-4614.
FLIGHT DEMOS SCHEDULED: Navy and Air Force officials have released the schedules for ``Blue Angels'' and ``Thunderbirds'' flight demonstrations in 1997. The Blue Angels will fly their F/A-18 Hornets at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach Sept. 20-21 for the Neptune Festival. The Thunderbirds, flying F-16 Falcons, will perform at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton Sept. 6.
LANGLEY SAFETY DAY: Friday is a wing-wide safety day for the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton. Briefings are scheduled for 9 a.m. for logistics and support groups and at 1 p.m. for operations and medical groups. The sessions will focus on improving workplace and inspection procedures to prevent needless mishaps. Don DeIulio, of Metro Traffic, plus base fire department and safety officials, will speak. All base personnel are encouraged to attend the briefings.
READY TO PARTY: Attack Squadron 75, the ``Sunday Punchers'' of Oceana Naval Air Station, is preparing for its own demise next month. The squadron plans a cocktail party to mark the occasion Feb. 27, and a ceremony the next day at which the Navy will disestablish the squadron and retire its venerable A-6 Intruder jets. Requests for invitations to the events may be made by calling Lt. Kevin Kelly, at 433-9443.
FAMILY SERVICES
Navy Family Services Centers' Regional Exceptional Family Member Program staff will coordinate a regional training session Feb. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, in the Norfolk Naval Air Station Base Theater, Bldg. U-40. The session is intended for active-duty personnel who are required to enroll if they have family members who have ongoing medical, psychological, or educational conditions. Applications may be obtained through branch medical clinics, family services centers or the EFMP office at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.
COMINGS & GOINGS
Navy Capt. Thomas F. Enright relieves Capt. Dale O. Snodgrass as commander Fighter Wing Atlantic Fleet at Oceana Naval Air Station in ceremonies Thursday. Snodgrass reports to the Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington as director of Navy liaison office for the House of Representatives. Enright previously served as commander of Fighter Wing Pacific Fleet.