Casemate Museum on Facebook

Fort Monroe’s Casemate Museum is now on Facebook. Keep up with the museum’s activities and enjoy historic imagery anytime. Log into Facebook and access the museum’s page by typing “Fort Monroe Casemate Museum” in the search box.

Future of Fort Monroe

The Historical and Archaeological Society of Fort Monroe will meet on Monday at 11:30 a.m. at the Golden Corral Restaurant, 1123 W. Mercury Boulevard, Hampton. The guest speaker will be the Deputy Director of the Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority, Conover Hunt, who will speak on “The Future of Fort Monroe.” This meeting is open to the public, and reservations are not required. For more information, contact David Johnson at 788-3935.

Soldier Readiness Processing

Annual Soldier Readiness Processing will take place Tuesday and Thursday, and April 20 and 21 at the Bay Breeze Community Center from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (lunch hours included). Soldiers are asked to check with Headquarters and Headquarters Company or their tenant chain of command for assigned specific dates and times. Soldiers also are asked to bring their ID card, medical records (including yellow shot record), prescription sunglasses with inserts and, if applicable, addresses and phone numbers of beneficiaries for Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance and DD Form 93 Record of Emergency Data (if changed). Credit will be given for the Periodic Health Assessment after the questionnaire is filled out on AKO and a copy printed for turn in at the SRP. For more information, call David Williams at 788-2260.

FMSCC Scholarships

Scholarship applications for the 2010-2011 academic year will be accepted by the Fort Monroe Spouses’ and Civilians’ Club until April 9. The scholarship is open to family members of active-duty military personnel stationed at Fort Monroe, club members and retirees. Application packets can be obtained from www.fmscc.org. Applications must be postmarked on or before April 9. For more information, e-mail imbenton5@hotmail.com. Awards will be announced no later than May 31.

Speakers Program

U.S. Joint Forces Command, located in Norfolk, Va., has an active speakers program and welcomes the opportunity to speak to civil clubs and organizations in the Hampton Roads region. USJFCOM speakers, military and civilian, are available to tell about their own experiences and to raise awareness of military and public service. To learn more about USJFCOM and to request a speaker for an upcoming meeting, contact the USJFCOM Public Affairs Community Relations office at 836-6555.

Welfare Funds

The Fort Monroe Thrift Shop is accepting requests for welfare funds until May 25. Requestors can either bring requests to the Thrift Shop or mail them to Peggy Mertz, 4010 Monitor Drive, Hampton, VA 23669. For more information, call 722-4348.

Pre-Retirement Brief

A Pre-Retirement Briefing will be conducted in the Fitness Center’s conference room on April 27 at 1 p.m. Soldiers who will retire or begin transition leave within the next six months are asked to attend the briefing if they have not already completed that requirement, in accordance with AR 600-8-7. Spouses are welcome to attend. During the Pre-Retirement Briefing, Soldiers will receive information relating to their rights and benefits before and after retirement. The briefing will include presentations by the Social Security Administration, TRICARE and Junior ROTC. Representatives of the Army Career Alumni Program will provide information concerning employment opportunities, career counseling and the transition from military to civilian life. To register for this briefing or to obtain more information, contact the Fort Monroe Retirement Services Officer, Verna St. John-Finch, at 788-2093.

The ROCKS, Inc.

The Hampton Roads Chapter of The ROCKS, Inc. will hold its next general membership meeting on Tuesday. The evening will begin with a social at 6 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the McGrew Towers Conference Center on Indian Road, Hampton University campus. This meeting will include another update on Fort Monroe and BRAC, presented by Fort Monroe Garrison Commander Col. Anthony Reyes. The ROCKS serves active duty and reserve officers, and ROTC cadets in the Hampton Roads area. Members also assist retired or former active duty and reserve component officers. For more information, call Capt. Courtney Gary at 788-6209.

Women in Defense

The first organizational meeting of Women in Defense Greater Hampton Roads is Thursday from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel, 725 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake. Guest speaker is Rear Adm. Michelle Howard, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two. Cost is $12 for members and $15 for non-members, and breakfast will be provided. Those interested are asked to RSVP no later than today by e-mailing walsh_jennifer@bah.com. For more information, visit http://wid.ndia.org/.

Day in the Life

Operation Military Kids will sponsor a three-day weekend youth camp in support of the Month of the Military Child for military children ages 9-13 from April 23 at 6 p.m. to April 25 at 2 p.m. Participants will explore and tour local Air Force, Army and Navy installations (including Fort Monroe) and experience a mock boot camp and deployment event to assist them in understanding what service members experience prior to mobilization. Children will create memory books, experience a day in the life of a service member and participate in a community service event to make “Hero Packs” to give moral support to youth and families of deployed service members. The cost is $10 for the weekend and a limited number of need-based scholarships are available. To RSVP and for more information, call 322-2679.

Veterans Day Poster

The Veterans Day National Committee is seeking submissions for the 2010 national Veterans Day poster. The poster is distributed to VA and military installations around the world, and will become the cover of the official program booklet for the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. A selection committee will convene in May to review submissions and select a finalist. The final poster must be 18-by-24 inches at 300 dots per inch, but poster contestants are asked to scale down their submissions to 9-by-12 inches and submit electronic versions as JPEG images or PDF files via e-mail to vetsday@va.gov. Alternatively, send copies of artwork or a CD with artwork files to: Department of Veterans Affairs (002C), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20420. Originals should not be sent. The deadline for submissions is May 1. To view Veterans Day posters from previous years, visit http://www.va.gov/vetsday and click on “Poster Gallery.”

Commissary Food Safety

Commissary customers don’t have to worry about food-safety-related recalls, according to the Defense Commissary Agency. Customers can be assured that a network of food safety specialists is working to make the food there the safest and most secure available. However, once shoppers take their food home, they still must ensure the food remains safe before they eat it. This is the message DeCA is emphasizing in April as part of its semi-annual food safety and defense awareness campaign. For more on food safety, visit www.commissaries.com and click on the gray “Stay Informed” box to find out about any recalls specifically affecting products sold in commissaries.