The Kūkā‘ilimoku is the official e-newsletter of the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard. The first issue came in September 1957 and continues as an e-newsletter today.
Today we feature the October 1984 Kūkā‘ilimoku issue. This issue includes the following stories:
* HIANG units announced as NAtional Safety Council award winners
* Chapter 18, ANGNCOA Graduates Association News
* CAMS News & Views: Thomas Tsuruda and Toshio Oshiro retire
* 199th Fighter Squadron News: features Clinton “Church” Churchill and Ed “Easy” Pickering
From the Everyday Health website
It’s not just you. Americans on both sides of the aisle are especially stressed out this election year.
More than 60 percent of Republicans and nearly 80 percent of Democrats report being stressed about the current political climate in the United States, according to the Stress in America 2020 report from the American Psychological Association (APA). And that’s not all, a Gartner study published in February 2020 found that nearly half of Americans reported being sidetracked at work by the upcoming U.S. presidential election. It’s a trend that appears to be growing.
Lt Col Kenneth “Dusty” Sussel had his “Fini Flight” on December 31, 2006. The Fini Flight is a tradition for pilots that originated during the Vietnam era (more below).
Lt Col Kenneth “Dusty” Sussel had his “Fini Flight” on December 31, 2006. The Fini Flight is a tradition for pilots that originated during the Vietnam era (more below). In the photograph are (L-R):
Back Roll: Saw, Ginger, Magoo, Buckshot, Ehu, Jag, Chewy
Front Roll: Narco, Odie, Mongo, Sumo, Dusty, Grinder, Zoomba, Frenchy, Dude, Chucker, Buddha, Stuck (with his son)
Kneeling: Knockers, Kazi, Tojo, Cujo, Mute
In an email, Dusty mention he a about two years before he can retire from Hawaiian Air, and join the retiree ranks
Special Thanks to Dusty and Mongo for the ID help.
Fini Flight: A pilot’s last flight in the aircraft before he/she leaves a squadron, a wing, or retires.
“Fini” flights are the symbolic end of an aviator’s flying career. The final flight usually coincides with a retirement but sometimes the individual is moving to a non-flying position. For the aviator, it is an emotional day shared with family, friends, and squadron mates.
It’s assumed that the tradition of fini flights came from the U.S. Army Air Force days of the World War II era.
They were designed to accompany milestones in the career of the entire aircrew, respected individuals of rank or repute, or a commander’s departure to another command or retirement.
The tradition was first officially noted in Vietnam, when the aircrew commemorated the completion of 100 missions. While the 100th safe last-landing was a reason to celebrate, it is now usually a separate flight altogether marking the final activity before departure.
The celebration has evolved and now includes champagne or similar, a toast and dowsing with water from a fire truck for the aircraft and aircrew. Usually, family or families of the departing aircrew or personnel also meet them on the hardstand and douse them with water.
The Kūkā‘ilimoku is the official e-newsletter of the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard. The first issue came in September 1957 and continues as an e-newsletter today.
Today we feature the October 1982 Kūkā‘ilimoku issue. This issue includes the following stories:
* Operation Garden Sweep (Hurricane Iniki response)
* CAMS News & Views: Memories of Camp Opala, Gary Fujii retires
* TSgt Gary Witt is ANG NCO Academy Distinguished Graduate
* Promotions: including Gordon Lau and Sherry Torres to TSgt and George Egloria to SSgt
* Maj James Itamura‘s comments about Hurricane Iniki
From the U.S. News & World Report website
You don’t necessarily need a lot of money to set up a financially secure retirement. If you’re willing to carefully manage your expenses, you may be able to retire with a modest budget.
This Webmaster Comments post describes some great websites.
2020 Elections. Hawaii is in the middle of it’s first all mail-in ballot election. It you voted and want to know if your ballot was received and qualifies to be counted, the Elections Office has a website that reports the status of your mail-in ballot.
Go to https://ballotstatus.hawaii.gov/ enter some information, and in seconds, you will know if your ballot will be counted in the 2020 election. Mahalo to Jeff Hickman for sharing this information.
Google Arts & Culture website is a non-profit initiative. They work with cultural institutions and artists around the world. Together, their mission is to preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere.
They collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution for this page entitled World War II: The Flying Frontier.
Car Recalls Look-up by VIN. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 25% of recalled vehicles are never brought to the dealer to be fixed. If you purchased your care from a dealership, you will usually receive a recall notification in the mail (if your contact address is still current).
Owners may not always know their recalled vehicle still needs to be repaired. NHTSA’s search tool lets you enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to quickly learn if a specific vehicle has not been repaired as part of a safety recall in the last 15 years.
Say informed by periodically checking for recalls yourself at NHTSA’s website
Thanks to David Lopina for sharing this information.
Retirement Pay Increase. Military retirees, those who receive disability or other benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, federal retirees and Social Security recipients will see a 1.3% increase in their monthly checks for 2021.
Retired military members will see a $13 increase for each $1,000 in military retirement pension they receive each month.
Retirees who entered military service on or after Aug. 1, 1986, and opted for the Career Status Bonus (CSB/Redux retirement plan) have any COLA increases reduced by 1%, so they will see a smaller increase in 2021. They should see a monthly increase of only $3 per $1,000.
Survivors receiving Survivor Benefit Plan payments will see the same increase of $13 per $1,000 in their monthly payments.
Harry S. Iha, 90, of Kāne‘ohe, passed away peacefully at home on September 25, 2020. He retired as a CW4 with the Hawai‘i Army National Guard after 42 years of service.
Memorial service will be held at Hawaiian Memorial Park Kāne‘ohe on October 23, 2020 with a drive thru from 11:15 – 12:30 at the main chapel. Casual attire.
Retiree News extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
For most people, as we age, we start to need a little extra help with everyday tasks. Typically, the human body slows down, gets creaky and often, health issues crop up in the latter years of life. Eventually, some people may need ongoing assistance, and that’s where assisted living communities come in.
This long-term care option can be a huge benefit to seniors who need some help with the activities of daily living but who don’t need as much medical care as you’d find in a nursing home.
Chinese food is timeless — and arguably one of the best foods to order for takeout. But with so many restaurants all over the country, how could you possibly know where to turn?
We looked at nearly every style under the sun from Americanized takeout spots to dumpling stands, dim sum parlors, bakeries, spicy Sichuan joints, high-end temples of Chinese gastronomy and hole-in-the-wall noodle shops.
With all of their powers combined, we give you this compilation of the best Chinese restaurants in every state.
From the Department of Defense website
Many sporting events in the United States has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help fill the void, the Department of Defense website started a series that looks at sports heroes who also served in the military.
This post covers Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and Olympic sprinter Charley Paddock.
You know how hard you have worked and the sacrifices that have been made to achieve your goals. In order to protect what you have worked for and provide for the most important people in your life, you may be counseled to put some or all of your assets into a trust.
Once you have decided to fund a trust as part of your succession planning, you then need to determine who can best carry out your plans. “Who do I choose as my trustee or trustees?” becomes a critical planning question.
For new retirees—especially those on a fixed income—it’s more important than ever to take full advantage of every tax break available. Afterall, you have to stretch out your retirement savings to cover the rest of your life. But holding on to your money is becoming more difficult these days, thanks to the economic problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, though, seniors often miss tax-saving opportunities. In many case, it’s simply because they just don’t know about them. Don’t let that happen to you—check out these often-overlooked tax breaks for retirees. You could save a bundle
This article was published in June 2020, so some of the time references have passed.
From the This Day in Aviation website
Sikorsky Chief Pilot James R. (Dick) Wright and project chief test pilot John Dixson made the first flight of the prototype YUH-60A, 73-21650, at the company’s Stratford, Connecticut, facility. This helicopter was the first of three prototypes.
Early flight testing revealed excessive vertical vibrations associated with the main rotor. Extensive engineering and flight testing determined that this was caused by air flow upward through the rotor system and around the transmission and engine cowlings. The purpose of the low-mounted main rotor was to aid in fitting inside transport aircraft with minimal disassembly. It was necessary to increase the height of the mast and reshape the cowlings to achieve an acceptable level of vibration.
Retiree News 