Newsletter

AAFES Retired Employees Association

January 2019

Supporting the Interests of AAFES, Its Retirees and the People it Serves

Exchange Remains Ready, Resilient into the New Year

Happy 2019! The Exchange has finished another extraordinary year of taking care of those who matter most—Warfighters and their families. Throughout 2018, the Exchange remained ready, resilient and resolute, keeping our 123-year-old commitment to serving our Nation’s heroes.

The Exchange’s dedication was on full display in October after Hurricane Michael ravaged Tyndall Air Force Base, damaging our main store and Expresses. Within days of Command’s request, our mobile field Exchange was open, stocked with emergency supplies and comfort items for relief workers.

Just days after Thanksgiving—and six weeks after Michael wreaked havoc—our team reopened the Tyndall main store to a stream of grateful shoppers. This monster hurricane had turned our associates’ lives upside-down. The team set aside personal hardships to get the Tyndall Exchange up and running quickly, once again proving the Exchange’s commitment to service members.

2017’s catastrophic hurricane season made the Exchange well-prepared for 2018’s storms. As Hurricane Florence threatened Atlantic Coast in September, Logistics and Merchandising teams worked around the clock to ensure our stores throughout the Carolinas and Georgia had essentials on hand. More than 4,000 packages of batteries, thousands of cases of water as well as generators, gas cans and flashlights were sent to Fort Bragg and Seymour Johnson AFB to help first responders. (Article continues on pages 7 and 8.)

By Tom Shull, Director/ CEO of the Army & Air

Force Exchange Service

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened its mobile field exchange (MFE) at Tyndall Air Force

Base on Oct. 21—the only store within miles supporting hundreds of service members as they

rebuild after Hurricane Michael.

A big “Thank You” to everyone who supported the recently activated AREA Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) for the Carolina’s,

Florida, and Georgia. See details on page 2 from your AREA President, and the article on pages 9 and 10 by Human

Resources. The Florence/Michael ERF (activated in October and closed November 30) was to assist associates affected by the

Hurricanes in the Atlantic areas. Thanks again to all who made the lives of a few associates a little bit better this Christmas!

You can still donate to the Typhoon Yutu– Saipan ERF through the AREA GoFundMe web site:

https://www.gofundme.com/929m34-typhoon-yutu-saipan. As we told you in the November 2018 e/Newsletter, associates are struggling to

recover from the Typhoon that occurred in Saipan on October 24.

The Exchange requests, and the AREA activates ERF’s (when needed), to help active associates offset some of their personal losses as a result

of disasters. AREA has IRS approval to operate the ERF and donations are tax-deductible.

Hurricane Florence: The Old Glory Express at Fort Bragg reopened the Sunday after Hurricane Florence hit to grateful

Soldiers and their families.

C h u c k P o f f e n b a r g e r , P r e s i d e n t

Pag e 2 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Bit O’ This

Bit O” That

Welcome to the January 2019 winter edition of AREA’s Newsletter

AREA’s Web Site: www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/

The Officers of the Association – Chuck Poffenbarger (P), Tom Gallagher (VP), Terry Corley (T) and Don Smith (S) were re-elected in the April election. The 4-year term began June 1, 2018 and ends May 31, 2022. Thanks for your support!

SCHOLARSHIP DONOR PROGRAM: Our scholarship program relies in large measure on the financial support of individual

donors. To make a donation of any amount, complete the donation form in this newsletter (pages 22-23) or go to the GoFundMe

Scholarships link: https://www.gofundme.com/2018-area-scholarship-drive on our web site to use a credit card.

This is the 34th year of our program, which began in 1985 with the award of 4 scholarships for a total of $2,000. Since that time,

we have awarded 358 scholarships for a total of $784,795. This year, we’ll award 12 scholarships (2/$5,000 and 10/$3,000) for a

total of $40,000. Bunny O'Neill, New England AREA Personnel Manager, is recognized as the “originator” of scholarship fund

program.

LARGE DONOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM: We have revised our criteria for the program to recognize retirees and other

sponsors for their generous large donations when we’re awarding scholarships. Send an email to Chuck Poffenbarger,

at cpoffen@earthlink.net for further details.

• For donations of $500 -$1,499, we’ll name one of our ten $3,000 scholarships after the donor, or someone else if designated, and provide the sponsor with the student’s name and address should they want to send a congratulatory note.

• Likewise, sponsor donations of $1,500 or more are available for each of our two $5,000 scholarships. If there are more than two such donations, we’ll contact you with options.

UPDATE ON AREA EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND (ERF) FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS: Based on an Exchange HR

request, AREA activated it’s Florence/Michael ERF at the beginning of October 2018 to accept tax-deductible donations to help

active associates affected by the Atlantic hurricanes. We closed the fund on November 30, and more than $3,000 was donated

either on line or by check through the AREA ERF. See story on pages 9-10. Note: We recognize that many of you already

donated to hurricane victim relief in other ways. Thanks! Note: You can still donate to the Typhoon Yutu– Saipan ERF through the

AREA GoFundMe web site: https://www.gofundme.com/929m34-typhoon-yutu-saipan.

CURRENT NEWS—DEBUT OF E/NEWSLETTER EDITION IN NOVEMBER 2018: If you currently receive the news-

letter in “hard” copy, (and we don’t have your email address), you missed out on some current news that was published electroni-

cally in early November 2018. We sent out the “special edition” e/Newsletter by email only to save time, printing costs, and to

avoid printing “dated” material in this edition of the AREA newsletter. A copy of the November e/Newsletter is on our AREA

website: https://www.aafes.com/Images/Community/AREA/newsnov18.pdf. How can you enjoy getting more current news

when it happens in the future? Switch from the “hard copy” to the “email version” of the newsletter now—send a message to

Pat Weaver at pitterpat6026@gmail.com and make the change. You’ll be glad you did!

AREA...JUST FOR YOU

AMERICA

A Funny

courtesy

of Linda

Hill

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 3

AAFES Retired

Employees Association

The AREA Newsletter is published in January, April, July and October

Mailing Address: AREA P. O Box 380614 Duncanville, TX 75138-0614

President: Chuck Poffenbarger

cpoffen@earthlink.net Tel: (972) 296-0388

Membership & Address Changes:

Send your newsletter address, membership changes, and mem-bership dues to the AREA Membership Director Pat Weaver. pitterpat6026@gmail.com

Tel: (972) 780-9810

Newsletter input:

Submit articles to the editor by

e-mail to: Marcia Kane at kanemarea@windstream.net

AREA Web address: https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/

Q: What was our Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) starting with the Dec 2018 pension payment and our January 2019 Social Security payment? A: The 2019 COLA increase for pensions is 2.8% was effective with the Dec. 1, 2018 pension payments. Retirees with an annuity start date of Dec. 1, 2017, or before, will receive the entire 2.8% increase. The remainder will receive a prorated hike. You’ll see the increase to SS on your January payment.

Q: Where can I find the latest version of the AAFES Retirement booklet? A: The latest version of the AAFES retirement plan booklet (to include the EMP supplemental Plan appendix) is on the AREA website: https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/benefits/. Go to the Miscellaneous Group in the far right (blue) box and click on Benefits. Under “Your Benefits” you will see 4 tabs: Important Information, Retirement, Links & Contacts, and Telephone. Click on the “Retirement” tab and you will see the updated Retirement Plan Booklet with EMP Appendix listed there.

YOUR EXCHANGE BENEFITS…

Benefits Q&A—Questions you ask; answers from Exchange Benefits

In January the DoD NAF Health Plan link will be updated to include the 2019 medical/

dental plans summaries and booklets. Also, the Benefits Branch just added the updated

AAFES Life Insurance Plan Booklet 2018 under the Important Information tab.

Q: How do I update my tax withholding on my pension payment?

A: If you need to change your tax withholding, make it easy on yourself and do it on the website. The secure State Street website for AAFES retirees is: https://aafesretirement.mypenpay.com. Changes made on line are uploaded every night so you can be sure it will apply to the next annuity payment (if payment is not already in process). If you can’t use the website, HQ can assist with a manual method, but – be advised – with this method it will take several weeks to get changes posted to your record. Please plan ahead. Contact HQ AAFES Retiree Benefits Call Center for assistance at (1-800-519-3381) or email Benefits@aafes.com .

Shown below is the full contact information for State Street. Under the Miscellaneous Group, go to the 3rd Tab under “Your Benefits”, Under tab 3, ‘Links and Contacts’, you will see the following information for State Street.

State Street

Conus: call 1-877-247-2769

(this is a toll-free number)

Overseas: 1-904-791-2246

Use "MyPenPay" for online access and changes to pension information:

aafesretirement.mypenpay.com. State Street mails retirees a temporary password

soon after retirement. Call them at one of the numbers above if you need help with

Username or resetting Password.

• Changing tax withholding on pension checks

• Direct Deposit changes or enrollment

• General questions on your pension payment

• Address Change

YOUR EXCHANGE BENEFITS…

Benefits Q&A—Questions you ask; answers from Exchange Benefits

Q: I have several questions about my Prudential Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance and then a request. The pamphlet I have is coded 83500 BCOV 10 and the references below are in that pamphlet. A: The Benefits Branch answered the retiree’s questions after each question below (in bold; or in red, if you get the email version).

1. Pg. 2: THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT COVERAGE. What does that mean? This means that the Prudential LTD policy is not tied to Medicare at all, there is no Medicare coordination.

a) Is there any option to reviewing the Guide referred to short of calling the Customer Service Center? No, the only option they support is the Customer Service Center to advise policy holders.

b) Why is that the only option? We did ask about an email option and they advised there is not an email address to contact. With that being said, their support center was more than helpful.

2. Is there a current chart for our daily maximums of care? You will find the schedule of benefits in your certificate of coverage. We did confirm that the schedule is still applicable.

3. Premium Refund: This seems to say that these percentages apply if the insurance has been activated during any of the noted age groups. Is any refund available if the insurance was never activated? Yes, depending on age at death, even if the benefit was never used, the Spouses estate will receive the % of the refund.

4. Benefit Waiting/Elimination Period: On my Confirmation Statement, it states that the period is 90 days. In the document, it states that the 90-day waiting period begins on the date that the assessment results in eligibility of benefits. They don’t provide an estimate on how long the assessment can take but the 90-day period for me, using the nursing home care maximum is $42,210. For Home and Community Based, it’s $25,290. These amounts could double when one considers the time needed to schedule appointments and follow-up, review, follow-on questions, etc. This is really an eye opener. Is there anything available to cover us before the end of the waiting period? Typically, if someone has health insurance, there is a 90-day bridge period where the medical plan will cover costs until the LTC plan kicks in. This is covered in the DoD NAF Health Benefits Plan that applies to you (for example, a retiree who has Medicare as primary coverage is covered under the DoD NAF Traditional Choice Plan). See the AREA website for a link to the DoD NAF Health Benefits Plan that applies to you.

5. Do you or does Prudential have a source for or list of Licensed Health Care Practitioners, or know where we can get one? It seems like, for my wife and myself at least, it’s a good way to go given the complexity of this program, Medicare and other federal/state programs that I’m not even aware of. We asked about resources and Prudential provided us with a service they use call Nurse Navigator (1-877-687-6628) that helps in these situations. Other options may be….. Texas Medical Board, DOC Find (Aetna Website), Medicare, Dallas Area Agency on Aging (we found thru Google Search).

6. Why does the brochure only provide phone #s for contact about the program? Why not email, web sites, and other methods that are used for obtaining program information/clarification? Banks do it, as do many other commercial/governmental entities. My experience with calling Service Centers has been spotty at best and completely meaningless at worst. On average, the worst case is more common. One would think that with yearly payments of $13,026.52 for my wife and me, and that’s just one couple, that more services would be provided to policy holders. It seems like Prudential’s attitude or business philosophy is one of total cost reduction rather than empathy for senior policy holders. We understand your concern and frustration, but please know that Prudential provided us with knowledgeable and more than satisfactory service when we called into their service center. (If you don’t receive the proper service, please notify AAFES benefits branch.

If you have any additional questions/concerns, please let the Benefits Branch know at benefits@aafes.com, or call the AAFES Benefits Branch at 1-800-519-3381. A more direct source of information as noted above, is to call Prudential’s nurse service at Nurse Navigator (1-877-687-6628). When you call, they will authenti-cate that you are enrolled in the Prudential LTC plan and if you don’t have a copy of your certificate, they will send you one so you understand the coverage and benefits specific to your policy.

Note: If you stayed in the Aetna LTC plan, contact Aetna at the phone number listed on your individual certificate of coverage. Again, if you don’t have that information, contact the AAFES Benefits Branch for assistance.

Editor’s Note: if you remained in the Aetna LTC plan, these questions/answers do NOT apply to you. Marcia Kane, Editor

Pag e 4 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 5

YOUR EXCHANGE BENEFITS…

Note: the information on this page was also published in the AREA e/Newsletter (Nov 2018). To see other

benefit articles go to the AREA website: https://www.aafes.com/Images/Community/AREA/newsnov18.pdf

Changes to the DoD NAF Health Benefits Program in 2019 The changes and new programs for 2019 allow the DoD NAFs to continue to offer valuable

and cost effective benefits. These changes/enhancements take effect January 1, 2019:

• Group health coaching and support — at no cost to you.* With Healthy Lifestyle Coaching, you'll be

able to work with a wellness coach to address your health goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking,

eating better, reducing stress, and more! This new program offers weekly interactive, group coaching

sessions as well as some one-on-one support. Make 2019 the year you focus on your health! To learn

more, call 1-866-213-0153 or log in to aetna.com > Wellness > Healthy Lifestyle Coaching.

• Two new Teladoc programs. Dermatology and behavioral health services will be added to your Teladoc

program –each for a $45 copay. Note: The current Teladoc program continues in 2019. It lets you consult

with a primary care doctor in the US and get diagnosed, treated and prescribed without the travel and wait

room time for just a $10 copay. Teladoc is not available to Aetna International members.

• Changes to prescription drug benefits. There will be a new formulary in 2019 that will impact a small group of NAF employees.

Some drugs will be excluded and some will change the tier they are covered under which will impact cost. For any drugs excluded from

coverage, there will be alternative drugs covered by the plan. Aetna will mail letters in late 2018 to those taking drugs that have a coverage

change for 2019.

• Health Incentive Credit program enhancements. In 2019, employees and covered spouses will be able to earn $75 just for completing

the online Health Assessment. Plus, covered members can earn up to $300 ($50 more than last year) and families can earn up to $600

for completing healthy activities. Visit nafhealthplans.com > Wellness > Health Incentive Credit Program to see all the healthy

actions you may take to earn credits and the other deadlines. Note: the Individual calendar year deductible will remain $500 and the

Individual Out-Of-Pocket Maximum remains $4,000. (See information below on ways you can reduce your deductible expense.)

• New method for Family Deductible and Family Out-of-Pocket. If you cover yourself and one or more dependents, your in-network

family deductible will be $1,500 in 2019. The new in-network family out-of-pocket maximum will be $8,000. As of January 1, 2019,

once the expenses of any family member(s)) reaches the deductible, the deductible will be considered met for all family members. The

same holds true for the out-of-pocket maximum.

Don’t miss out on ways to lower your deductible expense – take advantage of the

Health Incentive Credits that are part of your medical plan. Credits are used to

pay medical expenses first, prior to Aetna applying the plan deductible whether or

not Aetna is primary for you, or as a secondary plan to Medicare. For an overview

of the Health Incentive Credit Program go to this web site:

https://www.nafhealthplans.com/wellness/health-incentive-program/

There are several ways to gain “credits” under the Health Incentive Credit Program. One of the ways is to

complete a metabolic syndrome screening between January 1 and November 30, 2019. If you right click the above

wording in red, and select “open link” from your drop down menu, it will give you detailed information on what this

screening consists of and how to get the incentive credit. In January, you can see what NAF locations might be hosting

screening events in the coming weeks. A current list of NAF locations (AAFES, NEX, etc.) holding onsite events in

2019 will be on this site: https://www.nafhealthplans.com/index.php/download_file/view/635/. The listing of events is

updated every week or so.

Or, another easy way to do the metabolic syndrome screening is to make an appointment through Quest Diagnostics

(if there is one near you) through Quest’s “Blueprint for Wellness” website: https://my.questforhealth.com/mobile/

welcome/home. You will need to establish an account to make an appointment and print the form to take to your

Quest Diagnostics appointment. Be sure to “fast” before going as the A1C test (for diabetes) is one of the blood tests.

Pag e 6 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

AREA recently asked for an update on installation access for widows/widowers, or spouses of eligible retirees. Here is what we

found out from a representative from the HQ HR Policy branch:

AAFES is aware of the issue and is currently involved in a working group with the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) along with the other exchange services, to collaborate the required system changes to be able to provide a CAC-type identification card for Exchange Service spouses. A proposal has been submitted by the working group to the Office of the Secretary of

Defense, and we are awaiting approval while also working with the other exchanges to establish the appropriate coordinated IT feeds of retiree information to DEERS. In addition, we have been in communication with OSD regarding the problems our retirees and their family members have with DD Form 2574 and have been actively pursuing solutions with them. We absolutely agree with your concerns and appreciate your patience while we continue the process of gaining DoD approval and systems changes to create a new ID card for eligible dependents.

I understand this card does not benefit an unaccompanied spouse nor a widow/widower with installation access as they are not authorized the CAD card; however, we are actively working that issue. HQ HR Policy branch

2019 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (Information from myfederalretirement.com)

On October 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2019 Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs.

Medicare Part B Premiums/Deductibles Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain

home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A.

The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $135.50 for 2019, an increase of $1.50 from $134 in 2018. An estimated 2 million Medicare beneficiaries (about 3.5%) will pay less than the full Part B standard monthly premium amount in 2019 due to the statutory hold harmless provision, which limits certain beneficiaries’ increase in their Part B premium to be no greater than the increase in their Social Security benefits.

The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $185 in 2019, an increase of $2 from the annual deductible $183 in 2018. Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug plans are already finalized and are unaffected by this announcement.

Since 2007, a beneficiary’s Part B monthly premium is based on his or her income. These income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) affect roughly 5 percent of people with Medicare Part B.

The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible that beneficiaries will pay when admitted to the hospital will be $1,364

in 2019, an increase of $24 from $1,340 in 2018. The Part A inpatient hospital deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. In 2019, beneficiaries must pay a coinsurance

amount of $341 per day for the 61stthrough 90th day of a hospitalization ($335 in 2018) in a benefit period and $682 per day for lifetime reserve days ($670 in 2018). For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will be $170.50 in 2019 ($167.50 in 2018). Go to the following link for the

complete article see: https://www.myfederalretirement.com/medicare-premiums/.

YOUR EXCHANGE BENEFITS…

Installation Access and Retiree/Dependent ID Cards

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 7

Exchange Remains Ready, Resilient into the New Year (Cont’d from page 1)

Military missions here at home required the Exchange’s steadfast support too. When nearly 6,000 troops were deployed near the border, the Exchange went with them. MFEs at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and Base Camp Donna, Texas, are stocked with supplies, food and drinks. Both locations also feature barber shops and food trucks, adding con-venience and services to troops on the ground. Our teams even celebrated Thanksgiving with the troops, helping them feel a little closer to home. In partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Exchange also brought a taste of home to service members deployed overseas—frozen turkeys arrived in Qatar just in time for the holiday.

In November, the Exchange celebrated the first anniversary of welcoming home all who served with a lifelong online exchange shopping benefit. In the first year, more than 62,000 Veterans have used their new benefit and saved nearly $3.4 million in sales tax. Veterans have helped drive ShopmyExchange.com sales, which were up 24 percent compared to the end of the third quarter last year.

If you watched the Army Black Knights, Air Force Falcons or Navy Midshipmen on TV during college football season, you probably saw a familiar logo. The Exchange aired TV commercials to spotlight the Veterans online shopping benefit during Service Academy foot- ball games on CBS Sports Network. The Corporate Communication team created and produced the spots in house, which inform Veterans they can shop online tax-free for life.

And, for the first time, the Exchange was a participating partner in the Army-Navy Game—one of college foot-ball’s oldest rivalries. Our Army-Navy Game truck, on site for the game, drove home a clear message: The game is where heroes play. The Exchange is where heroes shop.

Communicating the Exchange’s relevancy in the lives of our Warfighters, their families and Veterans has never been more important. Our partnership with Army West Point Sports and Air Force Athletics helps us serve Veterans and remind them they are still connected to their military community and can pay forward through quality-of-life funding. It also helps us remind all authorized shoppers that they are always welcome at their Exchange.

At the tip of the spear, the Exchange team remains on point. In August, a rocket hit the Warrior Exchange at Baghram AB. The store was closed and, thankfully, no one was inside. Besides struc-tural damage, the attack destroyed cash registers, coolers and other equipment. Just two days later, the store reopened— not even a rocket can slow down this team’s resolve.

Installation command at Base Camp Donna, located outside of McAllen, Texas, requested a Mobile Field Exchange on Nov 10. Four days later, the store on wheels opened for business with a steady stream of Soldiers lined up throughout the day.

Exchange associates help load turkeys into the freezer at the Al Udeid Blatchford-Preston Complex Exchange in Qatar. From left: Dennis Dawson, store manager; Jofre Palinlin, inventory control associate; Prakash Rijal, in-ventory control associate; Kutub Uddin, sales associate; and Prem Khadka, customer service leader.

For the second straight

year, the Exchange drove

home with the Pride &

Polish Best in Show

People’s Choice award at

the 19th annual Great

American Trucking Show

on August 25 in Dallas.

This is the first year the Exchange is a participating partner in the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA. The Exchange Corporate Communication team has prepared all year to bring Exchange relevancy to the thousands of Cadets, Midshipmen and fans at Lincoln Financial Field and the millions who tuned on December 8.

Workmen repair the roof of the Warrior Exchange at Bagram AB in Afghanistan after the building took a direct hit from a rocket.

(Article continues on page 8)

Pag e 8 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Exchange Remains Ready, Resilient into the New Year (Cont’d from page 7)

The Exchange remains engaged in Eastern Europe, supporting major exercises Anakonda 18 from April through November and Trident Juncture 18 from October through December in Norway. Our team in Poland expanded upon our critical support to troops deployed there, including barber and telecommunica-tions services.

In the Pacific, the Exchange remains a major force multiplier as Camp Humphreys in South Korea continues to transform. In September, we cut the ribbon on a new mini mall near family housing, bringing greater convenience to 45,000 service members and their families.

And, after 15 years of operating out of temporary locations, the Express at Camp Mujuk in South Korea relocated to a permanent store. The store is nearly three times larger than its old location and brings needed support to Marines there.

Other long-term initiatives, including promoting BE FIT and the acceptance of the MILITARY STAR card at commissaries, thrived in 2018. BE FIT sales are in-creasing (we will know the full picture after the fiscal year ends), and more than 20 restaurants, all with better-for-you choices, opened to strengthen readiness and resiliency.

In the first year since service members and families became eligible to use MILITARY STAR at commissaries, military shoppers have earned

more than $4 million in rewards. Since acceptance at the commissary started, more than 335,000 card holders have spent more than $204 million on groceries. What an incredible offering this is for our active duty service members and their families.

As Exchange retirees, you know we do not only serve heroes—we hire them too. We are committed to hiring 50,000 Veterans and military spouses by 2020. To reach this goal, we need an additional 16,000 heroes (tell your Veteran friends to check out this web site today): https://publicaffairs-sme.com/applymyexchange/

Looking toward the future, the Exchange’s new Community Outreach team led by Gregg Cox is engaged with command and stakeholders to ensure the Exchange’s relevancy. From the Exchange’s agile response in times of disaster to the success of a new Service sports partnership, Exchange associates at every level of the organization gave their all to provide exemplary service to our Warfighters—past, present and future. The work you have done and continue to do, both as an associate and as a retiree, are the foundation of our Exchange.

Together we are better. Stay in touch by visiting the Exchange’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/shopmyexchange/ or connecting with: http://publicaffairs-sme.com/FamilyServingFamily/ for breaking Exchange news and updates.

Members of Camp Humphreys command and Exchange leadership cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Humphreys’ Dunkin’ Donuts in South Korea.

In South Korea, the Camp Mujuk Command team joined Exchange leaders in cutting the ribbon on the new Express, which is near-ly three times larger than its previous space and features an expanded product selec-tion, including BE FIT healthy snacks, grab-and-go hot food, coffee and more.

The Exchange is helping Soldiers, Airmen and their families take the guesswork out of eating on the go at Exchange food courts worldwide. Warfighters and families can visit the BE FIT section of the Exchange’s Hub page ShopMyExchange.com/Community to see nutrition videos from the Exchange’s BE FIT ambassador, Roy Montez.

MILITARY STAR/Commissary: The Exchange Credit Program continues to

intensify the MILITARY STAR card in 2018, completing the rollout of

MILITARY STAR card acceptance at all commissaries worldwide last November.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service remains dedicated to hiring heroes. This year, the Exchange reaffirmed its commitment to hire 50,000 Veterans and military spouses by 2020.

Thank you for your service to Warfighters and their families.

Soldier for Life! Veteran for Life! Exchange for Life!

Tom Shull, Director/CEO of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 9

For a second year in a row in the South East, we find ourselves dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes which have

caused great distress and anguish to our associates. While past experience informs, nothing prepares you for the heart-

breaking stories of the survivors, our Exchange family members. From power and water outages which last for months

to the complete and utter devastation of homes and the loss of personal property.

I feel truly fortunate to be a small part of the awesome Exchange team helping our associates put the pieces of their

lives back together – whether it is assisting with accountability, maintaining a dialog with our associates, coordinating

alternate work locations or making leave arrangements, we are very proud to help. This is, of course, nothing compared

to the sacrifices made by those “on ground” who must physically and emotionally rebuild their lives and homes and

somehow still manage to make it to work any way they can, even after losing their transportation.

What raises the impact of this year’s hurricanes is

the level of destruction to our facilities, with

Tyndall in particular suffering grave damages.

With structural carnage and a closed installation

in the aftermath, this meant, in theory, no cus-

tomers and no work. Not letting these factors

slow them down, Eastern Region leadership and

all of the support elements did a wonderful job of

engaging command, cleaning up and making the

repairs necessary to bring a semblance of our

operations back on-line and take care of our

customers and associates. We truly are Family

serving Family. It started with the team opening gas

pumps only 8 days after the storm and standing up a TFE on day 11; it culminated in the reopening of the Tyndall Main

Store on the 28th of November, 48 days after Hurricane Michael made landfall. Our Tyndall associates and facilities

still have a long way to go before they are whole but to pass along a sentiment South East VP Jesse Martinez heard

expressed by Tyndall Wing Commander Col Laidlaw: “We are better than we were yesterday, and tomorrow will be

better than today.”

AREA Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) Hurricane Update Story by John M. Seward, Regional Human Resources Manager, HR-S

Tyndall Exchange—12 October 2018

Tyndall Exchange—17 October 2018

Tyndall Exchange—21 October 2018

(Story continues on next page.)

Pag e 10 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Speaking of getting better each day, our sincere THANKS to AREA for your wonderful contribution to the cause – it has been great working with you again! You provide a glimmer of light in the darkness. As a result of your fund-raising efforts, more than $3,200 will go to our associates in need, courtesy of the Florence & Michael Emergency Relief fund…a ray of hope for the new year!!

John M. Seward, Regional Human Resources Manager, HR-S

AREA Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) Hurricane Update (cont’d from page 9)

Tyndall Exchange—28 November 2018

“I came back this Monday. I was not sure if I was going to have a job or not – thank God I

did. We want to help as much as we can. I love serving the customers and doing the best I can

for whoever is around. This is the first time I have experienced something like this. I have

been working for AAFES for 25 years, including overseas in Germany and Turkey, New

Mexico and here. I have been here for 17 years. I was lucky and my house is okay, but two of

my sons had to move in (with their wives and my grandbabies and dogs). We also had to

cancel my youngest child’s wedding. I just thank God I’m alive and my family is OK.”

(Janet Soto, AAFES, Tyndall Air Force Base) #FacesofRecovery Air Combat Command

American Logistics Association DFW Chapter Holiday Luncheon

Chuck Poffenbarger; Bill Doyle, Local ALA President; Michelle Priester

Sue Sheff, Terry Corley, Lina and Chuck Poffenbarger

Sandi Lute, Bob Ellis, and Michelle Priester, AREA Scholarship Chair

The annual DFW Chapter of ALA’s Holiday Luncheon and Auction to benefit the AREA Scholarship fund was held on December 14 at the Las Colinas Country Club. Attendees brought their holiday cheer and checkbooks to raise some money (and clear the gift list) for the AAFES Retired Employees Association Scholarship Fund. Guest speaker and auctioneer was former Cowboy Randy White.

Newsletter Editor Position Open

Do You Want to Volunteer for the AREA

Newsletter Editor position? Here is your

chance to shine!

Please apply for the exciting volunteer AREA

Newsletter Editor job today by sending a

message to Chuck Poffenbarger at:

cpoffen@earthlink.net. We’d like to know

more about you and when you could fill this

position. Some experience in editing,

writing, or developing a website newsletter

is helpful, but not required. (Most of us still

have some “brain cells” left to learn!) If you

have specific questions on how the process

works you can contact Marcia Kane,

at: kanemarea@windstream.net.

Depending on our budget $$, and approval by

the AREA board, we may be able to pay a small

amount for each issue someone prepares.

Apply Today and

Make a Difference!

AREA Newsletter Survey

The AREA BOD is considering a proposal to convert the Newsletter to an electronic publication for all members in 2020, much like the Exchange Post. But before a final decision is made, we would like your views on this subject. What’s happening, in short, is that printing and mailing have simply become too expensive. 1. Do you have a computer, iPad or other

means of receiving electronic messages? Circle Yes or No.

Comment: 2. Would you be amendable to receiving the Newsletter as an electronic document? Circle: Yes or No. (Note: The Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format is in color and you can transfer/save the file as you desire. Here’s what one member said: “The e mail edition is superb. Easy to read, brilliant colors, etc. I can't say enough about it.) Comment: 3. If your answer to 2 above is no, would you be willing to pay higher dues to pay for a printed version? Circle: Yes or No. How to send your comments to Chuck Poffenbarger: 1. Mail to: 5535 Mona Ln, Dallas 75236

2. Send an email to: cpoffen@earthlink.net

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 11

We have gotten a few surveys back from

members and we want to thank those that

have responded. However, we need to hear

from more of you to make an informed

decision during the AREA Board meeting

this Spring. Please tell us what you think!

Note the editor position ad below. If we

don’t find someone to take Marcia Kane’s

place next year, we may have to come up

with a different solution for sharing news!

Chuck Poffenbarger

Edye Brookshire’s Gospel and Country-Blue Grass Music Fest in Oleta, OK

Edye Brookshire, HQ AAFES retiree, has been strumming us along (literally) on her guitar and singing for many years, but now she’s taking her talents (with apologies to LeBron James) to Oklahoma and the Gospel and Country Blue Grass Music Festival in Oleta, OK. She invites you to come along this year. If you missed the festival in 2018, don’t miss out on the music events that will start again on the first Saturday in April 2019. The music fest will continue each month through October starting at 2:00 PM weather permitting. There is no charge, bring your folding chairs, ice chests and food is permitted. No alcoholic beverages are allowed. Churches are involved and singers, musicians plus story tellers are welcome to be on the program. There is plenty of room for group outings as well. Follow Edye’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/710734413/posts/10156726141509414/. Edye says “it is 2 1/2 hours from my house in Duncanville, TX. A great day trip or Hugo and Antlers are nearby towns with reasonable motel rates for overnight accommodations. We have had Sunday morning Cowboy Morning Breakfast out on the meadow, a short worship service and play some more music. Folks come and go as desired. There is plenty of room for RVs, Tents, etc. Come join in the fun!”

Photos bring Cuba to the 2018 State Fair of Texas

A small corner of this year’s State Fair of Texas had an exhibit on “Cuba-A Country Trapped in Time” and it came about with the help of

AAFES retiree Larry Phillips. Earlier this year Larry was invited to submit some of the photos he took in Cuba in October 2016 to the State

Fair of Texas exhibitor who puts together an annual Latino Exhibit called Mundo Latino,” Larry said, “More than 50 of the photos were selected

to use in the display of Cuban culture and an accompanying slide show that focused on the classic American cars still being used in Cuba.” The

exhibit opened in the Women’s Museum Building at Fair Park in Dallas with a preview night on September 27 (shown below at left) and ran three

weeks. Larry is shown, below at right, with Rafael Luna, exhibit producer.

Are You Interested in AAFES History? If so, historian Steven Smith. smithstev@aafes.com is the contact at HQ AAFES. To see photos and information, go to: https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/history-mission/ On the “History and Mission” page, there’s lots of information:

a. Look for the header ‘Preserve Exchange History’ and click on the word (link) ‘Contact’ in that next sentence. This gives historian mailing address, or;

b. Look for the header ‘Do you have something to Contribute’ and click on the word (link) at the end of that section ‘Contact us’. This gives historian mailing address and also (below that) a link to Mr. Smith’s email address.

Pag e 12 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Edye Brookshire

provided music at the

AREA No. TX Chapter

Christmas party

Other News Items of Interest to Retirees

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 13

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

Alamo Chapter—Celebrating Christmas Together (Photo was on NT Chapter Facebook page. See the April issue for their

story and hopefully more photos.)

Aloha Chapter—William Allgire and Charlotte Roach

The Aloha Chapter held it's annual Christmas party on Sunday, 2 Dec at the Pearl Country Club. Forty (40) members and guests enjoyed a buffet of top sirloin (carving station), Korean BBQ chicken and ginger steamed fish along with a wide array of salads and sides. Dessert was generously provided by MILTON and LINDA SHIMIZU.

After a social hour and lunch of catching up with "news" and stories of grandkids - and great grandkids - a program of games, door prizes and grab bags was enjoyed. Door prizes this year were small Christmas boxes prepared by MARLENE TOKUHISA. Nine of the boxes held $10, eight boxes with $20 and one box holding a $50 bill. TRAVIS TAKASHIMA (grandson of Milt/Linda Shimizu) won the $50 Door Prize. MARLENE TOKUHISA won the $20 Jun Ken Po game. Four Grand Prize drawings were held each being a $50 Bill. Grand Prize winners were: ALICE SUMA; LAURI SANTOS; CYNTHIA HOAG and ARDELL KATSURA.

As with any event, it's success is dependent on several people. Those responsible for ensuring a successful holiday Christmas party for AAFES-Hawaii retirees were: PAULINE UNG (reception); ADRIENNE HAMADA & LAURI SANTOS (poinsettias); CHARLOTTE ROACH (name tags/games/photos); WILTON SANTOS (Food Bank deliveries); MARLENE TOKUHISA (door prizes). LES TOKUHISA & BILL ALLGIRE were MC’s for the event.

Door prizes this year were small Christmas boxes prepared by MARLENE TOKUHISA as well as several Poinsettias donated by the Chapter and two (2) Desert Rose plants donated by LESTER TOKUHISA.

Christmas in Hawaii

Aloha Chapter Supports Hawaii Food Bank Melanie Takashima; Travis Takashima;

Dale Fitzgerald and Charlotte Roach

Aloha Chapter story continues on next page.

Pag e 14 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Aloha Chapter—William Allgire and Charlotte Roach (Christmas Party continued from page 13)

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

Milton Shimizu; Linda Shimizu;

Lauri Santos and Wilton Santos

Left to right: Sueko Paragas; Julie Conner; Dale Fitzgerald; Frances Saito; Margaret Hasagaw;

Gail Ohira; Alice Suma; and Lori Yamamoto (Standing) Ruth Shimooka, Bill Allgire, Lourdes Dela Cruz, and Adela Ilae

Elaine Tahahashi, Marlene Tokuhisa, and Dale Fitzgerald

John Frederick, George Turqueza, and Roy Miura

Jan Santana, Adrienne Hamada, and Lauri Santos

Cheryl Bonds and Mary Ann Asato Sueko Paragas, Julie Conner,

Frances Saito, and Margaret Hasegawa

Alice Suma and Cynthia Hoag Yamamoto Clan! Dale Fitzgerald and Willa Gardner

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 15

Aloha Chapter—William Allgire and Charlotte Roach (Christmas Party continued from page 14)

Shirley and Charlie Kon

Wilton Santos and Bill Allgire

Willa and Jim Gardner

Travis and Melanie Takashima

Lori Yamamoto and Pauline Ung Left to right: Tyler and Marlene Jun Ken Po.

Susie Wong and Julie Conner ‘waiting their turn’.

Winner …. Marlene Tokuhisa!

Marlene Tokuhisa, Adrienne Hamada, Milton and Linda Shimizu

Mel and Jan Santana

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

Pag e 16 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Northern California Chapter – Jerri Thomas and Maureen Dobert

I hope everyone enjoyed our November luncheon meeting at the Waffle Shop as much as I did. We shared a

lot of laughing, hugging and talking. The holiday auction was so much fun, we had many nice items to auction

off -- a wide variety of Christmas decor including a doggie sweater, cookie jar, candles, lamps, ribbon, cowboy

boot Christmas stocking, golf gift set, kitchen towels, Goebel porcelain birds. So many things, I wish I could

mention them all. Thank you all for your donations and bidding, your generosity is very much appreciated. I

regret that we were so involved with our bidding that we forgot to take pictures. Members and guests in attend-

ance were: Doris Aplass, Rosie Boyce and friend Victoria, Lisa Denny, Maureen Dobert, Arlene Ferry

and daughter Debbie, Dianne Hobbs, Karin Jubb and her sister Henne Cherry, Rosa LaBoeuf and friend

Carmen Sevelle, Gloria Masse, Tina Minjarez, Phoebe Murrell, Margie Scheatzle, Jerri Thomas, Fatma

and Jerry Thomason, Hilda Waltz, Stella and Mike Winch and Lee Woodward.

Door prize winners at the November meeting were: Rosie Boyce (Victoria), Maureen Dobert, Arlene Ferry, Dianne Hobbs,

Tina Minjarez and Henne Cherry. Also previous winners Ellen Rivera and Richard Mason (2). These winners will provide

the door prizes for the January 9, 2019 luncheon meeting.

We had our annual Christmas luncheon on Sunday, December 9, 2019 at the Marriott's Hotel in Ranco

Cordova, CA. We will include more information (and hopefully photos) in the next newsletter. Upcoming

luncheon meeting for January 9, 2019 will be at Outback Steakhouse, 1340 Howe Avenue, Sacramento, CA.

Phone: 916-927-0806. Time for the luncheon is at 11:30 AM.

Annual club dues in the amount of $15.00 are due in January 2019. If you haven't already done so mail your check

payable to No CA Chapter of AREA, to Lisa Denny, or bring to the January meeting.

Sympathy:

• Sadly our dear friend and newsletter editor, Ken “Tom” Keim, passed away on October 16 after a difficult and lengthy illness. Ken meant

so much to all of us. We will miss him dearly. The service was held October 27. (See page 25 for more information.)

• Please keep Doris Aplass in your thoughts and prayers at this sad time as her daughter Janet passed away November 21. Send condolences

to: Doris Aplass, 3005 Brisbane Court, Sacramento, CA 95826.

• A funeral service was held for our beloved Renate Atkinson on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Ms. Atkinson was a prior president and

one of the original co-founders of our AREA chapter. (See page 25 for more information.)

Tinker Retirees Christmas celebration at Golden Coral — (from posting on No. TX AREA website)

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 17

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

North Texas Chapter—Richard Sheff and Christine Gehringer

Visit and Tour of the Peticola Brewing

Company – Dallas, TX. 14 September 2018

Mike Dillon, Bill Eddings, Morena Alarilla, Linda Dean, Tom Minton, Faye Ruebbelke, Wayne Rubbelke, Roy Dean, Tami & Rich Pickering

Addison Oktoberfest – 23 September 2018

WinStar Casino – 21 October 2018

Visit & Tour of Rahr & Son’s Brewery Ft. Worth – 17 November 2018

Tom Gallagher & Dale Linebarger

Rich Sheff, Rich Pickering, and

John Engroff

Roy and Linda Dean

Pag e 18 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

CHAPTER HAPPENINGS

North Texas Chapter—Richard Sheff and Christine Gehringer (continued from page 17)

Just a sampling of the photos you can find on the North TX Chapter of AREA ’s Facebook page as they celebrated the Holiday season! (More of the story/photos in the next AREA newsletter!)

Jack Leavitt, Diana Davis Poulson, Richard Sheff, Bill Eddings, Sandy Bonander and Patricia Barrera Chavarria

Patricia Barrera Chavarria, Sven Bonander, and Diana Davis Poulson

Connie Phelps Vandervort

and Bill Eddings

The Best Holiday Punch! By Marcia Kane

3 (3 oz.) pkg. fruit flavored gelatin

4 c. boiling water

8 c. cold water

1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 (46 oz.) can unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled

2 qt. ginger ale, Sprite, or 7-Up chilled. (Don’t add

soda until you put the frozen mixture in your punch

bowl).

Dissolve gelatin in 4 cups boiling water in large contain-

er. Stir in 8 cups cold water, lemonade, and pineapple

juice. Freeze for several hours or until slushy.

The mixture may be frozen in large gallon size, heavy-

duty, zip-top freezer bags. Remove each bag from

freezer at least 21/2 to 3 hours before serving. Work

the frozen mixture until partially slushy and then put in

your punch bowl. Add soda and mix well. Note: This

recipe makes two or three bowls of punch so split the

amount of punch/soda you use for each batch.

AREA Scholarship Program

Since 1985 AREA has provided educational opportunities to “AAFES Kids” through its scholarship program. This coming year AREA plans to award $40,000 in scholarships to twelve graduating high school seniors. Amounts are two $5,000 and ten $3,000 awards.

2019 will mark the 34th anniversary of the AREA scholarship program; the only program designed to directly benefit AAFES employees’ and assigned military’s children. To date AREA has provided $784,795 in scholarship awards to 358 deserving students – many of whom may not have even started college without the AREA boost. Now that is something we should all be proud of!

SCHOLARSHIP DONOR PROGRAM: Our scholarship program relies in large measure on the

financial support of individual donors. To make a donation of any amount, complete the donation

form in this Newsletter or go to the GoFundMe Scholarships link on our web site address shown

below to use a credit card. Send an email to Chuck Poffenbarger, cpoffen@earthlink.net for further details.

LARGE DONOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM: We have revised our criteria for the program to recognize retirees and

other sponsors for their generous large donations when we’re awarding scholarships.

• For donations of $500 -$1,499, we’ll name one of our ten $3,000 scholarships after the donor, or someone else if designated, and provide the sponsor with the student’s name and address should they want to send a congratulatory note.

• Likewise, sponsor donations of $1,500 or more are available for each of our two $5,000 scholarships. If there are more than two such donations, we’ll contact you with options.

So how does the scholarship program work? Here’s a short synopsis:

The program is limited to graduating high school seniors planning to attend an accredited college, university, or one of the U.S.

military academies for undergraduate studies in calendar year 2019. AREA scholarships are not awarded for participation in non-

academic and certificate programs.

Applications must be sent to the scholarship committee during the enrollment period January 1 through March 31. An application

form is available on the AREA web site at: http://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/community-

programs/scholarships.htm. The same site sets out the specific requirements for making application, including personal and

student eligibility criteria.

The AREA administers the program through an appointed AREA Scholarship Program Director. Committee members

lay out the parameters of the program each year, which are ultimately approved by the AREA board of directors.

So how can you donate? See page 21 for a complete description on how to donate,

either by check or by credit card; and pages 22-23 for the updated Scholarship

Donation form. Donations large and small are all welcome! AREA

thanks you …. and these wonderful young people will thank you too!

Michelle Priester

AREA Scholarship Program Director

PO Box 75138 Duncanville, TX. 75138

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 19

To: Scholarship Donor From: AAFES Dependent Subject: AREA Scholarship Thank You for your financial assistance and moral support. Your contribution gave me confidence to realize that I could get through this successfully. A Grateful Student

Michelle Priester

Pag e 20 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

Community Service Awards—General Information

AREA… contributing to the future

PO Box 380614 Duncanville, TX. 75138-0614

Note: * denotes non-AAFES retiree; **denotes Non member of AREA

SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS

DONORS IN MEMORY OF

LARRY GREWELLE VERA DEMPSEY $50.00

FRED SCHONWETTER JOE CACCIAPAGLIO $50.00

GENERAL DONATION

IN HONOR OF

NORTH TEXAS CHAPTER NORTH TEXAS CHAPTER $1,000.00

Let’s recognize people who support their community—It’s the right thing to do!

The National AREA recognizes people who are making unselfish efforts toward the betterment of their communities with an

AREA Community Service Award. The term “Community” may refer either to the local area, or to activities on a regional, state,

national or even international scope. Each award recipient receives a certificate, along with a letter signed by AREA, expressing

appreciation for the contribution made toward making our communities a better place to live and work. Nominations may be

submitted at any time for:

• Collective recognition of chapter, exchange (or branch/unit) community service accomplishments

• Recognition of Chapter and AREA members and their immediate family members.

• Recognition of Exchange and assigned military personnel and their immediate family members.

To submit your nomination, print off and complete the Community Service Award Nomination Form in this newsletter on page 24.

Mail it to the address on the top of the form. (A copy of the form is on the AREA website along with a listing of community service

awards since 1979.

Each award recipient receives a certificate, along with a letter signed by AREA, expressing apprecia-

tion for the contribution made toward making our communities a better place to live and work. For

Exchange Associates: A copy of the AREA letter and certificate are forwarded to your servicing HR

office for file in your official personnel folder. Additionally, recipients will be provided a copy of the

AREA quarterly Newsletter in which the recognition is featured. They will also be included in the

Exchange Post and posted to the AREA web site at:

https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/.

The Community Service Review Committee reviews the nominations and selects those who best meet the criteria above.

Richard Fregoe chairs the committee. In 2018 we recognized two recipients; one in the Spring and one in the Fall. We know

there are many other members/associates that deserve recognition, so don’t wait, submit your nomination today! Send the

completed nomination form to Chuck Poffenbarger by e-mail to: cpoffen@earthlink.net; or mail to: AREA-Community Service

Award Nomination, PO Box 380614, Duncanville, TX 75138-0614.

“Recipients Name”

How to Donate to the AREA Scholarship Fund

1. Print and fill out the Scholarship Donation form in this Newsletter (see pages 22-23). Send the completed form

with your check to the address shown on the top of the form. The form is also on the AREA website:

www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/, under the Community Programs section.

2. An easier option is to go to our special “GoFundMe” web site and use your credit card for your donation.

Click on this link: https://www.gofundme.com/2018-area-scholarship-drive, and follow the instructions.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CREDIT CARD DONATIONS

For general or anonymous CREDIT CARD

donations less than $500, you do not have to complete

the donation form. However, if you are making a

CREDIT CARD donation of less than $500 on behalf

of someone else (that is, “in their honor” for a living

person or “in memory of” a deceased person, send an

e-mail to Pat Weaver with the following information:

Sample E-Mail:

Pat, this is to let you know that I, Tom Jones, made a

$___ scholarship donation in memory of (or in honor of)

Mary Jones on ____(date)___, on the GoFundMe web

site. Put your full name, address, and phone number, on

the e-mail message.

The web site automatically gives you a receipt for tax purposes.

You (and/or other named person) will be officially thanked

and recognized (unless you wish to remain anonymous) in the

next quarterly newsletter on the Scholarship Donor’s page.

See this quarter’s donations on page 20.

For credit card donations of $500 or more:

Please mail AREA a completed donation form (to the address on

the top of the form); or send an email to Pat Weaver at

pitterpat6026@gmail.com with the completed form as an

attachment. Put the “date and amount of your credit card

donation” in the “Comments” section of the form.

If you don’t know how to send the form as an attachment, you

can alternatively send Pat the information we need in the body

of the email as follows:

Sample E-Mail:

Pat, this is to let you know that I, Tom Jones, made a $___

scholarship donation on ____(date)___, on the GoFundMe web

site. If you are naming the scholarship donation in memory of (or

in honor of) someone else, add that information. Be sure to put

your full name, address, and phone number, on the e-mail message.

The web site automatically gives you a receipt for tax purposes.

The AREA President will provide the sponsor with the student’s name and

address should the donor wish to send a congratulatory note. As with all

donors, you will be officially recognized and thanked for your donation in

the next issues of the newsletter.

Donate $500 - $1,499 to the AREA Scholarship Program and we’ll name one of our $3,000 scholarships after you, or someone you designate, and let the student know, if you desire. Likewise, donations of $1,500 plus will be used to name each of our two $5,000 scholarships. If more than two $1,500 plus donations are received, we’ll contact you with options. We award scholarships at the end of March, so donations from April 1, 2019 on will be included in our 2020 program. For further details, contact Chuck Poffenbarger, AREA President, at cpoffen@earthlink.net. Note: 2018 Scholarship recipients are featured in the May 15th edition of the Exchange Post at http://publicaffairs-sme.com/FamilyServingFamily/. Enter AREA 2018 Scholarships in the “Search” section at the top of the page. We also feature recipients in the July edition of the AREA newsletter.

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 21

Pag e 22 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 23

Pag e 24 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

IN REMEMBRANCE—National AREA Members GEOGE AKI 76, died August 11, 2018 in Honolulu, HI. The Hawaii Area End User Computer Tech retired in 2009.

BOBBIE LONDON, 85, died July 13, 2018 in La Vegas, NV. The Nellis AFB Accounting Technician retired in 1979.

MINNIE MEYER, 97, died September 2, 2018 in Temple, TX. The HQ Supervisory Accounting Technician retired in 1987.

WILLS

From time to time retired associates of AAFES leave bequests to the AREA in their will. If you desire to make such a bequest we recommend providing the person that prepares your formally written and executed will with the follow-ing sample clause. If you make such a bequest please notify AREA at the same address as in the clause. "I give (blank dollars/property) to the Army Air Force Exchange Service Retired Employee's Association (AREA), P.O. Box 380614, Duncanville, Texas 75138."

Other reported deaths (from Chapters and Individuals):

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 25

Roy Vernon Jensen: Roy passed away on October 26 at the age of 91 in Duncanville, TX. He was born on March 10,

1927 in Escanaba, Michigan. He graduated from Escanaba High School in 1945 and from The University of California,

Berkeley with a degree from their School of Architecture in 1952. He spent the majority of his career with The Army and

Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) starting as an architect at AAFES Europe Headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany in

1953. He later served as an Assistant Chief of the Construction Branch in AAFES HQ in Dallas, Head of the Engineering

Branch in Vietnam, Chief of the Construction Branch in AAFES HQ, and finally Director of Engineering for the Pacific in

Honolulu, Hawaii. He retired from AAFES in July 1984. Post retirement, he resided in Santa Rosa, California from 1984

until 1990 and finally in Duncanville, Texas from 1990 until his death. A devout Christian throughout his life, Roy was also

an avid sports fan, and enjoyed playing tennis and especially golf, which he continued to play well into his late 80s on a

regular basis. Roy is survived by his wife of 46 years, Wendy; his sisters, Lois Need and Patricia Collins; sons Stephen and

Philip; daughters in-law, Anita and Emily; his 4 grandchildren, Katelyn, Emily, Mary and Clark; his nieces and nephews; and his brothers in-law

and sisters in-law. A service to celebrate his life was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Duncanville, TX in November.

Renate Irene Atkinson: Renate was born July 25,1931 and passed away on November 27, 2018. Renate was born in

Mannheim, Germany the youngest of three daughters. She moved to the United States in 1949. Renate had a very

successful career as a General Manager for AAFES that lasted thirty-two and a half years. Her job enabled her to travel

the world. She retired from her job in the fall of 1990. After retirement, Renate enjoyed several decades of leisure travel-

ing, participation in her retiree group (in fact, the Northern California Chapter reports that she was a prior president of

that AREA chapter and one of the original co-founders of the chapter). She also enjoyed spending as much time as possi-

ble with her family. She is preceded in death by her husband Edgar Atkinson and her son George Rhea Jr. She is survived

by her daughters Celia Hudson, Jeanette Williams, Barbara Richardson, Debra Dickerson as well as many grandchildren,

and great, (and great great), grandchildren. She was laid to rest next to her husband at Mount Vernon Memorial Park in

Fair Oaks, CA, on December 12, 2018.

Jerri Thomas, Northern California Chapter President, informed us that chapter newsletter editor, Ken “Tom” Keim,

passed away on October 16 after a difficult and lengthy illness. Jerri said, “Ken meant so much to all of us. We will miss

him dearly. Ken’s service was held October 27. Ken did not retire from AAFES, but before he left AAFES he was the

office manager at McClellan. Before that he was in food services. Ken wasn't married, most of his family and life partner

had pre-deceased him.”

Editor’s Note: In all the Northern California Chapter newsletters that Mr. Keim sent to this editor over the last several

months, I regret that he did not send me even one photo of himself. Apparently he was camera shy or simply did not point

himself out in the chapter group photographs. Ms. Thomas found this photo for me. Thanks Jerri!

Roy V. Jensen

Renate I. Atkinson

Kenneth Thomas

Keim, Jr. “Tom”

Hayward Moore reported the death of Hayward “Woody” Moore, Sr. He passed away on Sunday, 18 November. Woody is preceded in death by his wife, Sharron Moore. Unfortunately we have no other information at this time.

AREA MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY UPDATES

Save this page with your copy of the 2013 AREA Directory

NEW MEMBERS

BARBARA GODBOLT

1311 STOCKETT SQUARE

BELCAMP, MD 21017

BRIAN KRUCKY

5101 SANGER AVE

APT 1119

WACO, TX 76710

TEL: 254-315-5564

DENISE WILLIAMS

7807 LA SALLE PL

SEVERN, MD 21144

DEBRA COLALUCA

6490 MONTGOMERY RD

MIDLOTHIAN, TX 76065

RITA F. KING

207 GOLDEN ROD LN

MADISON, AL 35758

RHONDA LACY

1113 ESTERS RD

APT. 2713

IRVING, TX 75061

MARIA ISABEL MEHAFFY

2313 CRESCENT RD

NAVARRE, FL 32566

Pag e 26 January 2019 AREA NEW SLETTER

CHANGES: ADDRESS,

TELEPHONE, EMAIL

IAN HILL

BELMONT VILLAGE

107 BELLA MONTAGNA CIR APT 110

LAKEWAY, TX 78734

WILLIAM VERNON

509 CARYS CHAPEL RD

YORKTOWN, VA 23693

EMAIL: lorrainevernon@cox.net

KARIN KAWAMURA

103185 DIMPLE VIEW LN

SANDY, UT 84092

Cell: 385-226-9795

TAKAAKI KIMURA

No-243-0413

KOKUBUNNJIDAI, EBINA CITY

KANAGAWA – PREF., JAPAN

TEL: 090-8728-7080

EMAIL: tack.kimura8@gmail.com

NEW MEMBERS (cont’d)

GERALD MILLER

14835 W. WINDROSE DR

SURPRISE, AZ 85379

RICK DAVIS

2600 WEST 7TH ST

APT 1321

FT. WORTH, TX 76107

MICHAEL A. CERDA

3345 FURSTON PL

EL PASO, TX 79936

DENNIS GODFREY

4845 VALLEY SPRINGS TR

FORT WORTH, TX 76244

TEL: 817-849-9001

EMAIL: dsgodfrey9@hotmail.com

JAMES OSBORNE JR.

11839 PETAL DR

AN ANTONIO, TX 78216

JULIO E. MARTINEZ

P.O. BOX 9682

DYESS AFB, TX 79607-0682

TEL: 210-774-1881

If you don’t send AREA your updated address and/

or email, you will not receive your copy of the AREA

Quarterly Newsletter. Please email any changes

using the Membership Update form on page 27

and mail it to Pat Weaver, Membership Director

at: pitterpat6026@gmail.com.

Thanks for keeping your membership

information up-to-date!

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

The following telephone numbers are provided as a convenience to members wishing to contact certain HQ AAFES offices and the Pentagon Federal Credit Union.

HQ SWITCHBOARD

(214) 312-2011

FOR RETIREMENT and GROUP INSURANCE BENEFITS:

HQ. AAFES BENEFIT BRANCH REPRESENTATIVES (800) 519-3381

GENERAL COUNSEL:

DALE HARBOUR (214) 312-3126

EXCHANGE POST:

STEVE SMITH, Corporate Communications Editor/Historian, (214) 312-3831 or e-mail smithstev@aafes.com

SALES TABLOIDS:

TABLOID DEPARTMENT (800) 733-5142

ID CARD, PRIVILEGES

HR-S HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE

CAC/ ID cards are issued Monday-Friday (excluding holidays) from 07:30 AM – 10:00 AM (no appointment needed). Appointments for a time after 10:30 AM can be arranged by emailing HQHRO@aafes.com; or calling HR Techs as follows: Brenda Johnson, (214) 312-2612; Jill Cottle, (214) 312-6531; Sarah Brown, (214)312-6423; or Veneitra Colston-Mack, (214) 312-2531. Please ensure to bring your CAC/shopping privilege ID card as well as a valid Federal or State ID to renew your CAC and/or shopping privilege ID card. If your CAC is expired, you will need to bring in two valid forms of Federal and/or State ID’s (such as a driver’s license, US passport, birth certificate, or original social security card). Submit questions to: Rhonda Moncrief, HQ Human Resources Manager at (214) 312-2006.

PENTAGON FEDERAL CREDIT UNION: TOLL FREE SERVICE –MEMBER SERVICES

TOLL FREE U.S.: 800-247-5626

Monday - Friday: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm Eastern Time Saturday: 8:00 am to 11:00 pm Eastern Time

Sunday: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Eastern Time OVERSEAS DIRECT DIAL: 541-225-6700

TTY (for the hearing impaired: TOLL FREE U.S.: 800 225-6378

FOR OTHERS NOT LISTED:

Pat Weaver, Membership Director, (972) 780-9810; e-mail: pitterpat6026@gmail.com

For other information, check out the Exchange website at: https://www.shopmyexchange.com/

Or the AREA website: http://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/retired-employees-association/

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE FORM

Type of Change (Check All Boxes Below That Apply)

Address Telephone FAX

E-Mail Marital Status Other

Printed Name Signature Date

TO: AREA (ATTN: Membership Director)

PO BOX 380614

Duncanville, TX 75138-0614

CURRENT ADDRESS:

Enter New Address in “Current Address” block BELOW and List Other Changes Here:

Changes will be published in the next AREA newsletter unless you specifically tell us not to print this information.

AREA NEW SLETTER January 2019 Pag e 27

AAFES Retired Employees Association

P.O. Box 380614

Duncanville, TX 75138-0614

DUES ALERT! If the last time you renewed your dues was in December 2017 or earlier,

please send your $17 dues PAYABLE to AREA at the mailing address shown above.

AAFES Retired Employees Association Printing and mailing the Newsletter has become too expensive so the board discussed

and approved these changes at our Spring 2017 board meeting.

“New and reinstated members; and existing members with computers (or other e-mail reading devices) who renew their membership; will receive the newsletter via e-mail only.”

You’ll enjoy these advantages:

• Get the Newsletter the first of the month, rather than several days after the beginning of the month.

• The Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format is in color and you can transfer/save the file as you desire.

Here’s what one member said: “The e mail edition is superb. Easy to read, brilliant colors, etc. I can't say

enough about it, and would recommend that anyone with a computer get the newsletter this way.”

Send an e-mail to Pat Weaver, Membership Director, at pitterpat6026@gmail.com and state that you would

like to get the Newsletter on line now and we’ll do the rest.

AREA—JUST FOR YOU

PRSRT STD

US POSTAGE PAID

DALLAS, TX

PERMIT #1478