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NEWS BRIEFS
New VA Clinic Opening in Middleburg
Photo courtesy of the Department of VA
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The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that area Veterans will soon have access to a new Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinic. On Tuesday, September 15, 2020 the doors will open at the new Middleburg VA Clinic, located at 400 College Drive, Suite 200, Middleburg, Florida 32068.
The new 19,999 square foot clinic will include the following services: primary care, mental health, specimen collection, selected specialty services via Telehealth, and intensive mental health care management services. “We are excited to open a new facility for Veterans in Clay County and surrounding communities,” said Thomas Wisnieski, Director, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System.
Veterans enrolled in VA Health Care may transfer their care to the Middleburg VA Clinic by contacting 904-475-5800, option 0. Veterans may enroll for comprehensive health care services by contacting the enrollment office at 352-548-6000 ext. 106723. Online registration is also available at www.VA.gove, which includes information regarding benefits.
Captain Kirk Beams into Space Force’s Rank Debate
Photo courtesy of the Dept. of Defense
As the nation’s newest military branch develops everything from uniforms and logos to missions and staffing structure, Star Trek’s very own Captain James T. Kirk beamed himself into a debate about the U. S. Space Force’s rank designations.
An Air Force “spin-off,” the nation’s sixth military service is exploring ways to establish its own unique identity. When William Shatner, the actor who played Kirk on “Star Trek,” learned about their use of the Air Force ranking system, he wrote to the ArmedForcesMedia.mil service on Twitter. “Is this up for debate? I think I’d like to debate the issue.” Shatner asserts the service should employ Navy rankings, using “captain” and “admiral” instead of “colonel” and “general.”
The debate has legs as the House of Representatives passed an amendment that directs the use of Navy ranks—appropriately nicknamed the “Starfleet Amendment.” The final decision will have to be reconciled with the U. S. Senate’s version of the Authorization Act.
Stars and Stripes and Military Healthcare Survive Budget Axe
Following orders from President Donald Trump, the Pentagon has rescinded its order to dissolve the 158 year old military news service, Stars and Stripes, and slash $2.2 billion in spending from the military health care system.
At a press conference, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the media organization’s budget was eliminated and he proposed cutting of health care funding “because we need to invest that money, as we did with many, many other programs, into higher-priority issues.”
Although funded by the DoD, Stars and Stripes is editorially independent and has served as the hometown news source for America’s deployed Servicemembers since the Civil War. Now published in print and online, Stripes serves the Pacific and European theatres as well as producing a limited circulating U. S. edition.
Another Navy Warship Now Calls The Liberty Coast Home
Photo by Lance Davis/HII
Set to be formally commissioned on September 26, 2020 in Port Canaveral, Florida, the future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) recently arrived at its soon-to-be homeport, Naval Station Mayport. The ship’s namesake is a Pearl Harbor survivor who rose through the ranks to serve as the first master chief petty officer of the entire Navy.
Delbert D. Black is a multimission warship of the Arleigh Burke class using the Aegis combat-radar system. As the mainstay of the Navy’s surface fleet, these warships perform anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine operations. They carry Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles, surface-to-air missiles, torpedos, a naval gun, anti-submarine rockets and a helicopter.
The Navy has over 60 of these multimission destroyers and hopes to have many more. At over 500 feet long and 66 feet wide, the ship can power through the ocean in excess of 30 knots, and it carries a crew of around 300 Sailors and 30 officers.
This particular ship costs a little extra to build. According to the Navy Times, a ship collided with a barge that collided with the future DDG119, causing $31 million in damages. While the crew was not aboard the ship, some ship workers received minor injuries. Today, she is ready to join the fleet. The Liberty Coast welcomes USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and her crew!
Provided by The Institute of Heraldry
