From: bergman@AFPAN.PA.AF.MIL (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: AF News Svc 10/14/92
Date: 15 Oct 92 12:57:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: afnews.9210151257.AA03997
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC

800.  AAFES catalog sales
801.  Free lunch
802.  Postal prohibitions
803.  Civilian leave extension
804.  Nicotine study
805.  Inspection policy
806.  O'Malley award
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800.  AAFES catalog sales
     DALLAS (AFNS) -- Stateside-assigned Army and Air Force Exchange Service
customers deploying overseas for military exercises now have an extended
period of time to order starred items from the catalog, AAFES officials said.
     Starred items can only be ordered by customers in Alaska, Hawaii and
overseas because of U.S. Customs restrictions.
     People sent overseas on temporary duty or to participate in military
exercises may place an order 45 days prior to departure and 45 days after
their return to the continental United States.
     If participating in a military exercise, the name of the exercise must be
entered in the country of assignment space in the ordered by section of the
order form.  If on temporary duty or on temporary additional duty, a copy of
official travel orders must be included with the order.
     Instructions are found in the catalog under the "More time to order"
section of the information and instructions section at the back of the
catalog.
     Orders can also be placed through local exchanges or by calling toll-free
in the continental United States 1-800-527-2345. Customers outside the
continental United States can place orders by calling 1-214-312-2775.
     Information in the continental United States is available by calling
1-800-835-2345, or overseas 1-214-312-2775.


801.  Free lunch
     WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force is urging families based overseas to
take advantage of a school lunch program offering free meals and reduced
prices.
     While both overseas and stateside families have the same opportunities to
use the free lunch and reduced price lunch program funded by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, participation is particularly low among those
overseas, Air Force officials said.
     The overseas participation rate is 24 percent of the meals served.  Rates
are 55 percent to 70 percent at the school complexes on five stateside
installations.
     The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is the school food authority for
Department of Defense Dependent Schools overseas and is responsible for
student meals in 170 schools worldwide.
     AAFES meal programs follow prescribed nutritional guidelines, and include
participation in the lunch program, officials said.
     Applications and eligibility guidelines are available from the schools
officer at each installation.


802. Postal prohibitions
     WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Servicemen and women and Department of Defense
civilian employees caught mailing certain foods and plants to the United
States or its territories face a minimum $250 fine, U.S. Department of
Agriculture officials said.
     The military mail system was placed under the same restrictions as the
U.S. Postal System Sept. 15.  The Plant Quarantine Act and other federal laws
prohibit delivery of foreign agricultural products that could spread pests and
diseases to American crops and livestock.
     Prohibited items are meats, including salami, ham, bacon and all types of
sausage.  Soup mixes containing meat are also prohibited.  Fresh fruits and
vegetables, plants, seeds, bulbs and soil cannot be mailed to the states
either.
     "Mailing agricultural products home through APO and FPO postal systems
has the potential to devastate many agricultural industries," said Robert B.
Melland, USDA's animal and plant health inspection service administrator.
     "A single fruit or a meat product can contain a pest organism or disease
than can damage crops or cause disease in animals," Melland said.
     Using X-ray machines and detector dogs, inspectors check international
mail as it arrives at U.S. mail facilities.  Violators using the military mail
system will be fined from $250 to $1,000 for a civil penalty.
     The Agriculture Department can also choose to pursue criminal action
which could result in a fine of $5,000, a year in jail, or both.
     The inspection agency currently enforces similar regulations in the
United States against individuals who do not declare any agricultural products
they may have when arriving at the first port of entry.
     These regulations also cover unauthorized products moving from Hawaii to
the mainland.
     Postal patrons should always declare agricultural items on the U.S.
customs form with every package.  Some items, such as baked goods and hard
cheeses are OK to mail, Melland said.
     The USDA pamphlet, Travelers Tips, gives a full listing of permitted and
prohibited items.  It is available from military customs, and U.S. embassies
and consulates.  (Courtesy U.S. Forces in Europe News Service)


803. Civilian leave extension
     HOMESTEAD AFB, Fla. (AFNS) -- Administrative leave for civilian employees
at Homestead who have not been called back to work has been extended until
Oct. 31, Air Force officials said.
     Employees needed for mission-essential functions following Hurricane
Andrew's rampage through Southern Florida in August will be recalled as work
requirements are identified, officials said.
     Leave will be ended once an individual is recalled.
     People who have not had any work assigned can ask for administrative
leave extensions after Oct. 31 on a pay-period by pay-period basis.
     Civilians can call the Homestead civilian personnel office at (305)
224-7373 or DSN 791-7373 to find out what their status is.
     More information for non-appropriated fund employees is available by
calling the human resource office at (305) 224-7412 or DSN 791-7373.
     Anyone who doesn't call either office between Oct. 26 and 29 to ask for
leave Nov. 1-14 may have their administrative leave cancelled.


804. Nicotine study
     WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- People who use nicotine gum to help kick the
cigarette habit should stop drinking coffee, the Academy of General Dentistry
announced.
     A study indicated coffee inhibits the body's ability to absorb nicotine,
which quitters rely on to minimize withdrawal habits.
     Heavy smokers are typically heavy coffee drinkers, said Dr. Richard
Hines, Academy of General Dentistry spokesperson.  "It's hard, but they have
to give up the coffee along with the cigarettes if nicotine gum is going to be
of any benefit," Hines said.
     The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug
Abuse in Baltimore, examined the effects of several beverages on eight male
cigarette smokers.
     The smokers chewed nicotine gum for 15 minutes at a time, breaking every
50 seconds to rinse their mouths with coffee and other liquids, including
fruits juices, soft drinks, distilled water and mouth rinses.
     Results showed that drinking coffee or cola while chewing the gum
completely eliminated any measurable levels of nicotine absorption.
     Reformed smokers should not chew more than 30 pieces of nicotine gum a
day during the first month of treatment.  (Courtesy of Air Mobility Command
News Service)


805. Inspection policy
	  WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In a move from traditional management
inspections to quality-oriented visits and reviews, the Air Force has dropped
the term UEI in favor of quality Air Force assessment, or QAFA.
     To standardized procedures throughout the Air Force, major commands will
conduct IG management inspections, which can be tailored to fit specific
command needs.  However, they will need to use standard points of reference to
maintain the efficiency of the process and conform to legal requirements.
     Quality implementation offices, normally found in command sections, will
be separate from the IG, inspection officials said.  The IG will also use
quality assessment techniques.
     To maintain recognition with other government agencies, such as the
Defense Department IG, the IG title will be used Air Force-wide.
     Also, the five-level grading system is preferred for inspections.  It
allows greater flexibility in evaluating and provides incentive for continuous
improvement, officials said.


806. O'Malley award
     WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Brig. Gen. and Mrs. Frederick D. Walker are the
winners of the 1992 Gen. and Mrs. Jerome F. O'Malley Award.
     Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill A. McPeak presented the award to
the Walkers in a Pentagon ceremony Oct. 13.  The first reservist to earn the
award, Walker is the mobilization assistant to Air Force Reserve Vice
Commander Maj. Gen. Robert McIntosh.
     Walker and his wife earned the O'Malley award for their contributions to
the Air Force, the local community, and the nation by applying the "high
ideals and positive leadership techniques" while he was the commander of the
Reserve 439th Military Airlift Wing at Westover AFB, Mass.
     They were lauded for making Westover the standard for future
use of an all-Reserve operation under the total force policy.
     The announcement also cited the Walkers for establishing a family support
center to help the more-than-doubled base population, and for the base's
"overall success" during Operation Desert Storm.
     Westover served as a major staging area for Desert Shield and Desert
Storm, maintaining the highest departure rate of all C-5 staging areas while
processing more than 25,000 passengers and 68,000 tons of cargo.
     The only Reserve general officer activated during the Gulf war, Walker
led more than 1,500 Westover reservists called to active duty.
     Each year the Air Force selects the best wing commander and spouse as
recipients of the award.
     The award was created in memory of the O'Malleys, killed in a 1985 plane
crash near Scranton, Pa.  At the time of his death, O'Malley was commander of
Tactical Air Command.

         
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