News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - Former NBA All-Star and past honorary commander for the 62nd Airlift Wing, James Donaldson, visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord Sept. 24 as the guest speaker for the Directorate of Personnel and Family Readiness' Risk Reduction event. The event, focusing on suicide prevention and awareness, took place at Carey Theater with over
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When it comes to family fun, nothing says autumn like pumpkin patches and corn mazes. Fortunately, there are plenty to choose from in the South Sound. Here is a list of our recommendations. In Tumwater, the Rutledge Corn Maze with all of its attractions and events has become a family tradition
News Front
MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Joint Base Lewis-McChord - Around the world, pharmacies have developed strategies to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Military Health System (MHS) is no different in that respect. MHS Pharmacies have been playing a vital role in readiness, prevention, providing access to medications and improving health outcomes
Health
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia - Do you get your prescription drugs through TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or at a TRICARE retail network pharmacy? If so, you'll pay anywhere from $1 to $8 more in copayments starting Jan. 1. "Congress and the Department of Defense worked together on these cost changes as part of the National Defense
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - The 47th Combat Support Hospital re-designated the unit as the 147th Field Hospital and activated the 29th Hospital Center during a ceremony at Watkins Field here, Sept. 10, 2021. The event marked the culmination of efforts beginning prior to 2010 to update the design for the combat
News Front
Continuous vetting will eventually replace periodic reinvestigations, which are conducted every 10 years for employees with a secret clearance and five years for those with a top secret clearance. It will also include DOD personnel who do not have a clearance, according to Heather Green, assistant director of vetting risk
News Front
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS) - The COVID-19 vaccine has been mandated across the Department of Defense and despite its demonstrated effectiveness and safety, a host of myths have left some airmen and Guardians hesitant to receive it. While social media posts and some news outlets may make it harder to
Health
If you receive care in a military medical treatment facility, you might notice your health care team is using a new method for assessing your pain. The Military Health System is rolling out a new pain management strategy known as the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale, or DVPRS Most people are
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - On Oct. 1, American Water, the nation's largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, will assume operations of Joint Base Lewis-McChord's water and wastewater systems. The company was awarded a 50-year contract in September 2020, valued at $771 million, to privatize the water and wastewater utilities
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A favorite family fall event returns to Lacey this Saturday, Oct. 2 at Huntamer Park in Woodland Square in Lacey from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event offers fun for kids of all ages! With a theme of Superheroes, Lacey Children's Day, presented by Chick-fil-A of Lacey, promises big fun
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If you consider yourself a Pacific Northwesterner, you're probably aware fall isn't the season to stay inside, it's the time to grab a rain jacket and get outside. Thurston County is the perfect fall destination offering plenty of family-friendly parks and trails to explore, plus some recommended eats to discover. Percival
Veterans
If you are a wartime veteran who meets certain income, net worth, age or disability requirements, or you are a surviving spouse, then you may be eligible for VA's pension benefits. But did you know that VA's Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits, or enhanced pension, can boost your pension
News Front
WASHINGTON - Soldiers and families paying unusually high living costs may qualify for a short-term increase in their housing allowance from October through December 2021, finance officials said Sept. 23. To receive the payout, soldiers in designated areas will need to apply through their unit S-1s and show they have incurred
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Even though Washington is known as the evergreen state due to the Douglas Firs and pine trees that remain green year-round there are plenty of places to see stunning fall foliage near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) with stunning color. These colors really seems to pop when contrasted with the evergreens
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - The Western Air Defense Sector hosted a Radar Operations Orientation Course for 12 members of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's 2nd Air Division, 330th Squadron, Aug. 2-27. WADS helped U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Pacific Air Forces plan and execute the training under the National Guard's State Partnership
Family
Tori Reim describes herself as lighthearted. "I am really easy going, and I try to see things from other people's points of view," she began. "I feel like too many people take life much too seriously." Reim grew up on a ranch outside of Sahuarita, Arizona, a small mining town just south
Veterans
WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new initiative with community dental care providers to help improve dental care access for veterans enrolled in VA health care who are currently ineligible for VA dental services. VETSmile: Connecting Veterans with Dentists in their Communities started early July to help eligible
News Front
On Sept. 14, 2021, the Army announced its plan to comply with the Secretary of Defense's order requiring all service members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The Army has made COVID-19 vaccines part of our normal medical readiness requirements and began mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations of soldiers using the FDA approved
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - With just a quick drive over to Lewis North on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one can find a rather explosive scene. That's because it's home to the 3rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion. The unit's main purpose is the construction, deployment, disarmament and disposal of military and civilian ordnance. As one of several mutual aid contracts JBLM has with off-base communities, the JBLM EOD team covers most of Washington, western Oregon and northern California with explosive
News Front
Space Force Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond made the announcement at the Air Force Association meeting in Washington, Sept. 22. The transfers are scheduled to be effective Oct. 1, 2021, if the DOD budget is passed and signed. "We're one team with our sister services and over the last year-and-a-half we have