HPD official is first
Star-Bulletin staff
reservist off to support
Kosovo missionA Honolulu Police Department station supervisor on the brink of retirement will be America's first Army Reserve soldier to be deployed in a call-up for operations supporting Kosovo.
He is Chief Warrant Officer Glen Kamanao, a military intelligence analyst with the Pacific Army Reserve's 368th Military Intelligence Company.
"Now with my retirement a month away, I will use the Army Reserves as a door to open up new options for myself and my family," said Kamanao.
He has been selected for a 270-day active-duty mission under President Clinton's Presidential Selective Reserve Call-up signed two weeks ago.
A linguist, Kamanao will serve primarily as an intelligence analyst with Operation Noble Anvil.
He was to leave today for the Fort Benning, Ga., Mobilization Station for processing. He will be there about a week, then go to a duty station in Brindisi, Italy, to support operations in Kosovo.
Kamanao sees the Army Reserve as a chance "to travel and grow in my career."
He said the police department "has always been supportive of my deployments over the years because I bring back to the office experience and training that benefits the whole department."
Col. Robert G.F. Lee, commander of the 9th Regional Support Command, said: "We are proud that one of our own was selected to serve for such an important mission.
"Not only was he qualified, he was ready to go."
Pointing out that other reservists may be called in the future, Lee said the command will consider as much as possible the impact on the soldier, family, employer and the community.
"However, our reservists train hard throughout the year to prepare for these types of missions."
Kamanao has served in the Army Reserves for 16 years with deployments to Japan, Korea and Johnston Island. He served a tour in Vietnam from 1970 to 1972.
The 9th Regional Support Command is the only Army Reserve command in the Pacific, with approximately 3,400 soldiers in Hawaii, American Samoa, Alaska, Guam and Saipan.
