In the Military
For and about Hawaii's servicemen and womenBy Gregg K. Kakesako
See also: For Your Benefit
Governor observes
new jet fighter
on USS LincolnGov. Ben Cayetano last weekend got a firsthand look at the Navy's newest combat jet, the F/A-18E Super Hornet, at work at sea. Cayetano was flown to the nuclear carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was conducting flight operations north of Kauai. Hawaii's governor also experienced being in a in a C-2 Greyhound transport plane being catapulted off the deck of a carrier going 0 to 150 mph in a two seconds.
Hickam Air Force Base can boast that it has one of the Air Force's 12 outstanding airmen of the year. Tech Sgt. Rhonda Miller from the 324th Intelligence Squadron will be formally recognized with the 11 other outstanding airmen at the Air Force Association national convention in Washington, D.C., Sept. 14-19. Miller, a cryptologic linguist, was recognized for her intelligence analysis surrounding the collision of the Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft with a Chinese fighter aircraft last year. The Navy crew made an emergency landing in China and was detained there for 11 days.
She was instrumental in delivering vital data to the president and National Security Council. She briefed Pacific Command leadership on the incident.
Also selected to receive a national award is Tech. Sgt. Christopher Culbreth, who will receive the American Legion Spirit of Service award later this month in Charlotte, N.C. He was selected because of community involvement and job performance.
Both the Air Force and Navy are terminating their stop-loss policies, imposed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to retain service members beyond established dates of separation or retirement. The only exceptions are those sailors and airmen deployed in support of operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. The Army and Marine Corps still plan to keep them in place for now.
Pacific Fleet Submarine Force sailors spent last weekend working on the Kaneloa wetland area in Kapiolani Park. The wetland is a natural ecosystem that serves as a drainage area for runoff from the slopes of Diamond Head. Michelle Matson, project manager for the Kaneloa Wetland restoration project, said the plan is to recharge the wetland with brackish water by installing a sprinkler system fueled by the existing well. In doing so, three species of native Hawaiian wetland plants -- water hyssop (bacopa mannieri), Hawaiian sedge (bolboschoenus meritimus) and akulikuli (sasurium portulacastrum) -- will thrive and expand. The sailors also installed a gravel walkway, collected trash and trimmed some of the shrubbery.
Moving Up
Fort Shafter>> Lt. Col. David Press has assumed command of the Honolulu Engineer District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Schofield Barracks
>> Col. Lloyd Miles has assumed command of the 25th Infantry Brigade's 2nd Brigade, relieving Col. Andrew Twomey.
Pearl Harbor
>> Cmdr. Craig Selbrede has assumed command of the nuclear attack submarine USS Chicago, relieving Cmdr. Daniel E. Prince, who will joining the Combat Systems Training Team in Pearl Harbor.
>> Cmdr. Murray Gero Jr. has assumed command of the nuclear attack submarine USS Buffalo, relieving Cmdr. Ralph Ward, who will serve on the staff of Submarine Group 7 in Japan.
>> Capt. Stephen Olson has become 34th commanding officer of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, relieving Capt. Christopher Knaggs, who has been reassigned to Military Traffic Management Command Headquarters in Alexandria, Va.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
