A unit of the U.S. Department of Defense has been holding so-called “arrival ceremonies” for seven years, with an honor guard carrying flag-draped coffins off of a cargo plane as though they held the remains of missing American service men and women returning that day from old battlefields.
After NBC News raised questions about the arrival ceremonies, the Pentagon acknowledged Wednesday that no honored dead were in fact arriving, and that the planes used in the ceremonies often couldn’t even fly but were towed into position. Read more http://ow.ly/pJHIc
The link to photos of the Detachment 55, Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM), Hawaii Army National Guard deployment ceremony. The ceremony was held at the Wheeler Army Air Field. http://ow.ly/pF9Gw
Hawai‘i National Guard Commemoration Ball
Date: Friday, December 13, 2013 Place: Hilton Hawaiian VillageThe Hawai‘i National Guard’s enlisted corps will plan this year’s event with CMSgt Robert Lee and CSM Ronald Oshiba as serving as the committee co-chairs. The planning committee is working to maximize retiree involvement in this year’s ball. The ball will provide retirees an opportunity to reconnect with current Guard members and other retirees. Retirees will have the option to sit with their former units or with other retirees. It will be another great evening of good food and entertainment with present and former Guard members.
The planning committee will finalize the menu, program and cost specifics this month. Retiree News will forward this information when it is made available.
This week, the State of Hawai‘i issued a warning about the OxyElite Pro supplement and asked local merchants to remove the product from their shelves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory about OxyElite Pro which provides additional information about the product and the situation. Read the advisory: CDC Health Advisory
The Federal government shutdown postponed the 201st Combat Communications Group’s deactivation ceremony. The rescheduled ceremony will occur when unit training assembly funding becomes available. The limited Federal funding currently does not include funding for UTA weekends.
Retiree News will post a ceremony announcement when the new date becomes known.
Sometimes, it takes a long time for a company to recall a potentially dangerous product. Case in point: a major recall of some very old surge protectors.
Schneider Electric just announced a recall of 15 million of its SurgeArrest surge protectors (series APC 7 and APC 8) manufactured before 2003. The company warns they can overheat, smoke and start a fire. Read more http://ow.ly/pCYSz
Jean Kazue Kaholokula, 78, of Honolulu, a retired accountant with the Hawai‘i Air National Guard at Hickam Air Force Base, passed away on September 29, 2013. She was born in Hilo. She is survived by husband William W. Jr., son William K. “Billy” II, daughter Lori N. Kaholokula-Adair and brother Masayuki “Mako” Murakami.
Major General Alexis Lum appointed the first fulltime State Command Sergeant Major for the Hawai‘i National Guard in 1986. Over the years, four Command Sergeant Majors and two Command Chief Master Sergeants have served in the position. The position is now known as the Hawai‘i National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader.
Earlier this year, Stephen Lum of the department’s Public Affairs Office worked to produce a photo gallery recognizing the outstanding individuals who served as the Hawai‘i National Guard’s Senior Enlisted Leader. Each photo includes short biography of Senior Enlisted Leader. This photo gallery is outside the Senior Enlisted Leader’s officer here at the State Headquarters.
This week’s photo features the sixth and current Senior Enlisted Leader – State Command Chief Master Sergeant Robert S.K. Lee III
click on photo to enlarge
James G.A. Pai, 77, of Kailua, a retired Hawaiian Telephone Co. operation center manager and a retired Hawai‘i Army National Guard captain, passed away on September 14, 2013. He was born in Hilo. He is survived by wife Genevieve, son Lambert, daughter Carlene Nakata, brother John, sister Harriet Brott and six grandchildren.
Due to the shutdown of the Federal Government and the continuing uncertainty of a timely resolution, the Hawaii National Guard has postponed its weekend training, originally scheduled for October 5-6. Most Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) units are now tentatively scheduled to perform IDT drills October 19-20. HIARNG soldiers should check with their respective commands for exceptions to the general rule.
Most Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) units will perform make up drills in preparation for the Operational Readiness Inspection, currently scheduled for November 4-8. Make up dates for HIANG airmen are still to be determined and will be set at the discretion of the HIANG command.
Take from a State Department of Defense press release
Francis Tadashi Hosaka, 79, of Kekaha, Kaua‘i, a Hawai‘i Air National Guard senior master sergeant, passed away on September 19, 2013. He was born in Honolulu.
He is survived by sons Derek, Ritchie and Shawn; daughter Dawn; brother Eugene; sisters Barbara Troche and Pakela Hosaka; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Louis R.H. Martin, 39, of Wahiawā, owner of Paratwist Designz in Wahiawā and a Hawai‘i Army National Guard veteran, passed away on September 11, 2013. He was born in Honolulu.
He is survived by companion Anela San Nicolas; sons Nicholas Martin and Kody San Nicolas; daughter Hailey-Rose Martin; father Anthony Gabonia; brothers Douglas Martin, Teroy Sanchez, Terrance Rivera, and Dion and Desmond Gabonia; and sisters Lee Ann Togafau, Lori Pulgarin, Dana Nepo, Desiree Gabonia and Deja Adkins.
Major General Alexis Lum appointed the first fulltime State Command Sergeant Major for the Hawai‘i National Guard in 1986. Over the years, four Command Sergeant Majors and two Command Chief Master Sergeants have served in the position. The position is now known as the Hawai‘i National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader.
Earlier this year, Stephen Lum of the department’s Public Affairs Office worked to produce a photo gallery recognizing the outstanding individuals who served as the Hawai‘i National Guard’s Senior Enlisted Leader. Each photo includes short biography of Senior Enlisted Leader. This photo gallery is outside the Senior Enlisted Leader’s officer here at the State Headquarters.
To share Steve’s hard work, we will post one of the photos each week.
This week’s photo features the fifth Senior Enlisted Leader – Command Chief Master Sergeant Denise M. Jelinski-Hall. The Chief went on to serve as the Senior Enlisted Leader to General Craig McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau.
click on photo to enlarge
Special thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Blog via Email” last week: Newt Kerney, Roy Chee
Apologies to the registered reader whose email address did not include a recognizable name, but thank you for registering.
