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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
See also: For Your Benefit
Naval engineering leader
promoted to rear admiralNavy Capt. Gary A. Engle, commander of the Pacific Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, has been promoted to rear admiral.
Engle assumed his duties on Sept. 26 after serving as chief of staff for the First Naval Construction Division (Seabees) in Virginia and before that, as commander of the Southwest Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in San Diego.
At Camp Smith, Col. David P. Fridovich, who is currently serving as the deputy director for operations, J-3, at the United States Pacific Command, has received his first star.
More than 200 merchants from Wahiawa, Mililani and the North Shore -- including Longs Drugs, Dole Plantation, Bank of Hawaii and Baskin-Robbins -- are offering discounts through the end of the year to soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division and their families. Participating merchants will display a bright yellow "We Support the 25th Infantry Division (Light)" sticker in their shops.
The program was developed by the Wahiawa Community & Business Association, the Rotary Club of Wahiawa-Waialua, and the Rotary Club of Mililani Sunrise to show appreciation and support for the Schofield Barracks soldiers and their families.
"These young men and women are part of our community," said Jack Smith, president of the Wahiawa Community & Business Association. "They visit our restaurants, buy merchandise at our stores, use our services. Our kids go to school with their children. They are our neighbors, our customers, and our friends. We've developed this program to show them this community cares about them and their families."
Merchants who wish to participate in the discount program should contact Dan Nakasone at 622-4032 or adventure@hawaii.rr.com as soon as possible.
The announcement by the Pentagon last week that National Guard and Reserve troops will play a larger role in the new force that will be sent to Iraq in the next three months -- representing nearly 40 percent of the total of 110,000 troops compared with about 20 to 25 percent of the force there now -- should come as no shock to local citizen soldiers.
They are already in the mix.
Hawaii reservists and National Guard soldiers have been told they will spend up to 12 months in Iraq. Many will be on active duty for about 18 months to cover a pre-deployment training period and a demobilization.
So far, nearly 400 Army reservists belonging to the 411th Engineer Combat Battalion from the Big Island, Maui and Oahu have reported to Schofield Barracks along with 300 aviators and support personnel from the 193rd Aviation Regiment and the Army Reserve's 1101st Garrison Support Unit. The majority of these reservists and National Guard soldiers will be sent to Iraq later this year.
Since August, 62 helicopter mechanic and support soldiers from the Hawaii Army National Guard's 193rd Aviation have been in Afghanistan, and Hawaii officials now say that 2,500 members of the Hawaii Army National Guard's 29th Infantry Brigade may be sent to Iraq next year.
There are now 193,959 reservists on active duty around the world, the Pentagon said. That is the highest total since the week of July 30, when the number stood at 197,226. The number declined steadily from that point and stood at just over 154,000 in early November, according to Pentagon figures.
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.