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Staff Sgt. Anthony Malbrough, 15th Civil Engineer Squadron, affixes a base decal to the windshield of his car. Effective Jan. 30, 2010, vehicle registration with the 15th Security Forces Squadron Pass and Registration Office is mandatory. That means any driver entering anywhere on Hickam AFB or Naval Station Pearl Harbor, where the stickers are already required, must have a base decal. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Ed Foster)

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Hickam AFB going 'retro'; all vehicles to need base stickers again

Published March 26, 2009
By 2nd Lt. Jason Smith
15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii -- Leg warmers, parachute pants, mullets, Trapper Keepers and "Members Only" jackets are probably not back in style at Hickam Air Force Base, but base decals, DD Form 2220s, are all the rage.

Hickam AFB drivers need to go "retro" in 2009 by sporting the vehicle stickers that have recently disappeared from fashion.

In late 2007, then Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley ended the use of "base decals" on all Air Force installations, according to Air Force Link. The decision was based on cost, a lack of utility and long-term threats facing bases. The stickers had been around the Air Force since the 1970s and formerly served a practical purpose.

Although the Air Force cancelled the use of the stickers, other branches of service kept them. Effective Jan. 30, 2010, vehicle registration with the 15th Security Forces Squadron Pass and Registration Office is mandatory. That means any driver entering anywhere on Hickam AFB or Naval Station Pearl Harbor, where the stickers are already required, must have a base decal. Adding the stickers to Hickam AFB vehicles should ease travel to other military installations on the island.

Rather than wait for a rush of customers on Jan. 29, 2010, the 15 SFS has implemented a plan to get everyone registered in a timely fashion. Master Sgt. Stephen Veeder, 15 SFS Pass and Registration NCOIC, says there are easy steps for getting in and out of his office with a decal and no hassles; pre-register, and let the staff know you're pre-registered, have all of the required documents and show up during the appropriate times.

"First, you should pre-register," said Sergeant Veeder. "It will save you a considerable amount of time when you show up. It's also important to let us know when you're called to the counter that you are pre-registered. If not, we might enter you in the system twice."

After being called to the counter, drivers must have all of the required documents, and they must be current. The documents are a military ID card, a driver's license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance and proof (paperwork) of a Hawaii safety inspection.
Sergeant Veeder said anyone driving on base now should have these documents anyway, but people need to be aware that simply having a current safety sticker on the vehicle won't serve as proof of a safety inspection.

"We need the actual paperwork for the inspection," said Sergeant Veeder.

Probably the most important step for hassle-free registration is showing up at the right time of the day, according to Sergeant Veeder.

"We want people to come in for their base decals between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday thru Friday," he said. "One to 4 p.m. is reserved for contractors, and it gets very busy here. We're a first-come, first-served office. You can come in after 1 p.m. for your sticker if you want to, but you can expect a lengthy wait."

Swatch watches, penny loafers and break dancing--not cool...pre-registering, having appropriate documents and arriving at pass and registration from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.--definitely hip.

Pre-registration must be done from a government computer by logging onto https://sfmis.csd.disa.mil/SFMIS5/jspdocs/registration/regRequest.jsp. For questions about registration, contact 15 SFS Pass and Registration at 449-9394.

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