DATE: Thursday, April 17, 1997              TAG: 9704160696

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: MILITARY

                                            LENGTH:   64 lines

WEEKLY BRIEFING

IN GENERAL

HELO SALVAGE RESUMES: The Norfolk-based salvage ship Grasp will be off Cape Hatteras, N.C., today, attempting to retrieve the wreckage of a Florida-based Navy helicopter that vanished March 13 with four crew members aboard. The Grasp located the wreckage earlier this month and returned Tuesday to the site. It is scheduled to use a robotic diving unit to attach cables and lifting devices to the helicopter wreckage, which hoist it aboard. The Grasp and its 100-member crew will remain at the site indefinitely, weather permitting, officials said.

LANGLEY HISTORY TOUR: In honor of the Air Force's 50th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of flight operations at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, the 1st Fighter Wing will host a free history tour of the base at 2 p.m. April 25. The hour-long tour will leave Airpower Park on Mercury Boulevard and stop at the B-52 Park and Memorial Park. For reservations call 764-2018.

TRICARE PAYS: Military enlisted personnel, retirees and spouses are being asked to participate in four focus groups to test the clarity and readability of a new Tricare-Champus Handbook. Each participant will be paid $50. One group for spouses and active duty enlisted personnel will meet April 23 in Hampton. Those interested should call Nancy Fuller at 229-3065. Other groups, including active-duty enlisted, retired military and spouses, will meet April 24 in Virginia Beach. For those groups call Pam O'Dwyer at 518-0180.

LANTDIV SHARES HAMMER AWARD: The Norfolk-based Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic Division, is one of three federal agencies sharing a National Performance Review Hammer Award with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The agencies resolved a number of complex property issues involving more than 700 acres in Puerto Rico, including the long-standing presence of squatters on Navy property, plus the preservation of nearly 800 ecologically sensitive acres.

FORT MONROE'S ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVANCE: Environmental, state, local and military officials will participate in an Arbor Day, Earth Day and Keep Virginia Beautiful Day observance at Fort Monroe at 10:30 a.m. April 25 in front of the Post Exchange. Free tree seedlings will be donated by the Virginia Division of Forestry. The public is invited.

VET VOLUNTEERS HONORED: The Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hampton will honor 659 volunteers who contributed nearly 55,000 hours of service to Hampton Roads veterans in fiscal year 1996. An awards ceremony will be held at 1:15 p.m. April 27 at the Hampton Coliseum Holiday Inn. Jean Molchan of Hampton will be honored for giving more than 25,000 hours of service. Margaret Lampman, also of Hampton, will be honored for giving 22,500 hours. Aubrey Eaton and Annie Randolph will receive the VA Exceptional Honor Medallion Award and Silver Bowl Honor Award, respectively.

BEN MOREELL MODELS CLOSE: Tours of the Navy's new enlisted Ben Moreell model units will end April 25. Anyone interested in seeing the models before then may do so on weekdays at 1 p.m. Group tours may be arranged by calling the Ben Moreell housing office at 444-5851. Construction of the 388-family housing community is expected to be complete by summer's end.

RETIRED OFFICERS INSTALLED: The Hampton Roads Chapter of the Retired Officers Association will meet at 6:30 tonight at the Little Creek Officers Club where the following slate of recently installed officers and directors will be honored: Capt. Ronald Bauman, president; Capt. Donald Trueblood, 1st vice president; Cmdr. William Blumling, 2nd vice president; Lt. Cmdr. Homer Cook, secretary; Lt. Cmdr. Dale Boeckman, treasurer; Cmdr. Harrell Peterson, assistant treasurer. Directors are: Col. Tel Holt, immediate past president, Capt. Gardiner Haight, Lt. Col. Stephen Palko, Capt. Richard Pearsall, Capt. Robert Testwuide, Capt. Andrew Barnett and Cmdr. Thomas Holes.

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