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Desert Wings                                                                                                                                October 30, 2015

12 www.aerotechnews.com/edwardsafb                                                                                                  facebook.com/EdwardsDesertWings

412th SFS picks pumpkins for party

by Rebecca Amber                     the kids can go in and get all the                                                                                                                                                                           Air Force photographs by Rebecca Amber
Staff writer                         pumpkins out,” said Ashley Har-
                                     ris, 412th SFS key spouse. “It is a      6HQLRU0DVWHU6JW'HVKDQ:RRGVWK6HFXULW\)RUFHV6TXDGURQ¿UVWVHUJHDQWDQGKLVGDXJKWHU6XPPHU
  ROSAMOND, Calif.—Each              lot of pumpkins; it’s kind of over-      choose pumpkins for the 412th Security Forces children’s Halloween party at Tapia’s Pumpkin Patch in Rosamond,
year when October rolls around,      whelming how nice it is.”                Calif.
pumpkin season begins. There are
pumpkins for carving and deco-         According to Senior Master Sgt.          “It was such a small operation,
rating, pumpkin-spiced drinks,       Deshan Woods, 412th SFS first            they actually would hand people
pumpkin pies and much more.          sergeant, Security Forces is the         ÀDVKOLJKWVVRWKH\FRXOGJRLQDQG
According to the United States       largest squadron on Edwards with         pick out their pumpkin at night,”
Department of Agriculture, 192.2     374 members. The key spouse              said Benson about the early days
million pounds of pumpkins were      events allow spouses of their de-        at the pumpkin patch. “Since then
produced in California in 2014.      ployed members to “connect, in-          we’ve added lighting and grew 10-
                                     teract and meet new people.”             fold. We have several acres here
  This year, Tapia’s Pumpkin                                                  and we just keep expanding.”
Patch on Rosamond Blvd. donated        Oct. 22, Tapia’s Pumpkin Patch
around 65 of their locally grown     hosted the October Hearts Apart            Today, they have bouncy hous-
pumpkins to the 412th Security       activity. More than a dozen chil-        es, train rides, a petting zoo and
Forces Squadron children’s Hal-      dren and their parents were given        a pumpkin launcher. According
loween party. Three families of the  complimentary wristbands for un-         to Benson, everything but the hay
412th SFS came to the pumpkin        limited activities and each child        bales is grown locally in Rosa-
patch Oct. 28 to pick pumpkins for   took home a free pumpkin. John           mond with 16 different varieties of
the party.                           Benson and his wife Cindy, the           pumpkins and squash. Every year
                                     pumpkin patch volunteers who             the volunteers spend three months
  The party will be held Oct. 30 at  hosted the group, purchased pizza        setting up and stay open for the
the Chapel 1 Annex, and is hosted    for them.                                month of October with their last
by the squadron’s key spouses                                                 day on Halloween.
primarily for families of deployed     “It’s just our way of saying
members, but is open to anyone in    thanks to them,” said Benson. “Es-         “We do it for the community,”
the squadron.                        pecially where one of the parents        VDLG%HQVRQDGGLQJWKDWWKHSUR¿W
                                     LVJRQH¿JKWLQJIRURXUIUHHGRPV       they make helps pay for harvest-
  There will be crafts, games,       fighting for us to be having this        ing the pumpkins for the next year.
food and even a pumpkin patch        fun. It’s a small way to thank the
created with the donated pump-       families.”
kins.
                                       Tapia’s Pumpkin Patch has been
  “[Using hay bales] we block        in Rosamond for about 20 years,
off a section in the courtyard and   started by owner Charles Tapia
then put all the pumpkins in and     and his family.

Tapia’s Pumpkin Patch in Rosamond, Calif., donated around 65 pumpkins                                              Master Sgt. Scott Harris, 412th Security Forces Squadron, loaded
to the 412th Security Forces Squadron Oct. 28 for their children’s Halloween                                       pumpkins into their vehicle at Tapia’s Pumpkin Patch with the help of his
party to be held Oct. 30 at the Chapel 1 Annex.                                                                    daughter, Ava, for the squadron’s Halloween party.

TRICARE Young Adult premiums to increase Jan. 1

  Premiums for the Military Health System’s benefit plan          E\WKHSURJUDP¶VEHQH¿FLDULHV3UHYLRXV\HDUV¶SUHPLXPVZHUH     them to stay on,” said Justis. “But they do have options.”
for adult children between 23 and 26 years old have been an-      ORZHUEHFDXVH75,&$5(GLGQRW\HWKDYHVXI¿FLHQWFRVWGDWD         2WKHUKHDOWKFDUHRSWLRQVIRU\RXQJDGXOWEHQH¿FLDULHVLQ-
nounced.                                                          WRVHWDQQXDOSUHPLXPV7KLVFRPLQJ\HDUPDUNVWKH¿UVWWLPH
                                                                                                                                    clude:
  The premiums for TRICARE Young Adult program will in-           TRICARE has had enough actual cost data to set the premiums         ‡3XUFKDVLQJ7<$6WDQGDUG²ORZHUSUHPLXPVKLJKHUFRVW
crease on Jan. 1, 2016 to $306 per month for TYA Prime, and
$228 per month for TYA Standard.                                  based on actual costs rather than predicted cost.                 shares — instead of TYA Prime
                                                                                                                                      ‡(QUROOLQJLQDSDUHQW¶VFLYLOLDQKHDOWKLQVXUDQFHSODQLI
  “Offering the option to have young adults covered under these     “We are required by law to be cost-neutral to the govern-
plans falls in line with what all Americans are able to do with                                                                     available
their adult children under the Affordable Care Act,” said Mary    ment, so the premiums had to be raised to cover the actual cost     ‡3XUFKDVLQJFRYHUDJHWKURXJKWKHFROOHJHRUXQLYHUVLW\LI
Kaye Justis, director of the TRICARE Health Plan. “We want
to make sure those wanting this coverage know all the facts as    of care,” Justis said.                                            enrolled
they go into the open enrollment season for health care plans                                                                         ‡3XUFKDVLQJDSODQRIIHUHGWKURXJKWKH+HDOWK,QVXUDQFH0DU-
in this country.”                                                   TYA offers very generous, competitive coverage for young
                                                                                                                                    ketplace at www.healthcare.gov.
  Justis explained the increase is due to the requirement in the  adults, Justis said. Although the premiums do not go into effect
National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 that TRICARE                                                                               Lower cost plans may be available depending on income and
set TYA premiums to cover the full cost of health care received   until Jan. 1, 2016, TRICARE leaders want to make sure TYA
                                                                  EHQH¿FLDULHVKDYHDOOWKHIDFWVQRZWRPDNHWKHEHVWGHFLVLRQ    residence, and assistance paying premiums may be available if
                                                                                                                                    EHQH¿FLDULHVTXDOLI\IRUJRYHUQPHQWVXEVLGLHVWKURXJKFRP-
                                                                  possible, based on their needs and circumstances, during the
                                                                                                                                    mercial plans.
                                                                  open enrollment season from Nov. 1, 2015, through Jan. 31,
                                                                                                                                      Visit www.tricare.mil/TYA for more information.
                                                                  2016.

                                                                    “We like having young adults in our system and welcome
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