Briefs
Advertiser Staff
Makahiki marked at Hickam
Hawaiian practitioners and military personnel from the past and present came together at Hickam Air Force Base recently at the first makahiki observance on the beaches of Kapuaikaula in more than a century.
The observance started with 11 canoes requesting permission from a kumu to land at Hickam Harbor Beach.
Three of the outriggers were filled with Navy active duty and retired personnel and their families.
The makahiki season followed harvests and was a time when wars ceased, tributes and taxes were paid to ruling chiefs and sporting competition was held between villages.
Col. Raymond Torres, commander of the 15th Airlift Wing, presented a ho'okupu, or gift, and Maj. Shirlene Ostrov, 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, performed a chant in Hawaiian.
Navy offers new hazard pay
The Navy announced a new hazardous pay incentive for sailors assigned to Visit, Board, Search and Seizure teams.
The pay is retroactive to Jan. 1 and recognizes the hazardous nature of maritime interdiction operations, homeland security and counter-narcotics patrols.
Eligible sailors who fill out the paperwork will see an extra $150 in their pay.
The Pearl Harbor-based cruiser USS Port Royal has been assisting with search and seizure in the Arabian Gulf with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit as part of a new Navy battle force called Expeditionary Strike Group 1.
Furniture to go to shelters
The Navy is donating furniture from 34 rooms of Pearl Harbor chief petty officer barracks to the state for homeless shelters.
Defense Department regulations allow for excess property that can't be stored or moved to be donated to a non-profit organization, and the furniture will be used to furnish shelters in Honolulu and on Maui.
YMCA services awards given out
The Armed Services YMCA presented its annual Five Star Salute awards to an enlisted service member from each of the five services.
Selection was made on the basis of outstanding performance, exemplary character and leadership, and community involvement.
The recipients are: Army Staff Sgt. Willie Sydnor, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Lajuana Clemons, Marine Corps Cpl. Michael McLain, Air Force Airman 1st Class Orlando Garofalo and Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Walker.
The five awardees receive a three-day, two-night all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas courtesy of the JN Automotive Group, a tour of Pearl Harbor on the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's barge, and a proclamation from Mayor Jeremy Harris.
Missouri camp program resumes
Youth groups can once again sample life as a sailor aboard America's last battleship, the USS Missouri, on its recently reopened overnight camping experience.
The program was discontinued after 9/11 because of increased Navy security rules. Despite not being able to offer the program for more than two years, memorial staff received constant inquiries from across the country about when it would again be available.
The first group — more than 70 Boy Scouts — stayed overnight Saturday.
