Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In early January 2003, we initiated a review of the Defense Integrated Military Human Resource System (DIMHRS) to get an understanding of the program, its goals, its present status, and the problems it is designed to resolve. During this review, we became aware that in April 2003 the Department of Defense (DOD) authorized the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to initiate a pilot project to demonstrate its ability to develop an interim military pay system, called Forward Compatible Military Pay, before DIMHRS is fully operational. DFAS maintains that an interim system should be developed as soon as possible for two reasons: (1) the planned personnel and pay system that DOD is currently developing as part of the larger DIMHRS will be implemented later than its projected target date of December 2006 and (2) the current military pay system--the Defense Joint Military Pay System--is aging, unresponsive, and fragile and has become a major impediment to efficient and high quality customer service. It is estimated that the Forward Compatible Military Pay system could be operational by March 2006 at a design and development cost ranging from about $17 million …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "We have performed the procedures contained in the enclosure to this report, which we agreed to perform and with which the Inspector General (IG) concurred, solely to assist it in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, is supported by the underlying records. As agreed, we evaluated fiscal year 2003 activity affecting distributions to the AATF."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Transportation requested that GAO perform procedures to assist the IG's office in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, is supported by the underlying records. GAO evaluated fiscal year 2003 activity affecting distributions to the HTF."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In November 2002, we issued our report on the results of our audit of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2002 and 2001, and on the effectiveness of its internal controls as of September 30, 2002. We also reported our conclusions on IRS's compliance with significant provisions of selected laws and regulations and on whether IRS's financial management systems substantially comply with requirements of the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA). A separate report on the implementation status of recommendations from our prior IRS financial audits and related financial management reports will be issued shortly. The purpose of this report is to discuss issues identified during our fiscal year 2002 audit regarding accounting procedures and internal controls that could be improved for which we do not presently have any recommendations outstanding."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses how states are using the March 2002 Reed Act distribution, which was part of the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002. This broad stimulus package included an additional 13 weeks of federally-funded extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for all states and a distribution to states of $8 billion of the unemployment tax revenue it holds in reserve, referred to as a Reed Act distribution. Under the act, these funds may be used to pay UI benefits, and/or to enhance UI benefits, such as increasing weekly benefit payments, extending the period of time benefits are paid, or otherwise expanding eligibility to groups that currently do not qualify for benefits. States may also appropriate these funds for the administrative costs of UI, including activities related to program integrity, and employment services (ES) programs, including one-stop service centers. This testimony focuses on: (1) the proportion of Reed Act dollars that states have spent; (2) the proportion of total Reed Act dollars that remains in state UI trust funds and the effect this has had on employer UI taxes; and (3) the proportion of Reed Act dollars …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Commercial aviation has been a long-standing target for terrorists. Since the tragic attacts of September 11, 2001, substantial changes have been made to enhance security--including the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the federalization of the passenger screener workforce. However, despite these changes, vulnerabilities in aviation security continue to exist. Accordingly, GAO was asked to describe TSA's efforts to (1) measure the effectiveness of its aviation security initiatives, (2) strengthen its passenger screening program, and (3) address additional challenges in further enhancing aviation security."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The 1998 terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 220 people and injured 4,000, highlighted the compelling need for safe and secure overseas facilities. In November 1999, an independent advisory group, the Overseas Presence Advisory Panel, said that thousands of Americans representing our nation abroad faced an unacceptable level of risk from terrorist attacks and other threats. The panel called for accelerating the process of addressing security risks to provide overseas staff with the safest working environment, consistent with the nation's resources and the demands of their missions. Moreover, the panel concluded that many U.S. overseas facilities were insecure, decrepit, deteriorating, overcrowded, and "shockingly shabby," and it recommended major capital improvements to redress these problems. GAO was asked to (1) assess the current conditions of overseas diplomatic facilities, including security, maintenance, office space, and information technology; and (2) provide some preliminary observations regarding State's efforts to improve facility conditions by replacing existing buildings with new, secure embassy compounds."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "DOE spends more money on contracts than any other civilian federal agency because it relies primarily on contractors to operate its sites and carry out its diverse missions. These missions include maintaining the nuclear weapons stockpile, cleaning up radioactive and hazardous waste, and supporting basic energy and science research activities. For fiscal year 2001, DOE spent about 90 percent of its total annual budget, or about $18.2 billion, on contracts. Of that amount, DOE spent about $16.2 billion on contracts to manage or operate 28 major DOE sites. For over a decade, GAO, DOE's Office of Inspector General, and others have identified problems with DOE's contracting practices and the performance of its contractors. Projects were late or never finished; project costs escalated by millions and sometimes billions of dollars; and environmental conditions at the sites did not significantly improve. At the same time, contractors were earning a substantial portion of the profit (fee) available under the contract. Because of these problems, since 1990 we have designated DOE contract management as a high-risk area vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. To address these and other problems, DOE began …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress passed the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 in response to frustration with the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) inability to effectively carry out its mission. IRS's inability to deliver new computer systems that worked, allegations of abuse of taxpayers by IRS employees, and taxpayers greeted by busy signals when calling IRS for assistance all fed the frustration. The act set two goals for IRS--improve service to taxpayers while continuing to enforce compliance with the tax laws. The act also mandated annual joint congressional oversight hearings, of which this is the fifth and final."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a county commissioner may lease real property from the county (RQ-0019-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Valuing repairs made to a residence homestead necessitated by flood, wind, fire, or other damage under sections 11.26 and 23.23 of the Tax Code (RQ-0023-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Use of the Barber School Tuition Protection Account administered by the State Board of Barber Examiners (RQ-0024-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Constitutionality of sections 2A and 2B of article 21.74, Texas Insurance Code, which establish a "Holocaust Registry" within the Texas Department of Insurance; require certain insurers to file particular information with Department; and authorize the imposition of sanctions for failure to do so (RQ-0074-GA)

Certificate from the Order of Daedalians declaring Rosa Charlyne Creger an official member.

This guide describes the general use, input file formatting, compilation and execution of the STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases) simulator, a scientific tool for analyzing single and multiple phase subsurface flow and transport. A description of the simulator's governing equations, constitutive functions and numerical solution algorithms are provided in a companion theory guide. In writing these guides for the STOMP simulator, the authors have assumed that the reader comprehends concepts and theories associated with multiple-phase hydrology, heat transfer, thermodynamics, radioactive chain decay, and relative permeability-saturation-capillary pressure constitutive relations. The authors further assume that the reader is familiar with the computing environment on which they plan to compile and execute the STOMP simulator. The STOMP simulator requires an ANSI FORTRAN 77 compiler to generate an executable code. The memory requirements for executing the simulator are dependent on the complexity of physical system to be modeled and the size and dimensionality of the computational domain. Likewise execution speed depends on the problem complexity, size and dimensionality of the computational domain, and computer performance.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Breyer. Breyer enlisted in the Army and was attached to the 922nd Field Artillery Battalion after a brief stint in the Army Specialized Training Program (which was discontinued before he could complete the course). He was shipped to India, landing in Bombay (Mumbai) in April, 1944. From there, he went to Burma and fought the Japanese with Merrill’s Marauders. Breyer was evacuated back to India because of an infection. He managed to return to his outfit and continue fighting with them in Burma. He shares several anecdotes about his experiences jungle fighting in Burma. He also traveled to Kunming to train Chinese troops. He also comments on the nationalist and communist Chinese starting to fight after the war ended. Breyer was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Lee ""Tex"" Hill. He discusses his time with the Flying Tigers and with Air Force Fighter Groups flying missions in China, particularly the Salween Gorge bombing to keep the Japanese from crossing into China there.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. James E.T. Hopkins. Hopkins was born in Howard County, Maryland on 19 January 1915. Following high school, he attended The Johns Hopkins University graduating from the Medical School in 1941. He volunteered to go overseas with the Johns Hopkins Hospital Unit and was transported to Fiji aboard the SS President Coolidge (1931). On Fiji, they built the barracks out of reeds and bamboo and the hospital was a prefabricated building. In 1943 he volunteered to go to Guadalcanal and was assigned to the148th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion as a battle surgeon. On July 18 he was assigned to the 37th Infantry Division whose assignment was to capture Munda air field. He recalls the combat conditions encountered by the battalion and of the heroic actions of Private Roger Young, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He comments on the number of cases of war neurosis (shell shock) that were treated. Heeding a call by President Roosevelt for volunteers for a dangerous mission, James was sent to Bombay, India where he joined the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). It was commanded by Frank D. Merrill and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Wesley Furste. Furste was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 19 April 1915. Having attended Harvard Medical School, Dr. Furste joined the US Army Medical Corps in August 1942 and was sent to the Field Medical Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he was sent to Kunming, China and assigned as a surgeon in the United States Army 22nd Field Hospital. He tells of training various Chinese people in medical procedures and of treating combat casualties of the Salween River battle and the battle for Tengchong. He describes the various preventative measures taken to combat malaria. Following the surrender of Japan, Furste returned to the United States and continued his medical internship and training going into private practice in 1951. He is of the opinion that his wartime experiences prepared him for being noted as a world authority on gas gangrene and tetanus.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Witts. Witts was born in Texas 13 December 1920. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas until 1941. Leaving college during his senior year, he joined the FBI as a special agent in training and before completing the training he resigned and joined the US Army Air Corps in October 1941. After training at various installations he became a navigator in 1944. Witts received combat training in PBY5A aircraft at Kessler Field, Mississippi. He tells of picking up an aircraft at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia and flying to New Guinea where the plane and crew were assigned to the 13th Air Force. He describes the various types of missions flown and strong relationships the crew members formed. He tells of the living conditions encountered and the various types of landing strips from which they had to operate. Following the surrender of Japan he returned to the United States on a troop ship, received his discharge and reentered the University of Texas from which he graduated with a law degree.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Julius Casarez. Casarez was born in Austin, Texas on 9 May 1920. Upon joining the Army in December 1941, he had basic training in El Paso, Texas. Assigned to a machine gun anti-aircraft unit, he tells of sailing in convoy to Karachi, India. During July 1942, the unit moved to New Delhi. After six months they flew to Kunming, China. He describes traveling on the Burma Road to the Mekong River where they engaged in combat with the Japanese. In February 1945, Casarez returned to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. A. (Bill) Henderson. He discusses his time as a bombardier and navigator on a B-24 in the China-Burma-India Theater. His crew made bombing runs along the Burma Railway and hit the bridge over River Kwai (Mae Klong), and also flew runs to supply gasoline to various bases in China, India and Burma. He ancedotes about the food and living quarters on the bases and saving his co-pilot's life after a bullet tore through the plane's nose wheel into the man's leg, then helping the pilot land the crippled plane.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Findley. Findley joined the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He received pilot training at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona from both the Royal Air Force and United States. Upon graduation, Findley was eligible to wear the wings of both countries. He also completed Special Weapons Training. He served in Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Omaha, Nebraska setting up a missile safety program. Findley’s military career began with a year in India flying the Hump, where he made 103 missions. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1946, though continued his military career retiring from the USAF in 1973.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Norman. Born in 1919, he joined the Army Air Force in September 1941. He began his pilot training in early 1942. He served as a flight instructor in the Army Air Training Command at Marfa Army Airfield, Texas for two years. In September 1944 he was transferred to the Air Transport Command. He relates a story about landing a C-46 on Ascension Island en route to delivering it to England. Because he had experience flying four-engine airplanes, he was sent to India to fly C-87 and C-109 transport planes. He flew missions transporting fuel from Jorhat and Kermatola, India over ?the Hump? to Chengtu and Kunming for use by bombers and other airplanes operating out of China. He talks about the transport mission hazards, such as adverse weather conditions, the combustible nature of the cargo, mechanical failure, primitive navigation techniques, and flying at high altitudes over mountainous. He describes his plan of action in the event his plane crashed in the Himalaya Mountains. He mustered out when the war ended in 1945. The interview also contains information about his parents and siblings.