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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
See also: For Your Benefit
USS Hopper
marks WWII battleThe Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Hopper made a port call at Kiribati on Thursday, and its crew of 325 sailors participated in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa.
On Nov. 20, 1943, 18,600 Marines landed at Tarawa, now known as Kiribati, to liberate it from the Japanese. During the 75-hour battle, 3,301 Americans and 4,690 Japanese were killed or wounded. Cmdr. Mike Selby, skipper of the USS Hopper, said two veterans from the Tarawa campaign attended the one-hour ceremony at a war memorial on island of Betio. A wreath also was laid on Red Beach 2 where the landing took place. "It was a very moving ceremony," Selby said. The Hopper, which left Pearl Harbor Nov. 14, is on its way home for a Thanksgiving reunion with its families.
Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade, who will be going to Iraq in February, cannot leave the service until 90 days after they return home. The Army restrictions will be in place 90 days before the 2nd Brigade leaves for Iraq and end 90 days after its return to home. This stop-loss policy has been imposed on active and reserve soldiers in various forms since the war on terrorism began in late 2001.
Federal employees, who are in reserves or National Guard and were called up for the Afghan and Iraqi wars as well as during the activation following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are being granted five days of excused absence, without a charge to leave time by President Bush. About 14,000 federal employees are currently mobilized.
The Navy plans to honor civilian Pearl Harbor survivors at the 62nd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The civilian workers, firefighters and police officers will be honored at a special ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at 2 p.m. on Dec. 7. Civilian Pearl Harbor survivors or their family members interested in attending should contact Pearl Harbor Navy Region public affairs office at 473-2883.
Maj. Chris Herring, commander of the 15th Mission Support Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, has been picked as one of the U.S. Junior Chamber's 10 outstanding Americans for 2003. Herring, 34, was commissioned in 1991 from Boston University and assumed command of the 15th Mission Support Squadron this summer.
The U.S. Navy's newest amphibious assault ship will be named for Makin Island, honoring the daring raid carried out by Marines of the 2nd Raider Battalion Aug. 17-18, 1942. The raid was launched from the submarines USS Nautilus and USS Argonaut. The raid's leader, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Evan Carlson, was awarded the Navy Cross, while Marine Corps Sgt. Clyde Thompson was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism and was the first enlisted Marine to earn the medal during World War II. In 2001, the bodies of 19 Marine Corps raiders who died during the operation or were executed after being captured were recovered on the island of Kwajalein and returned to the United States for burial.
An amphibious warship is designed to support assault from the sea. The 844-foot ship weighs more than 40,500 tons and carries a crew of about 1,000 sailors and 1,900 Marines. Aircraft normally carried by this class of ships include a mix of Marine Corps helicopters and the Harrier attack aircraft.
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.
