Briefs
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NAVY
Pearl ship aids in rescue off California
The Pearl Harbor-based cruiser USS Chosin helped with the recovery of a Marine F/A-18D Hornet crew after the jet crashed at sea 10 miles off the coast of San Clemente Island in California on Jan. 17.
The aircraft from Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 went down while conducting a routine training flight, the Navy said.
Chosin and destroyers Oldendorf and Fitzgerald, all assigned to the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier battle group, were selected to assist in the search, recovery and salvage operation.
The F/A-18D pilots were in the water less than 30 minutes before being rescued by a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter inbound to Chosin for a passenger transfer.
Chosin launched one of its embarked Kane'ohe Bay-based Marine Corps SH-60B helicopters to search the debris field. A salvage team in one of Chosin's inflatable boats also searched for debris. The team recovered the flight data recorder and numerous pieces of the airframe.
AIR FORCE
Stealth bombers train over Hawai'i
Hawai'i airspace in December saw a first-time visitor as three B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri dropped 2,000-pound BDU-50 practice bombs on Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island.
The bat-wing bombers trained with members of the 25th Air Support Operations Squadron.
Capt. Todd Moore, the air liaison officer for the 25th ASOS, told Hickam Air Force Base's newspaper the training was significant because his unit never trained with the B-2 before.
The 25th ASOS, which calls in air strikes for planes such as the F-16 and A-10, is based at Wheeler Army Airfield and works closest with the Army's 25th Infantry Division (Light).
"They're so quiet and stealthy," Moore said of the B-2. "It was a very patriotic feeling seeing them in action."
ARMY
Tripler to get second Fisher House
A second Fisher House will be built on the grounds of Tripler Army Medical Center for eligible families in need of accommodations while receiving medical care.
Groundbreaking for the new facility is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 19. The new house will be directly across the street from Tripler's existing Fisher House at 315 Krukowski Road. The public is invited to attend the event.
The 31 Fisher Houses, donated by New York philanthropists Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, provide a "home away from home" when a loved one receives care at a major military or VA medical facility.
Twelve of the houses are owned and operated by the Army.
The current Fisher House was built in 1994 and has room for seven families.
Tripler officials say the fact the hospital serves the entire Pacific region proved the need for another facility.
"We always have a waiting list," said manager John Ost.
Schofield troops back from Japan
Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division (Light) based at Schofield Barracks recently took part in Yama Sakura '03, a joint exercise between U.S. Army Pacific and the Japan Self-Defense Force.
The training, from Jan. 22 to 30 at Camp Higashi Chitose, Japan, is an annual computer-driven command post exercise designed to strengthen military operations and ties between U.S. and Japanese military forces.
