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William F. Heilbron, 82, of Kāne‘ohe, a business owner and Air National Guard veteran, passed away on July 2, 2013. He was born in Hawai‘i.
He is survived by sons Burt, Kurt, Kent, William and Zachary; and two grandchildren.
SAVE THE DATE The DOD Retirement and Awards Luncheon is set for Wednesday, September 4, 2013. The date shifted because of operational requirements. As always, the luncheon will honor recent State, federal technician and Active Guard Reserve retirees. State and federal service awardees will receive their certificates. Check this website as the luncheon gets closer for the names of honorees who have confirmed their attendance. Check the flyer for more information DOD Luncheon 4 Sep 13
Dominador Don Pamat Abregano, 87, of Pearl City, passed away June 28, 2013 in Honolulu. Born October 22, 1925 in Hakalau, Hawai‘i. Dominador was a retired staff sergeant from the Hawai‘i Army National Guard 29th Infantry Brigade & Troop E 19th Calvary who also served in World War II & the Federal Civil Service. He was an assistant professor of the Central Hawaiian Activities 3 Kenpo Karate Association. He is survived by sons, Roland (Mary) Abregano, Gerald “Kelala” Abregano, Garrett Abregano, Darwin Aliser; daughters, Donna (Geronimo) Tolentino, Della (Michael Cobb) Joaquin, Brenda Abregano- Walker, Reinette Ashpole; brothers, Zacarias “Zack” (Lucy) Abregano, Jose Abregano; sister, Olivia Betonio; 20 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren.
50 is the new 65 for many ‘Senior’ Discounts: There are lots of deals on dining, travel and more that kick in at ages from 50 through 62. Read more http://ow.ly/nvkP1
The July 2013 edition of National Guard is available online at http://ow.ly/nvkn9
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is permanently removing 891 magazines from its stock, an assortment that includes The Saturday Evening Post, SpongeBob Comics, the Home Buyers Guide, Playboy and many others.
AAFES officials said they want to reduce space for the magazine product category in exchange stores by 33 percent. This change will take effect on July 31, 2013. The additional exchange floor and shelf space will be given to…. read more http://ow.ly/ntAgF
Legislation was introduced in both chambers of Congress that would give National Guardsmen and Reservists preferred credit for federal civilian jobs.
Veterans of the active component already receive five additional points in the federal hiring process for their uniformed service, but a similar advantage does not exist for members of the reserve component with limited active-duty service.
The Military Reserve Jobs Act would give three, four or five points to reserve-component members depending on their amount of service, according to a report from Army Times.
The Senate bill is sponsored by Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The House version is sponsored by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.
According to a statement from Donnelly’s office, about 44 percent of Army Guard members and 70 percent of Air Guard members do not qualify for veterans’ hiring preferences. That’s because they have never deployed on a contingency operation and have only served on active duty for training purposes.
Army Times says the bill would then make 131,000 Guard members eligible for additional points if the bills become law.
Choosing an executor — the person or institution you put in charge of administering your estate and carrying out your final wishes — is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when preparing a will. Read more http://ow.ly/nt1uS
Nearly 40 percent of all adults in the United States help take care of a loved one or friend, and most of them make regular use of Internet tools and online services to help them, according to polling by the Pew Research Center and the California HealthCare Foundation. Read more http://ow.ly/np2X9
If you don’t have a traditional pension or large nest egg, it’s likely that you will need to closely monitor your spending in retirement. “[Retirees] don’t just sit around eating bonbons and living off pension plans,” says Bart Astor, author of “AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life: Smart Choices about Money, Health, Work, Lifestyle, and Pursuing Your Dreams.” “At 50 or 60 years old, you still have to be thinking long-term. You will be without a major career for 30, 40 or even 50 years, which is probably longer than you actually worked before. Look at what you can afford to do, and balance it with what is important to you.” Read more http://ow.ly/np25u
Special thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Blog via Email” last week: Stan Gomes
Apologies to the registered reader whose email address did not include a recognizable name, but thank you for registering.
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The Hawai‘i Air National Guard featured a Hawaiian musical group called the HANG Ohana. The musicians and dancers evolved over the years, but they entertained at organization events to everyone’s enjoyment. This photo shows an after work practice on the hanger floor.
Yvette Miraflor stepped in to help with the names. Her feedback was, “The two musicians I recognize are (from the left) Ron Hoopai (ex engine man and now a Hawaiian Air pilot), the one in the middle is Bill Akiona and I cannot make out the other one because his face is half hidden. Louise Lum and Bernice Pharr are the dancers.”
Yvette and her husband Ronnie (another HIANG retiree) relocated to Gardnerville, Nevada many years ago. They return to Hawai‘i to visit family and friends.
Mahalo to Ted Merrill. His last assignment with the Hawai‘i Air National Guard was the 154th Wing’s historian. He cataloged a lot of HIANG historical material and shared the DVD.
On September 30, 2013, the Headquarters, 201st Combat Communications Group (HQ 201 CCG) will be inactivated. The National Guard Bureau formally activated and established the 201 CCG in 1975. However, the original formation of this organization dates back to March 6, 1967, when the 201st Mobile Communications Squadron (201 MCS) was activated.
The Headquarters, Hawai‘i Air National Guard and the Human Resources Office are working to place Traditional and fulltime technicians in other positions with the HIANG.
This deactivation parallels actions taken on the active duty side. The Air Force deactivated all active duty combat communications units except the 5th Combat Communications Group at Robins AFB, Georgia. The 5 CCG will realign as a direct reporting unit to 24th Air Force. This numbered air force, a part of Air Force Space Command, is the Air Force’s cyber operations arm headquartered at JBSA-Lackland, Texas.
The three Combat Communications Squadrons – the 291st in Hilo, the 292nd in Kahului and the 293rd at Barking Sands, Kauai and Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam will become part of the 109th Air Operations Group. The 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron will become part of the 154th Operations Group, 154th Wing.
Additionally in a separate reorganization, the 169th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron is projected to become a part of the 154th Operations Group.
