2 JAX AIR NEWS, NAS JACKSONVILLE, Thursday, October 15, 2009 Looking back to the '60s and '70s. . U.S. Navy photo A North American RA-5 Vigilante" is ready for a functional check flight when it emerges from the Overhaul and Repair Shop at NAS Jacksonville in this undated photo. Originally designed as a carrier-based strategic nuclear bomber, the A-5 Vigilante first reached the fleet in 1961. Never reaching its potential in the strike roll, the Navy decided to use the Vigilante for fast reconnaissance, with the RA-5C entering fleet service in 1964. It proved very useful in Vietnam, where it was tasked to observe enemy troop concentrations and movements; obtain pre-strike information on a target; and post-strike evaluations. Vigilante squadrons began to be disbanded in 1974, and by 1979, the Vigilante was out of service. The family that eats together... By Sarah Smiley Special Contributor As I was growing-up, my family ate dinner together at an old wooden farm table. The night- ly tradition was formal in that we were expected to display good man- ners. There were no assigned seats, yet for 20 years, my older brothers, Van and Will, my parents, and I always sat at the same spots, as if they were assigned to us. I sat next to Will and across from my mom, who was to the left of Van. Dad, when he was not on deploy- ment, sat to my right, at the head of the table. This seating arrangement became so comfortable, we still unwit- tingly sit at our usual spots, even when we dine at a restaurant. Because the dinner table was at the center of the kitchen, which was the hub of the house, we often used it for other tasks not related to mealtimes. I rolled out Play-Doh there, baked cookies in my Easy Bake oven, did homework, made birthday cards for friends, wrapped presents, and played board games. Over the years, my brothers and I had inadvertently carved a timeline of our childhoods into the soft wood of the table. At my place you could see the word "COKE" dug into the grain because I hadn't put enough paper underneath when I pretended to be a waitress taking orders. At Will's place there were dented spirals made into flowers from his experiment with a Spirograph. All over the table, when the sunlight hit FROM THE HOMEFRONT it just right, you could see jumbled words dug into the wood from where we had done our homework. Now that my original family has grown by three spouses and four grandchildren, Mom replaced the old dinner table with a longer (but still old) farm table. It took awhile for Dustin to realize that no matter how many people show up at my parents' house, Mom will fit them around the dinner table. You don't sit in front of the televi- sion with your meal in your lap at Mom's house. You don't go out to eat that often either. You squeeze into your spot at the table, where there will be a placemat and silverware waiting for you. When Mom upgraded her table, she gave the old one to me. Dad spent several hours sanding the soft wood, years of accidental carvings turn- ing into sawdust and blowing into the wind, so that he could put a new coat of varnish on top. When he was finished, the table shone like never before. The wood was smooth and without any blemishes. Even my "COKE" was erased. It was like a fresh, new can- vas for my family of five to create our own dinner-time memories upon. Except, I didn't want my boys to mark-up the shiny "new" table. "Get something to bear down on," I told them hundreds of times a day as they sat down to draw or do homework. Eventually, however, the table began HEY, MONEYCHIC! Hey, MoneyChic! I've got a friend who often comes to me when she needs to borrow money. She used to hint around about need- ing to borrow and I would respond and offer to lend her funds. Now I don't respond to her hints and she comes out and point blank asks to borrow from me. I'm uncomfort- able with this situation. Sometimes she pays me back, sometimes not. Sometimes I have to remind her about the money she owes me. I want to help my friend out, but this is starting to get old. What would you do? MoneyChic says: It's tricky when it comes to friends or family and money. There is a lot that can go wrong. Will it be paid back? Will it be paid on time? Will you charge interest? Will this loan negatively affect your friendship or cause tension? If you are writing to me, it's probably already causing you tension and strife. It's up to you to change this pat- tern with your friend to let her know you are not her per- sonal bank. Next time she starts in with the hints, offer to help with information instead. Maybe you would be will- ing to go with her to the bank and apply for a loan. You're going with her not as a co-signer, but for moral support. If your friend is an active duty service member then you can also remind her about the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society's "Quick Assist Loan." It's up to $300 in assistance that she may take out as an interest-free loan with very few questions asked. If she isn't going for this option then offer assistance one last time as "a gift" if you can afford it. With this final assist, tell her that you are fine with giving this one last gift, but in return, please do not ask again to borrow any money. This sets a healthy bound- ary between you and your friend and let's her know in advance your expectations of her in the future. Please feel free to send your questions to: MoneyChic P.O. Box 48. Naval Air Station Jacksonville FL 32212 to show the etchings of our lives: the words of Ford's thank-you note to a friend; numbers from Owen's school- work; dots like acne scars where Lindell bangs his fork; the discolored circle where I had set a hot pan. As the boys get older, they spend less time at the kitchen table with coloring books and toys, so our family dinnertime is even more important. But the boys are often too busy with after-school sports and activities. Every night we have a different practice or a meeting to attend. Last week, our schedules were so packed, we didn't sit down together once for dinner. So, I pulled the plug on some activi- ties and asked the boys to choose one sport for each season. I told them that our family will eat together at least three times a week, even at the sacri- fice of after-school events. Many people will disagree with me. There is much to learn and pack into a childhood, after all, and denying a child the opportunity to participate in several activities almost seems unfair. But it occurs to me that there are worse things than asking your child to pick only one extracurricular com- mitment at a time. Raising children with a kitchen table that never gets scratched or a dented those "tattoos" of a fami- ly sitting together for a meal may eliminate some of the irreplaceable memories that go with them. a ,m lkm ... ABH2(AW/SW) JAMES WHITEHEAD Job title/command: Air Terminal Hometown: Miami Favorite duty station/ Why? NAS Jax, because it's close to home. Last book read: NATOPS Manual 80T-120 Favorite pastime: Football. Most interesting experience: Working on the flight deck. Who is your hero? My father. GWENDOLYN SANDERS Job title/command: Regional Customer Service Officer FISC Jax Hometown: Jacksonville Favorite duty station? NAS Jax. Last book read: Give me 40 Days for Healing by Freeda Bowers Favorite pastime: Listening to jazz and traveling. Most Interesting Experience: Being a grandma. Who is your hero? My parents. Women taking the next puff of a Cigarette might consider this: 1. Smoking 100 or more cigarettes may substantially increase their odds of developing breast cancer, researchers report. 2. In addition to the link with smoking, women who had used oral contraceptives for 11 years or longer had a whopping 200 percent increase in the odds of developing breast cancer. 3. The current study provides new evidence p that "a woman smoker can reduce her risk of breast cancer by stopping smoking as soon as possible." *SOURCE: The Breast Journal, September/October 2009 Tobacco Cessation: Free in the NAVY! Call 542-5292 jhiGNAirNews NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer....................Capt. Jack Scorby Jr. NAS Jacksonville Executive Officer........... .......... Capt. Jeffrey Maclay Command Master Chief.............................CMDCM(SW/SS) Jeff Hudson Public Affairs Officer .................................................... M iriam S. Gallet Assistant Public Affairs Officer....................................... Kaylee LaRocque Naval Air Station lacksonville Editorial Staff Editor ............................. ................................. Clark Pierce Design/Layout...................... .............................................. 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