rapidfire Benefits Brief

Q. WHEN DOES HEALTH CARE BEGIN for surviv- ing spouses of guardmembers or reservists, and how does this relate to the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)? I received my notice of eligibility (NOE) for retire-

ment pay and made my survivor benefits election at that time. I elected Option C, full and immediate, meaning my spouse would begin to receive 55 percent of my retired pay immediately following my death. My friend chose Option B, which means his spouse will receive an annuity of 55 percent of the elected amount at what would have been his 60th birthday. A. For guardmembers and reservists, the health

care entitlement always begins at age 60 and in re- ceipt of retired pay. The only exceptions are for medi- cal retirees and spouses whose sponsors die in the line of duty; their entitlement begins immediately. For sur- vivors, health care begins if they have not remarried by what would have been their sponsor’s 60th birthday. The difference is in the timing of SBP annuity pay — upon their sponsor’s death with Option C or on their sponsor’s 60th birthday with Option B. Both survivors will receive their health care entitlement at what would have been their sponsor’s 60th birthday. — Cmdr. Katherine O’Neill Tracy, USN (Ret), is a deputy director in MOAA’s Transition Center

MOAA SEEKS VSO VOLUNTEERS Are you looking for a challenging yet rewarding volunteer assignment? Consider joining MOAA’s cadre of 11 volun- teer veterans service officers (VSOs) in Alexandria, Va. These officers work with transitioning servicemem-

bers, recently retired or separated veterans, and surviv- ing spouses to develop and submit various VA claims. Volunteers should be willing to dedicate one to three

days a week and maintain six to eight clients. The pro- cess requires approximately 100 hours of formal and informal training. Personal expenses are reimbursed. Interested MOAA members must complete an appli-

cation and background check and undergo an advanced IT-skills assessment. The final selection process involves a panel interview. MOAA aims to have 20 fully trained volunteers by the end of 2015. To apply, email vso@moaa.org and include a résumé and a 250-word personal statement of interest.

22 MILITARY OFFICER AUGUST 2015

In Review

Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate. By William Albracht and Marvin J. Wolf. NAL Caliber, 2015. $27.95. ISBN 978-0-451-46808-6.

When U.S. Green Beret Capt. William Albracht took com- mand of

Firebase Kate in Vietnam’s central highlands in Octo- ber 1969, he did not know his small three-gun out- post was bait for a political exercise in the “Vietnam- ization” of the war. In this stunning fox- hole view of a small battle in a large war, Albracht’s gripping memoir graphi- cally describes how 27 American soldiers and 156 Montagnard militia miraculously held off sev- eral thousand attacking North Vietnamese soldiers through fi ve days of re- lentless infantry assault and artillery and mortar bombardment. Albracht tells how surprisingly accurate enemy fi re destroyed his own artillery pieces (“we were defending an impact area and nothing more”), how survival depended entirely on courage and resourcefulness, and about the eff ectiveness of close-

air support. When told there would be no relief, reinforcement, or rescue, Albracht heroically led his men on a night exfi ltration through enemy lines.

Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific. By Robert D. Kaplan. Random House, 2015. $17. ISBN 978-0- 8129-8480-4.

Inter- national attention might be on the Middle East and

Africa, but foreign policy expert Robert D. Kaplan says Americans should be paying attention to poten- tial confl ict in the South China Sea, “the most con- tested body of water in the world.” Kaplan presents a

geostrategic analysis of the “crossroads of global maritime commerce” as it aff ects six littoral nations: China, Malaysia, the Philip- pines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. He explains the naval and economic competition for resources (oil, gas, and fi sheries) and control of the sea’s surface, seabed, and islands. Kaplan also explores each nation’s territorial claims, political goals, and enforcement preparations. — William D. Bushnell