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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
See also: For Your Benefit
Hawaii Air Guard bids
farewell to commanderBrig. Gen. Myron Dobashi will retire this month as commander of the 2,500-member Hawaii Air National Guard after 34 years of service. Dobashi has been commander of the Hawaii Air Guard since 1999. He joined the Hawaii unit in 1969 and became a full-time technician a year later.
Also at Hawaii Air Guard headquarters at Diamond Head, Col. Darryll Wong has been promoted to brigadier general. Wong is the Hawaii Air Guard's chief of staff.
>>>><<<< The Pacific Air Forces, with an area of responsibility that covers 105 million square miles, celebrates its 59th birthday today. Pending the approval of an environmental impact assessment, work is expected to begin late this year on facilities at Hickam that will house a squadron of eight huge C-17 transport jets. The eight cargo planes are expected to arrive here in December 2005.
>>>><<<< America's Flagship, USS Constellation (CV 64), was decommissioned Thursday in San Diego after 41 years, nine months and 11 days of service. Former President Ronald Reagan presented a presidential flag to the ship in 1981, and tagged Constellation with the nickname "America's Flagship." The newly commissioned USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will replace Constellation when it arrives in San Diego next summer.
In about a month, Connie, as the ship is known to the crew, will be towed to an inactive ships' facility in Bremerton, Wash.
Connie departed San Diego Nov. 2 for its 21st and final deployment. It arrived in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 17, returning to San Diego in June.
Constellation was the first to launch air strikes in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Connie launched more than 1,500 sorties, dropping more than 1.7 million pounds of ordnance on strategic military targets. In addition, Connie produced, packaged and dropped about 600 million leaflets over Iraq, more than 25 for every man, woman and child in Iraq.
>>>><<<< The People's Daily News reported that the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday for a six-day visit. The Carl Vinson's last port call to Hong Kong was made in November 1998. The carrier came to Hong Kong in a battle group including a missile cruiser, a guided-missile destroyer, a frigate and a support ship. The group has about 6,400 crew members. This is the first port call by a U.S. aircraft carrier since Hong Kong was removed from the list of SARS affected areas by the World Health Organization in late June.
MOVING UP
Schofield Barracks>> Lt. Col. Domenico Rossi has assumed command of the 125th Finance Battalion, relieving Lt. Col. Curt A. Rauhut.
>> Lt. Col. Eric R. Criner has assumed command of the 17th Corps Support Battalion, relieving Lt. Col. Steven G. Woods.
>> Lt. Col. Brian R. Haebig has assumed command 524th Corps Support Battalion, relieving Lt. Col. Daniel M. Georgi.
Pearl Harbor
>> Cmdr. William C. Johnson has assumed command of the destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), relieving Cmdr. Frederick W. Pfirrmann.
>> Cmdr. Michael W. Selby has assumed command of the destroyer USS Hopper, relieving Cmdr. Kenneth W. Auten.
Hickam Air Force Base
>> Lt. Col. James Long has assumed command of the 56th Air and Space Operations Squadron, relieving Col. Eugene O'Nale.
>> O'Nale has become the first commander of the 56th Air and Space Plans Squadron.
>> Lt. Col. David Johnson has become the first commander of the 26th Air and Space Intelligence Squadron.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
"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.
