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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 19, 2002

Briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

MARINES

Assistance from 'alumni' offered

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

But with 27,000 Marines leaving active duty annually, a new program seeks to provide Corps "alumni association" assistance for the transition back to the civilian world.

The goal of "Marine for Life," a Corps program based out of Quantico, Va., is to sponsor Marines on their last set of orders home and connect them with the Marine network that exists around the world and in their hometowns.

The result may be job contacts or information on educational benefits as the organization seeks to coalesce those relationships into a formal support network for current and future generations of Marines.

A key component will be the "Hometown Link," a Marine reservist who serves in a designated location as the point of contact for local transitioning Marines.

Already, there are 45 Hometown Links around the country, and the goal for 2003 is to have an additional 75 serving Marines heading home. The program ultimately seeks to have 200 links, all co-located with I&I units or recruiting stations around the country.

As part of its attempt to get the word out, Marine for Life is releasing a video that will be shown to Marine Corps leadership, Marine-affiliated organizations, transitioning Marines and employers.

"Before and after" photos of Marines in uniform and post-active duty are being sought for the video.

Photos must be received by Aug. 30, and electronic copies are preferred.

To send the photos electronically, the e-mail address is: MarineForLife@MarineCorps.com.

For more information, contact Maj. Whitney Mason at (703) 614-4309 or (703) 784-9140, or e-mail masonw@hqmc.usmc.mil.


Mission begins on Okinawa

Twenty-seven Marines and a sailor from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment at Kane'ohe Bay left Honolulu International Airport last week for Okinawa.

The Marines are the advance party for the 2nd Battalion, which will deploy more than 700 service members to what's known as "The Rock" next month.

The Marines will train at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, conduct bilateral exercises with South Koreans during the Korean Incremental Training Program, and take part in ground-air integrated training with the Malaysian army.

"This deployment will give us some training not available here in Hawai'i," said Maj. Paul L. Muller, executive officer for the 2nd Battalion. "Particularly, (we'll be able to) train in every clime and place. We're going to get everything from hot, wet jungles ... to cold weather."

The Marines will be on Okinawa until early spring.


NAVY

Submarine crew back at Pearl

The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Columbus returned to Pearl Harbor on Aug. 8 after completing a six-month deployment to the western Pacific.

The 360-foot submarine carries a crew of 130 men. The crew had liberty calls in Singapore, Guam and Japan.


AIR FORCE

Hickam NCO among best

A Hickam Air Force Base service member has been named one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2002.

Tech. Sgt. Rhonda Miller of the 324th Intelligence Squadron was chosen from a field of 45 members representing organizations at all levels of command throughout the Air Force.

A career cryptologic linguist, Miller led analysis and reporting of information involving the Navy EP-3 aircraft that was forced down and held in China.

The Air Force said Miller was instrumental in delivering vital data to the president and National Security Council. She also briefed Pacific Command leadership on the incident.

Miller, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., is a volunteer with Boy Scout Troop 135, where her 11-year-old son, Mark, is a scout.