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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
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Pacific general
headed to PentagonLt. Gen. James Campbell, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific since November 2002, has been assigned to the Pentagon as director of the Army staff. He will be replaced by Maj. Gen. John M. Brown III, who has been nominated to the grade of lieutenant general. The appointment is pending congressional approval.
Brown has been the commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska since 2002.
Replacing Brown will be Brig. Gen. James T. Hirai, who is now deputy commandant at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Hirai also will serve as deputy commander for the U.S. Alaskan Command. He has served as chief of staff for U.S. Army Pacific and was the garrison commander for U.S. Army Hawaii. Hirai is a Leilehua High School alumnus who graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1974.
Cmdr. Lorin Selby, who assumed command of the nuclear attack submarine USS Greeneville on Friday, has ties with the islands. His mother is Maureen Lau, who is married to Dr. H. Lorrin Lau, a local obstetrician. On June 22, the crew of the Greeneville received the Navy Unit Commendation from Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.
Cmdr. Lee Hankins, Greeneville's commanding officer at the time, said the award is the result of a team effort. "This award is the culmination of the hard work of an outstanding crew over the past several years. They have put their hearts and souls into their work, and this is a reflection of their incredible teamwork."
Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson, commander of U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, says the policy of shorter seven-month deployments allows the Marines to maintain their training cycles, rotate personnel through schools and other assignments and to get two full deployments from its junior Marines, most of whom stay in the Corps for only four years. Gregson defended the Corps' policy of sending its troops to Iraq for seven months, instead of the 12-month tours used by the Army, at a meeting with Defense Writers Group in Washington, D.C., last week.
Fifty Kaneohe Marines from the 3rd Radio Battalion left for Iraq on March 1. The Kaneohe Marines are providing communications support for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Gregson also told the reporters that the lease of a high-speed catamaran, which can carry 972 troops and 114 Humvees at a speed of 35 knots, is helping to fulfill the Marines' lift obligations in the Pacific.
The United States is leasing two HSV ships, the Joint Venture (HSV-X1) and the Swift (HSV-2), from an industry team consisting of Australian contractor Incat and U.S. firm Bollinger Shipyards, according to the Defense Daily.
The HSV-2 is in Pearl Harbor as part of the Navy's RIMPAC Pacific area war games.
AT&T Hawaii is donating 1,000 prepaid international calling cards for 625 Army Reserve soldiers in the 411th Engineer Combat Battalion now in Iraq.
At a ceremony yesterday at the Hawaii Army National Guard's Hawaii Military Academy at Bellows Air Force Station, the 9th Regional Readiness Command and the Pacific Army Reserve accepted the cards.
"We are so happy that AT&T stepped forward to donate the calling cards that help ease the separation of the soldiers of the 411th Engineering Battalion from their families," said Lt. Col. Howard Sugai.
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.