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Hawaii at War

The islands' role in
the war in Iraq

Hawaii units in Gulf | Aloha to troops | Helping kids cope




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Hawaii units on Gulf duty

NAVY

>> Cruiser USS Chosin (Part of the USS Nimitz battle group)
>> Destroyer USS O'Kane
>> Submarines (7): USS Louisville, USS Chicago, USS Columbia, USS Key West, USS Los Angeles, USS Pasadena and USS Olympia.
>> Seabees: 20 belonging to the 30th Naval Construction Regiment at Pearl Harbor and 10 reservists from Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303

MARINES

>> 250 Marines from the 1st Radio Battalion from Kaneohe Bay
>> 40 reservists from the 4th Force Reconnaissance Marines
>> 200 Marines from Camp Smith at the Marines Central Command Headquarters in Bahrain who left in February 2002 as part of the war against terrorism.

ARMY

>> Reserves: 30th Military History detachment (3 people) activated Feb.10. Army lawyer Takemura. 50 others activated for homeland defense duty.
>> 157 Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter soldiers

HAWAII AIR NATIONAL GUARD

>> 25 from 154th Security Forces Squadron
>> 24 from the 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron
>> 14 201st Combat Communications Squadron

COAST GUARD

>> Buoy Tender Walnut with crew of 50


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Aloha to troops

"You are in our prayers. Stay strong. Pray hard. Fight well. Come home."

That message, signed "Dawndra," is typical of the notes left for American troops on several Web sites where visitors are voicing their support.

Some sites are sponsored by the military; others are maintained by citizens who simply felt a need to reach out to the soldiers.

The sentiments are deeply appreciated by the military, said Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Cox at the coalition press information center in Kuwait City.

"Any expression of support these folks can digest or be exposed to is very good," Cox said. "Sometimes that is their only form of communication, with the possible exception of members of their immediate family."

Here are details about several of the sites:

>> anyservicemember.org (Click on "Home" in lower right corner.) -- Send a message to members of the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force or Coast Guard. Site run by a veteran.

>> anyservicemember.navy.mil -- Joint effort of advice columnist Dear Abby, the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy.

>> www.emailourmilitary.com -- A volunteer site to "provide encouragement, motivation and moral support" to the military. Register online to send messages.

>> www.salts.navy.mil/main/troops -- Send notes to sailors and Marines aboard ships. A service of the Naval Inventory Control Point, which provides Navy program and supply support.

>> www.army.mil./usar/expresssupporthere.html -- Electronic message board for Army reservists to view; send notes to specific or anonymous troops. Sponsored by the Army Reserve.

>> www.scrappleface.com (Click on "Encourage Our Troops" at right.) -- Leave messages for troops to view on a personal Web log.

>> www.estripes.com -- Scroll down to "Messages of Support" on left side of page to leave messages at Stars & Stripes, the daily newspaper delivered to troops overseas. Notes run in the paper as well as on its Web site.

>> www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html -- allows you to send an e-mail saying simply, "Dear member of the U.S. military: Thank you for defending our freedom."

The Department of Defense asks the public not to flood the military mail system with letters, cards and gifts. Some people have tried to avoid the prohibition of mailing items to "any servicemember" by sending large numbers of packages to one servicemember's address. But this, the DOD said, "however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays."


Staff and news services


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Helping kids cope

Parents can visit the National Association of Elementary School Principals' Web site at www.naesp.org/safetyResources.htm for tips on how to help their children deal with the war. Parents can also click on the "Coping with Disaster" page on the National Mental Health Association's Web site at www.nmha.org/reassurance/terrorism.cfm.



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