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August 23, 2018

KTA Superstores president honored for patriotic support

From the ESGR Hawaii website

HILO, Hawaii – Barry Taniguchi, president of KTA Superstores, was presented with a Patriot Award July 20, by Alan Subica, volunteer for the Hawaii Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, in recognition of his extraordinary support for his employee, Spc. Taylor Salgado-Ganzagan serving in the Hawaii Army National Guard.

Taylor works in the seafood section of KTA Puainako. Previously she worked at the KTA Waimea store. She explained that she nominated Mr. Taniguchi because she had worked at more than one KTA superstore. She explained that KTA has been very supportive of her even when she had to report to active duty with only 2-3 days advanced notice.

She was initially deployed to the Puna eruption immediately after the breakout.  She then had 2 weeks summer camp active duty. Now, she is on Oahu for additional military career training.  Over all this time, her supervisors and co-workers at KTA have all been very supportive. She asked Alan Subica to present the Patriot Award to Mr. Taniguchi and to express her gratitude for his understanding and support.

Taniguchi appreciates employees with military training because they are always dependable and reliable. Additionally, they use the great training and values they’ve acquired in the military on a daily basis on the job.

ESGR, a Department of Defense program, seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.

August 22, 2018

Taps: Rex Koga – Update 2

The memorial services for Rex Koga has been rescheduled because Hawaiian Memorial Park will close on Friday because of Hurricane Lane.

Services are now scheduled for Sunday, August 26, 2018 at Hawaiian Memorial Park. Visitation starts at 1730 with services at 1830.

Burial is now scheduled for 1400 on Friday, September, 28, 2018 at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery.

August 22, 2018

HCATT Wins DBEDT’s 2018 Team of the Year Award

L-R: Christine Tanuvasa, Contract Administrator; Kristy Carpio, support staff; Stanley Osserman, HCATT Director; Rachel James, HCATT Project Manager; David Molinaro, Project Manager

Early this year, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) named the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT) as their Team of the Year.

Among this team are three retired/former members of the Hawaii Air National Guard.

Stanley “Ossum” Osserman flew as a weapon systems officer (WSO) during the 154th Wing’s F-4C Phantom era. He flew as a navigator with the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron and was one o unit’s original members. Later in his career, he served in key staff and command positions. He retired a brigadier general service as the Chief of Staff of the Hawaii Air National Guard.

David Molinairo served in the 154th Wing in maintenance and supply. He later became the Director of Staff at Hq, Hawaii Air National Guard where he retired as a colonel.

Christine Tanuvasa served at Hq, Hawaii Air National Guard and the 154th Wing for several years before leaving to pursue her civilian career goals.

Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies. Through a partnership with the Air Force and the State of Hawaii, HCATT manages both the National Demonstration Center for Alternative Fuel Vehicles and the Air Force Energy and Security Integration and Demonstration Center. HCATT’s projects combine demonstration and integration of multiple renewable energy technologies to inform Air Force requirements and concepts of operation. Through partnerships with industry, and local and federal government, HCATT supports the development of ready installations, resilient environmental infrastructure and reliable energy in Hawaii and the Pacific Region.

HCATT partnerships include federal funding support from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), through its Advanced Power and Technology Office (APTO) as well as renewable energy infrastructure development with the Hawaii Hydrogen Implementation Working Group (H2IWG).

August 22, 2018

Air Force May Go Old School with Dress Blue Uniform Update

From the Military.com website

U.S. Air Force photo

The U.S. Air Force is not only getting new battle uniforms in the near future, service officials are also debating a change to the dress blue uniform.

In a move that closely mirrors the Army‘s push to bring back its World War II-era pinks and greens uniform, the service is considering a look that reflects its 70-year history, particularly in the dress blues jacket, Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, told Air Force Times on Wednesday.

Continue reading

Related:
A short history of the Air Force service dress uniform

August 22, 2018

FDA Recalls Common Heart Drug Over Cancer Concerns

From the Everyday Health website

Three U.S. companies have voluntarily recalled drugs that contain the active ingredient valsartan, a generic drug used to treat heart failure and high blood pressure.

The drugs are being recalled because an impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which has been linked to cancer, was found in the medications. All three companies recalling the drugs buy valsartan from the same Chinese manufacturer, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Learn more

August 21, 2018

Check Six – 2008: Father & Son Deploy Together

click on photograph to enlarge

WILLIAMTOWN, AUSTRALIA — Father, Tech. Sgt. Marconi Cabatbat Sr., 154th Logistics Readiness Squadron and son, 1st Lt. Marconi Cabatbat Jr., 199th Fighter Squadron, deploy together for the first time during Sentry Down Under 2008 held September 3 – 22 in Williamtown, Australia. Tech. Sgt. Cabatbat has another son, Jason, who is also a member of the 154th Wing.

August 21, 2018

Bud Day Posthumously Promoted

From the Air Force Magazine website

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein posthumously promoted former prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient Col. George E. “Bud” Day to brigadier general on June 8. Goldfein used the stars he had received when he was promoted to brigadier general during the ceremony.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was Day’s cellmate in captivity in Hanoi, introduced the advancement, which was directed by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and became official on March 27.

Day—who died in July 2013, was flying his F-100 Super Sabre over North Vietnam when he was shot down and immediately captured on August 26, 1967. He escaped from North Vietnam, the only American prisoner to do so, but was recaptured by the Viet Cong before he could reach safety. He was repatriated on March 14, 1973 and reunited with his wife and four children.

Day eventually returned to active flying status and retired from Active Duty in 1977 as one of the most decorated officers in USAF history.

August 21, 2018

New Followers 18.08.21

You can register to receive an email every time there is a new post.

In the “Follow Retiree News via Email” section, on the right column of the website – enter your email address and press “Follow”. 

Shortly, you will receive a confirmation email to your address from WordPress.com. You acknowledge the email and you are a registered reader.

After you compete this short registration process, you get a notification email every time there is a new posting. The email has a quick teaser of the posting, along with tags that indicate how the posting relates to special topics/areas. There is a direct link to the website (Read more of this post)

Retiree New post sample   click on graphic to enlarge

Thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Retiree News via Email”:

William Akiona, Mark Johnson, pedals, jkahanu808, gollero2, Russell Arikawa, davepatwms, hnj, Ted Ganade, hynbrewer, Lewis Kono, Joseph Kruse, ydwtitus77, a7d.corsair, Scott Kimsey, Al Keliinui, julius6275, billandsal, tfreed44

August 20, 2018

Check Six – 1984: Team Spirit 84

click on photograph to enlarge

The 201st Combat Communications Group deployed to the annual Team Spirit exercises in Korea. The 201 CCG units augmented the existing communications system and setup communications on exercise bare bases. This photograph shows (L-R) Toshi Nagai, the then-297th Air Traffic Control Flight; Gregory Ing, the then-201st Combat Communications Flight, and an unidentifed airman. There is even a hand crank field telephone in front of Greg.

Team Spirit was a joint military training exercise of United States Forces Korea and the Military of South Korea held annually between 1976 and 1993.

The exercise was also scheduled from 1994 to 1996 but cancelled during this time period as part of diplomatic efforts to encourage the Government of North Korea to disable the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

From 1997 through 2007, the exercise had been called “Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration of Forces” (RSOI). As of March 2008, it is called Key Resolve.

August 20, 2018

Does Human Life Span Really Have a Limit?

From the Everyday Health website

The limits of human existence might not be as limited as we have long thought.

A person’s risk of death slows and even plateaus above age 105, a new study reports, challenging previous research saying there’s a cutoff point past which the human life span cannot extend.

Longevity pioneers lucky enough to make it past the perilous 70s, 80s and 90s could potentially live well into their 110s, if fortune remains on their side, said senior author Kenneth Wachter, a professor of demography and statistics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Continue reading

August 20, 2018

Out With the $1 Million Goal for Retirement: What You Will Really Need

From the U.S. News & World Report website

In the past, saving $1 million for retirement was considered a benchmark to help you enter retirement comfortably. But times have changed, and that figure may no longer be accurate. “Boomers and the subsequent generations are dealing with a different puzzle than their parents,” says Steven Barrett, a financial consultant with Xceed Wealth Management Group in El Segundo, California. Many companies no longer offer a traditional pension plan to employees. Instead of relying on a pension, most people entering retirement will depend on what they have saved in a 401(k) plan and IRAs.

“This shift in retirement funds alone is enough to upset the longstanding $1 million milestone, but when you add in the low interest rate environment we’ve been in for quite some time, it’s important to build savings rather than relying solely on the interest growth,” Barrett says. Longer life expectancies, along with potential obligations to care for older or younger family members, could further shift the amount you’ll want to set aside.

Here are some guidelines to use when defining how much you need in your retirement nest egg.

August 19, 2018

KC-135 Stratotankers – flying since 1954

Be sure to click on the KC-135 History link above

August 19, 2018

5 Reasons to Plan Your Funeral Now

From the nextavenue website

Although I didn’t know it at the time, a week after my father received a terminal cancer diagnosis, he asked my cousin to take him to a local mortuary where he made decisions about his burial and paid for his funeral. Following his death five months later, as a grieving only child, I was thankful my father had the foresight to plan ahead, as he had always done for other life events. His choice to preplan was a gift that prevented me from making emotional and costly decisions based in grief.

Death is a subject none of us want to confront. Talking about death causes us to face mortality and run head-on into the fact that we will not always be here. Yet death is inevitable and planning your funeral is a lot like planning for retirement. It requires honest evaluation and sometimes hard decisions, but it’s something that needs to be done.

Here are five reasons to overcome hesitancy and consider planning your funeral now:

August 19, 2018

2017 Edition of the State of Hawaii Data Book

The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is pleased to present the 2017 edition of the State of Hawaii Data Book, the official summary of statistics on the social, economic, and political organization of our state.

This edition, the 50th in the series, places major emphasis on statewide data and less so on counties, islands, urban places, and smaller areas. Source references for additional statistical detail are provided in the introductions to the sections and at the end of each table.

2017 edition of the State of Hawaii Data Book

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