This undated photograph shows a plane side debrief with the maintenance crew. An unidentified mechanic is taking notes as Gar Pilgrim, the weapon systems officer (WSO) and the Richie Kunichika, the pilot.
Gar was a Traditional Guardmember who was one of the voices on KSSK AM and FM radio. He left the squadron as the 199th Fighter Squadron converted to F-15 Eagles in 1987.
During his career, Kuni flew F-86s, F-102s, F-4s, C-7s, C-130s, and F-15s with the 199th Fighter Squadron. When he retired in 1989, he was the 154th Group Deputy Commander for Operations. Kuni passed away in 2008.
Earlier Retiree News post: Check Six – 2008: Ritchie Kunichika
Off the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page
It’s hard to encapsulate what a successful career looks like as an Air Force wingman, pilot and leader.But getting hosed down by your ‘Ohana after a ‘Fini-Flight’ pretty much says it all!
Col. James Shigekane, 154th Wing vice commander, experienced his final flight on the KC-135 Stratotanker this morning and returned to a socially-distanced gathering comprised of colleagues, family and friends. What began as a dream of a local youth who wanted to spread his wings in the Air Force Academy, blossomed into a fulfilling career that spanned nearly three decades in service to country and state within the Active-Duty Air Force and the HIANG.
The fini flight is an Air Force tradition marking aviators’ departure from a unit, retirement, or the last time they fly an aircraft. Congratulations Colonel and Mahalo for being a leader who inspired many!
From the Military Times website
More than 47,000 troops and veterans will see some of their federal student loan debt erased thanks to new policies announced by the Department of Education on Friday.
“Brave men and women in uniform serving our country can now focus on doing their jobs and coming home safely, not filling out more paperwork to access their hard-earned benefits,” Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray said in a statement announcing the change.
From the Medical News Today website
For years, most research indicated that older adults experience a decline in brain functioning across the board. However, a new observational study, which appears in Nature Human Behaviour, suggests that may not be true.
The study’s authors found that rather than seeing a decline in all cognitive functions, older adults instead demonstrated improvements in some domains.
in the early 1970s, the then-154th Fighter Interceptor Group continued to exercise base base operations at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PRMF) on Kauai. The typical UTA training schedule involved an early telephone recall, mobility processing and a flight to PRMF.
This undated photographs shows Airmen in front of the supply building, waiting for the bus ride to the Hickam AFB flightline. Some of the personnel in the photograph from the left include: David “Gramps” Demattos (partial view), side view of Irvin Yoshino, James Suzuki, Grant Suzuki, and Robert Nagao (holding his cap).
Mobility training increased as the Group converted from F-102 Delta Daggers to F-4C Phantoms.
If it seems as if an assisted-living complex is going up on every other corner and half of the commercials on the evening news are for arthritis remedies, you’re not imagining things. The U.S. is rapidly aging, and businesses are responding. The percentage of people in the U.S. who are 65 and older has grown by nearly 35% in the past decade, and by 2040, about one in five Americans will be 65 or older, up from one in eight in 2000.
Although it’s comforting for seniors to be surrounded by people their age, the trend is troubling from an economic standpoint. Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April showed that the country’s population grew by 7.4% over the past decade, the slowest rate since the 1930s.
After a stay in the hospital, most of us would prefer to go home to recuperate, but that may not be possible. If you or your loved one needs more medical care, rehabilitation or supervision, you’ll have to find a nursing home or skilled nursing facility before your loved one is discharged.
Families are often given little time and guidance to make an informed choice. The hospital’s discharge planner will provide a long list of facilities but no recommendations. Choose the wrong facility, and stress, confusion and regret will be the result, with profound implications for everyone. Your search should begin as soon as realistically possible. Even better, before a health crisis, create a list of places you would be willing to consider. “The saying goes, ‘Discharge starts at admission,'” says Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.
But what should you look for, and who is a good source of impartial information? Nursing homes are a business with marketing personnel whose job it is to sell you on the place, but you need more than glossy brochures and vague promises to go on. Because many nursing homes didn’t fare well during the pandemic, you should be especially vigilant in your search now.
From the Medical News Today website
Dietary advice from healthcare professionals can seem joyless, typically requiring people to stay away from a list of treats that scientists have found to be “bad” for health.
Major exceptions to this rule are flavonoid-rich foods and drinks, which include dark chocolate, blueberries, and strawberries.
Off the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page
If we had to nominate one of our partners who really knows how to embody the spirit of ‘Sentry Aloha’ it would, hands down, be this pilot right here, Lt. Col. Matthew ‘Bad’ Ohman.
Ohman dedicated years of his life, planning and directing several iterations of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s premier fighter exercise.
While he had recently passed on the torch as exercise lead and transferred back to his home unit on the mainland, he’s back with us again. However, this time he’s suiting up and participating as an F-15 Eagle pilot.
Not only that, but yesterday he took one of our flight doctors along for the ride in the back seat of his D model F-15.
Lt. Col. William Takashima, from the 199th Fighter Squadron, provides day-to-day medical care for Hawaiian Raptor aviators, and this incentive flight served as an opportunity to better understand the bodily affects of pulling multiple ‘Gs’ in a combat training scenario.
At the Flight Doc’s side, is Staff Sgt. Jacob Meyer, a dedicated crew chief from the 144th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who helped generate combat sorties over the past three weeks.
From the Frolic Hawaii website
Ranking a hotly contested item like chicken katsu was no easy feat. Since everyone is passionate about their favorite, I ate chicken katsu from Kalihi to Hale‘iwa to find the best of the best.
I focused solely on local plate lunch-style chicken katsu — not the Japan-style chicken katsu you’ll find at Tonkatsu Tamafuji, Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin, Chiba-Ken, etc. (dang, their chicken’s guuud).
My original Top 5 ranking, compiled in 2015, featured Zippy’s, Sugoi, Young’s Kalbee, Queen St. Café & Grill and Nuʻuanu Okazuya. Only two of these are still in Top 5 territory three years later.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
One of the most important retirement decisions you will make is when to apply for Social Security. Several retirement calculators have been developed to help you determine the optimal retirement age to start Social Security payments.
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I just found out I have stage 1 hypertension and my doctor recommended I get a home blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on it. Can you offer me any tips on choosing a good one?
It’s a smart idea! Everyone with elevated or high blood pressure (stage 1 and higher) should consider getting a home blood pressure monitor. Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure in a comfortable setting. Plus, if you’re taking medication, it will make certain it’s working, and alert you to a health problem if it arises. Here are some tips to help you choose a good monitor.
This undated photograph shows two Hawai‘i Air National Guard F-4C Phantoms. The 199th Fighter Squadron flew Phantoms from 1976 to 1987. This photograph is from early in the F-4 era because the Phantoms do not have the Hawaiian tail flash.
From the Military Times website
The cost of caring for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan could top $2.5 trillion by 2050, creating tough financial decisions for both the veterans community and the entire country, according to a new analysis by the Costs of War Project released Wednesday.
Retiree News 