But the higher fees would affect only working-age retirees and not active-duty personnel, who do not pay for health care.
Captain Webb, an operations officer at the American headquarters here, had no particular experience in recovery operations, but he had an expertise that even the airmen did not: When not on active duty, he works in Fort Worth for Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-16.
Realizing it would be too comical, somewhat distasteful and potentially bad luck to pretend to limp, I asked him politely to show me where it was written in the rule book that canes not on active duty were not allowed on the aircraft.
People who are not on active duty, especially disabled veterans, do not "promote out," however, and may be hit hard by the SNAP funding cuts proposed in the House farm bill, which are spread over 10 years.
What is known is that since 2001, more than 2,700 service members have killed themselves, and that figure does not include National Guard and reserve troops who were not on active duty when they committed suicide.
These numbers, which are already escalating well above comparable civilian levels, may also be undercounting the problem by not counting all the National Guard members and reservists who are not on active duty, some experts say.
A member not on active duty may participate, but only in a way that does not give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship or endorsement.
In other words, if you are 16 or over and not an inmate of an institution (for example, penal and mental facilities, homes for the aged), and not on active duty in the Armed Forces, then you qualify as a potential worker and are included in the denominator.
Mr. Mickelson works as a tax assessor in Fort Collins, Colo., when not on active duty.
"Soldiers not on active duty will be disarmed, and soldiers acting irresponsibly will be disarmed," he said.
"I'll probably never be able to get rid of that image," Specialist Harris, 30, a corrections officer in Florida when he is not on active duty.
