Military Officer - October 2008 - (Page 78) memberbooks For a complete description of these member books, log on to www.moaa.org/community, and click on Member Books. McCAIN [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 54] NONFICTION Looking Backward: Don Banks — One TBF Turret Gunner’s Story. By Cmdr. Stephen Banks, USN-Ret. ISBN 978-0-9817473-0-9. Thoughts While Shaving: Common Sense Leadership Principles, Volume 1. By Col. Len Fuchs, USMCRet. Real Leaders Digest. ISBN 0-9725091-0-0. “End Connectors” From the Heart. By Maj. Leo Gildersleeve, USMC-Ret. ISBN 160080-017-3. Flying the SR-71 Blackbird: In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission. By Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF-Ret. Zenith Press. ISBN 978-07603-3239. 5 Brothers in Arms. By Maj. Raymond C. Heimbuch, USAF-Ret. Xlibris Corp. ISBN 978-1-4363-2524-0. Students Who Move And Transfer Schools. By Maj. John B. Noone Jr., USA-Ret. Xlibris Corp. ISBN 978-14257-0150-5. Higher Education Faculty Selfevaluation Survey Handbook. By Maj. Calvin S. Posner, USA-Ret. Gateway Press Inc. ISBN 978-0-615-20569-4. Faithful to the Obligations of Honor. By Capt. James B. Smith, AUS-Ret. PublishAmerica. ISBN 1-4241-9447-4. The Court-Martial of Charlie Newell. By Lt. Col. Gerard Shirar, USAR-Ret. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-44491-5. FICTION MEMOIRS If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need. By Col. Jack Jacobs, USA-Ret., and Douglas Century. The Berkley Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-425-22359-8. Hard Knocks and Straight Talk: From the Jungles of Vietnam to the American Classroom. By Lt. Col. William C. Howey, USMC-Ret. Keller Publishing. ISBN 978-1-934002-07-0. Day of Reckoning. By Capt. Jarrel M. Newberry, AUS-Ret. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-44491-5. tired military families. To what extent do you believe decades of military service and sacrifice constitute up-front, in-kind premiums that earn lifetime health and retirement benefits? A. While serving on active duty and in the Guard and Reserve, members of the armed forces and their families must have easily accessible health care. This is essential for readiness, morale, and peace of mind and can serve as an enormous recruitment and retention incentive. The foregoing absolutely applies to those who have retired from military service after 20 or more years and to those who are medically retired due to injury and illness. These members and their dependents have earned lifetime eligibility for medical care, and whether it’s provided through the VA, DoD — including TRICARE or Medicare — or the private sector, it must be the best possible care. Q. Guard and Reserve members and families now face a new “operational reserve” philosophy under which they are expected to spend roughly 25 percent of their working lives on active duty. But the Guard/ Reserve benefit package was built 50 years ago for a far more modest service requirement. Do you agree that the much greater demands on today’s Guard and Reserve families require an offsetting upgrade in their military compensation and benefits package? A. Yes. With the drawdown of active duty and reserve forces in the ’90s, the extraordinary demands and expectations we now have for our magnificent all-volunteer armed forces, and the deadly threats of terrorism and rogue states to our national security, our guardsmen and reservists are critically important in our ability to defend our nation and accomplish military missions. Therefore, compensation and benefits for guardsmen and reservists should be commensurate with the greater demands being placed upon them. DoD policy makers, both military and civilian, must carefully assess all factors associated with reserve service in the evolving operational reserve to ensure that we are treating patriotic citizen-soldiers fairly and developing a military culture that fully values those who serve in the Guard and Reserve. I am not convinced that we are there yet. The issues that have been center stage since [Sept. 11, 2001,] have focused primarily on (1) access to health insurance and medical treatment through the military’s TRICARE system; (2) improved educational benefits for reservists; and (3) enhanced eligibility for retired pay for those who devote substantial periods of their lives to reserve service. Important improvements have been made in the law in all of the issues listed above and in many other areas of concern to reservists, and this year’s report of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves provided important recommendations that are being evaluated for action. I enthusiastically support the objective of making the Guard and Reserve components full partners in our force and mission planning — including homeland defense planning — and will support changes in pay and benefits needed to ensure good recruiting, retention, morale, and quality of life. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Which candidate do you think will do a better job for our nation and why? Share your views by going to www.moaa.org/ discussion and scrolling down to the Countdown to Nov. 4 link. MOAA ALLOWED EACH CANDIDATE NO MORE THAN 1,000 WORDS FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. For submission information, see page 18. 78 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2008 http://www.moaa.org/community http://www.moaa.org/discussion http://www.moaa.org/discussion
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