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FRA BRANCH 126 NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2018
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PRESIDENT PRESIDENTFRA BRANCH 126 & SE Region West Jax FR HALL INCJAMES J. THOMAS ALVIN D. [email protected] [email protected] 291-1575 Phone 264-6270
VICE PRESIDENT UNIT 126 PRESIDENTHERMAN ELROD VERALYN [email protected] [email protected] 655-2211 Phone 291-1575
SECRETARY FRA Regional PresidentMARTHA KLINIKOWSKI James J. [email protected] [email protected] 342-5032 Phone 291-1575
TREASURER / EDITOR MEMBERSHIPWILLIAM T. KULIER EDWARD H. [email protected] [email protected] 771-5237 Phone 269-3845
ADDRESS ALL MAIL TO: FLEET RESERVE HALL, 7673 BLANDING BLVD, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32244-5111
HALL TELEPHONE (904) 771-2126 BRANCH WEB SITE: www.westjaxfrabranch126.org
FEBRUARY 2018 EDITIONNOTICE: The items or opinions published in the Branch 126 Newsletter are those of the contributor of thatparticular article, and not necessarily that of the Editor, FRA Branch 126 Inc., or the Fleet Reserve Association.
FEBRUARY 2018Monday 05 Feb 1930 West Jax Inc Board of Directors meeting
Wednesday 07 Feb 1930 Branch Board of Directors meeting
Wednesday 14 Feb All Day Happy Valentine’s Day
Thursday 15 Feb 2000 Branch meeting
Friday / Sat 22/25 Feb FRA SER Mid-Year Convention (below)
MARCH 2018Wednesday 07 Mar 1930 Branch Board of Directors meeting
Monday 05 Mar 1930 West Jax Inc. Board of Directors meeting
Thursday 15 Mar 1930 Americanism Awards & Branch meeting
Saturday 17 Mar 1600 Happy Patrick’s Day
Attention Shipmates and widows of former Shipmates: Your Branch 126 newsletter is available via
email, snail mail and the Branch Web site at www.westjaxfrabranch126.org. Emailed newsletters save timeand money. They also come in color and you get them about 10 days sooner than the mailed newsletters. Isend them in PDF so they are easy to download. Contact me at [email protected] if you would like to trythe email version of the newsletter. Bill Kulier, Editor
The 2018 SER Mid-Year Convention will be in Birmingham/Trussville, Alabama on 23 and 24
February! All activities will be held at the Courtyard Marriott, 3665 Roosevelt Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35235.
The room rate is $99.00 + tax per night. Reservations must be made by 15 February directly with the hotel by
calling (205) 661-2280. Specify you are making yiour reservation for Fleet Reserve Association Mid-Year.
Additional information is available on the Bulletin Board in the Hall and on the Branch Web Site.
The Ladies of LAFRA Unit 126 are no longer collecting used Pill Bottles!
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Transitioning service members and veterans can now receive upto a year of mental health care from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department after dischargefrom the service, according to an executive order President Donald J. Trump signed on January 10, 2018.
The Korean War Veteran’s Association meets at the Branch Hall on the 4th Tuesday of each month. The hallopens at noon and the meeting starts at 1300. The POC is Shipmate Henry Moreland at (904) 384-2031.
The Shipmates of Branch 126 Salute
Shipmate STCS Albert N. Ochsfor achieving 40 years of continuous membership
in the FRA. Well Done Shipmate!
FRA BRANCH 126 NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2018
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THE PRESIDENT’S CORNERJAMES J. THOMAS …….… (904) 291-1575
1. The Americanism Essays were graded atthe Hall on Saturday, 6 January 2018 withresults as follows:
The 7th and 8th grade winners are all from
Epiphany Catholic School in Lake City, FL.
The 7th Grade Winners are:1st Place Kaylee Lamberson2nd Place Weston Crews3rd Place Joshea Jahvey
The 8th Grade Winners are:1st Place Adrienne Foreman2nd Place Zane Hollingsworth3rd Place Hannah Louis
The 10th, 11th and 12th Grade Winners are all
from Tascos High School in Amarillo, Texas.
The 10th Grade Winners are:1st Place Anthony Barbaro2nd Place Josiah Gulierrez3rd Place Zander Cortez
The 11th Grade winners are:1st Place Luke Rogers2nd Place Bianca Arreola3rd Place Katherine Stanley
The 12th Grade Winners are:1st Place Zack Boeka2nd Place Rozhin Zahrouni3rd Place Whisper King
Most of the entered essays were done bystudents outside the Jacksonville, FL areawho found the contest either online or onthe Branch web site.The 1st place winning Essays for each gradewill be forwarded for judging at the FRASoutheast Regional Convention in February.The Regional Winners will be forwarded
for judging at the FRA Nationalheadquarters!
Yours in Loyalty, Protection and Service:James J. Thomas
YOUTH ACTIVITIESJACK ELROD ……………………. (904) 655-2211
Many thanks to the Shipmates who steppedforward to grade the Academic PostalCompetition entries received from 144 teamsrepresenting NJROTC units all over the USA.
The top six teams in the Branch 126 NJROTC
Academic Postal Competition
received plaques with the
cadets’ names and scores
engraved on them. Each cadet
received a medal with Ribbon.
The Top Scoring Cadet on
each Team received a 2nd
award; a Gold Medal.
The winners in the Mixed Category are:1st Place - Gaither NJROTC from Tampa, FLwith 409 out of 500 points.2nd Place - Oviedo NJROTC from Oviedo, FLwith 362 out of 500 points.3rd Place - Boca Raton NJROTC from BocaRaton, FL with 358 out of 500 points.
The winners in the Naval Science OneCategory for 1st year NJROTC students are:1st Place - H.V. Jenkins NJROTC fromSavannah, Ga with 354 out of 500 points.2nd Place - Smithson Valley NJROTC fromSpring Branch, TX with 271 out of 500 points.3rd Place - Boca Raton NJROTC from BocaRaton, FL with 253 out of 500 points.
Jack Elrod
THE Treasurers ColumnBill Kulier (904) 771-5237
1. Branch 126 works on a Fiscal Year startingon 1 July and ending on 30 June each year.2. In July we made a $100 donation to the
FRA Branch in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.3. In August we made a $300 donation to a
local high school NJROTC Unit.4. In October we made donations of $100
each to the Navy/Marine Corps ReliefSociety, K-9”s for Warriors and the USO.We made a $75 donation to Wreathsacross America and $500 to local NJROTCUnits.
5. In December we made a $500 donation
to a local youth Baseball Team.
FRA BRANCH 126 NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2018
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1. The Branch meeting on 18 January 2018
was chaired by Branch/ Regional President
SE, James J. Thomas. The following
Shipmates signed the log: Al Peter, Bill
Kulier, Kenneth Feezor, Elmer Wine, Ed
Gribbin, Ralph Wilson, Donald Rodely,
Johnnie Odom, Bud German, Dave Burris,
Donald Walsh and William Walsh.
Navy Updates PFA Separation Policy
The Navy announced revisions to the
Physical Readiness Program separation
policy, directing commands to discontinue
processing Sailors for separation as a result
of Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA)
failures and providing guidance on how to
handle Sailors with approved separations in
NAVADMIN 304/17, Dec. 21.
The goal of the Navy's physical readiness
program is to maintain a minimum prescribed
level of fitness necessary for world-wide
deployment and to maintain a Sailor's long-
term health and wellness.
IN MEMORY OF OURDEPARTED SHIPMATE
Shipmate MS1 Amadeo C. Jimenez, USN,Retired, age 86, an FRAmember since 1985,reported to the Staff of theSupreme Commander on 29May 2017.His passing was reported
to the Branch by his wife,Allene. Petty Officer Jimenez was a residentof Jacksonville, Florida.
FLAG SALESAl Peter ……………………..……. (904) 777-0781
All Nylon and the Cotton Bulldog flags havesewn stars & stripeswhile the otherCotton flags haveprinted stars &stripes. We have thefollowing flags instock.3x5’ Nylon Flag---$22.004x6’ Nylon Flag--- $30.005x8’ Nylon Flag--- $44.008x12” Nylon Flag -110.003x5’ Nylon POW/MIA Flag---- $ 25.00we have a few Navy, Marine Corps andCoast Guard 3x5 Flags in stock for $22.00.
Shipmate Al Peter at the Branch Christmasget together in December 2017.
INCOME TAX PREPARATION
The IRS article on page 4 was inspired by
the following Email I received from
Shipmate Nelson.
“I volunteer with a program called “Tax-
Aide” sponsored by IRS and the AARP
Foundation. We are tested and certified by
IRS. We provide FREE tax assistance to the
low and moderate income and elderly.
Our work begins February 1, 2018 and
extends through the end of the tax
season, April 17, 2018.
There are many sites throughout Duval and
Clay counties. To locate a site near you, go
to https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep.”
Arvid Nelson
The Editor’s ColumnBill Kulier (904) 771-5237
FRA BRANCH 126 NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2018
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IR-2018-01, Jan. 04, 2018
The IRS will begin accepting tax returns on Jan. 29, with nearly 155 million individual tax returns
expected to be filed in 2018. The nation’s tax deadline will be April 17 this year. The IRS set the Jan.
29 opening date to ensure the security and readiness of key tax processing systems in advance of
the opening and to assess the potential impact of tax legislation on 2017 tax returns.
The IRS reminds taxpayers that, by law, the IRS cannot issue refunds claiming the Earned Income
Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) before mid-February. While the IRS will
process those returns when received, it cannot issue related refunds before mid-February.
Refunds in 2018 - Choosing e-file and direct deposit for refunds remains the
fastest and safest way to file an accurate income tax return and receive a refund.
The IRS expects more than four out of five tax returns will be prepared
electronically using tax software.
The Where's My Refund? tool on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go phone app will be updated with projected
deposit dates for early EITC and ACTC refund filers in late February, so those filers will not see a
refund date on Where's My Refund? or through their software packages until then. The IRS, tax
preparers and tax software will not have additional information on refund dates, so Where’s My
Refund? remains the best way to check the status of a refund.
IRS Offers Help for Taxpayers - The IRS reminds taxpayers they have a variety of options to get
help filing and preparing their tax return on IRS.gov, the official IRS website. Taxpayers can find
answers to their tax questions and resolve tax issues online. The Let Us Help You page helps answer
most tax questions.
Taxpayers can go to IRS.gov/account to securely access information about their federal tax account.
They can view the amount they owe, pay online or set up an online payment agreement; access their
tax records online; review the past 18 months of payment history; and view key tax return information
for the current year as filed. Visit IRS.gov/secureaccess to review the required identity authentication
process.
In addition, 70 percent of the nation’s taxpayers are eligible for IRS Free File. Commercial partners of
the IRS offer free brand-name software to about 100 million individuals and families with incomes of
$66,000 or less. The online fillable forms provide electronic versions of IRS paper forms to all
taxpayers regardless of income that can be prepared and filed by people comfortable with completing
their own returns.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) offer free tax help
to people who qualify. Go to IRS.gov and enter “free tax prep” in the search box to learn more
and find a nearby VITA or TCE site, or download the IRS2Go smartphone app to find a free tax
prep provider. If eligible, taxpayers can also locate help from a community volunteer. Go to IRS.gov
and click on the Filing tab for more information.
The IRS also reminds taxpayers that a trusted tax professional can provide helpful information and
advice. Tips for choosing a return preparer and details about national tax professional groups are
available on IRS.gov.
Editor’s Note: I condensed this article so it would fit in this newsletter. This and many morearticles and assistance are available at www.irs.gov.
A husband and wife who worked for the circus went to an adoption agency. The social workers there raiseddoubts about their suitability. The couple then produced photos of their 50-foot motor home, which wasclean and well maintained and equipped with a beautiful nursery.
The social workers then raised concerns about the education a child would receive while in the couple's care."We've arranged for a full-time tutor who will teach the child all the usual subjects along with French,Mandarin, and computer skills.
Then the social workers expressed concern about a child being raised in a circus environment. "Ournanny will be a certified expert in pediatric care, welfare, and diet."
The social workers were finally satisfied. Then she asked, "What age child are you hoping to adopt?""It doesn't really matter... as long as the kid fits in the canon”.
FRA BRANCH 126 NEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2018
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We thank Shipmate Elmer Wine for all the great pictures he took during the Branch Christmasget-together in December 2017.
Iris & Donald Rodely
FFlorence Kulier
Shipmate Ralph Wilson
Shipmate Johnnie Odom
Florence Kulier
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the White House VA
Hotline, first launched in June as part of President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reforming VA, is
now fully staffed with live agents working to serve Veterans 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
The hotline, which became 24-hour operational in mid-October, is now staffed by a team consisting of
90 percent Veterans or employees who have a Veteran family member, and is in response to Veterans’
requests to talk to agents who could relate to their experiences.
The hotline can be accessed at 855-948-2311 and is VA’s first non-clinical, non-emergency around-the-
clock call center. It provides Veterans a supplemental option to report issues if they are not being
addressed through VA’s normal customer service channels.
Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked
anyway…
Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
