Calling All WWII Veterans
By Bob Zimmerman
    As part of this year’s Honor Flight San Diego float entry into the Monday, Nov. 12 Veterans Day Parade in downtown San Diego, the producers are asking for WWII veterans to send in photos in uniform. The photos will be reproduced into posters which will be carried by Girls Scouts alongside the Honor Flight float. Send your photos to Laurie at lsizzle@aol.com or call her at 858-513-8238 for more information. Please mention WWII Veterans Photos.

New Jungle Gym & Cafe in Santee for Adults and Kids
    This newly opened business offers a multitude of unique athletic and creative activities for children ranging from 0-12 years of age such as Safari Cycles, 20-foot bouncer slides, badminton, basketball, foam block pit and more. We also have a separate infant/toddler area with age appropriate slides, toys and activities. For the adults, Jungle Gym & Café offers Yoga, Zumba, Step, Body Sculpting, Kick-Boxing and more, in our large and modern fitness studio.
    Also on site is a healthy foods cafe offering all-natural and organic foods. It’s also a great place to have a birthday part. For more info, visit www.junglegymandcafe.com.

Replacing Lost Military Medals and Decorations
    Military medals and decoration replacement requests can be made by veterans by filling out form SF 180 downloaded from www.va.gov/vaforms. Requests should be sent to National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). The request will be forwarded to the respective service where the medal, decoration, or award will be issued. Information on where to send the form is located at the NPRC website. In general, requests made by the veteran are fulfilled at no cost.

Buddy Finder Reconnects You with Old Military Friends
    Last issue, we told you about TogetherWeServed.com for finding long lost military buddies. Here’s another website that can help, www.military.com/buddy-finder.

Flight of the Butterflies at Fleet Science Cener
    Flight of the Butterflies, a breathtaking new giant screen adventure from SK Films, is coming to the Heikoff Dome Theater at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. The film will open to the public on Friday, October 5, 2012.
    Flight of the Butterflies is the awe-inspiring story of two unlikely heroes that share a common strength. Based on true events, it follows the epic journey of the iconic monarch butterfly in one of the most incredible migrations on Earth and the equally epic quest of determined scientist Dr. Fred Urquhart, who spent 40 years trying to discover the mysteries surrounding their journey and secret winter hideaway.
    IMAX admission: Adults $15.75; children $12.75; seniors $12.75. For more info, visit www.rhfleet.org.
    The Fleet offers 12 free admission days per year to military and their families to enjoy the Science Center’s exhibit galleries for free and discounted IMAX films. Free admission for military and their family is valid on the first Tuesday of each month.

House Passes New ‘Stolen Valor’ Act
    Those who lie about military service or make false claims about receiving military medals with the intent of benefiting from those claims would be committing a crime under legislation passed by the House last week, according to Military.com. The House’s 410-3 vote on what is known as the Stolen Valor Act came less than three months after the Supreme Court struck down the original act on the grounds that it violated First Amendment free speech rights. The new bill attempts to get around the court ruling by making clear that it applies only in cases where people lie about a military record with the aim of obtaining payment or other benefits.

Huge Job Fair Coming to San Diego Oct. 12
    Youngblood Career Services is partnering with several local veterans organizations to hold its 1st annual All American Veteran Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. Hosted by the prestigious National University located at 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92138 (Kearny Mesa area). This job fair will feature veterans from all Veterans Village offices in San Diego.
    Invited to attend are employers from every walk of life, from IT companies, security, hotels, sales, banking, CHP, DEA, SDPD, sheriff, radio stations, health care employers, ship builders and numerous other companies. Every employer who is hiring is welcome.
    Event coordinators have coined this event as “The Grammy’s of all Job Fairs” because it treats its vendors and job seekers so well.

Get Ready! La Mesa Oktoberfest Coming
    This wonderful tradition returns to Downtown La Mesa on La Mesa Blvd. between Acacia and 4th Avenue, Friday to Sunday, Oct. 5-7, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Register to Attend the Inactivation of the USS Enterprise
    After half a century of distinguished service, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 85) will inactivate on Dec. 1, 2012, in a ceremony to be held at Norfolk, Va. All Enterprise veterans, their families, shipyard workers, and friends of Enterprise are invited to register to attend the inactivation week events and the ceremony. Visit www.enterprise.navy.mil to register. Tickets will be on a first available basis. Space is limited.

Military Drinking Culture
    WASHINGTON — Abusing alcohol and drugs has been part of military culture historically: Troops do it for fun, to ease the stresses of war or to be part of the brotherhood.
    But a new report says substance use and misuse among troops and their families has become a “public health crisis” and says Pentagon methods for dealing with it are out of date.
    In a study requested by the Defense Department, the Institute of Medicine report Monday said:
    • About 20 percent of active-duty service members reported they engaged in heavy drinking in 2008, the latest year for which data was available. (Heavy drinking was defined as five or more drinks a day as a regular practice.)
    • Binge drinking increased from 35 percent in 1998 to 47 percent in 2008. (That’s five or more drinks at a sitting for men, four or more for women, but done perhaps just once or twice a month as opposed to each week.)
    • While rates of both illicit and prescription drug abuse are low, the rate of medication misuse is rising. Just 2 percent of active-duty personnel reported misusing prescription drugs in 2002 compared with 11 percent in 2008.
    • The armed forces’ programs and policies have not evolved to effectively address medication misuse and abuse.

Military advance pay
    The purpose of advance pay is to give funds to a member to meet extraordinary expenses incident to a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). It is intended to assist with the out-of-pocket expenses, not typical of day-to-day military living, that precede or exceed reimbursements incurred in a member’s change of duty locations. An advance of pay is not authorized for the specific out-of-pocket expenses covered by advances of other allowances and entitlements, if those advances are used (to include travel allowances and per diem, overseas station housing allowance, basic allowance for housing, and dislocation allowance). The member’s commander has a responsibility to ensure that an advance of pay is used only to help with the financial burden of a PCS. Get more information on Military.com.

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