The U.S. Postal Service cannot issue a stamp to honor Japanese-American World War II veterans because “;stamps will not be issued to honor individual sub-branches, units, or divisions of the military,”; according to the 15-member Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee.

Gerald Yamada, spokesman for the mainland-based Japanese American Veterans Association, disagrees and sent a letter to the committee saying that his organization's proposal honors all of the Japanese-Americans who served in the military during World War II, and not one particular sub-branch, unit, or division in the military.

The postal service, however, has offered an alternative honoring the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism erected in Washington, D.C. Aiko King, Fusa Takahashi, Chizuko Ohira, and Wayne Osako, co-chairpersons of the JAVA stamp drive, said that while the group is not against such a stamp for the memorial, it is not a suitable replacement for a veterans stamp.

The Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai's Barking Sands is one of the winners of the 2008 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award in the Cultural Resources Management Installation category.

The installation has been involved with the successful eradication of long-thorn kiawe, an invasive species. It is currently working on a cultural and natural resources display that will be erected near the main gate and include narratives explaining the vegetation and features, with particular attention paid to the significance of these components to native Hawaiian culture prior to Westernization—food, shelter, construction, medicine and cultural practices.

MOVING UP

Pearl Harbor
» Cmdr. Gary Pinkerton has assumed command of the nuclear submarine USS Tucson, relieving Cmdr. Paul Spear.
» Rear Adm. Joseph P. Mulloy, currently the Pacific Fleet's deputy chief of staff for plans, policies and requirements, will be assigned as director of programming division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C.

Hickam Air Force Base
» Lt. Col. Braden “;Mongo”; Sakai has been selected to command the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Operations Group, relieving Col. Chris “;Sock”; Sakamoto, who becomes the operations and training officer for the group.

Camp Smith
» Rear Adm. Sean A. Pybus, currently director of operations, Center for Special Operations at U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., will be assigned as commander of the U.S. Pacific Command's Special Operations Command.