Town Hall Meeting Sept. 12


TOWN HALL MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

The purpose of this transcript is to provide a record of questions asked and the responses given during the town hall meeting held Sept. 12, 2013. Gen. VanHerck hosts quarterly town halls to offer an open forum for discussion between wing leadership and Team Dyess. This format allows the commander to engage face-to-face with members of the Dyess community, who are encouraged to ask questions, voice concerns and provide feedback directly to him. Gen. VanHerck believes that this dialogue provides base leaders with valuable insight that is used to improve communication and teamwork at Dyess, thereby ensuring that Airmen and their families are being taken care of.

Question: Through privatized housing will we have civilians living on base?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck, 7th Bomb Wing commander) It's possible, but in the end, that is all up to the installation commander. Ultimately, I have the say on who can and cannot live on this base. So anybody who will live in the houses on base, I will have to sign off on and they will have to go through background checks. Before civilians could move on base, our housing would first have to go below an occupancy rate of 95 percent for 90 days, at which point housing would go to single military members first, then guard, reserve, civilians that are government employees and retirees before any civilian could rent a house on base.
  • (Follow-up information provided by Balfour Beatty Communities) Base housing is targeted towards military members, enlisted and officers, with dependents. Currently, civilian government employees may not apply for on-base housing, and there are no plans to allow them to do so. However, you may have heard of the waterfall system used at many installations with privatized housing, whereby if occupancy falls below 95%, there are other categories of individuals who would qualify to live in on-base housing, including government civilian employees, retirees and single Airmen. As long the occupancy stays at or above 95%, base housing will remain family housing only.
Question: You were talking about things getting closed, is there any way that retirees or even active duty members and their spouses can give money or is there anything else we can do?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Well, you can be a club member. Being a club member opens up all kinds of things that folks can utilize. What I would encourage you to do, is let other people know that these benefits that we've had for years and years are in jeopardy unless we partake in using them. When we say the club, we're really doing an injustice. We should say joint morale, welfare and recreation system.

Question: Back when I was in the military, if my squadron had extra money that we hadn't spent we would give it back to the base. Why can't each squadron, if they're not using all of their money, give it to the areas that need it? For instance, the library closing, why can't they give that money to that and keep it open?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Well, Congress specifies what we can and can't use that money for, and that's really a legal question. We can't take certain types and colors of money and convert it into something else. When money comes to the base, funds are appropriated by Congress. It is appropriated with what they call colors of money, and there are only certain things you can use it for, and right now they are scrutinizing that more than ever. So when a squadron ends up with a little extra money, I wish I could divert it, but I can't.
Question: (Regarding being a club member) How much money is taken out of the card? Who's the president? Who's the vice president? What is their plan once I give them the money? I don't want to have them use it on say the golf course; I would want it to go to the library first. Before I give money, I'd like to see a cost analysis. If we got 1,000 members, will that keep our library open? If we get 500 members, will that keep our pool open? I would like to see a plan. I don't want to give my money, and then have them go and get new guns for the paintball field.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) I understand what you are saying, but if you would like to give to a specific entity, then I'll have to look at the legalities of what you can donate to a specific place on base. As a member of the club what you do is pay a monthly due, based on your rank. It gets charged to your club credit card and you pay the bill on your credit card every month. You don't have to utilize that credit card for anything if you don't want. You can utilize it if you need to, it's another credit card. I can't say that the money you pay every month can go specifically into the library or to another facility. To answer your question of can we keep all these things open, what you're asking for is probably around $250K for a year to keep the library and pools open. Based on rank, let's say an average of $10 a month, you're going to need roughly 2,500 people to join the club to give us to give us 25,000 dollars a month into the morale, welfare and recreation fund to open the pools and library.

Question: So for library you're going to need to have at least 2,500 people to become club members?

Answer:
  • That's for the pools and the library, just looking at what kind of money that it would take to infuse in per year. We have 5,000 people on this base and we have some retirees that we can pull from. With a 15 percent membership rate right now, you're looking at 750 club members right now, that's all. So you're talking about getting an additional 2,000 members. Let me tell you something about the pools; you will not believe the hate-mail I got about the pools being closed. The community stepped up, and one individual donated $5,000 out of their pocket. The Military Affairs Committee got together and raised money to buy tickets to use the pools in the city of Abilene. Three thousand tickets were given to Dyess Air Force Base. Do you know how many tickets were taken? Three hundred and nine. It's really disappointing returning to the city using only 10 percent of the money that they donated out of their pockets. That's quite embarrassing for me as the installation commander.

Question: (Airmen and Family Readiness Center Member) I didn't see any PR for the pool tickets until people came and asked us or there might have been a better circulation with that.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) I will tell you that I am very confident that information made it out through numerous sources, including directly from squadron commanders and first sergeants to active duty members on this base. It was on our website, our Facebook page, the marquee and the Commander's Access Channel.
Question: Why can't we bring back the system where everyone had to be a member of the club?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) My lawyers are going to tell me that I cannot make it mandatory.
  • (Representative from Legal) There's actually a higher level legal opinion from the Department of the Air Force, in fact every service, saying that you can't mandate club membership for active duty members or anyone else. It goes back to what Gen. VanHerck was talking about earlier with the various colors of money. The club activities are technically a morale fund activity, primarily supported by non-appropriated funds, and for that reason it was determined way back that we could not make club membership mandatory.
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) I can't tell people to join the club, but what I can do is tell folks that come up and complain about things. I'm going to ask them if they are members of the club and when they say no, I'm going to tell them they don't have the right to complain about it.
Question: Well our library is the most used library in Air Combat Command.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) We did the numbers and you're talking 60 people or less a day used that library. I would say give the money out to other places like the fitness center or the Base Exchange food court. I'm not saying the library isn't important, what I'm saying is there aren't thousands of people that go through those doors every day.
Question: Can we change the construct of the club back to how it used to be in order to generate a profit?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) We changed the funding code for the club so that we could use different types of money. What that enabled us to do was to use caterers from downtown to change it to an event center. The reason that we did that was because there is a bill for $120K dollars to pay for the renovation of the kitchen. Let me tell you that our medical group shut it down for public health concerns. We could not open it legally and cook without causing health concerns, because the freezers don't keep at the proper temperature and other things. The facility is actually kind of dilapidated; we have some concerns there with proper sanitary conditions, so it's going to take a significant of money. That would be the first challenge uphill of almost $200K to renovate the club or to get to where we can turn it back to what you were talking about. Am I confident that people will use it? I am not. So you spend that money, and what we're talking about is changing the culture of thousands of individuals that live on this base and our entire Air Force to go back to utilizing a club where we can serve lunch, dinner, brunches on the weekends, holiday meals and those kinds of things. I don't see that happening.
Question: Where would the increase of funds go? Would it go to funding the club or would it go to funding other projects on this base that we are currently using?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Correct me if I'm wrong Mission Support Group, but the Non-appropriated funds council decides how you use those funds.
  • (Col. Brian Yates, 7th Mission Support Group commander) The NAF council is a committee where we take in to consideration all the activities overall. Everything is competing for money such as outdoor recreation, the golf course, the library, the Child Development Center. All these things compete for the same standard pot of money, and I'll tell you that pot of money is really small right now. If we don't have things that are self-sustaining or close to it that we think can at least cover the cost of operating and still provide a service, then we don't really have a choice where we can spend that money.
Question: If I become a member, you could decide if we're going to give the golf course money because it is self-sustaining, unlike the library? So you guys decide where the money goes? So if you and your families don't use the library and you don't value it, and 2,500 people become club members, it could still leave the library closed. Is that what I'm hearing you say?

Answer:
  • (Col. Yates) Theoretically, yes, that's true, but believe it or not, Gen. VanHerck shares a lot of the e-mails and concerns people send in. I don't want to close the library, but the library is all cost and it's not a small cost. If programs don't make money and aren't being funded, they will be cut.
Question: With the library closing, will the College Level Examination Program study material still be available?

Answer:
  • (Col. Yates) The study materials you are talking about are going to go to the Education Center, but unless we can re-open the library those materials won't be updated.
  • (Audience member) There are opportunities to be found downtown. There are enough agencies, businesses and service organizations that offer things to military members. For example, there is a 4-H program that the Department of Defense has a contract with the Texas A&M University just for military kids. There is a mentoring program the DoD has sponsored just for military kids. We are military wives, we adapt. If something changes, like if the library closes, yeah, it stinks, but we're going to find something else to do. We can do this. We have a great relationship with the community here in Abilene, Texas. I don't understand why we're not getting more use of it. There is a great library downtown that isn't busy most of the time. We just have to tighten the belt. I think we just have to adapt and change our approach.
Question: This library has been cultivated for decades for the homeschooling community, whereas the other libraries around here, I can use the library off base, but they don't have the same great resources for homeschooled children. These libraries have resources for the military family who move in and homeschool and are looking for and are looking for community, like who to contact, and what resources are out there, whereas the other three libraries that are in the city, don't have any of that.

Answer:
  • You know we'll take action and see if we can work with our Military Affairs Committee to see if we can get some of the libraries, or maybe even a library, to maybe look at what you're talking about: supporting the homeschooling community better. I just want you to know, by the way, that Dyess isn't the only base closing its library. Almost all bases in Air Combat Command are closing their libraries, so don't feel like we're the only ones in this situation. Everybody is in the same boat. So we need to work with the local community, like you were talking about, to see if we can help foster a better homeschooling environment downtown.
  • (President of the Dyess Spouses' Club) I just wanted those of you who are out in the community to know that I am Angela Witkosky, president of the Dyess Spouses' Club. Last year and the year before, combined, we raised about $60,000 that we gave away. A lot of it we gave to the base community, and a big chunk to the library, and with that gap in services that we might have, we are anticipating maybe we might have an increase in request for funds. We would love to provide CLEP materials to those for the Education Center. Now, I'm not sure about all that homeschooling material and I'm not sure about those types of costs, but any individual can solicit the Dyess Spouses' Club. If there is a need, especially with education and families, that's kind of our deal. So if there are needs that arise from services that are being removed because of sequestration, there is a chance that we can help. I know you might think "Oh no, they wouldn't", but you'd be surprised, we very often do.
Question: My supervisor is holding it against me that I do not own my own cellphone. I just finished technical school and don't have a phone yet, and do not know if I want to get one. Can they make me get a private cellphone?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) No, we can't make you get a private cellphone. However, military members do have a responsibility to make sure that we are able to contact them in times of need. So, what we ask is that they have some way we can get ahold of them. Whether it be a home phone, cell phone or something, but the answer is no, we can't force you. Now if we put you in a position where we expect you to be available 24 hours a day, kind of like I am, then the government should provide you with a cell phone, and you can carry it with you. We can't make you get your own phone.
Question: I was recently at a commander's call and they showed a very graphic slideshow on sexually transmitted infections. It was offensive to see the private areas of people with the disease. Is there a better way to get to the point across without being so crude?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Well, to be honest with you, because I didn't see the picture, it's hard for me to understand if it was appropriate or inappropriate. If you're concerned about it being inappropriate, I would make sure that you express your concern through your supervisor, your first sergeant or somebody about the appropriateness of whatever it was. It's hard for me to comment when I didn't see it. The reason we show that is obviously to show the concerns and the challenges that folks need to be aware of. Quite frankly folks, I'll be honest with you, some of our youngsters coming into our society through the military are not quite aware of what all faces them in the world out there, and so sometimes the shock treatment is a fairly good way of doing that. Although the person that may be offended by that may be well educated, the person next to them may not be. Sometimes we've got to shock their systems to make them understand that they can get a "gift" for life, so be careful.
Question: Is there a dress code for government workers on base rather than clean and neat? I was at the Family Support Center and one of the ladies was unprofessionally dressed. Her skirt was so short I would hate to see her when she sits, and her blouse was so low, even my children commented on her outfit. The public and kids don't need to see this.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. Vanherck) The answer, I believe, is there is only a dress code for our firefighters and security guards, because we purchase their uniforms and tell them what to wear. We ask that civilians dress professionally and if they are not, I would encourage anyone that feels that they're not professionally dressed to either bring it up to that individual or somebody that works in that place of employment so we can address the issue. I will tell you that what one person views as inappropriate, the next person may not view as inappropriate. If it is inappropriate, I would hope that the leadership or the supervisor had already taken care of that issue versus a customer coming into a facility. I appreciate folks coming forward and raising those questions, because we need that.
Question: What are the plans for the part of the Old Heritage Club that is now blocked off? They recently spent a lot of money renovating the dining area, and bought new kitchen equipment and I would hate to see it all go to waste.

Answer: 
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Although we paid extensive money and bought new equipment, we are still in need of more the $100,000 to update that kitchen further. So that part of the club is going to be mothballed for now and the next few years most likely, until we can get a long term plan for the future. We're not going to do away with it right now; we'll see what transpires over the coming years. I would be hopeful that after this meeting, we'll magically have 5,000 new club members, but I'm not confident that is going to happen.
Question: Sir, I would like to know when the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Specialist position is being posted and how the position is going to be filled? Example - is it being filled internally or externally? Also, when do you anticipate hiring for the position?

Answer:
 
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) That position was posted and hired already. That position was advertised weeks ago or more than a month ago, and we hired a person from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. to come and take that job. That person had already been doing that job at Ellsworth.
Question: I work in the Military Personnel Flight and what was actually on my mind was some parking lots at the MPF. I don't think that anyone's ever noticed this, but it goes pretty far back. There are no hills or stop signs at the exit and a lot of people don't pay attention or they're looking the opposite direction and don't see other cars coming. I see a lot of accidents, I'm surprised there aren't more accidents, actually.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Col. Yates, can you do me a favor and have your folks go look at that. Maybe we can put a stop sign in the parking lot. I think the right of way would be for the folks coming parallel to the contracting squadron. Let me just come back to that. Every day, I see people driving way above the speed limits in parking lots. Do you know what the speed limit is in parking lots? I think its ten miles per hour.
Question: Balfour Beatty Communities is going to build a pool for the housing community, is it possible for them to purchase or acquire the base pool instead?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) The answer is no. I'd have to go to legal to figure out the exact regulation, but that is property of the government. We won't be able to sell it or lease it to them.
Question: Will civilian government workers ever be able to buy things at the Base Exchange? That might help with the money flow.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) That is not a local decision for me to make.
  • (AAFES Representative) Civilian government workers can buy certain things from the BX, and can go to the Express and buy everything except alcohol, tobacco and gasoline.
Question: I know that AAFES is challenged a little bit with funding across the Air Force, are you all looking to make any changes or policy changes to increase your revenue stream or what have you all got going on?

Answer: 
  • (AAFES Representative) Well, we're working on opening the Subway. Right now they're doing the floor plan for it.

Question: So that's a change in the food court, what about a change to the facility itself? To maybe cater to different age groups or anything like that? I'm assuming that AAFES has some concerns with revenue dropping like we do. So are you guys talking actively about changing anything at all?

Answer:
  • (AAFES Representative) Right now, you all know our facility is smaller than what you're used to. However, you can request some merchandise that we don't carry on a regular basis and we can get it to you from other bases. Also, we're working on the shopmyexchange.com. They're putting a lot of money into innovating the website, to where if you can't get it at the Exchange level, you can buy it online.

Question: You're not replacing anything with Subway, are you?

Answer: 
  •  Yes, we're replacing the Anthony's Pizza and the Robin Hood.

Question: I noticed that our squadron has a barber's shop coming, and that's cool, but I was just curious as far as the money goes, I see a lot of Airmen struggling you know, trying to run on the treadmill and then having to go and grab their baby. Why wouldn't we do like a childcare or something in the gym?

Answer:
  • (FSS representative) Well, we kind of had the barber shop in this place formerly called the club, so we were looking for a facility that would have more attraction to increase sales for the barbershop, which is why the fitness center actually wasn't opposed. We did have a smaller parent and child room in the fitness center and we opened a new one. As far as putting in a baby-sitting service or something like that, it's not really an option as long as we don't have money to support it. The Child Development Center is on base, so it kind of competes with that.
Question: People are still cutting off people in the round-a-bout and it may cause an accident. Can it be monitored more by Security Forces?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Hey, I have the same problem. People still cut me off. The traffic circle is inappropriately marked and we're going to try to fix that. At every Right Start we brief the rules of the traffic circle. Folks should understand them by now. The question: Can Security Forces do more monitoring? I've had both Wing Safety and Security Forces to go out there. We can monitor it more, but to be honest with you, I need Security Forces defending the base, not defending the traffic circle.
Question: The exterior stairs to the Airman Leadership School/First Term Airman Center building are torn up and dangerous, can they be repaired?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Yes, they can be repaired. I'll have someone go take a look and see if they need immediate attention. I go up those stairs quite regularly and I haven't found them to be unsafe. They're not in great condition, but I'm not sure they're unsafe.
Question: How do we make the younger generation see the value of the club or anything else? Why shouldn't they just go off base for their stuff?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) That's why I'm here. That's why I had four Commander's Calls last week. That's why I go to every FTAC class. That's why I go to every ALS Class. That's why I go to Non-Commissioned Officer's Professional Development courses. It's mentoring and talking about the value of these types of things. I talk to them about serving their country and this great institution first, not themselves. In the end, people are going to have to make their own decisions. Do they have that three dollars a month? Do they have that ten dollars a month? Or in my case about seventeen dollars a month to be a member, not everybody does. Some people struggle to feed their kids. It's a personal decision. All we can do is mentor them and talk about the value, heritage, culture, camaraderie, and the blood, sweat and tears. The things that have happened in the past and that are getting away from us. Quite frankly, the things we don't have much anymore that we used to enjoy. That's all we can do, and I would ask everybody to do that. Not just me, but everybody.

Question: What message can you give to encourage them to be part of the club? How can we make them see how it helps out the base community?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) That's a great question. When I get the question "Why should I be a club member when it doesn't do anything for me?" I try to get them to not think about it as an individual. I try to get them to think about it for the institution and country they serve, for the things that it offers their squadron or flight, so that you can have a facility to go to, essentially free of charge that's on base, where you can stumble out of and have the ability to get to a room if you want. Downtown you don't have the same luxury. If you walk out you're possibly going to get caught for public intoxication. Talk to them about service before self. Talk to them about being something bigger than themselves, something bigger than what does it do for me? Talk to them about all the things they enjoy as a military member, they're not free. Although you may not pay to use them, they're not free. The way you contribute is by being a member of the bigger picture. If you use them, join it. Be a patron of the club system to help out the bigger picture. All too often, I think society were fit to be an entitlement society where folks expect something for nothing. They expect the government to give them something.

(Airman's Opinion) I just wanted to give my opinion because I'm young, and after learning today about what a club member does. I've decided to become a club member. I think what it is, is that I didn't know that money went towards the base. Also, if I did feel entitled, it's sort of because of the stuff you hear before you join the military. You hear that you get all these things for free on base. This has helped me see that it does have a cost and someone has to pay for it , and if we want it...the money has to come from us. This was some good information to know.

(Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Seriously, go share. It's like Tuition's Assistance. I talk to all the FTAC classes. They're brand new to the Air Force and I ask them: why'd you join? I've only had two people in 14 months tell me because I wanted to serve my country. You know what they all said? They said because the government is going to pay for my education, and because the government is going to pay for this or that. When you start taking that away, we have mutiny on our hands. "You can't take Tuition's Assistance away." Oh yes we can and you listened to those words as you raised your right hand. Those are benefits that could go away if we don't do our part as servicemembers.

(Club Representative) Just real quick to piggy-back on the Club Membership thing, Let's make sure to get the information out there that the money you pay in club dues at Dyess stays at Dyess. I think that is the beast that we need to be pushing out, sir, so they truly understand.

Question: Have there been any thoughts on moving forward the 15mph school zone, because it actually cuts short of where a lot of kids use that crosswalk. As soon as it hits 30mph, people are on it. This is a concern living in base housing, mainly because of the children.

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) Good question, I can tell you that I personally have not though about that.
  • (Maj. Sarah Babbitt, 7th Security Forces Squadron commander) Yes. We actually just talked about this, this week, and there's a traffic safety course next week that we will attend. We're partnering with Wing Safety on this one. We're going to work to change that speed limit to a 15mph school zone all the way from the Youth Center down to Louisiana Drive, way past the school, because we understand that is a problem and we are all over it. Thanks for your question, it's a good one.

Question: Do you know if Balfour Beatty is going to build a sidewalk from Texas Avenue, down Louisiana Drive to the school, instead of the kids crossing over walking down and coming back over?

Answer:
  • (Balfour Beatty representative) If it is in the area of that new community center, it is something we can definitely address. I'm not familiar with the plans, but more than likely we can.
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) We have asked for that as part of the plan. When you build your community center, please consider putting sidewalk on that side of the road, that way our kids won't have to cross the road twice.

Question: Sir, I think that moving the Starbucks from the Hangar Center over into the Base Exchange would help out greatly, would this be possible?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) The Starbucks in the Hangar Center is actually part of the Morale, Recreation and Welfare fund, so it is not the same as a facility at the Base Exchange.
  • (FSS Representative) The Legend's Café is one of our facilities that generates revenue that goes into the Morale, Recreation and Welfare fund, so it is not part of AAFES. It is part of the Force Support Squadron's activities.
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) So the answer is no?
  • (FSS Representative) No, it's not moving. It may move, but definitely not into the Base Exchange.
Question: That Coffee shop doesn't offer everything that is on their menu, which they might make more money if they offered everything they had listed.

Answer:
  • (FSS Representative) That is true, and I will look into that. We're still trying to generate revenue with that activity.
(Chief of Airmen and Family Services Flight) When we were talking about safety and speed limits and everything, I just wanted to remind everyone that the speed limit in the Child Development Center and Youth Center parking lot, in particular are 10mph. Also, we have a lot of people that are leaving their cars running in the parking lots, and we understand that the weather is warm. But correct me if I'm wrong, it's illegal to leave your car running, unsupervised and also with any children in it.

(Brig. Gen. VanHerck) When we did this a year ago -this is the fourth one this year-- and I plan to keep doing them. I would love to get more people. I will tell you that I see people a lot, I pay attention to Facebook. I see what's going on. I see a lot of people complaining, but I don't get a lot of people here to talk about and understand the issues. I would love to see more people show up so we can educate them on what the issues are and we can help them understand why we do certain things and why we can't. While I see a lot of great information on Facebook, I also see a lot of inaccurate information posted by folks. If you have a question, I would highly encourage you, if it's about housing or something on base, come to us and ask us rather than asking another spouse that gives a potentially inaccurate response. Just ask us, I'll be happy. I have multiple ways you can ask me such as the Commander's Corner, directly, pick up a phone and call me, call housing, we'll get the question answered. What's frustrating is when I see it get answered inaccurately, then people start ranting and raving and going off on a bunch of tangents, that's no good. So help me out. We also had the first one of these a year ago to help open up lines of information, to get you to understand that you can ask questions, you can talk to me, you can talk to anyone in here if you see something on the base that concerns you. Really I did this first one a year ago because I wanted people to step up and when they see something wrong or they see something that maybe they should question, maybe they should do so. They would feel comfortable. We're opening up those lines of communications. I still think we have some room for improvement. They're some individuals who still overlook things and not police their neighbors where we can do better. I'll just leave it at that. Almost 100% of the houses that we find that are in unlivable conditions, and folks, it happens more than you know, on the outside of the house there are indicators that will tell you what's going on inside of that house. It's kind of on all of us to ask those questions, like, how are you doing or call a key spouse and ask them to do it or a first sergeant. So that way we don't have any more tragedies like we had a little over a year ago.

Question: [With regard to the dining facility closing] How is that going to affect the Airmen living in the dorms with no vehicles and that don't have kitchens in their dorms?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) I'm very concerned about that, and those are some things we're going to have to work through on how we're going to solve that. 
Question: Sir, do you know if the flight kitchen will remain open?

Answer:
  • (Brig. Gen. VanHerck) The flight kitchen will remain open, so you should be able to get meals through the flight kitchen, but you bring up a good point. If people can't travel, they better make some friends who can help them out.
  • (Col. Yates) Just so the Airmen know, you will be getting BAS starting Oct. 1, but you won't see it in your paycheck until Oct. 15.
  • (Health and Wellness Representative) We are going to be hosting a class on eating on a budget and how to make healthy choices in a restaurant like Burger King, so I'll pass that information on to the first sergeants and if your Airman is not able to make it to our class, please invite us out. We are more than happy to go to your shops at whatever times, but I do work with civilians and contractors so not the midnight shift, okay?