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2009 President's Message is now avaiable

 Click Here for the latest Military Report

The attachment contains information about a $500 grant available to children
(Kindergarten - 12th grade) of Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy
Reserve, Marine Reserve, & Coast Guard Reserve who have been deployed
overseas for at least 180 days and have at least 60 days remaining on
orders, for activities such as instruction, lessons or tutoring that the
child will start before service member returns home.

Additional information is contained at the "Our Military Kids, Inc."
website: http://www.ourmilitarykids.org/index.html

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Added:  New Air Force Retiree Website

2008 Guard and Reserve Fact Sheet.  Click Here

Defense Authorization Is Law

After vetoing the first 2008 NDAA, and with quick work by both the House and Senate, the President signed the 2008 NDAA into law on January 28th. The bill includes provisions that accomplish EIGHT of our association goals in one document.

Early Retirement is In There! Okay, it has some limitations, but it's a start. It reduces the age at which you can retire (from age 60) 90 days for every aggregate 90 days you are on active duty orders for a contingency operation or national emergency (Title 10 or Title 32) within your retirement year. The orders don't have to be for 90 days or more, but credit is given in 90-day chunks at the end of the retirement year when posting to your records. Bad news--the law is not retroactive, so time already spent on orders prior to January 28th doesn't count--YET. We are working a legislative fix to backdate the provisions to 9/11/2001.

National Guard Empowerment is In There! Well, most of it. The Chief's 4th star. Advisor to the Joint Chiefs and Defense Secretary. NGB a joint activity. Didn't get the joint duty credit for TAGs though. Still working the provisions that dropped out.

Other Good Stuff is In There! Raised the creditable number of retirement points from 90 per year to 130 per year. Allows payment for IDT travel in certain circumstances. Repeals the changes to the Insurrection Act from last year. No TRICARE fee increases. Extends VA health care from 2 years to 5 years post-deployment. Allows Mil Techs to be retained in their jobs if combat injured and discharged from the Guard, without regard to llimits on non-dual status technicians. Allows saluting the flag when not in uniform.

Be sure to take a few minutes and thank your Congressmen and women for the work they did on our behalf.

National Fatherhood Initiative is looking for packages for the Lockheed Martin Military Fatherhood Award.  Click Here for details.

EANGUS has their membership directory online.  Register with EANGUS by clicking Here.

Added the Tricare Beneficiaries Web Enrollment website to the Self Help page.  Also updated the Membership Chart above where it shows that we have fallen to 7th place.....

Board Members names updated.

Latest Legislative Update Newsletter and added a Wounded Warrior Entitlements Handbook on the Documents page.

Added a link on the left for the New LANG Homepage.

Seven Steps to a Career in a Federal Job

How to purchase the NEW Tricare Reserve Select

Step 1: Qualify

1. Log on to https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/trs/

2. Click on "RC MEMBER"

3. Login using DFAS PIN number or CAC

4. Click on purchase coverage

* Select the type of coverage: TRS Member-Only or TRS Member-and-Family

* Certify that you are not eligible for or enrolled in the FEHB program

* Select when you want your coverage to begin

5. Print and sign the TRS Request Form (DD Form 2896-1)

Step 2: Purchase

Mail your completed TRS Request Form along with the first month's premium payment to your regional contractor located in Block 6 on the request form.

Veteran Legislation - Senate and House

Legislative Alert .  Please read this one.....its important.

National Guard Deployment Guide on the Documents Link and the VetJobs link on the right.

Added Veteran's Fund Scholarship Application to the Educational Lins Page.

Added a link for Proposed GIBill reforms on the Educational Links Page.

Updated the Self Service page (scroll down the menu on the left) with Louisiana National Guard License Plate ordering information.

Service Members are Urged to set up Family Member Accounts.  Family Member Account numbers and passwords will be accepted on TRICARE’s new Beneficiary Web Enrollment system launching later this Fall.  The new system will allow Prime and Prime Remote beneficiaries to easily enroll and manage their health care online.

New Loan Program Could Mean a New Business for You.  Service members can take advantage of the United States Small Business Administration's new Patriot Express loan program, which will produce faster loan turnaround times of the agency's SBA Express loans, but with lower interest rates, larger loan limits and higher government guarantees. Loans are available to veterans, reservists and active-duty service members who are leaving the military, their spouses, and the spouses of military personnel who died during service or died of a service-connected disability. Loans of up to $500,000 will be available through the program. This new program is only slated to run through Dec. 31, 2010. For more information, visit the SBA Patriot Express website or telephone the SBA at 800-827-5722. To learn more, go to: http://www.sba.gov/patriotexpress/.

Family Support Group

2007 Christmas Families Referrals Memo  --  Click Here

FREE NRA MEMBERSHIP TO MILITARY MEMBERS

http://www.nra.org/supportourtroops/Default.aspx

Louisiana Global War on Terrorism Memorial Coins will be on sale soon!

View the list of Tax Legislation currently being debated that affect our Guardsmen.  Click Here

Enactment of the National Guard Empowerment Act, S. 430

Immediate Action Required: Contact your Senators and urge them to support the National Guard Empowerment Act, S. 430, being offered this week as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1547)

The National Guard Empowerment Bill will strengthen the National Guard’s ability to carry out its dual missions, serving as the nation’s primary operational military reserve for contingencies abroad and serving as the nation’s first military responders for emergencies at home. The Guard Empowerment Bill will improve the quality of advice on National Guard matters provided to the upper –reaches of the Department of Defense. The legislation will also ensure that the Defense Department pays greater attention to the military support for the civilian authorities’ mission, by tapping the special expertise and experience that exist in the Guard.

Too often in making decisions the Pentagon ignores the integral role of the Guard which has led to attempts to cut the manpower strength and force structure of the Guard. The department has also paid insufficient attention to missions at home, despite the reality that the military will play an important role in providing security, and emergency response. The National Guard has proven its abilities to perform these missions with its stellar service along the border and in response to Hurricane Katrina.

To improve the quality and accuracy of advice on National Guard matters the Bill will elevate the position of Chief of the National Guard Bureau from Lieutenant General to General and provide a seat for the Chief as a full member on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It would also encourage the promotion of National Guard major generals to higher ranks and provide joint service credit for service as Adjutant Generals of the United States.

To improve the ability of the military to deal with emergencies at home, the bill would ensure that the Deputy Commander of Northern Command would come from the ranks of the National Guard. It would also give the National Guard separate budget authority to develop and procure equipment unique to its homeland security mission while working directly with the states to identify gaps in military response capabilities.

TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION:

By using the "Write to Congress" feature on the NGAUS Web site at www.ngaus.org <http://www.ngaus.org/> , you can IMMEDIATELY e-mail your elected representatives. A sample letter is included in our "Write to Congress" feature. You can e-mail the pre-written message or edit the sample letter as you desire. This is the quickest and most effective method of expressing your views to Congress. Also, contact your friends and family and urge them to use Write to Congress as well. For further information and background visit our web site at www.ngaus.org <http://www.ngaus.org/> . Please direct any questions concerning this issue to Chris DeBatt, NGAUS Army Programs Manager at 202-408-5899 or via email at chris.debatt@ngaus.org <mailto:chris.debatt@ngaus.org> .

EXCELLENT NEWS !!!

Details of Senate FY 08 National Defense Authorization Act Made Public

The Senate report on S.1547, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of FY 08, was released in mid-July 07, providing further insight as to the status of such issues as empowerment, retirement, and the Insurrection Act.  Included in the bill are several provisions that translate into progress for the Guard and our legislative goals.  These include:

* Requiring the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to prescribe a charter for the National Guard Bureau.

* Increasing the grade of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau from lieutenant general to general.

* Reducing the age at which a member of the Ready Reserve could draw retired pay below the age of 60 by 3 months for every aggregate 90 days of active duty performed under certain mobilization authorities during a fiscal year.

Update on the Retirement Age proposal:

Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has filed SA 2017, an amendment to the NDAA that aims to reduce the 60 year eligibility age for Guard and Reserve retirees to collect retirement pay. The Hagel amendment proposes that the eligibility age of 60 be reduced one year for every two years of service beyond twenty years but not lower than age 53. For example, a National Guard member serving 26 years would be eligible to collect retirement pay at age 57. Serving 34 years would lower the subject age to 53, the earliest possible collection age under the amendment.

* Repealing section 1076 (relating to the Insurrection Act) of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 and reviving the provisions amended by that section as they were in effect prior to the effective date of that act.

One major concern with the retirement provision is that it did not make the qualifying active duty retroactive to September 11, 2001 as provided for in Senator Chambliss’ bill (S. 648). Because the House Armed Services Committee rejected the House version of the Chambliss bill (H.R. 1428), in its markup, the retirement provision will face a major challenge should it clear the Senate and move to conference.

Notes and quotes from the Louisiana Legislature

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The state should pay life insurance and disability benefits to Louisiana National Guard soldiers who die or are disabled in the line of duty, a House committee decided Tuesday in agreeing to a bill already passed by the state Senate.

Sen. Rob Marionneaux's bill (Senate Bill 158) would require the state to pay $250,000 to the family of a Guard soldier killed while on state or federal duty and $100,000 to those permanently disabled.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure with no discussion or objection, sending its to the full House for debate.

10 Myths of Operation Iraqi Freedom and General Petreaus's Letter to the Troops