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Log Book The Uniform Distribution Center in Woodbine, N.J., is what some would call nondescript—plain, white and brick. But behind its simple steel door is a beehive of activity—like a hidden casino in a gangster movie. Except these would-be kingpins’ only racket is the operational dress uniform, and these days they’re in deep. Between towering rows of industrial shelves packed with boxes of uniforms, 29 employees are preparing to outfit almost 90,00 active duty, reserve and auxiliary Coast Guardsmen with the new un-tucked ODU. “Typically, we send out 3,000 to 5,000 orders a month,” said Lt. Mike Bowman, the manager of the UDC. “Right now we have about 4,000 pre-orders for the new un-tucked ODU, so that should double our work load.” Things already look busy. Employees buzz around everywhere packing uniforms in boxes, tossing them on a conveyor belt, slapping address labels on them and shipping them out as fast as they can. They have to reduce the overstock of old uniforms before the new ones arrive. To help with this they’re offering a two-for-one deal on the original ODUs since they can be worn until 2012. All of this adds up to extra work, but the team hopes to maintain their standard turnaround time of two days from when the order is placed to when it is shipped even though they expect the uniforms to be a hot item, said Bowman. “I think we will get a huge demand for the un-tucked ODU,” he said, pointing out that the uniform is fade, wrinkle and stain resistant with new blousing string holes and elastic pockets. Even more changes are coming too. Prototypes are being considered for new physical training gear, summer wear, which includes a polo shirt and cargo shorts, and a new trench coat that fits over the Bravo uniform. These uniforms are in the making and are currently being tested in the field. All of this is definitely going to keep the UDC team busy, even though you’ll never see it. Boxy Blur William Gibson searches for a specific size to fill an order at the UDC Aug. 6. OUT OLD IN NEW STORY AND PHOTO BY PA3 CRYSTALYNN KNEEN, PADET ATLANTIC CITY 52 Coast Guard — Issue 4, 2008 Coast Guard SEALs 1 The Coast Guard recently signed an agreement with the Navy to allow Coast Guardsmen to apply for SEAL training. The program involves up to 2 years of training and 5-7 years assigned to a SEAL team with multiple deployments. Specifics on the program are available in ALCOAST 367/08. Coast Guard Combat Ribbon 2 The Coast Guard combat ribbon was recently authorized by DHS. The main eligibility requirement is satisfactory performance under enemy fire. Specifics for eligibility were released in ALCOAST 361/08. New Travel Card 3 On Nov. 29, all Citi travel card accounts will be permanently closed. JPMorgan Chase travel cards will be required for travel after that date. The new cards will be sent automatically to addresses on file with Citi. Local travel card coordinators will be able to answer questions about the transition. Post-9/11 G.I. Bill 4 Beginning Aug. 1, 2009, members who served on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001 may elect to permanently transfer into the new program. New Weight Standards 5 New maximum allowable weight and body fat percentages for October 2009 weigh-ins were announced in ALCOAST 469/08. Significant changes include lower allowable body fat percentages and new MAW standards that are not gender-specific. Endnotes The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill offers significant changes to previous versions. Based on your length of active duty service, you are entitled to a percentage of the following: Cost of tuition and fees, not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education (paid to school) Monthly housing allowance* equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in the same zip code as your school (paid to you) Yearly books and supplies stipend* of up to $1000 per year (paid to you) *The housing allowance and books and supplies stipend are not payable to individuals on active duty. The housing allowance is not payable to those pursuing training at half time or less or to individuals enrolled in distance learning. Details of the new bill are available at gibill.va.gov. • • • Coast Guard photo Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Snyder