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POSTED: Tuesday, December 02, 2008
                       

This story has been corrected. See below.

The combat infantry units of the Hawaii Army National Guard's 29th Brigade Combat Team replaced units of the Ohio Army National Guard in a transfer of authority ceremony yesterday in Kuwait, according to the head of the Hawaii National Guard.

Maj. Gen. Bob Lee, state adjutant general, said the citizen soldiers of the 29th Brigade's 100th Battalion, 442 Infantry, relieved members of the Ohio Army National Guard's 37th Brigade Combat Team at Camp Virginia, and the 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, took over Camp Arifjan.

“;They are the last two combat units to leave for Ohio,”; Lee told reporters. “;We promised that they would get home for Christmas, and many were lucky to make it back for Thanksgiving.”;

The 100th Battalion and the 299th Cavalry will be providing armed escorts to convoys traveling north to Iraq. Other members of the 29th Brigade are part of the security teams guarding Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem, Camp Arifjan and Kuwait Naval Base. The 1,700 Hawaii citizen soldiers will be in Kuwait until next summer, when they will be replaced by soldiers from the 115th Brigade Combat team from Wyoming, Lee said.

As an effort to bring island holiday cheer to Hawaii troops on the other side of the globe, the Hawaii National Guard has undertaken Operation Gift Lift and will transport donated snacks and other items, like Hawaiian CDs, to Kuwait.

“;Nothing heavy,”; Lee said, “;like bags of rice or cans of Spam.”;

Tammy Kubo, whose son Spc. William Lurbe Jr. is assigned to the 100th Battalion, has started a Web site — http://www.operationgiftlift.com — listing locations where the snacks can be dropped off.

Kubo spearheaded an earlier campaign in 2005 that resulted in the donation of 120,000 pens and pencils in six weeks after she heard Lee during a radio interview from Iraq talking about how schoolchildren were always asking Hawaii soldiers for their pens and pencils.

Although donated goods have to be dropped off by Dec. 10 to arrive in Kuwait before Christmas, Lee said Operation Gift Lift will continue as long as the troops are in Kuwait.

               

     

 

 

Operation gift lift Drop-off Locations         During normal business hours, collection points are:         » Wholesale Unlimited: All locations. Mention you are buying to support Operation Gift Lift and receive a 10 percent discount. » Constituent Services — Office of the Governor: fourth floor of the state Capitol, Room 415 Contact: Roz Makaula, 586-0221 >> BAE Systems: First Hawaiian Bank Tower, Suite 2700 Contact: Alan Hayashi, 255-6699 >> Club 100: 520 Kamoku St., across from Iolani School Drop-off: 9 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday Contact: Amanda Stevens, 946-0272 » Servco Auto Parts Center: 2101-C Auiki St. Contact: Danyton Oda, 564-2663 » Hawaii National Guard — State Headquarters: 3949 Diamond Head Road, Building 306, Room 205/206, second floor » Coastal Windows: 94-533 Puahi St. Contact: Bob Barrett, 676-0529 >> For pickup, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)                 Source: Hawaii Army National Guard

 

               

     

 

 

CORRECTION         Tammy Kubo spearheaded a campaign in 2005 that distributed 120,000 pens and pencils to schoolchildren in Iraq. This story originally said the campaign distributed 1,600 pens and pencils.