In the Military
For and about Hawaii's servicemen and womenBy Gregg K. Kakesako
See also: For Your Benefit
Hickam man honored
with top post in Air ForceChief Master Sgt. Gerald Murray, currently command chief master sergeant for Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, has been selected as the top enlisted airman of the Air Force.
He will become 14th chief master sergeant of the Air Force on July 1. He joined the Air Force in October 1977. His career includes various assignments in aircraft maintenance and as the command chief master sergeant for 347th Wing at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force in Yokota Air Base in Japan.
Seventy-five percent of men turning 20 in Hawaii have registered with the Selective Service System, according to the third annual state registration compliance report.
Delaware became the first state to reach nearly 100 percent compliance since the Agency began compiling this data. Nationally, registration compliance held fairly steady at 86 percent, down a percentage point from last year's high-water mark of 87 percent.
Federal law requires that virtually all young men living in the U.S. register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. The American people, through their local, state and federal elected representatives, have made the registration a requirement for securing a number of opportunities, including federal student loans, job training, jobs with the federal government, and U.S. citizenship for male immigrants.
Last year, Hawaii's compliance rate was 75 percent. The rate was 73 percent in 1999, the first year of the report.
The governor's annual Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe. Gov. Ben Cayetano will deliver the keynote address and place a wreath at the cemetery's monument.
At the USS Arizona Visitor Center, Memorial Day ceremonies will begin at 7:45 a.m. Sam Donaldson, ABC news anchor, will be the guest speaker.
Tonight the 18th annual sunset memorial service will begin at 6 p.m. at the Armed Forces Eternal Flame at the state Capitol. Cayetano will give the address.
Air Force retirees will be honored during an appreciation day June 1 at Hickam Air Force. The day long events will be held at Nelles Chapel and feature information booths on legal to health matters.
Remains believed to be those of four American servicemen missing in action from the war in Southeast Asia -- three from Vietnam and one from Laos -- will arrive at Hickam Air Force Base May 29. Following a Hickam ceremony, the remains will be taken to the Army's Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, where the forensic identification process will begin.
Since 1973, approximately 726 American service members formerly listed as missing or unaccounted-for from the war in Southeast Asia have been identified, and many others are currently in the identification process.
There are currently 1,914 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia - 1,444 in Vietnam, 404 in Laos, 58 in Cambodia, and eight in China.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
