DoD Stop Movement Travel Restrictions

My friend and former Seattle Children's Hospital colleague MAJ Barb Michieli (USA Ret.) just sent me the link below regarding DoD's Stop Movement Travel Restrictions.  I thought you'd like to be aware of it...

Z https://themilitarywallet.com/dod-stop-movement-coronavirus/?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=military_wallet&utm_content=DoD+Stop+Movement+%26+Updates+on+Stock+Markets+%26+Mortgage+Rates

Army and Air Force Come Together To Serve

As you know, I have been volunteering at the USO at SeaTac Airport for a few years, so when we moved to our new house in Lacey, WA I liked for a USO that was closer to home than driving the nearly 100 miles round trip for a 6am-noon shift.  The manager at SeaTac, LTC Matt Sult (USA Ret.) put me in contact with Christine Vu, the manager at Camp Lewis USO.

Camp Lewis was the first name of what is now Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and is the location of the Camp Lewis USO which is less than a 25 mile round trip.  I’ve done several shifts there, usually in the morning.  Our customers are different than at SeaTac as they are mostly active duty troops stationed at JBLM.  Those at SeaTac are generally individuals and families on PCS status or retired military who are taking a plane somewhere to get away from the gray skies of Puget Sound.

My neighbor here in Lacey is Ed Logan, a retired USAF Senior Master Sergeant, has also become a USO volunteer; he and I covered the 9am-1pm shift last Monday.  It was a typical day of us checking IDs, directing new troops to the other areas of the facility, Ed making 40+ ham or turkey sandwiches, both of us replenishing supplies for the next shift, and anything else that needed to be done.  

Camp Lewis USO dining room

"Chef" Ed Logan, USAF Ret.

With Coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency, all of USO Northwest’s facilities (at SeaTac, McChord AFB, Ft Lewis and Portland International Airport have closed or on very limited specific schedules.  So Ed and I won’t be volunteering at JBLM in the near future until this emergency runs its course.

Stay safe everyone!  Those of us who are in that vulnerable category (probably that includes the majority of you reading this right now) should be following common sense about hand hygiene and social distancing.  

A New Virus...

My friend Byron Cook, who was a colleague at Seattle Children's Hospital some years ago, posted this on his facebook page and I thought it was worth sending out in the Observer.  If nothing else, it might add a little relief in the stressful time we find ourselves in, especially here in the Great Northwest this week.  Be assured that we are taking the virus situation very seriously, but humor is sometimes essential to relieve tension we may be experiencing.

A highly dangerous virus called "Weekly Overload Recreational Killer" (WORK) is currently going around.  If you come in contact with this WORK virus, you should immediately go to the nearest "Biological Anxiety Relief" (BAR) center to take antidotes known as "Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract" (WINE), "Radioactive UnWORK Medicine" (RUM), "Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter" (BEER) or "Vaccine Official Depression Killing Antigen" (VODKA).  Please re-post to raise awareness!!!