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General FAQs:
How far is the air station from SEATAC?
It's about 90 miles and takes about two hours to drive from the airport to NAS Whidbey Island. You can take a Washington State Ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton at the bottom of Whidbey Island or you can drive North on Interstate 5 and take Exit 230 West at Mount Vernon and follow directions to Whidbey Island.
What kind of transportation is available from SEATAC to the air station?
Transportation options from SEATAC airport are rental vehicle or the Whidbey Seatac Shuttle which comes onto Whidbey Island via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry and travels up Whidbey Island to Oak Harbor and NAS Whidbey Island.
Does the base offer tours?
For information regarding Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, station events, tours, etc., please contact the Public Affairs Office.
What services are available for families enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program?
Naval Hospital Oak Harbor (NHOH) is designated as an Exceptional Family Member Program (EFM) Category 5 facility. However, as a small community hospital, some specialty services are limited. A variety of more specialized treatment up to is available via referral at other military and civilian facilities throughout the Puget Sound region.
Please Note that due to the unique geography of the Puget Sound region, the Washington highway system can be indirect and include ferry crossings. Point to point distances on the map can be misleading and actual travel times and routes may be significantly longer.
For more specific information about availability of care and location of facilities, please visit the please visit the Naval Hospital Oak Harbor EFM information page and EFM program page.
How can I show my support for our troops?
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Dept. of Defense is responding to queries from thousands of Americans who are again asking what they can do to show their support for service members, especially those serving overseas in this time of war?
The following are websites for several organizations sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for DoD to endorse any specifically, service members do value and appreciate such expressions of support:
Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink at www.operationuplink.org
Donate to "Operation USO Care Package" at http://www.usocares.org
Send a greeting via e-mail through Operation Dear Abby at https://wwwcfi.cnet.navy.mil/dearabby/
Sign a virtual thank you card at the Defend America Web site at www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html
Visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.
Make a donation to one of the military relief societies
Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at www.redcross.org/
Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts. www.va.gov
Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals through a donation to the Fisher House at www.fisherhouse.org
Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.
Purchase a CertifiCheck redeemable for merchandise or groceries at AAFES/DeCA by calling 1-877-770-4438 (GIFT) or logging on to www.aafes.com or www.commissaries.com.
Adopt a unit through the Veteran's of Foreign Wars "Adopt-A-Unit" program, www.vfw.org
Find opportunities for volunteering through www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.
DoD officials ask citizens not to flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Defense Department can't accept items to be mailed "Any Servicemember."
Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual service member's overseas address, which however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays.
U.S. troops deployed to the Persian Gulf region and other overseas locations can now receive personal messages from family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues and supporters via the pages of the Stars & Stripes newspaper.
"Messages of Support," a daily section that debuted March 17, gives family and friends of deployed service members a chance to pass their greetings, words of encouragement and announcements free of charge.
"Messages of Support" can be e-mailed to "Stars and Stripes" 24 hours a day at messages@estripes.com, are limited to 50 words or less and will be printed on a first-come, first-run basis. "Stars and Stripes" reserves the right to screen and edit all messages and to omit any determined inappropriate.
"Stars and Stripes" is the editorially independent, Defense Department-authorized daily newspaper distributed overseas for the U.S. military community. It provides commercially available U.S. and world news and objective, staff-produced stories relevant to the military community in a balanced, fair and accurate manner. S&S is currently increasing its Middle East circulation with the goal of providing one paper for every three persons stationed there.
What photographic services are available at NAS Whidbey Island?
Photographic services are available for commands, and active duty servicemembers through a contractor whose office is located on the Seaplane Base. Before commands can arrange for photo services they will need a DOD EMALL account.
To obtain a DOD EMALL account, commands should contact Mark Gorrell at 360-257-6494 Tuesday and Thursday or 425-304-3540 on Wednesdays and Fridays. The costs associated with photographic services are the responsibility of the individual or command. Commands will need a DOD EMALL account.
After obtaining a DOD EMALL Account:
For photo appointments please contact Ralph Byars at ralph.byars@chugachgov.com or call at 360-257-2807 or at 360-969-0149 between the hours of 0730 and 1600, Monday thru Friday.
Photo lab hours are from 0730 to 1500 on Wednesday and Friday. The POC for that service and appointments is Robert O'Dell at 360-257-2320 or 360-441-4531.