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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, June 24, 2002

Briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

AIR FORCE

15th Support gets new leader

Air Force Col. John S. Medeiros assumed command of the 15th Support Group Thursday in a ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base.

Medeiros served as 11th Air Force civil engineer and deputy commander of the 611th Support Group at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska since July 2001.

He entered the Air Force in 1979 as a distinguished graduate of the Officer Training School and the University of Rhode Island.

"He comes to us eminently qualified to lead the 15th Support Group," said Col. Albert F. Riggle, commander of the 15th Air Base Wing.

Medeiros takes over for Col. Wayne E. Louis, who will be taking on a similar assignment at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The 2,100 members of the 15th Support Group provide civil engineering, communications, security, law enforcement and other mission support services to Air Force operations in the Pacific.


UH ROTC among top 4

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 175 at the University of Hawai'i has received the Air Force Southwest Region's "High Flight Award," ranking it among the top four ROTC programs nationally.

The award ranked the UH program tops out of 36 units in the region based on quality of facilities, cadets and training programs.

Detachments also were evaluated on size, consistency in producing commissioned officers and field training performance.

"Validation of our efforts is almost as rewarding as seeing the high quality officers we produced," said Lt. Col. Fred Schlich, Detachment 175 commander.


ARMY

Commander of Tripler retires

Maj. Gen. Nancy R. Adams, the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. Army, stepped down as commander of Tripler Army Medical Center June 17 and retired from more than 34 years of active service.

Adams was replaced by Brig. Gen. Joseph G. Webb Jr. as head of Tripler, Pacific Regional Medical Command, U.S. Army Pacific Surgeon and TRICARE Pacific Lead Agent.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that the president nominated Webb for appointment to the rank of major general and appointment as chief of the Dental Corps, as well.

Adams was the first Army nurse to be promoted to major general, and is one of only nine female generals out of the Army's 332 general officers.

Adams had been Tripler's commanding general since March 1998.


COAST GUARD

Auxiliary marks 63rd year

Yesterday marked the 63rd anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Created by an act of Congress in 1939, the auxiliary has the responsibility of supporting the Coast Guard and recreational safe boating.

Last year, the auxiliary's 35,000 members saved 482 lives and conducted 113,048 vessel safety checks and 1,372 commercial fishing vessel safety exams.

Auxiliary members spent more than 8,000 hours in the air, 37,000 hours on the water, and completed more than 69,300 hours in the classroom.


ALL SERVICES

Hawai'i defense discussed

A Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i delegation of business and government leaders recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk with Pentagon and governmental officials about Hawai'i defense commitments.

The chamber's Military Affairs Council organizes the annual trip to strengthen relationships between the business community in Hawai'i and the Department of Defense and to urge continued financial commitments from Congress for Hawai'i's military forces and installations.

Defense Department spending totals more than $3.5 billion annually in Hawai'i in pay and contracts, according to the chamber.

In 2000, 15 percent of state tax revenue came directly from defense spending here. There are 100,000 military personnel and families in Hawai'i.

The delegation was led by state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa D-21st (Kalaeloa, Makaha).