Walter Kunio Shigekane was born on September 21, 1931 to Saburo and Kiyono Shigekane. He passed away peacefully on December 15, 2021 at the age of 90.
Walter served proudly in the United States Air Force and the Hawaii Air National Guard. His mechanical
prowess gained him selection into an elite corps of professionals recruited by Boeing Industries, to construct the B-707 version of Air Force One!
Walter is best remembered for his glowing smile, overflowing generosity, and kind heart. He enjoyed traveling across the US, Australia, Japan, and Europe, winning jackpots in Las Vegas, watching his favorite 49ers, and raising beautiful orchids.
He is pre-deceased by his brothers, Albert, and Edward, and his sisters, Beatrice, Nancy, and Justine.
He is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn of 61 years, his brother David Kane, his two children, Vicki Shigekane White and James Shigekane, and three grandchildren, Stephanie Mizuno, Emi Shigekane and Kyan Shigekane.
Walter was our “Superman!” Through his many injuries, surgeries, and battles with cancer, he managed to recover with remarkable resilience and strength…amazing even the doctors! Nothing could keep him from seeing the world, serving his country, state, community, or spending time with his loved ones. Walter will be missed, but his legacy of kindness, love and service lives in all of us!
Memorial services will be held at Hosoi Garden Mortuary on Sunday, January 16, 2022. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. Services will begin at 10:00 am.
Retiree News extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
Retiree News photographs – click to enlarge
Over the years, Hawai‘i Army and Air National Guard facilities have been featured in many movie and television programs. Watching the original Hawai‘i 50 and Magnum PI shows, you can see Guard facilities in the backgrounds.
During the second Hawai‘i 50’s 10 year run, the production company used Guard facilities many different times. On August 5, 2015, the production crew put up signage that made the State Department of Defense building into the Honolulu Police Department headquarters. The HPD logo on the police sedan and the facility doors are close but different from the real logo.
The “D” had fallen when the photograph was taken, but was replaced before filming.
From the What’s My IP Address website
While many criminals today are finding ways to steal information from the comfort of their home by using malware, there still exists the thief who seeks the thrill of the touch—the touch of your phone or laptop, that is.
The sad reality is that most people don’t think about preventing a stolen laptop or stolen phone until after the fact, in which case it is usually too late.
From the Task and Purpose website
It’s generally good advice to keep your drama off the timeline. Sometimes, though, it comes for you and there’s nothing you can do about it, as Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii can attest to.
“Who the fuck runs this page as you’ve hacked my bank and stolen $400 from a single parent who just tried to do her shopping and can’t cause you scammed her bank account but somehow have now linked your account to mine,” read a message posted to the official Facebook page of the Tripler Army Medical Center, a hospital supporting 264,000 active personnel, dependents and veterans from around the Pacific Rim.
BlackBerry Ltd. is pulling the plug on service for its once-ubiquitous business smartphones, which were toted by executives, politicians and legions of fans in the early 2000s.
The move marks the end of an era for the phones, which sported a tiny QWERTY physical keyboard, pioneered push email and the BBM instant messaging service.
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.
The January 2007 issue of the 154th Wing’s newsletter, the Kūkā‘ilimoku, featured these stories and more.
+ HIANG Celebrates 60 years with Open House – good photos
+ 154th Wing’s New Command Chief Master Sergeant
+ Mentoring: Raymond Moriguchi
+ Promotions: including Dominic Montero, Jr., Callen Cordeiro, Stacie Ogata
+ Stanley Sato takes command of the 154th Medical Group
* 201st Combat Communicstions Group celebrates the New Year at Sather AB, Iraq
From the Air Force Times website
A new year is bringing new consequences for thousands of Air National Guardsmen who aren’t vaccinated against the coronavirus.
As of December 31, 2,500 unvaccinated airmen and Space Force guardians are ineligible for pay or benefits from the Air National Guard. Those troops are also banned from finishing out jobs, taking on new orders, showing up to drill weekends or participating in training.
From the Wired Magazine website
Most of us are sheltering in place, which probably means forgoing that morning trip to the coffee shop. Fear not though, it’s possible to make coffeehouse-quality coffee in your own kitchen.
Engineering a better cup of coffee isn’t difficult. But first you need to figure out what “better” means to you. There is no single right cup of coffee, there’s just the best version of what you love. Do you love your coffee rich and dark—thick enough to stand a spoon in, as my grandfather used to say? Or do you prefer something brighter, more of a medium roast that doesn’t overwhelm you with bitterness? Or perhaps you prefer a light coffee with some cream and sugar.
Once you figure out what you like, then you can start to improve it until you hit on a home-brewed cup of coffee you love more than anything the local coffee shop has to offer. And make no mistake, I still spend my days at the coffee shop, working and enjoying coffee I did not make. Or at least I did, and I hope to again when this pandemic ends, but I also know that if coffee shops for some reason disappear from the world tomorrow, I can still enjoy a great cup of coffee at home.
Off the Hawaii Army National Guard Facebook page
There will be a virtual military funeral honors for CW5 Charles Gustafson, Retired. The service will be on a Facebook feed on Monday, January 10. 2022, starting at 10:00 am. The link is available at https://www.facebook.com/events/630837678124442?ref=newsfeed
Retiree News extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
Investing after retirement is anything but straightforward. Retirees have to juggle finding safe investments to protect their income streams while not being so safe they risk running out of money in retirement, challenges that have only been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
You may see claims like “improves memory” and “sharpens focus” on the supplements that adults over age 50 are taking to try to keep their brains healthy. Do these products work? Find out what research shows:
Press Release #2022-001
For Immediate Release
January 6, 2022
HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – About 100 Soldiers from two units of the Hawaii Army National Guard, have been notified by the Department of Defense about an upcoming deployment to the Middle East. The first step in deploying units begins with a “Notification of Sourcing” or NOS. Changes in units, numbers, dates, and locations are still possible.
It will be a year-long deployment for 2023 and they will be supporting the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) efforts in the region.
This is the fifth time that the unit will be deployed: Iraq in 2004, and Afghanistan in 2010, 2013, 2018, and now back to the Middle East in 2023. There are some first time deployers and multi-deployers in the Oahu-based units. The 100 Soldiers will be training at Fort Hood, Texas for about a month before deploying.
###
Media Contact:
MAJ (RET) Jeff Hickman
Director, Public Affairs
State of Hawaiʻi, Dept. of Defense
Office: 808-441-7000
Email: Jeffrey.d.hickman@hawaii.gov
MSgt Joseph “Joe” Ramos retired in July 2016. During his long Hawaii Air National Guard career, Joe served in several units. Through the years, he was the “go to” person who knew how to get things done.
On July 31, 2016, there was a retirement party for Joe. It was held at the Sunset Lanai at Camp H.M. Smith. Among the guests that night were:
Back row (L-R): Howard, Regina, Brit and Bridget Komine
Middle row: Zeny and Joe Ramos
Front row: Susan and Ramon “Maui” Quizon, and John Botelho
Retiree News 