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In the Military
Gregg K. Kakesako
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STAR-BULLETIN / 2007
Gov. Lingle has released funds for the Arizona Memorial.
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Tuck takes post at 15th Airlift Wing
Col. Giovanni K. Tuck has assumed command of the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air Force Base from Col. J.J. Torres, who will become director of staff at U.S. Air Forces Europe at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Tuck is a command pilot with more than 4,800 hours in the KC-10, KC-135R/T and the C-17A aircraft. As the vice commander at Travis Air Force Base in California he assisted the wing commander in providing all operations and support activities associated with the worldwide air mobility missions to include the C-5, KC-10 and C-17 aircraft.
At Fort Ruger, Col. Arthur "Joe" Logan has assumed the job of Hawaii Army National Guard chief of staff, relieving Col. Gary Hara, who has retired but will remain on reserve duty as assistant adjutant general, Army, and will be promoted to brigadier general. Logan just returned from a deployment to Afghanistan and has been the head of the National Guard's drug interdiction program. Col. Steve Logan, who is the Hawaii Guard's state aviation officer, will become commander of the 103rd Troop Command if that Army Guard unit is ever mobilized. He replaces Col. Stanley Keolanui, who has retired.
Galen Yoshimoto, in a newsletter for Hawaii National Guard retirees, reported that former University of Hawaii football standout Hawaii Air Guard 2nd Lt. Brit Komine graduated from undergraduate pilot training in May and is now attending C-17 Globemaster pilot training in Oklahoma. He will graduate in August and return to the 204th Airlift Squadron at Hickam. Crewmembers from the squadron delivered close to 100,000 pounds of foods, tents, blankets and tools to China following the May 12 earthquake. Participating were Maj. Anthony Davis, Maj. Troy Cullen, Capt. John Tucker, Master Sgt. Kurt Uchimura, and Staff Sgts. Scott Oshiro, Nathan Chee and Jacoob Ness.
Gov. Linda Lingle has released a $1 million grant to the USS Arizona Memorial Museum Association for construction of a new museum and visitor center. The total cost of the project is $52 million. This includes previous state allotments of $1 million for planning, design and construction; $22.5 million in federal funds and $27.5 million in private donations. Construction will begin in September and will be completed two years later.
Master Chief Petty Officer Paul S. Pomroy, a 1966 Kamehameha School graduate, retired from the Coast Guard after three decades of service, including service in Vietnam in 1969 with the 25th Infantry Division in Cu Chi. The Bronze Star medal recipient was discharged from the Army in 1971, joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 1972 and attended Hawaii Army National Guard Officer Candidate School, graduating as a second lieutenant in 1973. Pomroy enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as a fire safety specialist first class attached to Station Kauai in Lihue.
Pomroy was recalled to active duty in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm and was assigned to Marine Safety Office Guam as an explosive load supervisor. During that tour, he was advanced to master chief petty officer.
Pomroy was recalled to Kuwait in 2004 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Deployment Support Brigade located in Camp Arifjan. He has been stationed at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Response Division's Enforcement Department since 1995.
Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Ferrara, was named the 2008 U.S. Army Pacific Warrior Challenge Competition Noncommissioned Officer of the Year during the U.S. Army Birthday Ball June 14. He was one of six finalists who represented organizations from throughout the Pacific Rim. Ferrara, of Palm Bay, Fla., represented the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, where he serves as an assistant operations sergeant at Fort Shafter. He enlisted in 2003 and currently is an air defense tactical operations center operator.
Ferrara will now represent his major command, USARPAC, at the seventh annual Department of the Army-level event, 2008 Noncommissioned Officer/Soldier of the Year "Best Warrior" Competition in Virginia during the last week of September.
"In the Military" was compiled from wire reports and other sources by reporter
Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached by phone at 294-4075 or by e-mail at
gkakesako@starbulletin.com.