Getting Money Out of Your House

The Department of Defense (DoD) has issued eligibility rules for military homeowners who need to apply for assistance through the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) due to the housing crisis.

The DoD HAP has been providing financial assistance for many years, and most recently provided benefits to personnel at Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites.

The Stimulus Bill aka American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included funding in legislation of $555 million for a program to help military personnel forced to sell their homes in the midst of the current real estate crisis. The funding from the 2009 ARRA will allow the DoD to temporarily expand the program in order to partially reimburse home sale losses in the following priority order:

• Wounded Servicemembers relocating for treatment or medical retirement, and for the survivors of those who have died while on deployment.


• Military & DoD civilians affected by the 2005 BRAC round, without the need to prove that the base closure caused the local market decline.


• Normal military permanent change of station (PCS) moves, on a temporary basis.

For more information read the news release.

Evergreen Fleet Cruise June 17

The Chamber’s annual Evergreen Fleet Cruise, June 17, sponsored by the Joint Base Financial Alliance (Harborstone Credit Union and America's Credit Union) is inviting hosting couples (spouses, business associates) to register.

The purpose of the Evergreen Fleet Cruise is to foster networking and community links between civilian and military leaders. The Chamber reserves the right to invite all military guests.

The Cruise, presented by the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee, in collaboration with the Tacoma Yacht Club, is a cruise of Puget Sound aboard private yachts and a picnic (Gallucci's Catering) at the Club’s Wollochet Bay Outstation. Commemorative challenge coins are to be provided by Coinforce.com.

This year will again feature a welcoming reception. The purpose of this reception is to afford participants an opportunity to meet in a comfortable atmosphere prior to beginning the Cruise at 10:00 a.m. The reception will be between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. at the Tacoma Yacht Club. Arrival time at the reception is permitted to be variable. Yachts will depart by 10:00 a.m.

Please refer to the linked invitation The Chamber wishes to have all guests confirmed by June 3. Please consider Gary Brackett, at 253/627-2175, the contact for you about this project.


To register to host, please download and return to the Chamber.

Yen for a Buck or a Loon?

Get ready for the 2009 McChord Air Force Rodeo July 20-24. More than 3,500 international visitors will attend from over 20 countries. These teams and observers bring tremendous business opportunities to Pierce County. Keep business in Pierce County by offering your local promotional coupon and discount incentives.

International competitors include: Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Spain, Turkey and United Arab Emirates

Observers include: Afghanistan, Argentina, Algeria, Bahrain, Botswana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman and Vietnam

Please take this opportunity to offer your coupons to guest registrants. The resulting compilation of promotional flyers will be distributed directly to participating teams during the AMC Rodeo. Last year's teams and observers made many purchases during their stay.

Examples of last year’s anecdotal purchases by participating international team members:

2 Hummers
6 laptops
7 i-Phones
15 TV’s ranging from 32-50 inches
More than 12 bicycles
Countless digital cameras and electronics
Several hundreds of bottles of perfume
Many shopping trips to Nordstrom

A 10-room hotel bill with expenditures over $11,000

To participate please create 3,500 coupons to be distributed in each registration bag. Coupons must be printed in sizes 8.5 X 11 and can include a coupon within the text, delivered to the TRCVB.

Coupon/Discount Deadline: June 30, 2009

Want to participate? Send your participation notice to Andrea Mensink. Promotional flyers should be delivered to the Tacoma Regional CVB at 1119 Pacific Ave., Ste. 500, Tacoma. You are responsible for printing your promotional coupon/discount offer. The TRCVB nor the Chamber will print coupons.

The TRCVB is collaborating with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, so if your business is a member of either/both organizations, your promotional flyer is in one booklet.

Keeping the Navy in Scale

Want to see what the US Navy has built ever since the 1880s?

Go to the Washington Post's site for a video tour of the Navy's model ship collection.

Noteworthies With a Local Link

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has made the following nomination:

Air Force Col. Jerry P. Martinez has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Martinez is currently serving as the inspector general, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL.

Navy Beans to Butterbeans

The Department of the Navy invites public comment on a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for its disposal and a reuse of the NMCRC (Naval & Marine Corps Reserve Center) Tacoma.

The NMCRC was designated for closure under the 2005 BRAC process. As required by BRAC, the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) concluded in its Redevelopment Plan that the highest and best use for the property is inclusion into the Port of Tacoma's Master Plan. The Port is a National Strategic Port.

The Port is proposing a comprehensive master redevelopment plan for the Blair Peninsula to transform the existing industrial and commercial scape into terminal facilities.

Copies of the Draft EA can be downloaded at the BRAC website. The public may submit comments by June 12, 2009 to:

Director, BRAC PMO West
Attn: Mr. Patrick McCay
1455 Frazee Road, Ste. 900
San Diego, CA 92108

... or via email.

Noteworthies With a Local Link

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has made the following nomination:

Army Reserve Col. Jonathan G. Ives has been nominated for appointment to the grade of brigadier general and assignment to commander (troop program unit), 364th Sustainment Command (expeditionary), Seattle, WA. Ives is currently serving as deputy foreign policy advisor, Headquarters, European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.

Blue Light Special

At the request of your State Captain "BlueLight", "RETIREES" who are available during the weekdays are asked to Volunteer for the Welcome Homes at SeaTac Airport.

Of course, the number one priority is KIA and Veteran Support, but having said that, they do the best to Honor these kids returning from the sand box. Drop your remote, hang up your rake and help put a smile and a tear in Heroes' eyes.

This Team of Volunteers is going to be a "Quick Response Team" that can drop what they are doing and get to Roasters (staging area) within a safe and realistic amount of time. When you Volunteer for the "qr-team" you will be put on a dedicated email for a stand by notice alert, and Welcome Home Notices. They will do the very best to give as much notice time as possible when that information is received.

Email your Wookie to Volunteer!

Military Dependent School Children Law Signed

After years of hard work and consensus building, a bill to improve the education of military children in Washington has finally become law.

About a dozen military leaders, educators and parents watched as Senate Bill 5248, which was sponsored by Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, was signed into law.

This is something that military families have needed and wanted for years, Hobbs said. These families move from post to post and they shouldn’t have to sacrifice so much in terms of educational opportunities. This is a good bill that will help tens of thousands of military kids in our state.

The legislation, among other things, promotes flexibility and cooperation between school districts, parents, and students in order to achieve educational success for the student; improves the placement process so that students are not disadvantaged by variations in attendance requirements, scheduling, grading, and course content; and improves qualification and eligibility requirements so that students can enroll and participate in extracurricular academic, athletic, and social activities. The bill also facilitates on-time graduation.

17 states have now joined the compact.


Photo: Governor Gregoire, and some supporters of the legislation. Thursday, May 07 2009 - Steve Hobbs

Congress (Air)Lifts Defense Budget

The disagreements between the Administration and Congress over Defense appropriations dates back to before the Constitution to during the times of the War for Independence. That struggle of ideas, concepts and best interests continues today.


Photo: C-17 at McChord AFB shows Mt. Rainier in the background.


The House defense appropriators have added $2.2 billion to the Administration’s $75.5 billion war supplemental to buy eight more C-17s as well as other aircraft. The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Cong. Dave Obey, released a statement justifying the additional C-17s by saying it would allow the USAF to decommission some C-5s – an action Congress has previously denied. The House’s bill summary is here.