In the Military
For and about Hawaii's servicemen and womenBy Gregg K. Kakesako
See also: For Your Benefit
Webb new commander
at isle military hospitalBrig. Gen. Joseph G. Webb Jr., assistant surgeon general for Force Development and Sustainment at Fort Sam Houston's Army Medical Command, will become the next commanding general of Tripler Army Medical Center. He replaces Maj. Gen. Nancy Adams, who has been at Tripler since March 1998.
The film "Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties," which details the contribution of Japanese-American soldiers who served as linguists in the Pacific during World War II, will air May 16 at 8 p.m. on Hawaii Public Television, said producer Gayle Yamada. The 90-minute film is narrated by former ABC News correspondent Ken Kashiwahara and produced, directed and written by West Coast journalist Yamada. "So far, we're airing in 18 of the top 20 markets," said Yamada, referring to public broadcasting stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and other major cities.
The Navy has agreed to a private development plan for 75 acres of historic Ford Island that is smaller in scope than originally proposed. The "medium intensity" plan to develop attractions, commercial properties and light industry would employ about 2,800 people and result in a maximum of 6,700 visitors annually. A "high intensity" development plan envisioned 5,600 workers and up to 15,000 daily visitors. The medium-level development also calls for up to 420 family housing units, bachelor-enlisted quarters for 1,000 personnel, 190,000 square feet of office space for 1,500 additional employees and a new training complex.
The joint exercise Cobra Gold, which runs May 14-28 in Thailand and involves military personnel from Hawaii, is among the largest such exercises.
The Far Eastern Economic Review said this year's Cobra Gold exercise will include about 13,200 American troops, compared with about 5,000 last year, when U.S. involvement was lower than usual.
Military officials say around 5,000 of the American personnel this year will be from the Navy, as warships will be involved in those parts of the exercise being held off Thailand's southeast coast.
About 5,000 to 6,000 Thai military personnel and about 70 from Singapore also will take part.
There will be more military observers than ever, coming from 18 countries. These include, for the first time, officers from China and Vietnam.
Lt. Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, an armor officer and helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, will receive a fourth star and replace Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz as commander of U.S. Forces Korea, the United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command. The three commands oversee all 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea. Most of the 650,000-strong South Korean military is assigned to the Combined Forces Command. The USFK commander is the only four-star officer assigned to the Pacific outside the United States.
The first Stryker combat vehicle, dubbed an "armored Cadillac" and a "battlefield taxi," rolled off the production line last week. More than 1,000 of the 20-ton vehicles will be produced over the next six years as part of a $4 billion contract with General Dynamics and General Motors. Named for two slain and unrelated Medal of Honor winners -- an Army private who died in World War II and a specialist fourth class who died in Vietnam -- the Stryker is part of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki's campaign to develop an Army ready to fight modern wars.
The Stryker is the first armored personnel carrier the Army has developed since adding the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to its arsenal in the 1980s. It can go up to 60 mph, holds 53 gallons of fuel and can travel up to 406 miles on a single tank. The eight-wheel drive vehicle is modeled on the Canadian army's armored personnel carrier and is the centerpiece Shinseki's effort to establish a new medium-weight force called Interim Brigade Combat Teams.
The Stryker will be part of Schofield Barracks' arsenal since the 25th Division has been singled out to help develop this new fighting force.
Moving up
Camp Smith
>> Brig. Gen. Brian I. Geehan from director of logistics, engineering and security assistance at the U.S. Pacific Command to commanding general of 1st Corps Support Command, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
