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IN THE MILITARY

Hey, sport, put on
those dancing shoes

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

After five months of research and review, Army officials are revamping the 5-year-old Sports Dome bar and restaurant at Schofield Barracks because it was losing its appeal among younger soldiers.

Army researchers with the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation agency found that soldiers preferred "a nightclub atmosphere with more space devoted to dancing," said Amy Alie, Army spokeswoman.

A $200,000 floor-to-ceiling renovation is under way to convert the sports theme club into what soldiers want.

"In the world of entertainment, three to four years is a normal life span for a theme facility," said Steve Takekawa, business operations director of Morale, Welfare and Recreation. "The dance floor will be five times larger than the current surface."

The new "Tropics" club will open Dec. 1. The 19,000-square-foot Sports Dome restaurant and bar last underwent a $799,000 renovation in 1996. Among its features was the ability to present nine live sports telecasts at the same time, a boxing ring, sand volleyball arenas, a one-hoop basketball court and a massive sound system.

'wolfhounds' visit: Thirty members of Schofield Barracks "Wolfhounds" will visit the Holy Family Home orphanage in Osaka, which the unit adopted following World War II.

The 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds," under the efforts of then-Master Sgt. Hugh F.X. O'Reilly, adopted the orphanage following a 1949 Christmas party. The Schofield Barracks soldiers have maintained their connection with the Osaka orphanage since then, sponsoring visits by Japanese children to the islands annually.

About 30 soldiers will visit the orphanage after participating in Keen Sword 01, a military exercise involving Japanese and American forces. A total of 527 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 27th Regiment are participating in the exercise, which is being held at the Aibano training area in western central Honshu through Nov. 19.

medals finally: After a waiting for half a century, three Korean War veterans finally have received medals for their heroism.

With the help of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and retired Army Col. Alexander Boysen, who was a captain in the Medical Corps during the Korean War, the Bronze Medal was awarded to Susumu Shinagawa, Tomio Tadaki and Goichi Tamayae, who were captured and held with 700 other Americans at Pyongyang in North Korea.

The three were supposed to be awarded the Bronze Star on July 25, 1950. However, the award was never made because they were captured by the communists.

Boysen, who also was a POW with the three, wrote to Inouye that the three were frequently subjected to verbal abuse and physical punishment by the guards because they were Japanese.

Inouye forwarded Boysen's recommendation to the Department of the Army.