Howdy y’all and buckle up for this weeks News 6 update!

Tricare to Cover More Genetic Testing

Good news for all Tricare beneficiaries! Tricare is adding more coverage for genetic testing during preconception and prenatal care.

These new covered tests are:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Fragile X syndrome
• Tay-Sachs disease
• Hemoglobinopathies
• Conditions linked with Ashkenazi Jewish descent

Have you paid out of pocket for these tests in the past two years? Good news! The tests are approved retroactively back to Dec. 27, 2021.

You can contact your Tricare regional contracted for reimbursement.

“Preconception and prenatal carrier screenings help identify people at risk for having children with genetic conditions that may have a high level of death or a shortened life expectancy,” said LaChanda Black, a Tricare management and program analyst, in a statement accompanying the Defense Health Agency announcement.

“Providing families access to these screenings can help them make decisions when planning their family.”

While these are some scary words and can be nerve wracking tests, families who find themselves in need of them no longer need to also stress about their wallet, and a little peace of mind goes a long way!

Find out more at militarytimes.com

Commissary Shoppers Save in September with Sidewalk Sales

Now say that five times fast!

Does your monthly grocery bills include food and pet food, baby products, paper towels and toilet paper, trash bags and cleaning products?

Or are you a robot?

Well if you are a human being with commissary access I have good news for you! The sidewalk sales are back and out to save you serious cash!

Some commissaries held it over Labor Day weekend but the weekends will continue until the end of the month at various locations.

“Our September stateside sidewalk events offer even greater savings on popular products for our service members and their families,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director.

“These events are part of our ongoing effort to deliver the savings our patrons deserve as we strive to be their grocery provider of choice.”

These events typically last three or four days over a weekend during normal store hours, but are weather dependent.

“Whether it’s items for back-to-school, a football tailgate or just pantry stocking, these sales are a can’t miss if you want to save more,” Saucedo said.

Thank you, DECA! Nothing says thank you for your service like discounted cereal in this house! 

To find out when your commissaries sidewalk sale is and for more information go to commissaries.com.

ID Changes for Civilian Retirees 

As of this week Military bases have stopped accepting Civilian Retiree Identification Cards.

This change comes along with many others as the military moves towards a federal ID standard.

This card was introduced in 2009 so civilian retirees could still access amenities such as MWR.

Civilian retirees will likely need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license, in addition to potentially re-registering with their local base.

This change does not impact retired military veterans.

A memo addressing the changes stages that presenting a Real ID-compliant driver’s license and Standard Form-50 retirement document titled Notice of Personnel Action, civilian retirees could enroll at a base’s Visitor Control Center “to facilitate future visits.”

The Air force and Army Exchange have said that retirees will still be able to shop at their locations with the presentation of a Form 2574.

Some bases are taking to Facebook to assure their civilian retirees that they will help them with this transition.

Joint base Pearl Harbor- Hickham said in a social media post that “DoD civilian retirees have traditionally enjoyed MWR facilities and programs, including escorting guests on the installation at the discretion of the Joint Base Commander, according to the post.

“We want to ensure that all DoD civilian retirees will continue to enjoy base access privileges while maintaining security measures.”

The DOD beats the department of transportation by two years when it comes to initiating real ID change.

By the end of 2025, all American citizens will need a real ID to even fly on an airplane. 

While safety and security are the hallmarks of a thriving military and country, we hope that civilian retirees are able to transition smoothly and receive the benefits they have earned and enjoyed with little hiccups!

Today in News 6 History: 

On September 11th, 2001, the twin towers were attacked and our lives were never the same. 

I think we all know the history. The timeline. It makes up who we are. So instead I will share something I wrote about me and my fellow millennials who grew up in the aftermath and now live this military lifestyle. I wrote it the year before we left Afghanistan but the tone still rings true.

I think my peers and I, us “millennials” are really the 9/11 generation. 

To most of us this was the most formative moment of our entire childhood. Too young to understand the immense hatred that was brought to our doorstep that morning. And yet  we’ve spent the rest of our lives picking up the pieces.

Old enough to remember it. Old enough to understand what complete terror looks like. Old enough to remember looking up at our teachers, parents, and other grownups we depended on for everything and see that we weren’t going to find any reassurance from them that day. That they couldn’t say everything was okay because it wasn’t. 

Our childhoods immediately divided in half. Before 9/11 and after. Children that day came home to find that they no longer had mothers or fathers or sisters or brothers or aunts or uncles. 

Thousands more said goodbye to these parents and siblings and relatives and the world of peace they grew up in as we watched them get on planes to fight in places we never even heard of. 

We spent the next decade in an intense level of patriotism. Where Toby Keith sang about the hellfire we’ll bring and a yellow ribbon magnet was on almost every car. Each school wrote letters to soldiers and police and firemen ate for free on Thursday nights from 6-9 at the local diner. A decade of an intense love for our nation and the people in it. 

And then we grew up. The ones that were older grew tired. The bright shiny toy of patriotism lost its shine. Our younger siblings no longer have any recollection of the event that formed you into the person you became. 

But we remember. 

How can we not? It is now our generation that stands ready at the door. It is now our generation that gets on those planes, kisses their loved ones goodbye, and gets sent to the same place our parents lived and fought and died. It is now our generation that runs into burning buildings and gunfire. 

Just because terrorism has changed its name and changed its face doesn’t mean it’s not the same ugly hatred we saw on our TVs 22 years ago. We see the hatred overseas and now our generation is fighting it. We see the hatred in a school gunman and now our generation is fighting it. We see the hatred in our politics and I pray to God our generation starts fighting it together. But more than anything I hope we always remember. 

How can we not? We’re the 9/11 generation. We’re the ones that grew up in the aftermath.  

Thank you to the ones who grew up in the war, saw the devastating outcomes, and answered the call anyway 

Thank you to the ones who saw respect and love for first responders, saw it stop as they grew older, and joined anyway 

Thank you to those who saw hate incarnate from their classroom 22 years ago, and fight hate anyway

We’re the 9/11 generation, and we will NOT forget.

This is Emma Tighe with News 6, where information empowers.