Your Community in Brief

[The Patriot]

Your Community in Brief

06-01-2011 02:45 AM

ShareThis Published:
Wed, 2011-06-01 10:40


Your Community in Brief


feature_story_photo:
Make sure you get the signal
Courtesy Photo
Viewers of the AFN who have a decoder and satellite dish at their home will need to reconfigure their equipment.





Your Community in Brief

PLAYpass Program

The Air Force PLAYpass Program starts May 27 and runs through Dec. 31, 2011. The PLAYpass offers discount cards that provide deployed members and their eligible family members the opportunity to participate in force support squadron programs for free or at a reduced cost. Pick up your PLAYpass card at the Airman & Family Readiness Center. For more information, call 226-3847.

25th Annual Celebration of Retiree Appreciation Day

RAFs Lakenheath and Mildenhall will be teaming up to make this year's Retiree Appreciation Day a success. Festivities will be held at RAF Lakenheath on June 23 and 24. For more information, contact the Retiree Activities Officer at 01638 542 039.

48th Medical Group closures

The 48th MDG clinics will be closed June 3 and 17. The emergency department will remain open for emergencies.

RAF Lakenheath Track & Field Trials

Try outs to compete in the RAF Lakenheath Track Relays begin Saturday, June 4, at 10 a.m. All entries must be 18 years or older. For more information, call the Fitness Center at 226-3607.

Caring for People

There will be a Caring for People Forum at the 48th Avenue Community Center on June 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All Airmen and dependents are encouraged to attend. To sign up, contact the Airman & Family Readiness Center at 226-3847.

SOAR Program

U.S. Air Forces in Europe Education and Training is accepting nominations for the Scholarships for Outstanding Airmen to ROTC until Sept. 1. Airmen selected will separate from the active-duty Air Force, join an Air Force ROTC detachment and become a full-time college student. The Air Force provides them with a tuition and fees scholarship of up to $18,000 per year, an annual textbook allowance of $900, and a monthly non-taxable stipend of $250 to $500. Students may not pay the difference to attend higher cost schools. This scholarship will be awarded for two to four years, depending on how many years one has remaining in the bachelor's degree program. Airmen with some or no college credit may apply for the program. A limited number of SOAR selects will be offered a scholarship with no tuition cap.

Upon graduation and completion of the program, the Airman will be commissioned as a second lieutenant and will return to active duty with military obligation of four years active or four years Reserve.

For more information, contact Rodney Jackson at 226-3707 or the Air Force ROTC, Recruiting Branch by phone at toll-free 1-866-4AFROTC (1-866-423-7682) or at www.afrotc.com.

Importing Vehicles to the U.K.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency no longer requires military members to obtain an original hard copy of their insurance certificates for imported registration purposes. Personnel can now print their insurance certificates by accessing their policy online; however, faxed, photocopied or scanned copies are still not accepted. For more information, contact the Pass and Registration Office at 226-1853.

Garage Sale Notice Board

The RAF Lakenheath Base Exchange and the RAF Mildenhall BXtra have recently implemented a garage sale notice board for Airmen to use to announce their sales. Information cards can be received from the customer service desks.

Air Force Club Scholarship Program

Air Force Club members and their families are eligible to participate in the 2011 Air Force Scholarship Program for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship. Participants must submit an essay on the topic "My Contribution(s) to the Air Force" in 500 words or less. Entry brochures can be picked up at the Liberty Club.

Garden Plots Available

Outdoor Recreation is offering garden plots at RAF Feltwell. Grow your own crops in the Fenland soils for only $20 per year. Annual fee includes plot and water access. Call 226-2146 for more information.

Armed Forces Network Outages

If you're having problems with your AFN base cable service, please contact base housing first. If your issue remains unresolved, please use your chain of command. Outages for RAF Mildenhall are being handled by the 100th Communication Squadron; outages for RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell are being handled by the 48th Communications Squadron. If you live on RAF Lakenheath, then report your trouble to afnoutage@lakenheath.af.mil or contact Rachel McKinlay at 226-3486. If you live on RAF Mildenhall, please send an email to afnoutage@mildenhal.af.mil or contact Charles Mutiva at 238-7385.

New satellite brings changes for off-base AFN users

Viewers of the American Forces Network who have a decoder and satellite dish at their home will need to reconfigure their equipment by July 31, according to program officials.

Because AFN's satellite delivery platform is changing from the current Hotbird 6/9 at 13 degrees east, to a new satellite, Eurobird 9A, at 9 degrees east.

The process of setting up a dish and readjusting a decoder varies according to the decoder model, location and other variables. Having a help desk and online materials is critical. Because of this, an AFN help desk has been set up and will be available until July 31. It will be manned Tuesdays to Fridays from 1 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Central European Time).

Viewers from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Belgium and most other European countries can call via a toll-free number (0)0800 2362683662 (00800 AFN ANTENNA).

Online manuals and videos are also available to help facilitate a smooth transition to the new satellite.

The changes should not affect those living on base and receiving AFN.

For more information, visit www.afneurope.net or call the AFN help desk at the number above.







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