The White Falcon - 22.02.1985, Qupperneq 5

Photo by PH2 Jeff Wood
Be sure before being inspected
Vehicle inspections are now being conducted in the
Base Motor Pool Car Wash, building T-507 daily
through March 15 from 1:15 to 4 p.m. If you haven't
already had your car inspected, you may want to
check under the hood to see if everything is in
working order. Today's inspection will be held
on vehicles with JO-tags 2191-2250.
“Two-gather as one” was theme
of “World Marriage Day”
The Roman Catholic Community ce.ebrated "World
Marriage Day" on February 10 at a special 12:30
p.m. Mass held at the Chapel of Light. Father
Carl F. Peltz was the priest-celebrant and the
Catholic Guitar Choir led the singing. Father
Peltz's homily stressed the valuable witness mar-
riage offers to the world. Those married couples
present renewed their vows. After the Mass,
wedding cake was served in the Chapel Fellowship
Hall.
World Marriage Day began as "We Believe in
Marriage Day" in 1981 in Baton Rouge, La. In
1982, through the efforts of Worldwide Marriage
Encounter, the idea spread to 43 states and seven
countries overseas.
Bigger, more widely publicized local events
helped focus the day in 1983 and in 1984, over
60,000 couples representing more than one million
years of matrimony around the world signed couple
petitions attesting to their belief in marriage.
According to Father Peltz, "The theme for the
February 10 observance was "Two-gather As One"
which expressed a variety of ideas associated with
what the day attempted to proclaim to the world.
Two individuals gather as one when they marry then
strive to live a relationship built on unity.
The couple is a sign of unity and gives constant
witness to tohers calling them to strive for a
similar unity among themselves as well as with
God."
Top officials support
military retirement system
By J0C John Petersen from Navy and Air Force news
sources
On February 5 the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget, David Stockman, made a
statement about the military retirement system
that was widely reported in the American media.
Stockman had asked Congress to reduce military
retirement pay, calling it a "scandal" and an
"outrage." He also said Pentagon institutional
forces are more concerned about protecting their
pay than defending their country.
Both the Secretary of Defense, Caspar W. Wein-
berger, and the Secretary of the Air Force, Verne
Orr, immediately issued statements of rebuttal.
"Military personnel are far too dedicated to
the service of their country to be ‘more concern-
ed with their benefits than the national secur-
ity'," stated Secretary Weinberger.
"Based on my experience with troops of all
ranks ... I believe that the contribution that
these dedicated leaders have made ... should not
be defamed. America is fortunate indeed to be
served by men and women ... who gave up any self-
interest or sordid motives when they voluntarily
entered the military service."
Referring to Mr. Stockman's charges, Secretary
Orr said, "They hurt; and I think they were ill-
advised and ill-informed."
"The public has a great misconception about
the retirement system," he said. "They talk about
it being 50 percent of pay, but we all know that
retirement is computed only on base pay and does
not include allowances such as housing and sub-
sistence."
Secretary Weinberger noted that the military
retirement system has been reduced greatly. In
recent years military retirees have received only
half of the cost of living adjustment. In the
proposed FY-86 budget, retirees will receive no
cost of living allowance at all. He also pointed
out that people coming on active duty since 1980
have had their potential retirement benefits cut
by 12 percent.
Weinberger concluded by noting, "Military peo-
ple spend long periods of time away from home,
lose money every time they move, must send their
children to many different schools, must serve in
isolated posts without their families and very
often must risk, or give, their lives for their
country. The military compensation system -- in-
cluding retirement — is fair and by no means
lavish."
Secretary Orr expects other attacks on the re-
tirement system, but was encouraged by what Rep.
William L. Dickinson, R-Ala., told him. Rep.
Dickinson, ranking minority member of the House
Armed Services Correnittee, told the secretary that
he knows of no intention to change the retirement
system for people now on active duty.
February 22, 1985 The White Falcon
5