Military Officer - October 2007 - (Page 36)

washingtonscene doctors about whether the lower-cost drugs will meet their needs. If TRICARE approves a doctor’s determination that a third-tier ($22) drug is medically necessary for a particular patient (e.g., lower-cost drugs don’t work or cause adverse side effects), a patient still will be able to obtain the third-tier drug for the lower copayment. Ana Smythe Moves Up Health care lobbyist to lead Member Service Center. Who Says Vets Can’t Salute? Bill would clarify ﬂag rules. C H ave you ever been confused whether you’re supposed to put your hand over your heart or salute when the U.S. ﬂag passes or the national anthem is played? Current law (Section 9 of title 4, U.S. Code) says veterans and servicemembers not in uniform should put their hands over their hearts. It doesn’t expressly say they’re not authorized to salute the ﬂag — but it doesn’t say they can. That’s a sore spot for many veterans, for whom the salute is a point of pride in their service. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) introduced legislation (S. 1877 and H.R. 3380, respectively) to change the law to state those present in uniform “should render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute [italics added].” On July 25, the Senate approved S. 1877 by unanimous consent, and it has been forwarded to the House for consideration. MOAA fully supports this change. It does not mandate the salute for servicemembers and veterans not in uniform, but simply clariﬁes they may honor the ﬂag with a salute rather than the hand over the heart if they prefer. ol. Ana Smythe, USMC-Ret., deputy director of MOAA’s Government Relations Department since last fall, was promoted to assume duties as director of MOAA’s Member Service Center as of Sept. 1. Smythe has ﬁlled a crucial role as MOAA’s principal lobbyist for wounded warrior and VA health care issues. Her command and legislative and disability evaluation experience helped MOAA provide insightful testimony before Congress and various commissions to review wounded warrior problems in the wake of the Walter Reed revelations. She also coauthored “A Hero’s Welcome?” on page 46. Smythe still will be available to advise MOAA’s lobbying team, but we now can make even broader use of her leadership skills and experience as she’ll provide direct and personalized service to all 368,000 MOAA members. Having been raised in a Navy family and being a retired Marine with over 30 years of service, the spouse of a Marine, and the parent of a young Marine ofﬁcer about to deploy to Iraq, Smythe can identify with the full range of experience of MOAA members. We’re thrilled to capitalize on her experience and enthusiasm in building MOAA’s leadership team for the future. MO — Contributors are Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., director; Col. Mike Hayden, USAFRet.; Col. Bob Norton, USA-Ret.; Cmdr. René Campos, USN-Ret.; Cmdr. John Class, USN-Ret.; Col. Ana Smythe, USMC-Ret.; Cass Vreeland; and Bret Shea, MOAA’s Government Relations Department. 36 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - October 2007

Military Officer - October 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: A Hero's Welcome? Partners in Patriotism Tales from Beyond the Battlefield Financial Results of MOAA Pages of History Information Exchange Faces of MOAA Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - October 2007

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