Oct. 25, 2005THE
Outlook
3
SETAF Commander
Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya
SETAF Rear Commander
Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki
USAG Vicenza Commander/Publisher
Col. Virgil S. L. Williams
Editor
Ms. Kelli CovlinThe Outlook is an unofficial publi-cation authorized and provided by AR360-1. All editorial content of the
Out- look
is prepared, edited, provided andapproved by the U.S. Army GarrisonVicenza Public Affairs Office in Build-
Outlook
The
Oct. 25, 2005 Vol. 38, Issue 42ing 34 on Caserma Ederle in Vice-nza, Italy. DSN 634-7000, FAX 634-7543, civilian telephone 0444-71-7000, fax 0444-717-543.Email: editor@setaf.army.mil.The
Outlook
is published weeklyby the USAG Vicenza PAO, Unit31401, Box 10, APO AE 09630. It isprinted by Centro Stampa EditorialeSRL, Grisignano (VI) 0444-414-303.Editorial publication is an autho-rized section for members of theU.S. Army overseas. Contents ofthe
Outlook
are not necessarily theofficial views of, or endorsed by,the U.S. government, Departmentof Defense, Department of theArmy, Installation ManagementAgency-Europe, U.S. Army GarrisonVicenza or the U.S. Army SouthernEuropean Task Force.The editor reserves the right toedit all submissions for style, brev-ity and clarity.Circulation is 2,500.
Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki
Commander SETAF Rear
Fifty years ago at 10:30 a.m. onTuesday, October 25, 1955, anevent of historic importance took place at Caserma Ederle.Carabinieri and AmericanPolicemen, bearing three flags,approached the newly erectedflagpoles at the head of the paradefield. They attached the flags andraised then, as the 49th Army Bandplayed the U.S. and the Italiannational anthems. The flags of therepublic of Italy, the United Statesand the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization were unfurled by thebreeze and waved proudly overVicenza’s Caserma Ederle. TheSouthern European Task Forcewas officially activated.The world was a very differentplace 50 years ago when a groupof Soldiers left Austria andcrossed the border into Italy tocome to Vicenza. Europe was stillrecovering from the devastatingeffects of WWII, the Soviet Unionwas becoming a major threat andthe world was unsure of what thefuture held.Today, the world resembleswhat few would have predicted in1955. We face new threats andnew challenges as demonstratedby the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11and the ensuing global war onterrorism.However, as much as thingshave changed since the fistAmerican Soldiers arrived inVicenza to live and work, one thinghas remained constant – the closeand strong relationship that hasendured between the Italian andAmerican communities.We have developedrelationships that have nurturednew families, friendships andprofessional careers. We have
The USAG Vicenza annual force protection exercise to test the effectivenessof Caserma Ederle’s incident response plans and procedures will takeplace on Nov. 8.During this exercise, a simulated event will occur that will cause U.S. fire andmilitary police, other supporting agencies and most importantly, ourHost Nation, to respond to the emergency situation.This exercise will replicate a real emergency and may disrupt normal day-to-day operations.
Impacts to you could include:
♦
Temporary gate closures
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Restricted movement around installation and surrounding areas:
Caserma Ederle, Longare, Lorino, Torri and Villaggio
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Temporary closures of offices and customer service activitiesIf you are on the installation on Nov. 8, you will be asked to participate in theexercise.Exercise Lion Shake 06 is a valuable tool to help the community be betterprepared to handle emergencies.The USAG Vicenza command thanks all units, agencies and the Vicenzamilitary community in advance for supporting this exercise.
Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki
SETAF celebrates 50 years
joined forces during crises anddifficult times and we’ve sharedmany more pleasant experiencesduring happy times. Todaymembers of the Vicenza Americanmilitary community feel like anintegral part of the greater VicenzaItalian community.These communities are mergedin their own close alliance basedupon mutual trust, respect andadmiration. We are indeed proudto be recipients of this wonderfulcommunity spirit.The last 50 years have beenfilled with challenges and change.We now face new times and newchallenges.SETAF recognizes theincredible strength of the peoplethat make up its workforce. Weknow that whatever we haveaccomplished or will accomplishin the future is a result of the forcesof many working together toremain a rapid reaction and crisisresponse force able to respond toany mission anywhere.It is my duty and also myspecial honor to say thank youon behalf of the United StatesArmy to the Soldiers, civilians,their families and the many people– Italian and American alike – whocome to work everyday to supportthe Southern European Task Force.
At Caserma Ederle:
Anyone wanting to contribute tothe Combined Federal Campaign can contact Sgt. DanielBregaglio, community area project officer, at 634-7145 or viaemail at Daniel.Bregaglio@setaf.army.mil.
At Camp Darby:
Contact Staff. Sgt. Ruth Garcia,Headquarters Detachment, USAG-Livorno, at 633-7441 orvia email at Ruth.Garcia@darby.setaf.army.mil for informationon making a contribution.
CFC
By Amber Heston
Medical Service Coordinator SAIC/TRICARE
After 20 or more years of military service, it’sindisputable that U. S. military retirees’ continuedTRICARE health care benefits are hard-earned and well-deserved.For military retirees age 65 and older, however, there isone important key to remaining TRICARE-eligible. Thatkey is Medicare Part B. Although it is not the mostcompelling topic to examine, it is vital military retirees andtheir dependants understand in order to remain eligiblefor the benefits they have worked so hard to earn.
Medicare Part A and Part B: The difference
Upon turning 65 years old, most U.S. citizens becomeeligible for Medicare Part A, a form of hospital insurance.(For more information on premium-free eligibility forMedicare Part A and what it covers, visit the Web sitewww.medicare.gov.)Those 65 years and older can also elect to purchaseMedicare Part B medical insurance. For this, beneficiariespay a monthly fee, which is currently $78.20.For TRICARE beneficiaries, enrollment in MedicarePart B is required in order to continue receiving TRICAREhealth care benefits after the age of 65 under the programTRICARE For Life.
Enrolling in Medicare Part B
To get started enrolling in Medicare Part B from Vicenza,contact the Federal Benefits Unit in Rome at 06-4674-2363. They can provide beneficiaries with additionalinformation on Medicare programs and enrollmentmaterials. These materials can also be found on the Website www.medicare.gov/Basics/EnrollmentPackage.asp.Once enrolled in Medicare Part B, there is oneadditional step a beneficiary must take to ensurecontinued TRICARE eligibility. Proof of Medicare PartB enrollment must be brought to the nearest DEERS(Defense Eligibility and Enrollment Reporting System)office. Here in Vicenza, the DEERS office is located inthe Central Inprocessing Facility, Golden Lion, next tothe Ederle Inn. Once this is completed, the beneficiary isnow covered by TRICARE For Life.
Why pay for Medicare Part B if it doesn’t coveroverseas care?
If TRICARE beneficiaries fail to enroll in MedicarePart B upon attaining the age of 65, they lose their
A valuable relationship
Medicare Part B, TRICARE
TRICARE eligibility. Beneficiaries in this situation wouldstill be able to obtain space-available care in militarytreatment facilities at no cost; however, they would haveno TRICARE coverage when receiving health care atany civilian facility. Unless a beneficiary had other healthinsurance, by failing to enroll in Medicare Part B, andtherefore losing TRICARE eligibility, the beneficiarywould become responsible for 100 percent of any civiliancare received, including emergency care.
Stateside versus overseas care
TRICARE beneficiaries 65 years and older who areenrolled in Medicare Part B are covered by both formsof insurance when in the states. However, Medicaredoes not pay for care received overseas. For militaryretirees age 65 and older, here’s how it works:In the States. – When civilian medical care is givenby a provider who accepts Medicare, the provider willsubmit the claim to Medicare. Once Medicare has paidits portion, the claim is forwarded to TRICARE forpayment of the remaining allowable portion. Therefore,when in the states, Medicare is the first payer of medicalexpenses, and TRICARE is the second payer.Overseas – Because Medicare does not pay for carereceived overseas, TRICARE becomes the primary formof insurance. However, enrollment in Medicare Part B isstill necessary for military retirees age 65 and older whoare overseas, in order to remain TRICARE-eligible. UnderTRICARE, any care received in a Military TreatmentFacility is free. The patient is responsible for a portionof any civilian care received; the annual deductible is$150 per person, or $300 total per family, each fiscal year.Once the annual deductible is met, TRICARE covers 75percent of outpatient costs. Some civilian facilities mayrequire the patient pay in full up front; the patient wouldthem submit a claim to TRICARE for reimbursement of the appropriate portion of the cost. TRICARE claimsforms can be found online at www.europe.tricare.osd.mil,or at your nearest TRICARE Service Center.The relationship between TRICARE and MedicarePart B easily becomes a common source of confusionamong many military retirees. Nonetheless, it is importantretirees understand their responsibility for enrolling inMedicare Part B upon reaching age 65 in order to remaineligible for their TRICARE benefits, both in the statesand overseas. For more information on Medicare PartB’s relevance to TRICARE, call Vicenza’s TRICAREService Center at 634-6656.
Chiara Mattirolo
Camp Darby Public Affair
The fourth meeting of the NATOInformation Exchange Requirementspanel took place Oct. 11-13 at CampDarby. The IER panel is one of fivepanels within the Combat ServiceSupport Working Group. The otherfour panels are Movement andTransport, Battlefield Maintenance,Materials Handling, and Supply.“The mission of the IER panel isto review and update the many NATOlogistics messages that the CSSWorking Group is responsible for; theMovement Notification, the SurfaceTransport Request and the SurfaceTransport Reply,” explained retiredMaj. Tom Little, panel chairman andrepresentative from the United States.Delegates, 14 in all, from each of the NATO nations sentrepresentatives to present theirnational opinions and responses tothe NATO messages. The CSSWorking Group has tasked the IERpanel to take on the additionalresponsibility of LogisticsTerminology for the first time.“It is of vital importance toestablish standardized terminologythat have the same meaningthroughout the NATO countries,”said Little, head of the U.S. delegationand former commander of the 22ndArea Support Team-Livorno from1998-2000.“Just as I expected, we had thetotal cooperation and support fromthe Camp Darby community,” saidLittle. “For me, it is always a greatpleasure to come back to Darby, aplace where I have confidence andtrust. I know I receive the best qualitysupport when I come here.”
NATO delegates meet at Camp Darby
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