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In the Military
Gregg K. Kakesako
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'Go for Broke' C-17 honors WWII soldiers
Hickam Air Force Base's seventh C-17 Globemaster cargo jet has been officially named the "Spirit of Go for Broke" in honor of the World War II Army 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team -- composed mainly of Japanese Americans and one of the most decorated units during the war.
Honored guests when the Globemaster arrives at 1 p.m. June 14 will be members of the Army unit whose motto was "Go for Broke." The jet cargo plane will be flown from Long Beach, Calif., where it was built, by Brig. Gen. Pete "Skippy" Pawling, who commands the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing. The C-17 will be assigned to the Air Force's 535th Airlift Squadron and the Hawaii Air Guard's 204th Airlift Squadron. The units' eighth and final C-17 will arrive July 18.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, assisted by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the University of Hawaii, concluded the field portion of an underwater survey of an area known as "Ordnance Reef" near Waianae's Pokai Bay on Thursday. The survey was sponsored by the Pentagon and results are expected to be made public this fall.
More than 2,000 conventional munitions were identified during a 2002 Army Corps of Engineers survey of the area, which is about 1 nautical mile in length and a half nautical mile in width. NOAA's survey covered an area of approximately 2 nautical miles long by 1.5 nautical miles wide. The project was confined to depths of about 300 feet.
More than 1,000 airmen from 10 Air Force bases will join the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Lincoln carrier strike groups, elements of a Marine Corps aircraft wing and the Coast Guard for Valiant Shield -- one of the largest joint exercises in the Western Pacific -- June 19-23.
About 22,000 U.S. military personnel, 30 ships and 280 aircraft will participate in the naval war games near Guam. A mix of more than 50 Air Force fighters, bombers, mobility and support aircraft will participate and air operations will fall under the responsibility of the Gen. George C. Kenney Headquarters at Hickam. Lt. Gen. David Deptula, KHQ commander, will serve as the joint force air component commander for Adm. Gary Roughead, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander and joint task force commander for Valiant Shield. Deptula will command the aircraft from all services.
The Air Force said Valiant Shield replaces U.S. Pacific Command's annual joint air and sea exercises that had been held over the past three years.
Moving Up:
» Hickam Air Force Base: Col. Matthew Dorschel has assumed command of the 15th Mission Support Group, relieving Col. William Morgan.
"In the Military" was compiled from wire reports and other sources by reporter
Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached by phone at 294-4075 or by e-mail at
gkakesako@starbulletin.com.