A friend who works at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) forwarded these links to their homeowners and motor vehicle insurance premium comparisons.
Homeowners rate comparison: http://ow.ly/kVzJq
Motor vehicle rate comparison: http://ow.ly/kVzKF
Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Chaves will retire from the Hawai‘i Army National Guard on May 31, 2013. His last assignment was with U.S. Army Pacific, where he served as the Deputy Commander General of the Army National Guard. He assumed this position on June 1, 2010. The general and his wife, Paulette relocated to California a few years ago and he commuted to Hawai‘i to perform his duties. Happy Retirement!
Maj. Gen. Gary M. Hara will begin his tour as the Deputy Commanding General for the Army National Guard – U.S. Army, Pacific effective June 1, 2013. He will serve as the primary advisor on the National Guard to Commander, U.S. Army, Pacific. Hara’s last assignment was the Commander, Land Component Commander, Hawai‘i National Guard. Congratulations!
Assuming Hara’s position will be Brig. Gen Bruce E. Olivera. As the Land Component Commander, he is responsible for the training, operational readiness, administration, logistical, and strategic planning for the Joint Task Force, and ensures the Joint Task Force is capable of responding to all State and Federal missions relating to homeland defense, homeland security, and natural disasters. Olivera has served as the Assistant Adjutant General – Army. He is a M-Day Soldier who is an educator with the Department of Education. Congratulations!
College rankings from US News for the first time include online programs for veterans. Read on http://ow.ly/kXhin
The number of victims is going up. Don’t become a statistic. Read on http://ow.ly/kVxnZ
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is inviting the public, from keiki to kūpuna, to sew locally-grown flowers to honor veterans interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the State Veterans’ Cemetery in Kāne‘ohe. Read on http://ow.ly/kWmH2
Henry “Hank” Arthur, a retired Hawai‘i Air National Guard member, passed away on May 11, 2013. He is survived by his wife, Reiko, and a daughter, Karen. His service will be at 1230 on Friday, May 17, 2013 at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Burial will follow at 1500 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
The National Guard Bureau 2014 Posture Statement details the goals, missions and functions of the Army and Air National Guard. The document is 38 pages but is a quick read, has some good photographs of operations, and provides the readers a good overview of what the Guard is doing today. Go to http://ow.ly/kQTBM
The month of May is Military Appreciation Month and as part of the tradition is the annual Military Recognition Luncheon. This year’s 28th annual luncheon was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The event hosted over 300 service members and honored seven from each branch with the “Outstanding Community Service Award”. The award recognizes military personnel for their dedication and devotion of their time to the local communities such as coaching and mentoring in schools, cleaning beaches, serving meals to the homeless and other valuable services.
MSgt Wilda Shigeta, 154th Wing was the Hawai‘i National Guard honoree.
Mahalo to the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai‘i for organizing this annual event and the luncheon sponsors First Hawaiian Bank, Matson and Tesoro for their support of the military here in Hawai‘i.
Event photos at http://fb.me/2sDIzTG5v Photos by TSgt Andrew Jackson, HIANG.
Gray hair – one of the classic signs of aging that can lead to a midlife crisis – may someday be a thing of the past, much to the chagrin of hair-dye manufacturers and Corvette salesmen. A team of European researchers claims to have found not only the root cause of gray hair, but also a treatment for the condition. Read on http://ow.ly/kLHNX
The May 2013 edition of Air Force Magazine is available online at http://ow.ly/kQTOw. This is the almanac issue everyone wants to read. It has all the information you need to know about the Air Force.
There are plenty of potential wars around the world after Afghanistan that would require a fully manned and capable Army, said the land service’s Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. Speaking with defense reporters in Washington, D.C., on May 7, Odierno rattled off “North Korea, the Middle East . . . Syria, Iran, a possible failed Pakistani state” as just a few of the places where large numbers of American ground troops might be needed. However, the Army needs to train up: “We have not done high-end combined-arms training” for about 10 years, he said, and as a result of sequestration, “80 percent of the Army will only train to very low levels at home station.” The Army has cut flying hours, canceled exercises, and “we have had to degrade services that we provide at our installations,” said Odierno. He said he hopes to step up the Army’s military-to-military exchanges with countries in the Pacific, since most of those countries’ largest armed services are their armies. But funds for joint exercises are needed to make that work, he said. (For more coverage of Odierno’s media event, see Right Now, Not and We and Our Shadows.)
Sequestration’s impacts are rippling through Pacific Air Forces, degrading readiness, Maj. Gen. Russ Handy, the major command’s director of operations, plans, requirements, and programs, told the Daily Report on Wednesday. The sequester’s spending cuts are also affecting activities and engagements with partners and allies in the Asia-Pacific region, which are important to the success of the US military’s defense rebalance to there. Readiness, said Handy, is more than flying hours. Activities like military construction on Guam and range operations in Alaska are also feeling the squeeze, he said. “I’ve got a giant spreadsheet and I personally review every single exercise and training event we do in this command,” he said. Large events require the approval from top service leadership in Washington, D.C., before they may proceed. PACAF officials are also consulting with partners and allies—many of whom committed forces to bilateral and multilateral events. “We’re spending a lot of time talking with our partners, and including them in these decisions,” said Handy. He said he’s told many allies that in order to maintain the quality of training; the quantity will have to fall. This means expanding bilateral events into multilateral events where possible, he noted during the May 8 interview. (See also Sequester Will Take a Steady Toll in Pacific.)
Craig R. McKinley became the President of the Air Force Association as of October 1, 2012. As AFA’s top staff executive, McKinley directs the association’s professional staff in all functional areas and is responsible for the management and operations of the Association headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. He will also hold the position of publisher of Air Force Magazine, the official journal of the more than 108,000-member association.
His last military assignment was as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, where he also served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he was a military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and was the Department of Defense’s official channel of communication to the Governors and to State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard.
The DD Form 214 Report of Separation is essential for verifying military service, applying for veteran’s benefits or burial services. Many veterans and retirees lose their DD 214 and need to get a duplicate copy. On the Veterans Service Records page of the National Archives website is where you start your request for another form. Go to http://ow.ly/kQTfi
