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This undated photograph shows some members of the 154th Wing’s Electric Shop. Shown are (L-R): David Helmic, August Bernardino, Robin Ito, Kevin Shiraki, and Herbert Takeuchi, the shop chief.
Retiree News believes the photograph is from the late 1980s, at the start of the F-15 Eagle era.
Special thanks to Gerald Gono, who was a member of the shop, for his assistance identifying some members.
From the Military Times website
A group of 26 senators called for the Office of Personnel Management to drop its pursuit of retirement benefit cuts for current and future federal retirees in a June 13 letter to OPM Director Jeff Pon.
“Together, the proposals you have made would cut $143 billion over 10 years from federal employee retirement programs, while offering nothing to employees in their place. We fear that these cuts are motivated by an ongoing effort to balance the budget on the backs of federal workers rather than an effort to provide a comprehensive approach to modernizing federal employee compensation,” the senators wrote.
OPM sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan in early May, requesting that Congress pass legislation to eliminate annuity supplements, alter the calculation of annuities, increase federal employee retirement contributions and reduce or eliminate cost-of-living adjustments for federal retirees.
From the Military Times website
In an effort to promote public service and camaraderie among former servicemembers, advocates unveiled a new “Veteran’s Creed” on Thursday designed to provide a familiar mantra as they navigate civilian life.
The eight-point creed is backed by a host of well-known veterans groups — among them the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Wounded Warrior Project — and is set to be heavily promoted at events and conventions throughout the summer.
Colonel James S. Shigekane became the Vice Commander of the 154th Wing on October 1, 2018. He replaced Colonel Kurt Shigeta who retired.
Colonel Shigekane received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1992. He completed pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi in 1993 and has served in a variety of operational and diplomatic assignments to include Commander, Cadet Squadron One, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado, the 62nd Airlift Wing Chief of Safety, Commander, 10th Airlift Squadron, and Deputy Operations Group Commander, McChord Air Force Base, Washington, and was the U.S. Air Attaché to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the European Union.
Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Shigekane served as the Director of Safety, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Colonel Shigekane served over 25 years on Active Duty prior to entering the Air National Guard.
For 48 days — and counting — Hawaii National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have been doing safety and relief work amid volcanic threats and destruction on the east side of Hawaii island… https://t.co/nC4n8QuzDI
— National Guard (@USNationalGuard) June 19, 2018
After his mother’s death, Ken Moraif had to unravel her finances. Millions of Americans each year face a similar task, but he had a unique challenge — he had to crack a code.
His mother had detailed her financial accounts in a notebook, but each password was written in code, and clues for deciphering the passwords were written in code. Sorting through his mother’s estate took more than a year, he says.
While Moraif’s experience is extreme, dealing with finances after a person dies adds another level of stress to an already stressful time. These eight steps can ease the process:
Made up of billions of nerve cells called neurons, your nervous system is what lets you do everything from breathe to walk to dream.
It has two main parts: the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (all the other nerves in your body).
Off the Hawaii Adjutant General’s Facebook page
When the Kilauea volcano erupted on Hawaii’s Big Island, members of the 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard, were just getting home from a seven-month deployment that sent them to Al Asad Airbase, Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
On the day before he was supposed to return to work Air National Guard Maj. Irving Bicoy, 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron commander, received a call that he was to put a team of air traffic controllers together for a deployment to Hilo, Hawaii to support Operation Ho’opalekana. In less than 24 hours, Bicoy was able to gather a team of five people to deploy to Hawaii’s Big Island to support the mission.
BG (Ret) Bernard Watson emailed Retiree News with this sad news.
It is with saddened heart that I pass along the news that USAF Brigadier General and Hawaiian Airlines Captain Bob Maguire has passed away on Tuesday evening June 12, 2018.
He spent his last days receiving exceptional treatment and support at the Tripler palliative care facility on Oahu. His wife Judy has been at his side every day for most of May and all of June. Fortunately, all four of his daughters have been able to come over from the Bay area to see him during that time as well and were able to say their goodbyes.
Retired HAL pilot Paddy Evans, a very long time and close friend of Bob’s, has been in almost daily communication with Bob’s wife Judy, and then relayed updates to others
Retiree New will post information about services when available.
Retiree News extends our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
Related: Earlier Retiree News post
Bernard Watson served as the Hawaii Army National Guard commander and in civilian life was a Hawaiian Airlines pilot.
Keith Kunichika was commissioned in the Hawaii Air National Guard in 1977. Keith served in the then 154th Composite Group in the maintenance complex and later as the budget officer and controller.
An AGR, he retired in 2003. He then entered Federal civil service, serving with the Air Force Audit Agency. Keith later moved to the Marine Audit Service and retired in 2010.
As a group, Americans have shockingly little saved for retirement
Northwestern Mutual’s 2018 Planning & Progress Study, which surveyed 2,003 adults, found that 21 percent of Americans have nothing saved at all for their golden years, and a third of Americans have less than $5,000. To put that into perspective, it means that 31 percent of U.S. adults could last only a few months on their savings if they had to retire tomorrow.
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MSgt Peter P.K. Kawanana Kali, Jr. A much-loved individual, 47, of Aiea, Hawaii, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on April 13, 2018 at his home surrounded by family and friends. P.K. was born on January 03, 1971 in Waimea, Kauai, and was an aircraft loadmaster instructor with the Hawaii Air National Guard.
He is survived by his mother, Alberta Jardin Kali, his sister, Clarice Kaleolani Kali, his nephew, Kalen Kamalanikaumaka Kakutani, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Albert and Christina Kali, his maternal grandparents, Albert and Clara Jardin, and his father, Peter Kawanana Kali, Sr.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, June 23, 2018, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kalaheo, Kauai. Visitation with family will begin at 9 a.m. and mass at 11 a.m. The family welcomes leis. Scattering of P.K.’s ashes will be held privately at a later date.
Related: Earlier Retiree News post
