Sesame Street USO Event Helps Kids with Moves

By Robyn Mincher, DCoE Strategic Communications

At the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families event May 16 at Fort Belvoir, Va., Sesame’s favorite furry friends introduced a new character — Katie, a military child.

“You will love Katie!” Grover said. “She’s always so happy and peppy!”

Yet when the new Sesame Street character came onstage, she seemed sad.

“I just found out some really big news,” Katie said. “My family will be moving to a new base. I won’t be around here anymore.”

The character’s stress resonated with the audience of service members and their families. Moving is a part of life for many military families, especially in the summer, as thousands uproot and relocate to a new place each year. It can be tough to leave friends behind and become the new kid at school again. Some kids, like Katie, feel that every time they finally feel at home somewhere, it’s time to move again. Most aren’t happy about moving, but as the TV characters explained, there are ways to take on the challenge with a smile.

“It can be hard to be the new kid on the block. This shows how to build confidence, learn to say hello, find new friends and learn new surroundings,” said Ariel Dominick, a military spouse who brought her 3-year-old son to the show along with her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Adam Dominick.

Elmo, Cookie Monster and Rosita, another military child character, danced and sang as they taught Katie important lessons on how to stay resilient. Tips were shared such as swapping letters and emails with old friends left behind, maintaining a positive attitude and not underestimating the power of a simple “hello” to spark conversations with new people. Sesame characters encouraged kids to keep their head up, because all children of those who serve have unique, inherent resilience when facing challenges. At the end of the performance, Katie, with her head high, sang of her excitement for a new adventure.

“I can't wait to meet everyone and make lots of new friends. It's always great to have friendly faces in different places!” she said.

The tour, which first launched in 2008, is scheduled to roll onto more than 65 military installations across the country by the end of this year.

“With the help of friends like Elmo, Cookie Monster and Katie as well as happy songs, we are able to lift the spirits of our nation’s military children like never before,” said Sloan Gibson, USO president and CEO.

After the performances, information and resources to help military families cope with transitions are available for families to take home. Sesame Workshop, along with others, offers resources for kids and parents including:

■Moving tips for preschoolers, school-age children and families offered through familiesnearandfar.org — with resources for grown-ups, too

■Talk, Listen, Connect offers tool kits and videos that help families manage deployments, grief and changes

■Military Youth on the Move is the Defense Department’s one-stop shop where kids and teens can get advice and access resources on moving

■Visit Family Matters for tips to ease summertime moves

■MilitaryKidsConnect.org offers online journals and videos to connect with other military kids

Check uso.org/sesame to learn more and find out when the tour is coming to your town.

Lincoln Celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Walters, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) participated in a ceremony to honor Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in the ship's hangar bay, May 18.

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in the Navy throughout May to educate Sailors about the many different cultures, traditions and histories of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Capt. John D. Alexander, Lincoln's commanding officer, kicked off the event with a cake-cutting ceremony on the ship's mess decks followed by a speech welcoming Sailors to the hangar bay ceremony.

"Celebrating Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month supports the diversity we have throughout our country," said Alexander. "The Lincoln crew is proud to share the variety of cultures through the performances."

After the opening remarks, the ship's band performed a variety of songs featuring Master Chief Logistics Specialist Joselito Tolentino playing the ukulele.

Members of the ship's diversity council also demonstrated eskrima, the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, and tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance.

"Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month is a great way to introduce the Asian culture to the Sailors aboard the ship," said Logistics Specialist 1st Class Marcelino Tan. "This month allows people to see the beauty of these extraordinary cultures."

Lincoln is currently deployed with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, which also includes embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) and Destroyer Squadron 9, comprised of the guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Sterett (DDG 104). CSG 9 is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and combat flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Veterans of Different Eras Prepare for Competition at 26th National Veterans Golden Age Games

WASHINGTON – More than 700 Veterans will travel to St. Louis, Mo., May 31 – June 5 to compete in the 26^th National Veterans Golden Age Games, a national sports and recreation competition sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV), and Veterans Canteen Service (VCS).

“We are very pleased to be able to bring the Golden Age Games to St. Louis,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. “Through this rehabilitative athletic event, VA strives to introduce older Veterans to the benefits of sports and recreation.  These athletes will showcase their skills, mental toughness and physical fitness at the games.”

Celebrating its 26th year, the games offer the largest sports and recreation competition in the world for military Veterans age 55 and older. 

Hosted by the St. Louis VA Medical Center, the competition features sports such as swimming, cycling, golf, track and field, bowling, table tennis and others, totaling 14 competitive events.  Events are open to all U.S. military Veterans age 55 or older who are currently receiving care at any VA medical facility. 

“An active lifestyle is vital to everyone’s health and well-being, and can serve as one of the best tools to health maintenance as well as disease prevention,” Marilyn Iverson, VCS director said.  “The Golden Age Games is truly a life saving program for our Nation’s Veterans and life affirming for all those who have attended them. The Veterans Canteen Service is committed and proud to serve as a co-sponsor to the 26^th National Veterans Golden Age Games.” 

 “Help Hospitalized Veterans is extremely proud to co-sponsor VA’s National Veterans Golden Age Games,” Mike Lynch, the organization’s president and CEO said.  “We sincerely hope that each and every one of this year’s Veteran participants enjoys a memorable event of camaraderie and competition, and will continue their quest to maintain good physical and mental health throughout their lives.”

The 2012 event begins with a gala opening ceremony at 7 p.m. on May 31 at America’s Center, America’s Ballroom.  The closing ceremony is on June 5 at 7 p.m. in the same location. Competitive events run from June 1^st through the 5^th.

The National Veterans Golden Age Games serve as a qualifying event for the National Senior Olympics.   The National Senior Olympics is a community-based member of the United States Olympic Committee and recognize senior athletes as the best athletes in their respective age groups in the United States.

For more information about the National Veterans Golden Age Games and other VA national rehabilitation programs, visit www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov.

Media Inquiries: 
Anthony Hardman, VA National Public Affairs Coordinator, (734) 845-5059 Or email: anthony.hardman@va.gov

Sailors Participate in Motorcycle Safety Rally

By Aviation Maintenance Administrationman (AW) Airman Kelvin Cohen, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Service members, Department of Defense personnel, veterans and families participated in a Motorcycle Safety Rally at Naval Station Norfolk Navy Exchange May 18.

The event was held as part of Motorcycle Safety month and consisted of inspections, safety information and a group ride throughout the Hampton Roads area.

"It was a great turnout," said Chief Fire Controlman (SW) Daniel Nichols, event coordinator. "The overall theme is to reinforce our safety, have fun, and also get us out in the community."

During the event, Sewells Point Safety Center provided the participants information to help keep future bike riders safe while on the road.

"We came out to offer information training and awareness," said Bruce Manow, Sewells Point safety leader. "We run the whole gamut of safety while riding. We have a lot of young Sailors that come off of a deployment and purchase these bikes and get in an accident so we are here to teach them the skills necessary to stay safe on the roads."

The 90 minute bike route was a highlight of the day for many of the 200 participants.

"We did roughly 95 miles," said Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician (SW/AW) Will Kumley, assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt (CVN 71). "It was great! Any day on the bike is a good day."

At the conclusion of the day, awards were given out where a team of Sailors from Roosevelt took home a trophy for the second consecutive year for overall command participation.

"We do this every year," said Kumley. "We're fourteen strong today. Our ship has a motorcycle rider's group that keys in on this type of stuff. I think it's great to emphasize safety and get everybody out here together."

DOD, VA Announce Joint Health Record Milestone

By Cheryl Pellerin and Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill.  – The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments announced a milestone in their effort to combine their health records in what will become the world’s largest electronic system by 2017, the secretaries of both departments announced here today.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki briefed reporters after a tour of the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the nation's first fully integrated DOD-VA medical facility treating service members, veterans, military retirees and dependents.

“Over the past two days, as many of you know, world leaders have gathered in Chicago to affirm our commitment to finishing the job right in Afghanistan,” Panetta said. “This afternoon, Secretary Shinseki and I are coming together to affirm what in many ways is an equally important commitment: to care for and honor those who have protected our nation by serving it in uniform.”

The center -- named for retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who was in the audience today -- amounts to a proving ground for the DOD-VA joint operating concept. It incorporates facilities, services and resources from the North Chicago VA Medical Center and the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes.

“In response to a challenge issued [by President Barack Obama] three years ago, DOD and VA have been working steadily to increase the amount of health information that's shared between our two departments,” Panetta said.

What Obama envisioned in 2009 was an initiative called the virtual lifetime electronic record, or VLER, for the future of electronic health data sharing. Since that time, Panetta said, the centerpiece of the DOD-VA effort has been an effort to build an integrated electronic health record for service members and veterans that can be accessed at any DOD and VA medical facility.

Such an integrated electronic health record, or iEHR, is “one that is open in architecture and nonproprietary in design to expand information sharing, eliminate gaps between our two robust health care systems,” Shinseki said.

“This is key to seamlessness, critical to enhancing quality of health care, and essential to controlling costs,” he added.

“Today,” Panetta said, “I want to affirm that we are fully committed to putting this system, which will be the world's largest electronic health record system, in place across the nation in 2017.”

The project’s first milestone will come in 2014, the defense secretary said. At that time, the departments will field initial operating capabilities of the integrated electronic health record at test sites in San Antonio and in Hampton Roads, Va., where DOD and the VA provide medical care to thousands of service members and veterans.

The iEHR will unify the departments’ now-separate legacy electronic health records systems into a common, secure system that makes service members’ and veterans’ health information available to them throughout their lifetimes.

During a media roundtable held today, experts from DOD and VA explained what a difference the new joint electronic health records could mean in someone’s daily life.

“If a service member is seen in a DOD hospital and the next week has an appointment in a VA hospital, you’d like all of that information to be available to the VA doctor, just like they’re being seen in the same hospital,” Roger Baker, VA assistant secretary for information and technology, told reporters.

“That really is our concept here,” he said, adding that something interesting happened during the first pilot test of a nationwide health information network.

As the first health record was shared between a VA facility and a private-sector facility, he said, the private-sector doctor said, “I didn’t know the patient had that allergy.”

“It was an allergy the VA knew about, but that the patient hadn’t told his private-sector doctor about, and clearly those kinds of allergies can have a tremendous impact on quality of care,” Baker said. “That ability to have a more comprehensive record can do life-saving things, frankly.”

In 2014, when the systems are rolled out in San Antonio and Hampton Roads, Baker explained, records for patients in the VA before then will be as they were.

“If you’ve recently moved from active service into veteran status,” he added, “the most important thing you will notice is that your VA doctor has a lot more access to information about your previous medical care in DOD than he or she may have had in the past.”

Probably more importantly, he said, doctors will see that information side by side with other treatment the patient may have had in the VA system, so they’ll have a more complete view of the patient’s entire medical history.

Beth McGrath, a DOD deputy chief management officer, said that in Hampton Roads and San Antonio in the 2014 time frame, “the clinical capabilities we’re deploying first are focused on laboratory and immunizations.”

Both experts said the Defense Department has sufficient funding in its budget for the effort.

At the news conference, Panetta said implementing and testing the new system over a period of years “will help us make sure that we are doing it right and that we have time to adjust based on experience in the field.”