THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511210287
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
As I understand it, a military member can be buried in a military cemetery and his or her spouse may be buried in the same plot. If the retired military member elects to have his or her ashes scattered at sea, will the military do the same for the spouse?
Yes, this is possible. During peacetime and when granted permission, dependents or spouses of members and former members of the uniformed services are eligible for at-sea disposition from a ship with a casket or inurned cremains. Cremains may also be dispersed from an aircraft.
While we're on the topic, this eligibility also is extended to service members and retirees, service members discharged under honorable conditions, U.S. civilian marine personnel of the Military Sealift Command and other U.S. citizens who are determined eligible by the chief of naval operations for at-sea committal due to notable service or outstanding contributions to the United States.
For information about this program locally, contact the Decedent Affairs Division at 398-5585 or nationwide at 1-800-876-1131, ext. 629.
Where is the Harry S. Truman being built and what kind of ship is it?
The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman is under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding. Completion is scheduled for 1998.
Why doesn't the military offer life insurance for dependents?
According to Servicemen's Group Life Insurance, the policy is strictly set up for veterans only.
I was wondering if you could give me some information about the USS Valcour (AGF 1). I was stationed on it in 1969 in Bahrain and I was wondering what ever happened to the ship?
The command flagship Valcour, originally a seaplane tender, was decommissioned on Jan. 15, 1973, and sold by the Navy in May 1977. Before it was sold, the ship was transferred to the Navy's Inactive Ship Facility in Portsmouth to be used as a test-bed for electromagnetic tests held under the auspices of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Md. The Valcour was also used as a test ship for the Electromagnetic Pulse Radiation Environment Simulation for Ships facility at Solomons Island, Md.
Is the Biddle still in commission?
The Biddle, which started out as a destroyer and was later reclassified as a miscellaneous auxiliary, was decommissioned Oct. 5, 1945. by CNB