In the Military
For and about Hawaii's servicemen and women
Gregg K. Kakesako
See also: For Your Benefit
Army dedicates new facility
at Pohakuloa Training AreaThis week, the Army dedicated the first major military construction project at the Big Island's Pohakuloa Training Area in 50 years. The $5.1 million project will combine nine separate facilities under one roof, said Col. David Anderson, U.S. Army Hawaii Garrison commander, at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The new facility will serve as a one-stop center for units that will train at PTA, and will centralize functions such as range control and other services offered by the Army post.
>>>><<<< Schofield Barracks Lt. Col. Mike McMahon, an Army aviator, says the war in Iraq doesn't seem that far away. It was the downing of an Apache Longbow attack helicopter in the opening days of the war that showed him how close everyone in today's Army is."The Apache, which was shown on CNN," said McMahon, executive officer for the 25th Aviation Brigade at Schofield Barracks, "belonged to the 1st Cav Division, where one of its battalion leaders has a brother serving here in Hawaii."
Lt. Col. A.T. Ball is the commander of the 25th Aviation's Brigade 1st Battalion. His brother, Lt. Col. Danny Ball, is a battalion commander in the 1st Cavalry Division.
McMahon, whose wife also is an Army officer at Fort Shafter, said as an aviator he served in the 1st Cav and knows a lot of soldiers now fighting in the Persian Gulf area.
>>>><<<< The Army's first Stryker brigade combat team is being evaluated at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., on its ability to conduct operations in mid- to low-intensity combat environments, including fighting in urban terrain. The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, will then go to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., for the final phase of its operational evaluation.There the Stryker brigade will complete the certification process which will includes series of exercises and evaluations designed to verify the readiness of the unit, Pentagon officials said. The 10-day exercise at Fort Polk, La., will begin May 17.
Upon completion of the certification process, the Army will prepare an evaluation report, as required by the 2002 National Defense Authorization Act, the Army said. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld must then certify to Congress that the results of the evaluation indicate that it is suitable for operational missions.
The nation's first two Stryker brigade combat teams -- high-tech, versatile units designed for eventual deployment anywhere in the world within 96 hours -- are based at Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma. This summer, the Pentagon will make a decision on whether one of the six Stryker brigades will be assigned to Hawaii's 25th Division at Schofield Barracks. Each Stryker brigade will be outfitted with 309 Strykers, eight-wheeled, armored vehicles that can be configured in 10 different ways, with everything from a 105 mm cannon for a mobile gun system to a command center.
The 19-ton Stryker vehicles are named for two Medal of Honor recipients, Pfc. Stuart S. Stryker, who served in World War II, and Spec. Robert F. Stryker, who served in Vietnam. They are not related.
Moving up
>> Hickam Air Force Base: Col. Ronnie D. Hawkins, Jr., director of communications and information at Pacific Air Forces headquarters, has been promoted to brigadier general.>> Fort Shafter: Brig. Gen. Ronald L. Johnson, commanding general of U.S. Army Engineer Division, Pacific Ocean, will become the director of Military Programs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C. His replacement will be Brig. Gen. Robert L. Davis, commanding general of the U.S. Army Engineer Division, South Pacific, in San Francisco, Calif.
"In the Military" was compiled from wire reports and other
sources by reporter Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for
the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He can be reached can be reached by phone
at 294-4075 or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.