ARMED FORCES DIGEST

VETERANS

Tri-State Marine Corps League Detachment 494 is having its 39th annual reunion from 6 p.m. to midnight Aug. 18 at the Saxon Club, 710 S. Meridian Road.

The guest speaker is Marine Lt. Col. John W. Black who is an infantry officer, a Southeast Asia regional affairs officer, and is currently Office of Defense Cooperation Chief, New Zealand, for United States Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Black has deployed twice with the 31st Marine expeditionary unit (MEU), twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Tickets are $27 per person for all Marines and guests and must be paid for before Aug. 8. There are no ticket sales at the door.

For information, call Chester Kaschak at 330-533-6084 or Ed Leiseur at 330-720-4513 or mail the following information and checks to C. M. Kaschak, 7425 S. Palmyra Road, Canfield, OH 44406: number of tickets times $27 each. Make checks payable to Tri-State Marine Corps Leave Detachment 494.

There will be a buffet, raffle, door prizes, an auction and a grand prize yet to be determined.

TAX-FREE SHOPPING

Soldiers and airmen can say hello to savings and shop tax-free with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service to purchase school supplies.

Several states offer sales tax holidays for clothing, footwear and other school supplies. Because shopping with the Exchange is always tax-free, during the state tax holidays, the Exchange will match local sales tax discounts to offer an additional percentage off (equivalent to the local sales tax rate).

“At the Exchange, every day is a sales tax holiday,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “When families shop for back-to-school supplies during state sales tax holidays, the Exchange benefit becomes even more valuable.”

Besides tax-free shopping, the Exchange offers military-exclusive pricing and an average savings of 20 percent off MSRP.

Sales tax holidays started in Alabama on July 20 and continue in 16 states through Aug. 25. For more information, official dates and included items, shoppers can check their state’s tax website.

BASIC TRAINING GRADS

AIR FORCE: Airman Mary E. Matuszak, a 2013 graduate of West Branch High School, Beloit. She is the granddaughter of Rosemarie and Thomas J. Andrjwski of Beloit, and niece of Brenda Chilton of Salem; Airman Kaitlyn M. Ondik, a 2017 graduate of Mineral Ridge High School, Mineral Ridge. She is the daughter of Belinda M. Postage of Youngstown; Airman 1st Class Taylor B. Cartwright, a 2012 graduate of Wellsville High School, Wellsville, and earned an associate degree in 2016 from Kent State University, East Liverpool Branch. She is the daughter of Paul K. Cline and James S. Hardman, both of Wellsville, and wife of Luke C. Cartwright of East Liverpool; Reserve Airman 1st Class Kenneth A. Bable, a 2014 graduate of Grove City High School, Grove City, Pa. He is the son of Karen and Charles Bable of Grove City, Pa., and brother of Charles T. Bable Jr of Edinburg, Pa., Kelly E. Leblanc of Fayetteville, N.C., and Christina Burrows of New Castle, Pa.

Items of note for the Armed Forces Digest can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or emailed to alcorn@vindy.com.