Although the Air Force does not require you to have a Department of Defense decal to gain entrance to a base, the other services still have that requirement. Living close to Ft. Belvoir, I must have a DoD decal or else go through their visitor’s center and have them process me every time I go in there.

Joint Base Andrews will continue to issue DoD decals until their present stock runs out. They will not order new decals so, if you do not have one I recommend you go to the visitors’ center and get one.

Veterans History Project

The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with the Library of Congress to honor Veterans, preserve their histories and ensure that their service, sacrifice and heroism will never be forgotten. All veterans are encouraged to record their oral histories for future generations. The VA gives veterans the opportunity to record their histories at its facilities and special events. These collections of first-hand accounts are archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

The Veterans History Project collects and preserves the remembrances of American war veterans and civilian workers who supported them.

The recordings make accessible personal accounts of American wartime Veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The helps ensure that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of wars. Approximately 65,000 individual stories comprise the collection of the Veterans History Project.

The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov⁄vets⁄. Volunteer interviewers may request information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at 888-371-5848.

Dental Care

A retiree wanted to know if there was a dental program for retirees. We have the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program, or TRDP, which is a voluntary program for retirees and their spouses. The fees paid by retirees fund this voluntary dental program. You may find out more about the TRDP at http:⁄⁄www.trdp.org⁄ or calling 888-838-8737.

Veterans Benefits

Some veterans are not receiving military honors at their funeral because their survivors don’t know where the veteran’s DD Form 214, Report of Separation from Active Duty, is located. These veterans served two or four years and were then discharged from the service.

In order to receive military honors at their funeral, the surviving spouse must give a copy of the DD Form 214 to the funeral director in order for the director to make arrangements with national or state cemeteries. As retirees, we are aware of the importance of the DD Form 214 and we should be telling all our veteran friends about this form. If they cannot locate their DD Form 214, a copy may be obtained by going to http:⁄⁄vetrecs.archives.gov or sending a request to:

NPRC⁄NCPMF-C
9700 Page Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63132-500

The veteran must include their full name, rank at time of discharge, social security number and military serial number if they had one.

The Retiree Activities Office is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. You may visit our office in room A-200A, 1535 Command Dr., call us at 301-981-2726 or e-mail us at rao@andrews.af.mil. We recommend you call the office prior to visiting us to ensure someone is on duty. We have a Web site at http:⁄⁄www.andrews.af.mil, click on ‘‘Retirees” on the right side of the page. There you will find a wealth of information that is of interest to you.