WASHINGTON - Active duty members and their families should look for major new benefits coming soon in DoD's TRICARE managed healthcare plan, a senior program official said.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - Military retirees and their spouses who are age 65 and over will get two substantial benefits from the 2001 National Defense Authorization Act signed Oct. 30 by President Clinton.

WASHINGTON - Dwindling anthrax vaccine supplies are forcing DoD to further curb its plan to vaccinate all service members against the disease.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen congratulated U.S. military Olympians Nov. 28 for their efforts in Sydney, Australia.

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - DoD's top basketball talent exchanged combat boots for court shoes in Starlifter Arena here as the Air Force unseated the defending champion Marines 71-59 in the 2000 Armed Forces Basketball Tournament.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Joseph Tafoya had been figuring he'd done just about all he could in civilian schools when he saw "an interesting possibility" in a DoD Education Activity ad in "Education Week" magazine.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has asked the DoD inspector general to look into problems concerning military absentee balloting.

WASHINGTON - "Shooting War," a 90-minute documentary about World War II combat photographers, is scheduled to air Dec. 7 on the ABC television network.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service recently unveiled a new commemorative first-class postage stamp entitled Honoring Veterans that is scheduled to be issued here in May 2001.

WASHINGTON - Many authorized DoD military and civilian employees whose government travel charge cards have expired are exchanging their NationsBank ‘plastic’ for Bank of America Visa cards.

JERUSALEM - Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Nov. 22 here that frazzled Palestinian and Israeli leaders should take a step back, cool off and give peace negotiations another chance.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen praised sailors and Marines here Nov. 16 for enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone over Iraq for their commitment and expertise.

AMMAN, Jordan - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and Jordan’s King Abdullah met Nov. 21 and held discussions about the violence between Palestinians and Israelis, which, according to Cohen, could jeopardize peace and stability throughout the Middle East.

WASHINGTON - After 37 years in the Army, you would think John H. Tilelli, Jr., would have had enough of the military. Not so, says the retired general.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen thanked Bahrain’s leaders and people today for their steadfast assistance in helping to keep the Mideast a peaceful and stable region.

MUSCAT, Oman - Nine U.S. military members working in the Omani embassy were recognized today for their efforts in providing support for over 200 service members evacuated from the USS Cole after the Oct. 12 bombing.

ENROUTE TO JORDAN - Omani ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said knows how to throw a party, and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen had a front-row seat.

WASHINGTON - "Courage comes in many forms,” Cherry Tsutsumida said as she looked out over a sea of umbrellas shielding the more than 2,000 people from the drizzling rain during the recent dedication of the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism, here.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2000 - Outside, more than 40 inches of fresh snow covered the Balkan ground. Inside, nearly a thousand BDU-clad troops bearing M-16 rifles packed the prefabbed gym.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's second deputy prime minister lauded the contributions to Mideast peace provided by Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and praised the partnership between the United States and his country.

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen praised sailors and Marines here Nov. 16 for enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone over Iraq for their commitment and expertise. Defense Secretary William Cohen greets USS Abraham Lincoln crewmembers Nov. 16 in the Persian Gulf off Bahrain. (Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore) (Click photo for screen-resolution image; high-resolution image available).

MUSCAT, Oman - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen discussed Iraq, Iran and the Middle East Peace Process with senior leaders in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar, Nov. 18.

RIYIDH, Saudi Arabia - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen visited Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Nov. 19 as part of his seven-day Mideast trip.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The nation’s top military officer believes the security environment will become more complex and the United States must develop and experiment with new operational concepts and transform accordingly.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - DoD's deputy secretary and reserve affairs chief were among 18 persons honored Nov. 16 by the National Military Family Association for their contributions to military families' quality of life

ARLINGTON, Va. - National missile defense, relations with China and Russia and countering asymmetric challenges dominated a presentation by Condoleezza Rice, a foreign policy adviser to Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

FOREST GLEN, Md. - Army Dr. (Col.) Christoph Kaufmann said the goal of DoD's new National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center here can be summed up in three words: "to save lives."

FOREST GLEN, Md. - The need for research animals and cadavers as teaching tools for medical students will not go away anytime soon, but Alan Liu creates products that may one day dramatically reduce the need.

WASHINGTON - Terrorist attacks such as the Oct. 12 bombing of the destroyer USS Cole will not chase the United States out of the Middle East nor undermine U.S. military security agreements with nations throughout the region, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Nov. 15 while en route to Manama, Bahrain.

SAN ANTONIO - America lost a hero Nov. 8 when Air Force Medal of Honor holder John L. Levitow died at age 55 at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Terrorist attacks such as the Oct. 12 bombing of the destroyer USS Cole will not chase the United States out of the Middle East nor undermine U.S. military security agreements with nations throughout the region, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said.

WASHINGTON - Students in DoD schools scored slightly below the national average on the Scholastic Aptitude Test this year, but officials said there's more to the numbers than meets the eye.

WASHINGTON - DoD's top leaders want people to snuff out their cigarettes for one day Nov. 16 during the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.

WASHINGTON - Quitting smoking can be an uphill battle.

WASHINGTON - Drizzling rain was mixed with tears streaming down the faces of Japanese American World War II heroes and those who spent the war years imprisoned in isolated internment camps as the National Japanese American Memorial for Patriotism was dedicated here Nov. 9.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen departed Nov. 15 on a seven-day trip to the Middle East to reaffirm U.S. security commitments to nations in the region.

MCLEAN, Va. - In one second, a single strand of fiber-optic cable can transmit the data contained in 11,000 encyclopedia volumes.

WASHINGTON - World War II veterans, many in wheelchairs or with walkers, were out in force Nov. 11 to participate in groundbreaking ceremonies for the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall here.

WASHINGTON - Service members and DoD civilians are getting a little help from Uncle Sam when they have to quarantine their pets during permanent-change- of-station moves. Related Site of Interest:

ARLINGTON, Va. - President Clinton thanked veterans for their lives of service during the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery here.

WASHINGTON - Picture it, the perfect Thanksgiving. Youve eaten your fill; the dishes are done; football is on the tube.

WASHINGTON - Military members and DoD civilians within the United States and its territories are now eligible for mass-transit subsidy benefits.

WASHINGTON - DoD officials recently established an advisory group that will explore ways to place more Hispanic Americans in DoD military and civilian jobs, especially at the upper management level.

WASHINGTON - An expanded college loan repayment program and a modified retirement savings system are two new recruiting tools at DoD's disposal because of legislation recently signed by President Clinton, said DoDs senior civilian personnel official.

WASHINGTON - As the 2000 presidential election has shown, every vote counts, including service members' absentee ballots.

WASHINGTON - About 180 privately owned vehicles belonging to service members suffered minor damage en route from the United States to Bremerhaven, Germany, said Military Traffic Management Command officials.

WASHINGTON - Service members and DoD civilians are getting a little help from Uncle Sam when they have to quarantine their pets during permanent-change-of-station moves.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

MCLEAN, Va. - DoD rewarded innovative thinking at a Nov. 8 award ceremony here recognizing science and technology projects that benefit both the military and civilian industry.

WASHINGTON - One day soon, all military health care providers whether in the Pentagon or DoD's most remote outpost will be just a computer screen away from a complete, authoritative medical library.

WASHINGTON - There are several steps TRICARE beneficiaries can take to avoid getting in hot water over unpaid medical bills, military health care officials said.

WASHINGTON - Army 1st Lt. Craig Yarbrough, a member of the Texas National Guard, knows it's not easy to just pick up and go whenever duty calls. Deployments mean putting your personal life and civilian career on hold.

WASHINGTON - About this time last year, Army 1st Lt. Craig Yarbrough got caught between a rock and a hard place. When the National Guard called him up for nine months' active reserve duty in Bosnia, his civilian boss objected.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Military buglers have been communicating with troops and their families for centuries.

WASHINGTON - An expanded civilian buyout and early retirement program will enable DoD to reshape its workforce, the Pentagon’s top civilian personnel official said.

WASHINGTON - Employer support for the reserve components is vital to the nation's defense, according to Charles Cragin, principal deputy assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs.

WASHINGTON - When Uncle Sam calls up the reserve components, employers too are required to support the nation.

WASHINGTON - If your children were conceived or born at Camp Lejeune anytime between 1968 and 1985, the Marine Corps needs you to participate in an environmental health survey.

WASHINGTON - The stars have come out to entertain America's troops for nearly six decades. Now, the military has created a lasting tribute to the United Services Organization that makes it all possible.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Turkish wrestlers captured 13 individual medals and both overall team titles to sweep the 2000 CISM World Military Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling Championships here Oct. 28 and 29.

WASHINGTON - President Abraham Lincoln and his family spent about a quarter of his presidency at "Anderson Cottage," their haven of renewal and rest in the countryside.

WASHINGTON - Kuwait and Saudi Arabia join Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen as having the highest level of threat against U.S. military in the Middle East region, Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon said Oct. 31.

WASHINGTON - DoD’s Cole Commission will review and evaluate current force protection policies and procedures for troops traveling to and from the Middle East, and possibly recommend changes, the commission co- chairmen said.

WASHINGTON - She was a slave, a woman and an Indian. And America might not be what it is today without Sacagawea.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, FLA. - Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for the Army rugby team as they conquered Air Force 38-12 and won the first Armed Forces Rugby Championship here.

DOGANBEY, Turkey - On the morning of Oct. 18, it took Navy Seaman Jacob Longoria about 15 minutes to eat breakfast. That afternoon, he and other members of the Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel team needed only four minutes to rescue two downed pilots from enemy territory.

WASHINGTON - Army Reserve soldiers delivered most of the 500 tons of mail sent daily to the half-million service members engaged in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

WASHINGTON - Today marks the first Veterans Day of the 21st Century. As we have done since 1919, Americans pause to salute the brave men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. This day was originally set aside as a day of observance for those who fought and died in the "Great War," World War I -- the "war to end all wars." Obviously, World War I was not the end of warfare; in fact, it was the precursor of warfare throughout the 20th Century. So with history as our guide, members of our Armed Forces undoubtedly will be called upon to go into harm's way in the new century. Our men and women in uniform, serving around the globe today, stand ready to answer that call.