Earlier this year, Stephen Lum of the department’s Public Affairs Office completed a photo gallery recognizing the eighteen individuals who served as Hawai‘i’s adjutants general through the years. Each photo includes short biography of officer. This photo gallery is in the hallway outside the Adjutant General’s office here at the State Headquarters.
Special thanks to Steve for another superb job.
To share Steve’s hard work, we will post one of the photos each week. This week’s photo features Hawai‘i’s tenth Adjutant General, Major General Robert L. Stevenson.
click on photograph to enlarge
click on photograph to enlarge
The Thunderbirds are back after a one-year hiatus due to sequestration. The demonstration team will kick off its 2014 season with a Jan. 1 flyover of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Other high-profile events include, a Feb. 23 flyover at the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla., and a March 9 flyover during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Las Vegas. The annual show will wrap up in November at Nellis AFB, Nev.—home of the Thunderbirds, states a Dec. 11 release. The Air Force canceled the 2013 season due to budget constraints, but “we’re glad to be back,” said Thunderbirds commander and lead pilot Lt. Col. Greg Moseley. “Right now, we’re focused on training. While we’re excited to know we’ll be able to tell the Air Force story on the road, we’re completely focused on ensuring we have a safe show season,” he said. The 2014 season marks the team’s 32nd year.
click to enlarge photograph
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, would fly the first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. Read more http://ow.ly/rFIig
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said the committee would review a proposed cut to military pensions after the holiday following backlash from numerous veterans organizations, reported Stars and Stripes. The one percent cut in annual cost-of-living increases for non-disabled veterans under the age of 62, which was included in the two-year budget deal passed by the House, likely will become law before the committee gets a chance to address it. However, even if the Senate passed the budget as is, the pension cut would not go into effect until December 2015, giving Congress time to make adjustments. The Senate is expected to approve the budget next week and the House already has adjourned for the holidays. Levin on Friday said the on-going review by the Military Retirement and Compensation Modernization Commission also “may further bear on this issue.” Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the lead negotiators of the two-year deal, said only about 17 percent of military personnel eventually qualify for the “exceptionally generous benefit, often providing 40 years of pension payments in return for 20 years of service,” according to a statement on the HBC website. The fact that between Fiscal 2002 and Fiscal 2012, “payments to military retirees from the Military Retirement Fund rose by 49 percent” is one of the reason’s Ryan argued the system must be reformed. (HBC statement on military compensation reform)
Taken from the Air Force Magazine daily e-newsletter.
Army Knowledge Online (AKO), established in the late 1990s, has provided information services, such as email, discussion forums, a people locator and direct access to many other DoD and VA websites, to members of the United States Army, retirees and family members.
The Army is now conducting extensive modernization of its information technology infrastructure and systems. This effort is necessary to bring Army IT up to date, to create a network that works across the entire Department of Defense (DoD) and to comply with federal IT standards. Most importantly, the new infrastructure and security standards will better protect Army information and systems against ever-increasing cyber attacks. Read more: #17 – December 10, 2013 – AKO Transition Fact Sheet
Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Retiree Activities Office (RAO) publishes these newsletters for their retirees.
Special Thanks to Raquel Ramos who registered to “Follow Blog via Email” last week.
Apologies to the registered reader whose email address did not include a recognizable name, but thank you for registering.
click on photograph to enlarge
You wonder: How did Toshi Watabayashi become a master mahjong teacher?
He tells you: His golf game bit the dust.
There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s as good a starting point as any. And, as Watabayashi teaches, patient effort is all it takes to get what you’re after.
It’s warm, almost uncomfortably so, on this Tuesday afternoon at the Kapahulu Center, but none of the men and women flipping tiles on the 10 or so card tables arranged in the activity area seem to notice.
The center offers a full schedule of activities for seniors — from ukulele to Zumba, Japanese sing-alongs to belly dancing — but few more popular than Watabayashi’s thrice-weekly mahjong sessions.
“Some people are shy about trying something new, but they relax when they start playing because the game is easy to learn and it’s very enjoyable,” says Watabayashi, 83.
Watabayashi was born in Kohala and raised in Honolulu. The second youngest of 12 children, he attended McKinley High School and Ventura Junior College (now Ventura College) in California, where he studied to become a medical technician.
After graduation, Watabayashi landed a job at a county hospital. He stayed there for two years before enlisting in the Army to serve in the Korean War.
“I had a (draft) deferment because of my job, but I had friends who died there and so I asked them not to defer me anymore,” he says. “I wanted to serve my country.”
Watabayashi served for two years, then returned to Hawai‘i to work as a senior medical technician for the Hawai‘i Air National Guard and to help establish a clinic on O‘ahu.
Watabayashi retired from the job at age 67, but not before realizing the satisfaction of teaching others.
Watabayashi also enjoyed spending his recreational time on the links. It was only after his game began to deteriorate that he found himself looking for other ways to spend his retirement.
“Once I couldn’t break 100, I knew I had to find something easier,” he says, chuckling.
And so Watabayashi paid his first visit to the Kapahulu Center, where the mahjong instructor at the time had him learn the game by sitting in with three experienced players.
Watabayashi asked copious questions, read books, practiced as much as he could. Eventually the center director asked if he would take over.
It’s been nigh a decade since Watabayashi led his first class, but his patient, supportive approach has led to scores of students adopting the game as their favorite pastime.
“It usually takes just three classes to catch on,” he says. “But I never give up on any person. As long as they enjoy what they’re doing, that’s the main point.
This article appeared in the December 10, 2013 issue of the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Thanks to Billy Chang and others who emailed Retiree News about the article.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently posted an alert on its Facebook page warning of a marketing scam targeting veterans.
A marketing company has purchased telephone numbers that differ by one digit from the VA’s national call center and the GI Bill call center. Callers who misdial and reach the fraudulent numbers will be offered a gift card in exchange for personal and financial information — including credit card information.
According to the warning, after the caller’s information is obtained, they may even be transferred to the VA number they were attempting to reach.
The VA will never ask for credit card or banking information over the phone. Law enforcement authorities have been notified of the situation.
The VA’s national call center number is 800-827-1000, and the GI Bill call center’s number is 888-442-4551. VA’s customer service numbers can be verified online at https://iris.custhelp.com/
Retiring from his State Civil Defense position at the end of December is Edwin Chung-Hoon. He started with the State of Hawai‘i in December 1993, after retiring from the Hawai’i Air National Guard. During those 20 years, Eddie has served in many different capacities and always did a super job.
Eddie enlisted in the Air Guard in the late 50s and rose through the ranks to retire as a lieutenant colonel. He served as an electronic maintenance officer with the 169th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron and later on the Headquarters, 154th Wing’s staff.
Between these two jobs, Eddie’s service with the State Department of Defense spans over 50 years. Thank you for your long service and Happy Retirement!
In retrospect, it should come as no surprise that this story did not immediately appear on our radar: Last week, Aviation Week reported that the classified RQ-180 stealth drone has begun test flights at Area 51.
The unmanned airplane, built by Northrup Grumman, is meant to replace the piloted SR-71 Blackbird, a superfast Cold War spy plane that was retired in 1998. Read more: http://ow.ly/rIN4C
Greetings
This year the air National Guard Readiness Center (ANGRC) hosted a Christmas Around the World Event on 12 December 2013. The event highlighted the multi-ethnic cuisine represented by the diverse members of the ANGRC. The Asian/Pacific Islander region was lead by MSgt Rose Weldon (formerly Vendiola), which provided one of the most sought after dish…Lumpia!
We wanted to capture the moment with a iPhone photo op.
click on photograph to enlarge
Happy Birthday to the National Guard – #377!
The history of the National Guard began on December 13, 1636, when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered the organization of the Colony’s militia companies into three regiments: The North, South and East Regiments. The colonists had adopted the English militia system which obligated all males, between the ages of 16 and 60, to possess arms and participate in the defense of the community.
The early colonial militia drilled once a week and provided guard details each evening to sound the alarm in case of attack. The growing threat of the Pequot Indians to the Massachusetts Bay Colony required that the militia be in a high state of readiness. The organization of the North, South and East Regiments increased the efficiency and responsiveness of the militia.
Although the exact date is not known, the first muster of the East Regiment took place in Salem, Massachusetts.
The National Guard continues its historic mission of providing units for the first-line defense of the nation. The 101st Engineer Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, continues the East Regiment’s proud heritage of 377 years of service.
Dementia is a serious brain disorder that interferes with a person’s ability to carry out everyday tasks. Because dementia is usually progressive, early signs may be vague and subtle. Read more http://ow.ly/rugjU
Alan Yoshito Matsuoka, 63, of Waipahu, a Hawai‘i Air National Guard retiree, passed away on November 19, 2013. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by wife Mina, son Alan Jr., daughters Jodi Matsuoka and Elsie Watanabe, brother Clyde and sister Gail. Visitation: 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Mililani Mortuary-Waipio, mauka chapel. Services: 10:30 a.m. Burial: 10:30 a.m. Monday at Mililani Memorial Park. Casual attire.
