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Remembering Midway battle
The Interior Department will have a ceremony June 5 commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Midway at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
The event, featuring a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Americans who participated in the World War II battle, will include participation by Interior Assistant Secretary Craig Manson, Rear Adm. Anthony L. Winns, other senior military officials, and representatives of veterans organizations.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have a reception honoring veterans June 3 in Honolulu.
"The Battle of Midway was the pivotal naval battle of World War II, and we honor the brave Americans who risked their lives and often gave their lives for our freedom," said Manson, an Air Force officer who now serves as a colonel in the Air National Guard.
The Honolulu reception, sponsored by the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Fish and Wildlife Service, will honor the 60th anniversary and provide an opportunity for those unable to get to Midway a chance to learn about the atoll's historic resources and ongoing programs. The reception will be at the Hale Koa Hotel.
For more than 90 years Midway was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy. Halfway across the Pacific, the atoll is best known for the battle fought June 4-6, 1942, which is recognized as the turning point in the war in the Pacific.
The naval air facility was closed in the early 1990s, and the atoll was turned over to the Department of the Interior in 1996 to be managed as a National Wildlife Refuge. Public access to Midway was temporarily cut off in January when a contractor announced it was ceasing operations. A short-term contractor is now in place.
AIR FORCE
Chief master sergeant named
Chief Master Sgt. Gerald R. Murray has been selected as the 14th chief master sergeant of the Air Force.
Murray, the command chief for Pacific Air Forces, came to Hickam Air Force Base in August 2001. He will assume his new duties July 1.
The office of the chief master sergeant of the Air Force represents the highest enlisted level of leadership, providing direction for the enlisted corps, and serving as personal adviser to the Air Force chief of staff and secretary of the Air Force on issues including welfare, readiness and morale.
"I am absolutely honored to be selected for this position," Murray said. "I look forward to working with (Air Force Chief of Staff ) Gen. (John) Jumper to help equip our enlisted fighting force for the challenge the future holds for our Air Force."
"The Air Force is fortunate to have someone of Chief Murray's caliber leading our enlisted force during this exciting time in our service's history," Jumper said. "His valuable experience and proven leadership will play a pivotal role in the Air Force's future. I look forward to working with him on matters of importance to the enlisted force and their families."
Murray's career includes assignments in aircraft maintenance and as command chief master sergeant of the 347th Wing, Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, and U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base.
ARMY
Flooding study to be discussed
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Honolulu Engineer District has completed a flood control study of the Lualualei watershed and will discuss its findings at a 7 p.m. meeting tomorrow at the Wai'anae Army Recreation Center's Beach Banquet Room.
The public is encouraged to attend and make comments.
In November 1996, storms and subsequent flooding, landslides and property damage in the watershed led to then-President Clinton declaring a federal disaster. The corps was charged with analyzing the disaster and developing a conceptual design for a community drainage master plan.
Copies of the study can be obtained by contacting Joe Barboo, senior project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District, Civil and Public Works Branch, at 438-2022.
