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IN THE MILITARY

Castle Foundation
donates money for
Iwo Jima replica

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin.

The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation has donated $150,000 toward the construction of a bronze replica of the Iwo Jima Monument, which will be erected at the entrance to Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

So far, about $11,000 of the $600,000 needed to complete the project has been raised by the Pacific War Memorial Association, which has commissioned Sculpture House Casting in New York to complete the memorial based on the famous photograph by the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal.

Dedication of the monument -- which depicts the flag raising on Mt. Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima -- is planned for later this year.

A large granite block will form the base of the bronze sculpture, which will rise 40 feet to the top of the flagpole.

Nearly 7,000 Marines died in the battle, which lasted 26 days.

Moving up

Col. William Caldwell IV, assistant division commander for operations at the 25th Infantry Division (Light) was recently promoted to brigadier general.

Caldwell's wife, Stephanie, and his father, retired Lt. Gen. William Caldwell III, pinned him with the stars his father wore as a brigadier general.

This is Caldwell's second tour in Hawaii. In 1993, he was commander of the 25th Division's 4th Battalion, 27th Infantry (Wolfhound).

Veterans Administration: Gabriel Perez, associate director of the Veterans Administration Spark Matsunaga Medical and Regional Center, has been named director of the Aleda Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Mich.

Kaneohe Bay: Lt. Col. David Close has replaced Lt. Col. Mark Bean as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Pearl Harbor: Cmdr. Ed Seal recently relieved Cmdr. Derek Hesse as the skipper of the nuclear submarine USS Kamehameha. The 35-year-old submarine will be taken out of service this year. It was converted to conduct special operations with the Navy's elite SEAL teams.