McCain: Good to Go & Ready to Lead NOW

Just want to respond to a few emails I have received..

The first said, "Don't you want change??"

Well, hell yes... and that's SPECIFICALLY why I voted for McCain... because I want change -- just not the kind of change that Obama is offering. I do not want to see the very principles on which this country was founded to be "changed". I still believe that every American has the opportunity to go to school, study hard, work hard, be successful (see, for example, John McCain and Barrack Obama.)

Not everyone can be a physician or a lawyer or a CEO or a plumber or electrician and be paid those wages. Nor should they be. Somehow there are those in the world -- including Sen. Obama -- that think that working hard and making more than [what's the basis of "rich" now -- $150,000??] is evil or unwarranted or is some "unfair" result. Everyone has -- and has always had -- the OPPORTUNITY to make good... and everyone STILL should have the opportunity to do whatever they want with their lives and make as much money as they can -- WITHOUT THE FEAR THAT YOU WILL BE PUNISHED FOR DOING WELL... and having your money taken away for some entitlement program for those that fall below a subjective "not rich" level.

Some proposals sound better than they are for the country. Who DOESN'T want to pay less taxes? But why should only a select group pay less? If people like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates "think they should be paying more" -- let them. THERE IS NO LAW THAT SAYS YOU CAN"T PAY MORE THAN YOU OWE. In fact, there is a little known program that allows anyone to write a check to the U.S. government to add to the national treasury. Go for it. But I don't see forced charity (taking from the "rich" and giving to the "less than rich") and the redistribution of wealth as being the government's job. If everyone is so interested in a "fair" tax result, we should go to a flat tax system where everyone pays the same percentage of their income. What would truly be fair is if everyone actually paid taxes on their income. About 40% of Americans PAY NO TAX AT ALL. What the hell is fair about that?

I believe that McCain's economic proposals MAKE SENSE and will help heal the economic problems of this country and bring jobs and stability to the economy.

Raising taxes -- raising expenses -- of businesses (large or small) as Obama proposes DOES NOT create jobs, DOES NOT stimulate growth, DOES NOT add new jobs, DOES NOT make American businesses more competitive. If you had the choice of paying 10% or 20% in business taxes, why would you stay in a country that charges 35% or more? What the hell is competitive about that? "Business" has become synonymous with "bad" for some reason -- and small business become big businesses (or you hope) AND BUSINESSES SUPPLY JOBS.

Taxes = the money the government spends. People seriously need to review the math: unless you find other ways to cut spending (as McCain has done in pledging to veto all the pork spending), you cannot pay for all the expensive proposals Sen. Obama is proposing unless you raise taxes somewhere. Whenever I hear ANY politician in any election (local or national) spout about altruistic goals and programs -- eliminate poverty, improve education, put computers in every classroom, give health insurance to everyone, I say the exact same thing: Sounds great: now HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR IT?? (Answer very time? Taxes.) People tell me McCain's programs will also cost money, and I say, Yes, but he has offered proposals OTHER THAN TAXES to help pay for them: efficiencies in Federal programs, spending freezes pending further review for all programs, elimination of some non-producing programs (tobacco subsidies, anyone??)... Obama has not suggested any. He hasn't once said he'd stop pork spending or require every spending initiative to be reviewed on the merits alone for up/down votes as McCain has pledged.

And if you REALLY REALLY want "change" -- FIRE CONGRESS. Do not vote for a single incumbent. There would be no clearer message to the Reids and Pelosis and Murthas of the world that THEY got us into this economic mess and we'll see if some other group can get us out. I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat or Independent. VOTE FOR THE "OTHER GUY". Do not let these same 535 people control your life. FIRE CONGRESS. I figure none of the "new guys" could do any worse!

Contrary to one email, I am not a racist. I didn't vote FOR McCain because he is white and I didn't NOT VOTE for Obama because he's white. (No, that's not a typo.) However, if you voted FOR Obama based on the color of his skin or based on his ethnicity-- or voted against McCain because of his, it is YOU who are the racist. I voted strictly on the espoused policies and positions of these two candidates and their character. One more closely holds my views and has a long and extensive public record of his character that allowed me to decide exactly what his character is. The other guy? Not so much. Except for what Obama and his supporters TELL me he stands for, he has no public record that would allow me to judge that for myself (and what I know of his associations, I'm not so keen.)

I am also not a "war monger". I believe we are engaged in a Long War against religious extremists and which includes the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan -- but there are many other battlefields and there will still be more in our future. I believe if we do not fight them "there" (wherever they raise they ugly little heads), they will come here (again). I believe we need a strong volunteer military that is provided the best technology and equipment we can develop and buy. I believe that our military services (on a percentage basis) are underfunded and undermanned.

If only we lived in that Utopian world to which we all aspire -- a world where "talking" was sufficient to resolve all conflict and bring the rogue nations back into the fold ... But we don't. We live in a world with ARMED extremists and ARMED adversaries and enemies who do not and will not hesitate to use them to get their way or to intimidate the "talkers" of the world... countries and their leaders who want nothing more than to lie to you and then kill you. Those are cold, hard facts. If you believe otherwise, you are a fool. We should talk softly, but we should also carry a VERY big stick. And whomever else we invite to OUR table should have to pay something to get there.

I believe that John McCain's "let's do anything and everything -- whatever it takes" energy policy (and let business take the lead -- it creates jobs & incentives!) is the best policy. Nothing should be off limits if it's a viable source of energy for this country. We NEED to be energy independent -- sooner rather than later. Trying to push or depend on technologies that are DECADES away from being reliable sources of significant amounts of energy (and you still cannot put a plane in the air or run a train or power a ship with solar or wind power). Deciding that some form of power or a type of development is "off limits" because its one of your party's talking points does not get the job done. U.S. oil, nuclear, wind, solar, coal, oil shale... whatever, wherever. (And yes, I think we can actually secure energy without destroying the environment.)

When all is said and done, John McCain is a man I trust.

John McCain has prepared his whole life to LEAD this country.

Everything John McCain has done has been about service to this country and its people and its values.

John McCain has never been ashamed to be an American and neither has his wife.

John McCain never wrote about how he had to distance himself from his mother's ethnicity.

John McCain has never hidden his associations, or his campaign contributors, or his school records.

John McCain has never had to "dis"associate himself from his pastor, his fund raisers, his former friends/associates like Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dorn, Tony Rezko, Rashid Khalidi.

John McCain has taken a clear position even when it was not a popular position -- like McCain-Feingold, illegal immigration, the Surge -- compared to a man who only went as far as stating "present" on virtually every piece of legislation. Someone should tell Sen. Obama that you cannot vote "present" when you're president. Obama has just months of national service... before that he spent a few years as a lawyer. And given the seriousness of these times, I'd like someone with a little more experience. People need to put their own prejudices, emotions and party aside and LOOK at the straight line qualifications and proposals.

Bottom line?

JOHN McCAIN IS A PROVEN LEADER.
GOOD TO GO -- NOW.

No Time for A Lack of Experience and Judgment

I have tried to stay away from partisan politics on this blog, but I believe in my heart that the outcome of this election is pivotal to the future of this country -- including our military and the way they are perceived. Already people like the tainted Barney Frank in a meeting with an editorial board

called for a 25 percent cut in military spending, saying the Pentagon has to start choosing from its many weapons programs, and that upper-income taxpayers are going to see an increase in what they are asked to pay.

Beside the fact that I find it so unbelievable that there is actually a segment of the American population -- AND A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE -- that actually believes that American citizens can make too much money and that they should be punished for studying hard, working hard and living the American Dream by having their money confiscated by the government and given to someone who didn't earn it, I am seriously wondering how people like Frank expect this country to respond and defend it from the "test" Joe Biden says is coming if you cut spending for a military the Democrats are so strident in telling us is "stretched thin" (or outright "broken"?)

I have read the intrepid Michael Yon for a number of years. This is a totally independent journalist who has embedded with our troops both in Iraq and Afghanistan (where he is now). He has no problem telling it like it is: he does not spout the "party line": If he sees good, he tells it. If he sees bad, he tells it. He is one of the few journalists out there who can see the BIG picture in the war on terrorists and terrorism -- past this deadline, that agenda, that headline. He was one of the first to say that we needed to pay more attention and commit more resources to Afghanistan. He was one of the first to say that we needed more troops and a different strategy in Iraq -- and the first to say that the Surge was working. I have come to trust Yon's assessment of the situation on the ground and his informed acknowledgment of the importance and urgency of the fight -- and why it matters (or should matter) to each of us.

In a recent email, here is what Michael Yon has to say about the upcoming election:

The outcome of the upcoming U.S. elections will have a profound impact on the war. Meanwhile, the day to day fighting continues. If Senator Obama is elected, I expect to spend a great deal of time covering the fighting. Judging by his words, Senator Obama must be watched closely or we might see some terrible decisions. I expect 2009 to be the worst year so far in the Af-Pak war, which has serious potential to eventually become far worse than Iraq ever was. If Senator McCain is elected, I'll breathe easier in regard to the war.

For Yon's most recent dispatch, see "Are you Connected."

I was SHOCKED when the Arizona Republic -- usually so Democratic in its leanings that most people (even Democrats) call it the Arizona DEMOCRAT rather than Republic -- endorsed John McCain for President! This paper, more than any other, has followed McCain and his politics and character more closely than any other media anywhere. They are the first to jump on him for any slight or perceived slight to the AZ Republic's agenda. But they are spot on with the following assessments (my underlining):

Regarding foreign policy, no contemporary American statesman is more prepared than McCain to assume the mantles of first diplomat and commander in chief. In the tradition of Harry S. Truman, McCain already has demonstrated a willingness to let the buck of responsibility stop at his desk.

and

No one elected McCain to stand virtually alone against three administrations over their use of power overseas - against President Reagan's ill-fated decision to send Marines to Lebanon in 1983; against President Clinton's decision to send U.S. troops to Somalia in 1993; and against President George W. Bush's decision 10 years later to send insufficient troops to Iraq. He fought Republicans and Democrats over irresponsibly sending troops into harm's way, and he fought Republicans over their equally irresponsible refusal to send enough troops to do the job. In all three instances, history has proved (too often tragically) that McCain's judgment was right.

Even McCain mischaracterizes his noble willingness to stand up and stand alone. He contends it is the "maverick" in him. Well, he's wrong about that. It is the leader in him.

and

If McCain were to do no more than to serve as a presidential protectorate of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, most of which never were made permanent, he would provide a boost to the nation's troubled economy. As the economy lurches and slows, business leaders already envision further drag - and an unnecessarily elongated recession - caused by the heavy anchor of higher taxes, should the Bush-era tax cuts be repealed.

The same concerns apply to the future of American free trade, a cornerstone of the nation's longest-ever period of economic expansion and wealth production. McCain is a stalwart advocate of free trade, while the rhetoric of his Democratic opponent strongly suggests to us that he is not.

and

Obama's plan to reduce the taxes of "95 percent" of working families is most troubling. As many as 44 percent of "taxpayers" today pay no federal income tax at all. What Obama in fact is proposing is a direct transfer of wealth from top earners to those on the lower rungs. In short, he seeks to use the tax system as a revived form of welfare.

and

Still, in terms of experience, Obama is barely four years removed from the Illinois State Legislature. And even that thin record in public office is obscured to us by the senator's proclivity for voting "present," often on knotty issues like abortion. For a candidate seeking the world's greatest political challenge, Obama presents an extraordinarily lightly traveled trail.

Expecting the usual AZR "but" or "however", I gasped when I read:

Nobody in the country knows the Republican presidential candidate better than we do. And no one is better placed to judge whether he would serve honorably and admirably as president of the United States.

We are confident he will. The Arizona Republic proudly recommends John McCain for president.

Vote for John McCain. You'll sleep better at night knowing there is someone experienced and knowledgeable answering that phone at 3AM and that he really does have the interests of ALL Americans -- and not just part of them -- at heart.

As the AZ Republic entitled its endorsement, McCain: A leader for these times.

These are truly serious times -- and no time for a President that lacks experience and judgment.

True Character... American Hero

h/t Mudville Gazette.

French TV archive releases McCain POW video

HERE


A good reminder of character...

(and speaking of character, Happy Birthday, DH!! I celebrate the day of your birth and tell you with every ounce of love and respect and admiration, that we are all so very happy that you are in our world!!)

HIRE A WOUNDED VETERAN

Oct 20, 2008
BY Gary Sheftick

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 20, 2008) - Army personnel officials are launching an outreach program as part of a push to hire more wounded warriors and their spouses as civilian employees.

In the past four years, 43 Soldiers wounded in action have been hired as civilian employees Army-wide, G-1 officials at the Pentagon said. But they emphasized that new initiatives have the potential to bring many more veterans and their spouses into federal service.

An executive order signed by President Bush Sept. 25 authorizes non-competitive appointments in the Civil Service for spouses of disabled veterans and surviving spouses of servicemembers killed in action.

Dr. Susan Duncan, the Army's assistant G-1 for Civilian Personnel Policy, said she expects the Office of Personnel Management to issue implementing guidance that will allow the Army to begin hiring spouses of wounded warriors under the executive order by first of the year.

"Many times, our wounded warriors' source of income is their spouse's work," Duncan said. She added, though, that the Army personnel community is also redoubling its efforts to hire wounded veterans into the civilian workforce.

The Army has proposed a Defense-wide referral program for wounded warriors that DOD officials are considering.

In the meantime though, G-1 is fostering local partnerships between the Army Wounded Warrior program, known as AW2, and civilian personnel offices.

"It's a partnership at the lowest level," said Scott Rowell, deputy assistant G-1 for strategic planning.

One such partnership at Fort Riley, Kan., is being held up as a model for other installations.

"How do we replicate what you're doing at Riley?" Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, G-1, asked Kelly Frazier of the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center at Fort Riley. Frazier, along with wounded warriors hired by the CPAC, were manning a booth at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 6-8, in Washington, D.C.

"To me, it's just a matter of training," Frazier said, answering the general's question.

"At Fort Riley, the AW2 representative and the CPAC work together," said Calvin McCloy, a former first sergeant who was wounded and now serves as a civilian employee at the Army Benefits Center at Riley.

"A wounded Soldier is not just going to walk up and say, 'hey, I have a traumatic brain injury and can you help me?'" McCloy said.

McCloy was a first sergeant with the 1/41st Infantry near Ramadi, Iraq, when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in April 2005. He suffered severe burns.

He was angry when he was told that he couldn't stay in the Army. Being a first sergeant was his life, he said: "That's all I wanted to do."

After spending several months in the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, McCloy went to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Riley. He wrote a resume through the Army Career and Alumni Program. The resume was sent to Kelly Frazier of the Fort Riley CPAC, and she called in McCloy for an interview.

"Kelly explained the HR field to me," McCloy said.

She then paired him with the ABC call center that handles retirement benefits for employees Army-wide, and McCloy found it to be a good fit.

Frazier helped another wounded warrior, former Staff Sgt. Donald Laplante, find a job with the Forces Command G-8 at Fort Riley. Laplante said he interned in the office as a Soldier assigned to the Riley Warrior Transition Unit. Then the day after he took off his uniform, he was able to start working as a civilian employee there, thanks to the hiring preference he received as a disabled veteran.

The Army is currently able to hire disabled veterans through both competitive and non-competitive authorities, said Steve Lewis, a G-1 Human Resources specialist. He explained that disabled veterans automatically receive a 10-point preference when competing for government jobs. In addition, the Veterans Recruitment Act and the Disabled Veterans Appointment Authority allow the Army to hire some wounded warriors without competition, he said.

"The Army is already actively placing our wounded warriors, but we're trying to be more systematic," Lewis said. He would like to formalize the partnership between AW2, ACAP and the civilian personnel community, and have other services follow suit as well.

"We're trying to get the other services to buy into the program," Lewis said.

He's advocating a proposal that would have resumes of wounded warriors disseminated Defense-wide using the same electronic application as the Priority Placement Program. He emphasizes that wounded warriors would not actually be priority placements, but their resumes would simply receive "maximum visibility" through the program, if it's approved by DOD.

"It will work once the dominoes are in the right place," said Rowell of the outreach hiring program for wounded warriors. He said the key is for the wounded warrior to have a one-on-one interview with a CPAC specialist.

Rowell and Duncan spent some time at the G-1 Civilian Personnel Outreach booth on the AUSA exhibit hall floor to emphasize the importance of the wounded warrior hiring initiative.

"This booth is just one part of a whole plan," said John Carbonne, another Human Resources specialist with G-1. "Hopefully we can have a portable booth like this at a WTU.

"Right now, we're starting a recruitment effort," Carbone said, explaining that the Civilian Human Resources Agency at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is spearheading the initiative to get wounded-warrior resumes out to all Army CPACs. "We've been trying to centralize it more," Carbonne said about the hiring program.

"We really want to keep our own," Carbonne said.

He said wounded warriors know the Army, know the system, and "have the grit that you want" as employees. They've shown that by overcoming adversity and numerous challenges in their recovery, Carbonne points out.

"We recognize this is an embryonic first start," Rowell said. "We're in the crawl phase. This is a kickoff for a national campaign. We want to maintain the momentum. Now we want to take it to the next level."

(ARNEWS Correspondent C. Todd Lopez contributed to this report.)

There is also a terrific program to not only encourage employers to Hire Vets First, but to Hire Injured Veterans. The program offers all manner of support and assistance in hiring injured (and uninjured) veterans, including counseling, access to resources, and other information to assist employers (note that there are some tax advantages for businesses to hiring veterans!) HERE is the Department of Labor Hire a Vet site. There is also an effort to spread the word and encourage employers to hire veterans who have completed the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program. And of course there are the folks at Helmets to Hardhats and the Warriors to Work from Wounded Warrior Project, and the DAV

MTV Concert for Veterans in NYC

I always love these things (who's proof reading?) From Military.com

Free Tickets for the MTV Concert for Veterans in NYC

Week of October 20, 2008

On Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., MTV will host a concert for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan at the Nokia Theater in Times Square, New York City. Admission is free, but not guaranteed. If you get a ticket, you will be allowed to bring one guest. Please fill out the form below no later than Thursday, Oct.16 at 6 p.m. to request tickets. Performances and tributes from from 50 Cent, Ludacris, Saving Abel, Kanye West, Kid Rock, Fall Out Boy, Angels and Airwaves, Juanes, Taylor Swift, Nelly, Beyonce, Seth Green, Elizabeth Banks and others. Get Your Tickets Now.

Of course, I'm HIGHLY dubious of motives here. While the concert is being billed as an effort to be sure veterans legislation and benefits remain in the forefront in the election (I am all for that), many of the characters performing and affiliated with this effort (MTV and Cnn (not exactly bastions of supporting our military), Kanye West, Nelly, etc.) are huge supporters and fund raisers for the Obama campaign... and this is playing 2 weeks before the election rather than say, on Veterans Day? Just sayin' it probably won't be fair and balanced.

The concert (which will apparently feature more taped performances than live) will be broadcast on October 24th and there is an online webcast as well. Details HERE.

Febreze To Go for the Troops

Got this via email:

I'm writing on behalf of Febreze to tell you about a new donation the brand is making to support our troops. Since you are part of a military family, I thought you might be interested in hearing about this or sharing it with your readers at Some Soldier's Mom.

Febreze has partnered with Family Dollar stores nationwide to send bottles of Febreze To Go to troops stationed abroad. The donation -- a direct response to military requests -- will eliminate odors on military gear and uniforms and bring the troops a refreshing piece of home.

You and your readers can help the effort by making your next Febreze purchase at Family Dollar. From now through Veteran’s Day - November 11, 2008 - Febreze and Family Dollar will send one 2.8 ounce bottle of Febreze To Go to a troop abroad for every Febreze item purchased.

This is straight Febreze sprays... it does NOT include Febreze candles nor any product with Febreze (e.g., Downey fabric softener with Febreze) -- both of which I cannot live without! And check out the Febreze special offers -- there are coupons for some of their products.

NOTE: The products MUST BE bought at the Dollar Stores... the link is above to find a store near you!

But We In It Shall Be Remember'd...

For these five... for these of Noah's brothers... they are all our sons... I wrote about them here... here.... here.... here.... here... and here...

Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and their friends.

SPC Jeffrey W. Corban, 30, of Elkhart, IN buried at Ft. Benning.

SPC Richard A. Hardy, 24, buried in Ohio.

SPC Thomas ("Tommy") H. Byrd, 21, buried in Tucson, AZ.

SPC Timothy D. Watkins , 24, buried in San Bernardino, CA.

SSG Vincent E. Summers, buried in Killeen, TX, the home of Fort Hood.

WORRY...

Last night on SpouseBuzz Radio, two of my fellow contributors at Parents Zone and I talked with AF Wife about what it's like to have a child in the military and the fear we feel for our adult children (LAW and I managed to monopolize the conversation and Tammy, we sooo need to make this up to you!!) In the 4 years that I have been blogging and through Lord knows how many troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan (I don't think they're adding numbers to the OIF____ label anymore), I realize and completely accept that it's universal. Every parent has the same fear for their child/children... and it doesn't make a difference whether it's their first deployment or their third. We worry.

Back in December 2004 -- before my son even left for his deployment to Iraq -- I wrote a blog post about how You Always Worry and talked about how our worry changes as our children grow... as they learned to walk, to run, to ride, to drive... I was talking with a dear, close friend whose Army National Guard son is scheduled for his second deployment to Iraq in 2009 and who recently learned that his unit might go months earlier than originally scheduled. You could hear the worry in her voice and we talked about "the last time" when both our sons were deployed at the same time. I went back and read some of my blog posts back during that deployment, and I discovered how often worry was a topic. Just weeks before my son was wounded, I explained:

It's a constant 24 hour a day worry that wears on you, grates on you, weighs on you. It's physically and mentally exhausting. I don't always realize it but sometimes I wonder why I'm so tired some nights or why I can't sleep most nights... It's the worry. The wear and tear of it. It's like the drone of a motor always on or the hum from fluorescent lights... always there... always present... even when you're doing other things or thinking other thoughts... it's THERE. The worry is always there. I know other moms and dads and wives and husbands and sisters and brothers will understand what I mean.

Last year I was speaking with a Major General who is the son of a retired Army Colonel and who is also the father of a fairly new Army Lieutenant. He told me that he had been in the Army 32 years and married for 31 of those... and through his many deployments over his career, he always told his family not to worry as he waved goodbye for one assignment or another to dangerous parts of the globe... but he said it was a whole new world when it was he who stood on the front porch as his own son told him not to worry as he left for his first deployment to Iraq... he told me that sending his child off to war was the hardest thing he had ever done.

So, while the media may be ignoring the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (unless, of course, there is some political point to be made), I know in hearing from parents, spouses, friends and families of our Soldiers and Marines that these are still universal emotions for the families of those who serve. And it matters not whether our children are single, married, divorced, have children of their own... parents STILL worry.

I also know from experience, that a burden shared, is a burden lightened. I know that right now people are consumed with worry about the economy and the election... Lord knows there is plenty of worry to go around. I just ask you to take a moment and remember our troops deployed around the world, about to be deployed and those who are home (because we know that for some the battle doesn't end on the battlefield)... say a prayer, have a good thought, generate positive energy -- whatever it is you do.... remember our Guys... and their families.... thank a veteran... say a kind word... call someone you know who is worrying. It will make your day.

x-posted at Parents Zone

Military Moms on SpouseBuzz Radio Tonight!

TechMama, Liberal Army Wife (and Milmom) and me... It may be too much for some -- all of us on at once!! Lordy, Lordy!

But tune in to listen to us chat about current issues...

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/spousebuzz/2008/10/10/Parents-Zone

You can call in (646) 478-5665

We promise it won't be dull!

It's About DamnTime!! DoD Compensation & Benefits Handbook

DoD Develops Compensation & Benefits Handbook

DoD announced today it has developed a comprehensive handbook describing compensation and other benefits service members and their families would be entitled to upon separation or retirement as a result of serious injury or illness.

"The Compensation and Benefits Handbook is the one source of information that covers everything a seriously ill and injured service member will need during his or her recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration," said Ronald A. Winter, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs.

The handbook was compiled in cooperation with the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and the Social Security Administration. Additionally; there are references to assistance provided by other governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations.

"The handbook describes the disability eligibility process, various program qualifications, application procedures, and numerous resources with associated contact information," said Sharon Gunselman, policy and resource analyst for the Department of Defense.

Web sites and toll-free numbers are provided, and the electronic version includes hyperlinks. The electronic version of the handbook will be updated frequently and the hard copy of the compensation and benefits handbook will be updated annually.

The electronic version of the handbook can be found on the five Web sites listed below:

http://turbotap.org

https://www.nko.navy.mil

http://www.npc.navy.mil

https://www.aw2.army.mil

https://www.my.af.mil/gcss-af/USAF/AFP40/d/1073755231/Files/C&BHandbook