A Cumberland County State Trooper has been awarded the Highway Patrol’s Meritorious Service Award. Trooper S.D. Reed was honored by Col. Bill Grey, Commander of the State Highway Patrol and Frank L. Perry, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. Reed was one of several troopers and civilians to receive awards in a ceremony on Nov. 29. 

On May 5, 2016 at 9 a.m., Reed presented “Keys for Life” at Cape Fear High School. The program showed students the consequences of drinking and driving as well as texting while driving. The presentation included a mock collision involving a fatality and an impaired driver being arrested. Reed explained that an impaired driver faces DWI and felony death by motor vehicle charges. He explained that the worst part of his job is having to tell loved ones of the death. The program has been presented to 1,400 juniors and seniors of area schools over the last two years. Reed is assigned to Highway Patrol Troop B, District 1 Headquarters in Fayetteville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Weapons on Post

In mid-November, the Pentagon issued a regulation giving service members permission to carry personal firearms on military bases. The regulation “provides guidance for permitting the carrying of privately owned firearms on DoD property by DoD personnel for personal protection purposes that are not associated with the performance of official duties,” the order says. The regulation requires soldiers to conform to all federal, state and local laws. It isn’t clear whether commanders of individual installations are given authority to set local rules. “We are awaiting guidance from the Department of the Army on how this will be implemented,” Fort Bragg spokeswoman Christina Douglas told Up & Coming Weekly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Military Pay Raise Likely

Congressional budget planners say they have provided for a January 2017 pay raise for service members despite a proposed four-month budget extension through April. House Appropriations staffers say that a continuing resolution they’re drafting will provide a pay raise for troops, said The Military Times. Exactly how much that will be is being negotiated. President Barack Obama suggests a 1.6 percent increase. The House of Representatives has proposed a 2.1 percent pay raise. But they’ve got to make cuts elsewhere in the budget to pay for it.  A 1.6 percent pay increase amounts to a $400 yearly pay boost for most junior enlisted troops and up to $1,500 more in annual pay for mid-career officers. Service advocates argue that a 2.1 percent pay raise would send a significant message to soldiers that the government appreciates their family finances.