Air Force News

COL Mike Lee, USAF

The last quarter of the calendar year was hectic as usual for AFROTC at KU, and it will stay that way right up until we graduate two new second lieutenants on 20 December.

Activities were numerous and varied. The Det flew almost every available weekend in October with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), getting our younger cadets time "at the stick" in a Cessna with a CAP instructor. At the request of a local volunteer organization, cadets manned County voting booths for children on short notice. Veterans Day activities involved the entire Detachment. AFROTC again directed Veteran's Day ceremonies at KU. This year KU was especially honored to have its own (class of '53) Maj. Gen. Clay Comfort as guest of honor and keynote speaker. He set the tone for the follow on 24-hour joint vigil cadets stood at the Vietnam Memorial. AF cadets also marched in two Veterans Day parades and joined Navy ROTC midshipmen serving dinner to VA Hospital patients at the local VFW a few days earlier. Just before Thanksgiving Det 280 went into the field with AF combat aircrew survival instructors from Whiteman AFB. Cadets spent the night out in the military training area near Clinton Reservoir in survival shelters made from parachutes. Though temperatures dipped below freezing they enjoyed the land navigation, evasion and survival cooking taught by the

Whiteman NCOs. Cadets even worked the night perimeter with NVGs and vectored in two live Whiteman A-10s in a mock CSAR scenario. The following Monday, Freshman Cadet Kathleen McNamee, an Aeronautical Engineering major, headed to Vandenberg AFB to visit space launch facilities. She was selected from among hundreds nationally to make the trip.

On 20 December we graduated two of the best 2Lts in the AF. Lt Dana Post will spend a few months with us at KU then head for Navigator School in July. Cadet Nathan Nitchals will work for HQ AFROTC for a short while at Maxwell AFB Alabama, then he will be off to Air Battle Manager School at Tyndall AFB, Florida. We wish them both well. They will carry the baton, defend the principles, honor their country and extend the paths we members of MOAA and our comrades initially trod for them...as others did for us.

AFROTC Det 280 Jayhawks at KU thank the Jayhawk Chapter of MOAA for continued excellent support.

Col. Mike Lee

TROA LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Federal Appeals Court Renders Its Decision on Class Act Group's Law Suit. Late yesterday (18 Nov 2002), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its long-awaited opinion in the Class Act Group's health-care lawsuit. Regrettably, the decision was not favorable to the Class Act Group.

Issue 1: Congress Adjourns Without Finishing Medicare, Tax Bills. The Senate adjourned Wednesday, and the House did so today. Among the unfinished initiatives Congress punted to next year: increases in Medicare and TRICARE payments (needed to promote doctor participation) and tax relief for military homeowners, survivors and drilling Reservists.

Issue 2: Court Ruling Won't Affect TFL. We've received many member calls about poorly worded media reports on the recent

appeals court ruling against the Class Act Group's health carelawsuit. Don't worry. Neither the lawsuit nor the court decision will have any effect on TFL.

Issue 3: Veterans' Benefits Bill Headed to President S. 2237, the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 2002, will:

* Establish a presumption of service-connection for hearing loss associated with certain military skills (to be determined by the VA in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences) and authorize compensation for service members who have a rated hearing loss in both ears.

* Clarify the entitlement to special monthly compensation for female veterans who have service-connected mastectomies.

(continued on Page 6)

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8