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The Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS O'Kane led a task force of seven warships from three countries last month in a live-fire exercise involving the sinking of the decommissioned Navy oiler Ashtabula 300 miles off the coast of Southern California. IN THE MILITARY
Pearl destroyer leads
firing exercise to sink
old Navy oilerBy Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-BulletinThe O'Kane launched harpoon and standard missiles and turned its five-inch guns on the old oiler. U.S., British and French warships joined in the firing exercise that went into the evening of Oct. 14.
A proposal to name the federal courthouse in Seattle after Private 1st Class William Kenzo Nakamura, a 442nd Regimental Combat Team Medal of Honor recipient, almost became a victim of the partisan battle between Long Island Republican Rick Lazio and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who are vying for a New York Senate seat.
When New York Sen. Daniel Moynihan blocked a bill by Lazio to name the federal courthouse in his district after Theodore Roosevelt, Republicans held up a bill to name the federal courthouse in Riverside, Calif., after Rep. George Brown, who died last year.
In retaliation, California Sen. Barbara Boxer held up another bill naming a wildlife education center on Chincoteague Island after Virginia GOP Rep. Herbert Bateman, who died this year.
That led to a hold on a measure by Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott to name the Seattle courthouse after Nakamura.
As of yesterday, before Congress recessed for the elections, all the captive buildings, except for the one in New York, had been freed.
Nakamura was killed at Castellina, Italy on July 4, 1944 while pinning down German soldiers, giving time for his platoon to withdraw.
The Marine Corps is trying to reach about 10,000 former residents of on-base housing at Camp Lejeune, N.C. who may have been exposed to contaminants in the water supply prior to 1985.
The survey focuses on two specific volatile organic compounds that were known to be present in the water supply: tetrachlorethylene -- also called perchloroethylene -- and trichloroethylene. Both are often used in dry cleaning or as degreasers. All the wells found to be contaminated with these substances were shut down in 1985.
Families whose children were born or conceived at Camp Lejeune from 1968 to 1985 are encouraged to participate in this 35-question survey.
Call the National Opinion Research Center at 1-800-639-4270, which is conducting the survey for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a public health service agency.
The Marine Corps also has established a toll free number at 1-877-261-9782.
