Military Officer - April 2008 - (Page 24) rapidfire M It’s That Time Again OAA’s second annual Spouse Symposium is June 19 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia. In conjunction with the larger Joint Warfighting Conference 2008, sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the U.S. Naval Institute, MOAA is bringing together subject-matter experts in the field of military spouse and family issues. Feedback from last year’s symposium showed attending spouses found the event was a great resource for benefits. They networked with other spouses and enjoyed hearing recognized experts in the field of military spouse and family issues addressing thought-provoking topics. Speakers included Dr. Krista Wells, the Military Spouse Coach; Meg Harrell, of the RAND Institute; Karen Jowers, with Military Times, and Doro Bush Koch. This year, attendees will learn more about their benefits and the programs and resources available to support military spouses, meet and interact with people working military spouse and family issues, and meet other spouses. Visit www.moaa.org/spousesymposium to learn more. In Review In the Words of Our Enemies By Jed Babbin. Regency Publishing, 2007. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-59698-523-0. tyrants but a carefully considered ideology of people intent on death and chaos. D-Day in the Pacific: The Battle of Saipan By Harold J. Goldberg. Indiana University Press, 2007. $29.95. ISBN 978-0-253-34869-2. TRICAREUPDATE TRICARE NOW COVERS laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, also commonly called Lap-Band surgery, for beneficiaries whose weight poses serious health risks and who are medically qualified. This coverage is retroactive to Feb. 1, 2007. Beneficiaries can view details about the coverage online in the TRICARE Policy Manual or call (866) 773-0404 if they have questions about the registration process. For more information, visit the TRICARE Web site, www.tricare.mil/pressroom/news .aspx?fid=360. 24 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2008 In a direct challenge to political correctness, national security expert Jed Babbin offers the most vivid and cogent argument yet that America’s enemies mean what they say, revealing their public words filled with hate, threats, and warnings. Babbin suggests Americans listen carefully to the venomous spewing of al-Qaida and other Islamofascists; the blustery threats of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and North Korea’s Kim Jongil; and the more subtle and chilling threats from Iran, China, Russia, and even long-time ally Turkey. Using their own words from speeches, interviews, radio, television, and the Internet, Babbin provides startling examples of America’s enemies calling for the destruction of America and the slaughter of its citizens, proclaiming world peace is only possible through the destruction of the West. He warns this isn’t just theatrical posturing by The invasion of Saipan in June 1944 might well have been the decisive battle in the Pacific War, says history professor Harold Goldberg. It pierced Japan’s main defenses and resulted in the crushing Japanese naval defeat known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Goldberg tells of Army, Navy, and Marine Corps involvement in a three-week battle in rugged terrain against a tenacious enemy. He also addresses the problems of faulty intelligence, filth and disease, close combat in Death Valley and on Purple Heart Ridge, and the unnerving tragedy at Suicide Cliff. Best, however, is his detailed description of the bitter rivalry between Army and Marine Corps generals, which erupted into one of the “most notorious inter-service controversies of World War II.” — William D. Bushnell PHOTOS: ABOVE, STEVE BARRETT; LEFT, ROBIN LYNNE GIBSON/GETTY IMAGES http://www.moaa.org/spousesymposium http://www.tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=360 http://www.tricare.mil/pressroom/news.aspx?fid=360
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