Kadena Base Bulletin Published June 23, 2010 By 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- To submit an announcement for the base bulletin, please email a short paragraph (NOT bullets) containing essential information (who, what, when, where, why, how) to kadena.basebulletin@kadena.af.mil. Announcements typically run for two weeks beginning two weeks prior to an event. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday to be included in the weekly bulletin email sent on Wednesday. NO FEDERAL ENDORSEMENT OF PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS OR ACTIVITIES IS INTENDED. In the bulletin this week at Kadena: Notices Marshall Dining Facility Re-Opening CTO closure Gate 5 closure, road taxes Post office closure JSVRO closure MDG minimal manning for change of command 18 CONS closure Pentagon FCU parking lot to close Chapel job opening Traveling Overseas with TRICARE Toll-free expressways After hours dental emergencies Gate 4 now open for business Medical records policy change eFinance information Marine PME open to Airmen LRS protective equipment service hour changes Tax center services Postal Advisory Upcoming Events Blood drive Voter's Week 18th OG change of command Navy EDIS program Wired Bean dining 18 CONS Quality Assurance Personnel Refresher Training SARC Sex Signals AFSA meeting Volleyball camp Volunteer Opportunities Independence Day Volunteers needed Summer school traffic volunteers E-5 Dorm Manager positions NOTICES Marshall Dining Facility Re-Opening The Marshall dining facility (Bldg. 178) will re-open at 5:30 a.m. June 28. Basic Allowance for Substance for Airmen living in the dormitories will stop June 27. Hours of operation are as follows: Monday - Friday Breakfast · 0530-0800 Lunch · 1030-1300 Dinner · 1600-1930 Midnight Meal · 2200-0030 Weekends, Holidays, and Down-days Brunch · 0630-1300 Dinner · 1600-1900 Midnight Meal · 2200-0030 For questions contact TSgt Baumann at 634-1900 or 1861. CTO closure The Commercial Travel Office/Bay Area Travel will be closed July 6 for PACAF Family Day. All official and leisure airline tickets should be picked up by noon July 2. Call Passenger Travel at 634-7799/7792 for more information. Gate 5 closure, road taxes Gate 5 will remain closed until the next school year starts. Also, people who have not paid their 2010 road tax will now be issued traffic citations and their vehicle will be impounded. Post office closure The post office and official mail center will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day. We will resume normal operations on Tuesday, July 6 at 9 a.m. For more information, call Senior Master Sgt. Dwyer or Tech. Sgt. Barton at 634-2155. JSVRO closure The Joint Service Vehicle Registration Office on Camp Foster will close at 11:30 a.m. on June 24 to attend an official function. JSVRO will re-open at 7:30 a.m. on June 25 for normal business. The AAFES inspection lane and Government of Japan final inspector services will not be affected. For more information, call 645-7481. MDG minimal manning for change of command Due to the 18th Medical Group Change of Command June 25, the 18th Medical Group will be minimally manned from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Personnel will be available to address acute care needs during this timeframe. Normal operations will resume at 1 p.m. 18 CONS closure The 18th Contracting Squadron will be closed for an official squadron function June 25 from noon to 4:30 p.m. For any emergencies contact Lt. Col. Hendrix, 18th CONS/CC at 080-2703-0686; Director of Business Operations (Mr. Miller) at 080-3368-7708; or Superintendent (CMSgt Foster) at 080-2701-7898. Pentagon FCU parking lot to close Parking lot access to the Bldg. 420, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, will be closed until June 29. The closure is needed in the effort to complete the BX parking and the new access to the Pentagon Federal Credit Union. Chapel job opening The Kadena Chapel has an opening available for the Catholic Youth Activities Coordinator. Closeout date for bid and resume submissions is July 5 by 4 p.m. at Chapel 2. Interviews will be conducted July 7. Maximum allowable bid for this contract will be set at $8,400 annually with a public bid opening July 8 at 4 p.m. at Chapel 2. Bid packages are available at Chapel 2 or visit the chapel website at www.kadenachapel.org. For more information, call the contract officer for this contract Technical Sergeant Nicholas Cataldi at 634-1288. Traveling Overseas with TRICARE Having a medical emergency on an overseas trip can be very scary and stressful. Understanding your TRICARE coverage before leaving home is key. Here are tips for TRICARE families while traveling: · Before traveling ensure your DEERS information is accurate · TRICARE Prime Only - Seek treatment immediately with the assistance of ISOS/TGRO (800) 834-5514 or 65-6338-9277 (collect calls accepted 24/7) · Expect to pay upfront if you do not use ISOS/TGRO · All others seek treatment immediately and expect to pay upfront · Ensure you have enough prescription medicine · Save all medical receipts and records For additional questions, clarification, or concerns please contact the Kadena TRICARE Service Center at 630-4310. Toll-free expressways According to Nihon Expressway Company Okinawa Branch, a pilot program for toll-free expressway will start June 28 until March 31, 2011. Although the toll will be free, users still need to pick up and return a ticket at the entrance/exit gates. Vehicles with electronic toll collection system (ETC) are required to have the ETC card inserted when going through the gates which is the same as the current toll system. For more information, call the Security Forces Liaison office at 634-2239 if you have questions. After hours dental emergencies The dental officer's on-call cell phone number is 080-2721-0412 and pager is pager is 639-2324. If you are sent to voicemail during this call, please leave your name and phone number so that we can get back to you promptly. If you are not contacted within 30 minutes, please go to Camp Lester's emergency room for assistance. Gate 4 now open for business Kadena's Gate 4 on Highway 58 near the 353rd Special Operations Group is now operating weekdays from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. There will be NO delivery/large vehicles coming thru this gate, it will be redirected to the Gate 1 Search Pit for access. Also, there will be no visitors' passes issued; all visitors will be redirected to the Gate 1 Visitor's Center. Medical records policy change Active duty members are no longer authorized to hand carry medical records. Active duty and dependent records will be mailed to their gaining location when a copy of the orders has been received. Orders will be accepted when members are within five days of their departure date. If a patient requires a copy of their medical records a 90-day notice must be given to the Outpatient Records section of their MTF. EXCEPTIONS: Active duty assigned to sensitive duties e.g. Personnel Reliability Program, Presidential Support Program or assigned to active flight status. Your flying and sensitive duty status must be current and you must be PCSing into these positions or the "No Hand Carry Policy" is in effect. Exceptions are authorized by the MTF commander only on a case by case basis. For more information, call the 18th MDG Outpatient Records Personnel at 630-4851. eFinance information The eFinance briefing can be found on the 18th Wing SharePoint site homepage. Marine PME open to Airmen The three-week Marine Corp Corporal's Course is open to Air Force E-4s and E-5s. The course is held on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma (near Camp Foster) and the primary focus is leadership, professionalism and fitness. There is a screening process for selection into this program. Contact Staff Sgt. Damien Haman at 632-8003 or Senior Airman Jonnathan Clay at 630-9152 for details on how to apply. A video story about the first Airman graduate's experience is also available on Kadena's homepage. LRS protective equipment service hour changes The 18th LRS Individual Protective Equipment section has new customer service hours: Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tax center services The Kadena Tax Center is normally closed on Mondays. However, the tax center will be closed June 16-25 and will re-open for business June 28. The Kadena Tax Center is open year-around. To schedule an appointment, call 634-7418. Postal Advisory Did you know while enjoying the free Military Postal Service (MPS) mail delivery service in the Pacific, Europe and Middle East that you cannot use USPS Priority/Express boxes going to any APO zip codes? It is prohibited to wrap USPS Priority boxes in brown paper and/or turning it inside out to send items to an APO address. Postal customers can mail parcels up to 70 pounds free to any APO/FPO in Europe and Pacific excluding Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska, using regular brown boxes and not USPS Priority boxes. If you have questions, call MSgt Anthony Smith at 634-3244. UPCOMING EVENTS Blood drive The First Term Airmen Center will host a blood drive at Bldg. 3445 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30. For more information, call SSgt Morris at 632-9879. Voter's Week Voting Assistance Officers will be at the base exchange June 28 to July 1 from 1100-1300 to assist with absentee registration. 18th OG change of command There will be 18th Operations Group change of command in the AWACS Hangar (Bldg 3660) June 28 beginning at 8:18 a.m. Buses will begin picking up passengers at the Rocker NCO Club (ATM side) and Airpower Café at 6:30 a.m. Navy EDIS program This summer, U.S. Naval Hospital EDIS (Educational & Developmental Intervention Services) presents a number of interesting group activities for children that will provide important skills in academics, socialization and fitness in a fun and exciting environment. There are still seats available. Check out the following link to see a detailed list of programs: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/Pages/EDIS.aspx. All groups will meet at EDIS Bldg. 9497 near Kadena High School. Registration is required, call 634-2747 for information or sign up by June 28. Wired Bean dining The Wired Bean will host a free food party for dorm residents at 6 p.m. June 30 at Bldg. 612. For more information contact Chaplain McCafferty at 634-1288 or randolph.mccafferty@kadena.af.mil. 18 CONS Quality Assurance Personnel Refresher Training The 18th Contracting Squadron is conducting annual QAP Refresher training June 30 from 0830-1130 at the NCO Academy, Bldg. 719 (2F, Erwin PME Center Auditorium). This training is mandatory for currently assigned QAPs whose Phase I training is past the one year mark and who performs QAP duties on contracts that are administered by 18 CONS, with a value of $100K or greater. To sign up, e-mail the date of your last refresher training to the 18 CONS QAP Coordinator, Ms. Faith Beasley at faith.beasley@kadena.af.mil. If you are no longer performing QAP duties please provide Ms. Beasley with a removal letter signed by your functional commander. For more information, please send an email or call Ms. Beasley at 634-5834. SARC Sex Signals The 18th Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator hosts "Sex Signals," the real-life funny sort-of-improv show about a guy, a girl, dating and other stuff. Are YOU getting the Signal? Seats are limited to 300 guests per show; target audience is E-4 and below. Junior Airmen will have priority seating, but junior NCOs (E-5/E-6) are invited to attend. Show will be held at the Keystone Theater June 28. Showtimes are: 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information, call Capt. Clara Bayne at 634-7272. AFSA meeting The Air Force Sergeants Association will host its monthly meeting July 1 at 11 a.m. in the Rocker NCO Club Kuba Room. The meeting is open to all active duty and retirees. For more information, call 634-1945. Volleyball camp The Okinawa Volleyball Academy hosts Coach David Lacar as he conducts his second annual volleyball camp for Okinawa girls and boys from age 10-19. The camp sessions begin August 6 and runs through August 14. For more information visit the camp website at http://www.edunet.kadena-hs.pac.dodea.edu/FETs/OVA/default.aspx VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Independence Day Volunteers needed Volunteers are needed to ensure customers do not walk into the fireworks fall-out zone at Four Diamonds, and for clean up at Marek Park on Sunday, 4 July following the Kadena July Fourth celebration. Fall-out zone volunteers are needed from 7:30- 9 p.m. Clean up volunteers are needed from 8:45 - 11 p.m. Contact Clifton.holcomb@kadena.af.mil or 634-1387 for more information. Summer school traffic volunteers Volunteers are needed to help with traffic flow for summer school at Stearley Heights Elementary School. Summer school will be in session June 28 -July 23. Traffic flow volunteers are needed Mon-Fri from 8:45 to 9 a.m. and 11:45 - noon. Contact Suzanne Landrum 634-0361 and Vickie Jaramillo 632-0392 for more information. E-5 Dorm Manager positions Kadena Unaccompanied Housing must immediately fill three vacant Airman Dorm Leader (8H000) positions (Dorm Managers). Staff sergeant applicants must have a minimum of one year experience as a supervisor; possess leadership and mentorship capability; not have any record of emotional instability, disciplinary actions, or financial irresponsibility; ability to speak distinctly and to all levels of rank; possess high standards of military appearance and conduct; knowledge of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, supply, accounting, facility maintenance procedures and management of personnel. You must have nine months remaining on your DEROS and not receiving payment from an SRB. This is a three-year controlled non-deployable tour. If you qualify please submit: 1. Airman Dorm Leader Application 2. Copies of last three EPRS 3. Copy of Data Verification RIP 4. Letters of Recommendation If you would like to apply for the positions or have any questions or concerns please contact unaccompanied housing customer service at 634-4016.