Military Life
When looking for a location to host a Hail and Farewell, there are many things to consider. The most important is the notorious Interstate 5 traffic, which can be gridlocked when everyone is trying to get to the event. Also the cost of holding an event at a Joint Base
Military Life
The holidays are a good time to venture out when shopping for the season. There are quite a few Exchanges in the area and each has its own personality and promotions. One thing they all share is tax-free shopping. In Washington state, that is a huge benefit, which can save
Benefits
The Judge Advocate General's Corp, often referred to as JAG, can advise and aid in most instances where an attorney would be sought out, including but not limited to personal legal matters, debt collection, tax filing and family matters. The legal assistance office at Joint Base Lewis-McChord provides free, confidential
Military Life
I have to admit, I am a local Facebook Groupie and by that I mean I belong to a variety of local groups and pages on Facebook. In fact, one of the first pages I joined when I moved here was JBLM Families, which is run by the publishing company
Military Life
You've done your research and found yourself a house, a new dentist, a vet, and the closest pharmacy. Now you're settled in and faced with the hardest part of moving to a new community -- making friends. This may be your first move or your 10th, but regardless of how
News Front
Since World War II, the Army has been using comic books to train soldiers on specific duties and reduce casualties through improved situational awareness. The trend continued through the Vietnam War. At that time, the Army discovered a training deficiency and produced a comic book to educate soldiers about proper weapon
Reviews
ANNOUNCER: Just off Pacific Avenue near the campus of PLU, the Marvel Market offers hard-to-find European produce, baked goods as well as meats and cheeses. With a focus on Eastern European cuisine, the attached Marvel Bay Café, which offers breakfast and lunch, also has a heavy Eastern European focus. Jackie and
Attractions
There is so much to see and do in Seattle it is hard to know where to start. I like to visit with a set area in mind and focus on that. One such area is Seattle's vibrant and historic waterfront which makes a great day trip from Joint Base
Jobs & Education
The cone machine sitting in Building 25 on the campus of Clover Park Technical College serves as a perfect representative of 21st century mechatronic automation. The aluminum-built, 500-pound mechanism's function is simple: to efficiently insert small silver washers into larger blue cones. "Currently, the company that asked us to design and build
Archives
“The Golden Compass” is a darker, deeper fantasy epic than the “Rings” trilogy, “The Chronicles of Narnia” or the Potter films. It springs from the same British world of quasi-philosophical magic, but creates more complex villains and poses more intriguing questions. As a visual experience, it is superb. As an
News Front
The Pentagon has identified a soldier who died in Germany this week after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Afghanistan. Sgt. Cameron A. Meddock, 26, of Spearman, Texas, died Thursday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the military said in a release. Meddock, a member of the
Music
As a teenager, seeing the great concert documentary The Last Waltz was a foundational experience for me; not only was I getting exposed to music that I hadn't really absorbed as a kid, but I was getting a peek behind the curtain of what it meant to be a working
Arts
The defining thing about the annual postcard show at South Puget Sound Community College is humor, is variety, is lots and lots of little works of art -- is most of all that nothing is rejected. Every work submitted is accepted into the show without judgment, which means inevitably there
Features
Signage for Oddfellas Pub & Eatery have officially been installed in the Westgate Shopping Center located on North 21st and Pearl St. in Tacoma. Situated next door to The Habit Burger Grill, I'm enticed by the "Open in February" sign in the window. While some strip mall gems reside in
News Front
The Air Force is calling for submissions from start-ups and small businesses as it seeks to rapidly invest up to $40 million at Air Force Pitch Day as part of a larger rapid contracting effort. Air Force Pitch Day is designed as a fast-track program to put companies on one-page contracts
News Front
Customer comments sparked improvements at the Olympic Dining Facility at McChord Field. Staff adjusted operations at the Olympic Dining Facility and the Rainier Flight Kitchen, both located at Building 548, starting Jan. 14. Breakfast times changed at the dining facility. The new hours for breakfast are 5:30-8 a.m. The Rainier Flight Kitchen will
News Front
The Washington National Guard routinely trains and prepares for all sorts of disaster emergency situations. Guard members get Red Card-certified for fires, helicopter pilots recertify with Department of Natural Resources annually to drop water on fires. The Guard prepares for the potential Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Meantime, one unit finds
News Front
One of the highest-ranking senior enlisted advisors in the Army visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord Jan. 9-10. Command sergeant major of U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), Michael A. Grinston, who was the previous First Corps CSM, paid a visit to his old base to speak to soldiers on the ground and
News
For veterans whose service did not end with the military, the new Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Veterans Peer Corps (VPC) program provides training and local resources to help them connect with other veterans in their own community by providing valuable resources and opportunities for interaction. Tacoma will host an upcoming
Stage
I can't remember when I've laughed so much as I did at opening night of Forbidden Broadway Greatest Hits at Lakewood Playhouse. Forbidden Broadway is a musical review spoof on almost every big hit musical in the past half century and longer in which everybody gets skewered -- from Ethel
