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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
See also: For Your Benefit
Retired colonel named
veterans office directorRetired Army National Guard Col. Edward R. Cruickshank has been appointed as the new director of the state Office of Veterans Services, replacing retired Brig. Gen. Irwin Cockett Jr.
Cruickshank, a Vietnam War veteran, served in the Army from 1967 to 1970 and in the Hawaii Army National Guard from 1973 to 1997. He was deputy commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade and company commander with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
Currently, Cruickshank, 59, is the director of sales and marketing for the Arcadia Retirement Residence in Makiki. He also is president of Dallas Hawaii Investment Inc., a real estate investment firm. From 1996 to 1999, Cruickshank worked for First Hawaiian Bank as an assistant branch manager, business development officer, personal banker and sales manager. He also worked for Bank of Hawaii for 21 years, where he was a vice president and branch manager.
The Pearl Harbor-based attack submarine USS La Jolla, the deep submergence rescue vehicle Mystic, and the rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard will join with the navies from South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Australia for Pacific Reach 2004 -- a two-week exercise beginning tomorrow in Jinhae, South Korea. This third in a series of biannual submarine rescue exercises will be observed by Canada, China, Chile, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
The Navy said the exercise will provide the participating navies the chance to work with each other and address the unique needs, capabilities and other challenges inherent in the large area covered by the Pacific Ocean, with operating temperatures and weather conditions ranging from arctic to tropical.
The deep submergence rescue vehicle was originally designed to rescue crews from sunken subs. Its mission is to provide a quick-reaction, worldwide, all-weather capability to rescue personnel from disabled submarines at depths up to 2,000 feet. The vehicle has a maximum operating depth of about 5,000 feet.
The Senate last week confirmed the promotion of Brig. Gen. W. Montague Winfield, commanding officer of the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base, for his second star. Also approved by the Senate was the promotion of Col. Bernard S. Champoux, assistant 25th Infantry Division commander in charge of operations, to brigadier general.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has placed online the burial records of 3.2 million veterans buried at 120 national cemeteries since the Civil War. The VA's Web site at www.cem.va.gov also has records for some state veterans cemeteries and burials in Arlington National Cemetery since 1999. Information available includes names, dates of birth and death, military service dates, service branch and rank if known, cemetery information and grave location in the cemetery.
MOVING UP:
>> Pearl Harbor: Navy Capt. Christine S. Hunter, Pacific Fleet surgeon, has been nominated to the rank of rear admiral.>> Tripler Army Medical Center: Maj. Gen. Joseph G. Webb Jr., commanding general of Tripler Army Medical Center, will become U.S. Army's deputy surgeon general and chief of staff of the U.S. Army Medical Command in Falls Church, Va.
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.