ho'okele news - dec. 12, 2014 (pearl harbor-hickam newspaper)

“Navigator”

December 12, 2014 www.cnic.navy.mil/hawaii www.hookelenews.com Volume 5 Issue 49

USS Michael Murphy enhancesinteroperability with French shipSee page A-12

Street Smart Safety briefs to beheld todaySee page B-3

Hickam ceremony honors heroesof Dec. 7 attackSee page A-2

Remaining USS Arizona survivorshold ‘final toast’ to shipmatesSee page A-2

Tower Lighting will includepictures with Santa tonightSee page B-1

Pearl Harbor Day events photosSee pages A-5,6,7

EnsignAshleigh M. Share

USS Paul Hamilton (DDG60) Public Affairs Officer

USS Paul Hamilton (DDG60), an Arleigh Burke-classguided-missile destroyerhomeported at Pearl Harbor,rescued a stranded boaterwho had been missing southof the Hawaiian Islandssince Nov. 27.Paul Hamilton Sailors

rendered assistance themorning of Dec. 9 to boaterRon Ingraham after receiv-ing a mayday distress callvia radio. Paul Hamiltonprovided food, water andmedical attention as theship’s force attempted to re-pair the boat’s engine and

VHF radio.The ship received the call

from Coast Guard SectorHonolulu while approxi-mately 14 miles from thevessel’s last known positionand arrived on scene about

half an hour later. Once onscene, watchstanders ob-served Ingraham, waving hisarms over his head, and de-ployed a seven-meter rigidhull inflatable boat (RHIB)to assist.

“I thought I was going todie today. You guys areheroes,” Ingraham told theboat crew.While sailing near the is-

land of Molokai, Ingrahamwas caught in a storm thatblew his vessel 200 milessouth of the Hawaiian Is-lands, leaving him strandedwithout food or water for 12days. The Coast Guardceased searching for Ingra-ham on Dec. 1 after coveringapproximately 12,000 squaremiles.Ingraham embarked Paul

Hamilton to shower, eat andreceive additional medicalcare while awaiting a CoastGuard cutter to tow his ves-sel back to port.USS Paul Hamilton is one

of eight surface warfare

ships of Commander, De-stroyer Squadron 21. Theship maintains warfightingreadiness, capable of operat-

ing forward with allies andpartners in the western Pa-cific to deter aggression andpreserve peace.

USS Paul Hamilton rescues missing boater

U.S. Navy photoSailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missiledestroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) rescue strandedmariner, Ron Ingraham, aboard his vessel Malia Dec. 9.

U.S. Navy photoCmdr. John Barsano, commanding officer of the guided-mis-sile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), welcomes RonIngraham aboard with a ball cap of the Arleigh Burke-classguided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60).

MC2 Diana Quinlan

Navy Public Affairs SupportElement West DetachmentHawaii

Veterans, service members,families and guests commemo-rated Pearl Harbor Day with mul-tiple ceremonies at Ford Islandand Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Dec. 7.The theme of this year’s historic

commemorations, “Preserving theMemory,” focused on keeping thestory of the attacks on Oahu andthe beginning of World War II forthe United States alive for newgenerations and the nation.The day began at the World

War II Valor in the Pacific Na-tional Monument Pearl HarborVisitor Center with the 73rd an-nual commemoration ceremony

dedicated to the Dec. 7, 1941 at-tack on Pearl Harbor.Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., com-

mander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, pro-vided opening remarks andintroduced U.S. Air Force Gen.Lori J. Robinson, commander, Pa-cific Air Forces, who served as akeynote speaker for the event,which overlooked the historic USSArizona Memorial.“For the last 73 years here in

the Pacific we’ve rememberedPearl Harbor. We’ve remained vig-ilant, and just as the ‘GreatestGeneration’ before us, today’sarmed forces are more than readyto answer the alarm and, if needbe, we’re ready to fight tonightand win,” said Harris. “We are do-ing everything we can to keep thealarm from sounding in the firstplace by enacting America’s cur-rent strategic rebalance to the

Indo-Asia-Pacific, designed tomaintain stability, prosperity andpeace throughout the region,”Harris said.He praised Robinson’s leader-

ship and professional skills, intel-lect and mastery, which helpedher excel and set the highest stan-dards, achieving numerousrecords in her military career.Robinson, who recently took

command Oct. 16 of Pacific AirForces from Gen. “Hawk” Carlisle,expressed her emotions of sharingthis historic day with all of thesurvivors and veterans.“For me, it is difficult to imagine

the events of that Sunday morning73 years ago. Even as it was a dayof sacrifice and loss, it was a day ofgallantry and unquestionableheroism,” said Robinson in her ad-dress.(Commentary with her remarks

is available on pageA-3.)During the ceremony, a moment

of silence was observed at 7:55a.m., the exact moment theJapanese attack on Pearl Harborbegan 73 years ago. The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) renderedpass-in-review honors to the USSArizona and all Pearl Harbor sur-vivors present at the ceremony.The 199th Fighter Squadron,

Hawaii Air National Guard, 19thFighter Squadron, U.S. Air Force,also presented an F-22 Raptorsflyover.The ceremony was co-hosted by

Rear Adm. Rick Williams, com-mander of Navy Region Hawaiiand Naval Surface Group MiddlePacific, and Paul DePrey, superin-tendent of the WWII Valor in thePacific National Monument, Na-tional Park Service.

The event also included musicalaccompaniment provided by theU.S. Pacific Fleet Band, the parad-ing of colors, a traditional Hawai-ian blessing, and a cannon saluteby members of the U.S. Army.Additionally, veterans of each

military branch presented a floralwreath for each service, each ac-companied by an active duty ser-vice member and a student fromNavy Hale Keiki School, in recog-nition of the men and women whosurvived the attack and those whomade the ultimate sacrifice fortheir country on Dec. 7, 1941.The ceremony concluded with a

“Walk of Honor” by the Pearl Har-bor survivors attending the cere-mony and other World War IIveterans through an honor cordonof military service members andNational Park Service men andwomen.

Hawaii remembers Dec. 7, 1941

Photo illustration

THINK

SAFETYFIRST

December 12, 2014 Ho‘okele A-2

MC2 Diana Quinlan


Four of the nine remainingUSS Arizona survivors of the PearlHarbor attack—John Anderson,Lauren Bruner, Louis Conter andDonald Stratton—arrived aboardUSS Arizona Memorial for their fi-nal reunion this past Dec. 7.This historic event marked the

end of an era for the USS Arizonasurvivors, all in their 90s, who haveannounced that this was the final,official gathering of the USS Ari-zona Reunion Association.Despite the official announce-

ment, the men still plan to get to-gether, regardless of the location.“I don’t think this is going to be

our last [meeting],” said Louis Con-ter, 93.

“We still have time to go, so Ithink we’ll be back out here nomatter whether the rest of thecrowd canmake it or not.”While at the memorial, the sur-

vivors poured a “final toast” to theirshipmates, drinking from originalchampagne glasses from the USSArizona. They shared a bottle ofwine—a gift from President GeraldFord to the association presentedin 1975. According to survivors,this final salute symbolized thebrotherhood and sacrifice of theday of the attack on Pearl Harbor73 years ago.After the toast, the survivors

handed one of the glasses to a teamof Navy and National Park Servicedivers who placed it at the base ofthe Arizona’s gun turret four. Gunturret four serves as the final rest-ing place for survivors of the attackwho wish to have their ashesplaced at their former battle sta-

tion. Since 1980, 38 Arizona sur-vivors have been reunited withtheir fellow shipmates on the ship.“The good Lord saved just a few

of us,” shared Donald Stratton, 92,who was one of the survivors of agun director in the forward part ofthe ship and sustained severeburns during the attack, which re-quired hospitalization lasting formore than a year. “So terrible, ter-rible day,” Stratton remembered.Conter shared his thoughts on

the event and the honor he felt tobe by his ship, among his fellowSailors.“It was amazing for the four of

us,” said Conter. “I think we all feltthe same, an honor to toast the1,177 shipmates that we had andwho died that day. And the glass,which is now interred there [gunturret four], will give us a chance tohave something to drink out ofwhen we’re buried there.”

Remaining USS Arizona survivorshold ‘final toast’ to shipmates

U.S. Navy Photo by MC2 Johans ChavarroUSS Arizona survivors Donald Stratton, Louis Conter, John Anderson, and Lauren Bruner toast in honor offallen shipmates during the “final toast” ceremony.

Tech. Sgt. Terri Paden

15th Wing Public Affairs

The 15th Wing hosted its 73rdRemembrance Ceremony at 7:55a.m. Dec. 7 in commemorationof the fatal attacks on HickamField in 1941.More than 50 survivors and

family members of survivors at-tended the ceremony, which hon-ors the 189 Airmen who losttheir lives on Hickam Field dur-ing the two waves of attackslaunched by the ImperialJapanese Navy on Dec. 7, 1941.

“I am honored and humbledto speak to you on such a historicday,” said Col. Randy Huiss,15th Wing commander, whileaddressing the crowd. “Todaymarks the anniversary of a daythat changed the course of his-tory. On this day, the lives of ev-eryone stationed at HickamField changed forever.”During the ceremony, the

heroic stories of the men andwomen who lost their lives dur-ing the attack were shared withthe attendees.“The stories are what keeps

those who sacrificed alive,”Huiss said.One unique survivor story was

represented by the Shepherdfamily.Marion Shepherd was as-

signed to Hickam Field after en-listing in the Army Air Corpsand survived both the Dec. 7 at-tack on the base and the Battleof Midway in 1942. He passed

away at the age of 89 when Tech.Sgt. Andrew Shepherd was nineyears old but not before leaving alasting impression on his grand-son who enlisted in the Air Forcenearly 10 years later.Shepherd, who is assigned to

the 15th Aircraft MaintenanceSquadron at Joint Base PearlHarbor-Hickam, had the uniqueopportunity of attending thisyear’s ceremony as a family rep-resentative and official escort forhis father, Thomas Shepherd,who participated in the cere-mony for the first time. Duringthe ceremony, Thomas accepteda folded flag in honor and recog-nition of his father’s selfless ser-vice.“The ceremony was really

emotional,” Thomas said. “Itbrought a lot of the stories to life.It was very beautiful and mov-ing.”

Thomas said he feels proud tohave his father honored in a cer-emony.“Attending this ceremony is

something that I’ve wanted to dofor a long time,” he said. “It’s anhonor to me also that he and hisfellow Airmen are honored likethis. I’m very proud.”In addition to honoring sur-

vivors like Marion Shepherd, theceremony also honored RetiredAir Force Master Sgt. KennethFord and Retired Air Force Col.Roy Bright, two survivors whowere long-time attendees of theceremony at Hickam, but passedaway before this year’s cere-mony.

Hickam ceremony honorsheroes of Dec. 7 attack

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander MartinezU.S. Air Force Col. Randy Huiss, 15th Wing commander, presents aU.S. flag to Thomas Shepherd, the son of an Army Air corpsman whosurvived the attacks on Hickam Field on Dec. 7, 1941. The attack onHickam Field Remembrance Ceremony was held Dec. 7 at Joint BasePearl Harbor-Hickam.

OnlineOnline

Gen. Lori J. Robinson

Commander, Pacific AirForces

(This is an excerpt froma speech given by Gen.Robinson at the 73rd com-memoration of Dec. 7, 1941ceremony.)The events of Dec. 7, 1941

served as a turning point inour nation’s history. Al-though the attacks occurredso suddenly, so unexpect-edly, and in such tragic pro-portions, our reluctantnation emerged to fight andultimately win World WarII.For me, it is difficult to

imagine the events of thatSunday morning, 73 yearsago. Even as it was a day ofsacrifice and loss, it was aday of gallantry and unques-tionable heroism. Countlessbrave Americans not onlyrallied in response to the at-tacks but fought intrepidlyin the many years of warthat followed.Today, we are joined by

four of the nine living USSArizona survivors: DonStratton, Lauren Bruner,Lou Conter, and John An-derson. The stories of thesesurvivors are nothing short

of amazing.This afternoon, they are

holding a service aboard theUSS Arizona Memorial.They will toast their fallenshipmates and other sur-vivors with a glass of winegiven to their association byPresident Ford in 1975. Af-ter they toast, they will handone of the glasses to a teamof Navy and National ParkService divers who will placeit at the base of the Arizona’sgun turret four.Through these memorial

services, new memories arecreated and preserved, asthe remaining glasses willbecome artifacts maintained

by the National Park Ser-vice.Gun turret four is signifi-

cant because it is also the fi-nal resting spot for survivorsof the attack who wish tohave their ashes placed attheir former battle station.And so, since 1980, 38 Ari-zona survivors have been re-united with their brothersback on the ship.When the Arizona sank,

she took with her 1,177Sailors and Marines. Manyfamilies paid an enormousprice as a result of the at-tack. Among those who per-ished were 30 sets ofbrothers, to include threefamilies who lost all three oftheir sons.These men fought to-

gether as brothers in arms,and now they rest side byside in their watery grave.Although they gave theirlast full measure of devotionto our nation, their sacrificewill never be forgotten.The heroic resolve dis-

played during the attackswas not limited to just ourmilitary. At Hickam Field,we owe many thanks to theHonolulu Fire Department.After receiving the alarm at08:05 in the morning, En-gine Companies 1, 4 and 6were dispatched to respond.Without knowing it, theHonolulu Fire Departmentwas going to war. Three fire-fighters would never return,and six others would be seri-ously wounded.It is critical our nation

preserves the memory ofthese events, not only tohonor those who sacrificedso much, but to capture thestories and lessons learned.The letters, diaries, pho-tographs and interviewsfrom this time are a nationaltreasure.And, they are used to edu-

cate, commemorate andmemorialize the greatestgeneration and their sacri-fice. By honoring our past,we inspire our future and as-

sure the events of this day,73 years ago, are not forgot-ten.Our Pacific Airmen are re-

minded of the events of Dec.7, 1941 as they walk intowork at the PACAF Head-quarters building every day.In 1941, our headquartersbuilding was a 3,000-manbarracks, making it a majortarget for the attack. Amongother damage, a 500-poundbomb was dropped in thecenter of the building, in-stantly killing 35 men. To-day, the walls still bearshrapnel and bullet holes.And, when they walk pastthese battle-scarred walls,they are reminded of theperseverance, courage andvalor of our Pacific Airmen.In the headquarters lies a

memorial called the Court-yard of Heroes. In it sits adisplay case that houses theflag which flew over HickamField during the attack. Af-ter a failed bombing attempton the flag, Japanese Zeros

attempted to cut the flag offthe flagpole with a heavystream of bullets. Althoughtorn and tattered, Old Glorycontinued to wave in themidst of all of the destruc-tion.Now, as it did then, it

symbolizes the unbreakableAmerican spirit. Today, theflag is encased in a koa wooddisplay. Koa wood is nativeto the islands, and “koa” isalso a Hawaiian word for“warrior.” The flag became awarrior in its own right onDec. 7, 1941, and it is fittingto encase it in the wood ofthe warrior. As our nationrebalances to the Asia-Pa-cific region, I assure you thecurrent generation of Ameri-can warriors stands ready.May God bless you and all

of our military and civil ser-vicemen and women, bothpast and present, who havebravely answered our na-tion’s call time and timeagain—and who have neverfailed us.


SSttaaffff SSggtt.. JJoosshhuuaa AAtteenncciioo747th Communications Squadron

“Last year I was living off base nearOsan Air base, Korea. The best thingthat happened to me was being able toexperience a new and exciting culturewhile getting the opportunity to meetmany awesome new friends.”

TTeecchh.. SSggtt.. CChhrriissttiinnaa PPaayyttoonn324th Intelligence Squadron

“The best thing that has happened in2014 was an overdue honeymoon withjust my husband and I to Kauai andMaui for a week. The other islands areso beautiful, and we had so manyadventures that will last us a lifetime.”

CCTTII33 RRooxxaannnnee AAddaammssNIOC Hawaii

“I’m in honors and ceremonies and I dida really cool ceremony at a light-house. That was awesome.”

SSeenniioorr AAiirrmmaann DDaarriieellllee FFoorrtt690th Network Support Squadron

“The best thing that happened to me inthe past year was reuniting with mywife. We were separated for 18 monthsdue to PCS and deployment. It hasbeen a long time, so having her here tocelebrate my Airman Leadership School graduation wasa big deal for me.”

CCTTRR11 LLaauurraa GGeeiiggeellNIOC Hawaii

“I spent the last two years in theUK. That was an eye-opening experi-ence for me and it taught me to appre-ciate what we have in the U.S. My fami-ly is from there, so it taught me aboutmy family history. On my way back I gotto visit my family in the States.”

22nndd LLtt.. KKaattiiee VVooiirroollPACAF

“The best thing that has happened in thepast year was spending Fourth of Julywith my nephew. It's rare that I get holi-days at home and seeing his face lightup from the fireworks was amazing.”

EEnnssiiggnn RRaannddoonn MMccKKaaiinnUSS Chosin (CG 65)

“Marrying my wife, because I’ve got abest friend for life.”

Want to see your command featured in Diverse Views?Got opinions to share?

Drop us a line at [email protected] or [email protected]

Provided by Lt. j.g. Eric Galassi and David D. Underwood Jr.

What was the best thing that happenedto you in the past year?

Ho‘okele is a free unofficial paperpublished every Friday by The Hon-olulu Star Advertiser 500 Ala MoanaBoulevard Suite 7-500 HonoluluHawaii 96813, a private firm in noway connected with DoD, the U. S. Navy, Air Force or MarineCorps, under exclusive contract withCommander, Navy Region Hawaii.All editorial content is prepared,edited, provided and approved bythe staff of the Commander, NavyRegion Hawaii Public Affairs Office: 850 Ticonderoga, Suite 110, PearlHarbor, Hawaii, 96860-4884. Tele-phone: (808) 473-2888; fax (808)473-2876; e-mail address: [email protected] WorldWide Web address: https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Hawaii/ or www.hookelenews.com. This civilian enterprise newspaper isan authorized publication primarilyfor members of the Navy, Air Forceand Marine Corps military servicesand their families in Hawaii. Its con-tents do not necessarily reflect theofficial views of the U. S. Govern-ment, the Department of Defense,the U.S. Navy, Air Force or MarineCorps and do not imply endorse-

ment thereof.The civilian publisher, The HonoluluStar Advertiser, is responsible forcommercial advertising, which maybe purchased by calling (808) 521-9111.The appearance of advertising inthis newspaper, including inserts orsupplements, does not constituteendorsement of the products andservices advertised by the Depart-ment of Defense, the U.S. Navy, AirForce or Marine Corps, Commander,Navy Region Hawaii or The HonoluluStar Advertiser.Everything advertised in this papershall be made available for pur-chase, use or patronage without re-gard to race, color, religion, gender,national origin, age, marital status,physical handicap, political affiliationor any other non-merit factor of thepurchaser, user or patron.A confirmed violation of this policy ofequal opportunity by an advertiserwill result in the refusal to print ad-vertising from that source.Ho‘okele is delivered weekly to Navy& Air Force housing units and Navyand Air Force installations through-out Oahu.

Director, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

Agnes Tauyan

Deputy Director, Public AffairsBill Doughty

Director, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Public AffairsGrace Hew Len

Managing EditorKaren Spangler

EditorDon Robbins

Assistant EditorBrandon Bosworth

Sports EditorRandy Dela Cruz

Sr. Graphic ArtistAntonio Verceluz

Graphic ArtistZachary Pigott

Commander, Navy Region Hawaii

Rear Adm. Rick Williams

Chief of StaffCapt. Mark Manfredi

Commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Capt. Stanley Keeve Jr.

Deputy CommanderCol. David Kirkendall

Chief Staff Officer Capt. Douglas Holderman

Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National ArchivesThis photo shows bomb damage to hangars 15-17 and 11-13 at Hickam Field on Oahu at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, 1941after the Imperial Japanese attack. In the right foreground is a machine gun emplacement in a bomb crater. A DouglasB-18 bomber is visible inside the badly damaged hangar.

Hickam hangars bombed during attack

DiverseViews

EEMM11 DDoonnaalldd CCrroowwlleeyyUSS Asheville (SSN 758)

“I was selected as Sailor of the Year formy command.”

Commentary

73rd commemoration of Dec. 7, 1941: ‘Preserving the Memory’

Gen. Lori J. RobinsonU.S. Navy Photo by MC2 Johans Chavarro

Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) conduct a pass-in-review by the USS ArizonaMemorial during the 73rd Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration.

Hoòkele to be on hiatusToday’s edition of Hoòkele will be the last issue for 2014

before its holiday hiatus. The first issue of Hoòkele in 2015will be Jan. 9.During the time that Hoòkele is on break, the publish-

er, Honolulu Star Advertiser, will publish a joint military

issue which will combine news from all of the services—Hoòkele, Hawaii Army Weekly and Hawaii Marine.Delivery will be the same as it is for Hoòkele.Happy holidays to all of our readers! Stay safe. Enjoy the

holidays with your families. We’ll see you in the new year.


Commentary

Pearl Harbor Day: Let us not forget

U.S. Navy photoA recent aerial photo of Ford Island.

Karen S. Spangler

Managing Editor, Ho`okele

As I drove to Pearl Harborthis past Sunday morning, Itried to imagine what itmust have been like on Dec.7, 1941. That day was also apeaceful Sunday morning,palm trees waving gently inthe breeze, a brilliant sunshining down from blueskies, island residents enjoy-ing a myriad of activities.Looking at the calm, blue

waters of the harbor, I foundit difficult to imagine thetragedy and destructionthose many years ago asJapanese Zeroes swoopeddown from the skies to at-tack the Pacific fleet in theharbor. I couldn’t imaginewhat it was like 73 yearsago—mighty Navy shipsheavily damaged and sink-ing, the oil-slicked waters ofthe harbor a flaming inferno,death and destruction every-where.Those who were there—

who survived—rememberthat day vividly. Andthroughout the year, it’s a regular event here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam—Pearl Harbor sur-vivors who return to paytheir respects to their fallenshipmates. It’s a visit filledwith memories as they seethe names engraved on thewall in the Shrine Room

of the memorial.As they stand at the well

on the memorial and lookdown into the depths of thePacific Ocean, they view theoutline of the battleship USSArizona below the water’ssurface. Remembering, theirtears mingle with thedroplets of oil which stillseep from the sunken battle-ship. There are other points of

interest on their journey—such as the hull of thesunken USS Utah off FordIsland and the adjacent USSUtah Memorial which hon-ors those who still lie en-tombed. Also on Ford Island,a 10-foot high Hawaiianbluestone rock that was do-nated by the Navy Club—

and was the first memorialdedicated to those who losttheir lives during theJapanese attack on PearlHarbor—is situated on agrassy vantage point over-looking the Arizona Memo-rial.But some Pearl Harbor

survivors return for anotherreason—to join their ship-mates. The cremains of shipmates

who wish to be interred inthe hull of the sunken USSArizona or USS Utah are car-ried to the wreckage bydivers. A ceremony accompa-nying each interment ren-ders honors with all of themilitary elements— a riflesalute, a lone bugler’s melan-choly playing of Taps, and a

flag which is folded in theveteran’s memory. Cecil Calavan was one

such survivor who chose theremains of the USS Utah ashis final resting place. In asunset ceremony this recentDec. 6, he was placed in eter-nal rest aboard the ship. Cecil, who was a young 17-year-old seaman secondclass at the time of the at-tack, was one of the heroes ofthat day as he lived throughan experience that changedhis life.He continued to love his

former ship, the USS Utah,and later served as the presi-dent of the USS Utah Sur-vivors’ Association until hisdeath Aug. 14 of this year.Although interment of cre-

mains in the USS Arizonaand USS Utah is limited tosurvivors of those ships,other Pearl Harbor survivorscan choose to have theirashes scattered in the harborin the waters of the blue Pa-cific. And many of them do.Those interments and

ash-scattering ceremoniestake place year round, but itis especially symbolic thatsome choose Dec. 7, the an-niversary of the 1941 attack,as the time to return to theirshipmates.During ceremonies held

this recent Dec. 7, NavyChief Petty Officer Robert C.Knight and Machinist’s Mate2nd Class Harry E. Smithwere honored and returnedto be with their shipmates astheir ashes were scatterednear the USS Utah Memo-rial. At the time of the attack,

Smith was aboard the de-stroyer USS Talbot. Knight,who was assigned to an avia-tion squadron at KaneoheBay on that day, was at PearlHarbor waiting for his air-craft to be repaired.Of the original 554 sur-

vivors of the USS Arizona,there are now only nineknown survivors who are stillliving. Over the years, thenumbers of those survivors ofthe “Greatest Generation”have drastically dwindled.But even though they are

now in their 90s, they still

make the pilgrimmage toPearl Harbor. It was apoignant scene as they re-turned for this year’s com-memoration—some confinedto wheelchairs, others stand-ing, humble, silent, headsbowed, as the solemn cere-mony unfolded in this sacredplace.The Pearl Harbor sur-

vivors have carried thepainful memories of thecatastrophic event at PearlHarbor for more than 73years. They humbly expresstheir gratitude that theirlives were spared, along withsadness for the loss of theirshipmates.And as their numbers con-

tinue to dwindle, their voicesfading to mere whispers,they still remember whathappened at Pearl Harbor onDec. 7, 1941. They are thank-ful to be among those whosurvived, while rememberingand paying respects to theirfellow Sailors and Marineswho were lost.For many of these heroes

of another generation, theirlast tribute takes place atPearl Harbor—in their finalresting place with formershipmates.It is up to each one of us to

remember and honor theirselfless sacrifices and to bethankful.Let us never forget Pearl

Harbor and all of those whogave so much.

U.S. Navy archive photoAerial photo of Ford Island looking east during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.


Families and friends greet the Arleigh Burke-class guided-mis-sile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) and its crew of morethan 280 Sailors.Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) man the rails as the ship

returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Families and friends wait pierside as the Arleigh Burke-classguided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) returns home.

U.S. Navy photos by MC2 Tiarra Fulgham The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) returns Dec. 5.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanLouis Conter, USS Arizona survivor, walks through an honorcordon and salutes.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanSailors assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) Oneprepare to place a drinking glass at the base of USS Arizona’sgun turret four during the final USS Arizona ReunionAssociation ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana Quinlan(Left) Gilbert Meyer, a survivor of the 1941 attack on PearlHarbor while stationed aboard USS Utah (AG-16), attends the73rd Anniversary Pearl Harbor Day commemoration ceremony.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanU.S. Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson, commander, Pacific AirForces, addresses the audience during the 73rd AnniversaryPearl Harbor Day commemoration ceremony at the PearlHarbor Visitor Center.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Laurie DexterPearl Harbor survivors, service members, veterans and civilians visit the USS Arizona Memorial.

December 12, 2014 Ho‘okele A-A6December 12, 2014 Ho‘okele A-6

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanA joint service color guard parades the colors during the 73rd Anniversary Pearl Harbor Daycommemoration ceremony at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander MartinezHonorary guests of the Attack on Hickam Field Remembrance Ceremony conclude receivingU.S. flags at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Dec. 7.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander MartinezLauren Bruner, USS Arizona survivor, visits the USS Arizona Memorial.

U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Katherine HofmanThe guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG93) conducts a pass-in-review by the USS ArizonaMemorial.

U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Katherine Hofman(Right) Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Bankston,PACAF, 15th Wing, 535th Air Lift Squadron, and hisdaughters honor fallen Sailors at the USS Oklaho-ma Memorial by placing orchids at the base of mar-ble columns following the National Park Serviceannual USS Oklahoma Memorial ceremony.

Photo courtesy of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor(Left) Still showing what appears to be the impres-sion of the pilot's hand, this blackened canteen wasrecovered from the wreckage of a B-29 crash sitenear Shizuoka, Japan. Whiskey is poured from thecanteen into the waters of Pearl Harbor as a sym-bol of peace, honor and reconciliation.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanA Sailor, assigned to the Pacific Fleet Band, performs Taps.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Diana QuinlanEverett Hyland, Pearl Harbor survivor, attends the 73rd AnniversaryPearl Harbor Day commemoration ceremony at the Pearl Harbor Vis-itor Center.

Photo courtesy of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor(From left) Daniel Martinez, chief historian, WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument; Paul DePrey, su-perintendent, WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument; George Nottingham, WWII veteran and U.S. ArmyAir Corps B-29 pilot; Dr. Hiroya Sugano, director general of the Zero Fighter Admirers Club; Shiro Wakita, WWIIveteran and Imperial Japanese navy pilot; and Ken DeHoff, executive director, Pacific Aviation Museum PearlHarbor commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a Blackened Canteen Ceremonyaboard the USS Arizona Memorial Dec. 7.


Story and photos byBrandon Bosworth

Assistant Editor, Ho’okele

Survivors of the Dec. 7,1941 attack on Hawaii re-turned to Pearl Harbor fora white boat tour on Dec. 4.The survivors, along withtheir friends and families,learned about the historyof the harbor as well as itscurrent role as an activeU.S. naval base. Severalactive duty service mem-bers also were on the tour.The tour was hosted by

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Jim Neuman,Navy Region Hawaii histo-rian, provided the narra-tion.“The harbor tours are al-

ways special. They providean opportunity to teach thepublic and our militarypersonnel about the his-tory of Pearl Harbor andHickam,” said Neuman. “The Navy has been at

Pearl Harbor for over 100years. It is also importantto point out and explainmany of the operational as-pects of the base today,what are we doing rightnow. The base is just asimportant today as it was73 years ago in 1941.”The tour boat departed

from the Pearl Harbor Vis-itor Center and headed to-ward the entrance to PearlHarbor. Along the way,Neuman pointed out anddiscussed areas of interestsuch as the wreckage ofthe USS Utah near FordIsland, the deactivatedNavy ships moored in Mid-dle Loch, Hospital Point,the Battleship Missouri

Memorial and other sites.Along the way, survivorsasked questions and talkedabout their own experi-ences.“The tours with the

Pearl Harbor survivorsand other World War II

vets are especially mean-ingful because it is an op-portunity to hear from themen who were here whenthe attack took place,” saidNeuman. “It is great to see the

survivors interacting withthe younger service mem-bers today because theybecome an inspiration forthe next generation. Mostof the survivors that arestill coming were only 18or 19 years old in 1941. Ithink our younger folksgain a lot of perspectiveand insight from talking tothe older guys who experi-enced a lot of growing upat that time,” Neumansaid.The tour concluded with

a stop at the USS ArizonaMemorial. Even the mostgregarious and talkativemembers of the tour groupbecame quiet and reflec-tive. Some of the survivorsshed tears.Before departing the

memorial, guests took timeto drop flower petals intothe memorial well in honorof those who lost their livesduring the attack. Theboat then returned toshore.As they disembarked,

the survivors were in goodspirits, happily chattingwith young service mem-bers and expressing howmuch they enjoyed thetour.“It was great,” said retired

Chief Michael “Mickey”Ganitch, who was servingaboard the USS Penn-sylvania on Dec. 7, 1941. “Itbrought back memories,some good, and some not sogood.

Survivors of Dec. 7, 1941 tour Pearl Harbor

(Above) Pearl Harbor sur-vivors reflect at the memorialwall at the USS ArizonaMemorial.

(Right) GM3 Lillian Collins,JBPHH Public Affairs, com-forts Pearl Harbor survivorLarry Parry, who has justtossed flower petals into thememorial well at the USSArizona Memorial. This wasParry's first trip to PearlHarbor since World War II.

OnlineOnline


Story and photos byMC2 Brian WilburU.S. Pacific Fleet PublicAffairs

Karen S. SpanglerManaging Editor, Ho`okele

More than 200 friends,family members and servicemembers attended a sunsetceremony and interment onDec. 6 at the USS UtahMemorial at Joint BasePearl Harbor-Hickam to re-member those who servedon the Florida-class battle-ship. The interment also hon-

ored the life of Seaman 2ndClass Cecil Calavan, a crewmember who served aboardthe USS Utah during theJapanese attack on PearlHarbor. “I’m sure Cecil would not

have wanted to be called ahero. He would say he wasjust doing his job, just doingwhat he was trained to do,”said James Taylor, NavyRegion Hawaii Pearl Har-bor survivor liaison. “Everyman and woman whoserved during that terriblewar were, and still are,heroes.”Taylor explained that

Calavan joined the Navy atthe age of 17 and was a young seaman secondclass on the day that theJapanese attacked PearlHarbor. Calavan and afriend were getting ready toleave the ship to go on lib-erty when he heard thescream of an airplane andan incredible explosion.“He looked up and saw a

plane go over the stern onlyabout 20 feet above theship. Then he saw the tor-pedo coming toward him,

and an explosion knockedhim off his feet. He saw an-other plane heading towardthe ship and said nothingcould be more terrifyingthan seeing a torpedo com-ing straight at you,” Taylorexplained.Another Sailor told Cala-

van that the ship was underattack and he should swimashore to save himself. Asthe ship rolled over, Cala-

van and other shipmatesslid down the bottom of theship. They made it ashore,ending up in a ditch withother Sailors from the ship,Taylor said.On that morning, two

Japanese torpedoes slam-med into the port side of theship’s hull, causing massiveflooding. The ship sankshortly after. Of the 519Sailors aboard during the

attack, 58 perished. An at-tempt to salvage the wreck-age was unsuccessful andthe battleship was aban-doned.After the attack, Calavan

was assigned to the USSDetroit and then the USSSan Francisco, where hewas injured during a battle.He received a Purple Heartin 1944 and served the re-mainder of his enlistmentstateside.He married Beverle

Lewis in 1944. After leavingthe Navy, Calavan workedin various positions, includ-ing as a police officer in Cal-ifornia and for the U.S.Ranger Service in SierraNational Forest. He alsoearned his pilot’s license.Calavan retired from Am-

pex Corporation after 32years. He is survived by

seven children, 11 grand-children and 15 great-grandchildren.“Cecil continued to love

his ship and, as yearspassed, saw the Utah be-come part of the NationalValor of the Pacific Monu-ment when President Bushsigned a bill into law. Hewas the glue that held theUSS Utah Survivors Associ-ation together during hardtimes and served as itspresident until he died Aug.14 of this year,” Taylor said.Among the guests attend-

ing last Saturday’s cere-mony were Calavan’sdaughter, Pamela CalavanBecerra, her niece Kelley,Calavan’s great-grand-daughter Kristen, and long-time best friend, WyomaVale.“Our family has been here

several times and now whenwe come back, not only arewe going to be here honor-ing the USS Utah and hercrew, we’re going to be visit-ing my father,” said Be-cerra. “I am very proud ofeverything this memorialrepresents,” she said.The ceremony included a

rifle salute, playing of Taps,and a flag-folding and pre-sentation to the family.Taylor shared Calavan’s

wish.“I know Cecil would have

wanted to return here andrejoin his fellow shipmateswho were lost that fatefulday when the JapaneseFleet attacked Pearl Har-bor. In a few minutes, it willhappen. Cecil will be withhis shipmates who still re-main inside the ship,” Tay-lor said.

Former USS Utah survivor interred during sunset ceremony

Email: [email protected]: (808) 473-2890/2895

Email: [email protected]: (808) 473-2890/2895

Pamela Calavan Becerra, daughter of Pearl Harbor survivor Seaman 2nd Class CecilCalavan speaks during the burial honors ceremony at the USS Utah Memorial.

Family and friends lower the ashes of Pearl Harbor sur-vivor Seaman 2nd Class Cecil Calavan to divers to beplaced on the USS Utah (AG 16) Memorial on Ford Islandduring a sunset ceremony.


Story and photos byMC2 Tiarra FulghamNavy Public Affairs SupportElement West DetachmentHawaii


The ashes of Pearl Harbor sur-vivor Machinist’s Mate 2nd ClassHarry E. Smith were scattered inthe waters surrounding the USSUtah Memorial during a cere-mony held Dec. 7 on Ford Island,Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.According to Jim Taylor, Pearl

Harbor survivor liaison for NavyRegion Hawaii, Smith had ex-pressed his desire to be reunitedwith his former shipmates. “I remember receiving an email

in January of 2012 when Harrywas alive. This service had beenmentioned earlier over the holi-days, and the idea was well re-ceived by Harry and the entirefamily. I responded by saying,“‘No problem—we’ll get it done,’”Taylor said.He detailed Smith’s experi-

ences on Dec. 7, 1941, explainingthat Smith was asleep aboard thedestroyer USS Ralph Talbot (DD390) when he was awakened bythe sound of the ship’s generalquarters. “Most of the crew initially ig-

nored the order, probably figuringit was just another exercise. Itdidn’t take long to figure out itwas the real thing when the gunsstarted firing,” Taylor said.After observing the Utah

rolling to her side and Sailorssliding off the bottom of the ship,Smith went down to the fire roomand assisted crew members inlighting off the boilers.“Harry said the Talbot’s skip-

per [commanding officer] savedthe ship and crew when depart-ing the harbor by maneuveringback and forth as the planes wereattacking,” Taylor shared.“This made the bombs that

were dropped fall harmlessly inthe water in front and behind theship. All the time, the ship’s gunswere firing at enemy aircraft.”The Talbot was credited with

shooting down two planes thatday and shared honors with an-other ship for shooting down an-other.“Harry said it was because of

the skipper’s watchful eye from

the bridge that the ship andmany lives were saved,” Taylorsaid.One of Smith’s sons, Martin

Smith, spoke about his father’smilitary service and the meaningof Sunday’s ceremony.“My dad was very proud of his

military service in the Navy. Myheart is full, and my soul is satis-fied that the Navy could help usmake this dream come true formy father,” he said. After the war, Harry Smith

settled down with his family inColorado. “Not only did he sur-vive Pearl Harbor; he survivedraising nine children,” MartinSmith said.“My dad always gave me some-

one to emulate. He taught meabout the word honor—honoryour country and honor your fam-ily. He was my hero and I amproud to be his son. Today on Dec.7, 2014, my heart is full and mysoul is satisfied,” he said.Harry Smith received full mili-

tary honors including flag presen-tations, playing of “Taps,” and arifle salute from members of the

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-HickamHonors and Ceremonial Guardaccompanied by a bugler from thePacific Fleet Band.“Needless to say, without the

public affairs office and Jim Tay-lor with his volunteer work thathe does, this would not have hap-pened for us, and we are verygrateful that it worked as well asit did. To see the Blackhawk heli-copters fly over with the flag wasthat much more special to us,”Martin Smith said.Taylor noted that Harry Smith

and other survivors of the Dec. 7attack would probably not wantto be called heroes, noting theywould say they were simply justdoing the jobs they were trainedto do. “Their bravery and commit-

ment to service set a timeless ex-ample of heroism for current andfuture generations,” Taylor said.“He and the others who served

in that horrific war created themold our servicemen and womenlive by today. They set the exam-ple. They were, and still are,heroes.”

Pearl Harbor survivor Smith isreunited with former shipmates

MC2 Diana Quinlan


The National Park Servicehosted the annual USS OklahomaMemorial ceremony Dec. 7 at thememorial located on Ford Islandnext to the Battleship MissouriMemorial. Pearl Harbor survivors, veter-

ans, service members, families andguests attended the ceremony atwhich Capt. Stanley Keeve Jr.,commander of Joint Base PearlHarbor-Hickam, was the guestspeaker. “We will never forget the crew of

the USS Oklahoma,” said Keeve.“We will strive to educate this gen-eration and the generations tocome about what happened here,what their shipmates died for, andthe legacy they left behind.”Navy Chaplain Cmdr. George

Mendes provided the invocation,the joint base color guard pre-sented the colors to the musical ac-companiment of the U.S. PacificFleet Band Quintet, and a U.S.Marine Corps rifle detail provideda rifle salute. Veterans attending the cere-

mony took a moment to walkamong the names of those who per-ished in the attack, etched on themarble columns of the USS Okla-homa Memorial, laying flowers orwrapping Hawaiian lei on the mon-ument.“I frequently get asked, ‘Why do

you keep coming back every year?’and I had a hard time coming upwith an answer,” said Ed Vezey,USS Oklahoma survivor. “But perhaps part of it is a word

that became very important—ship-mate. I think shipmates enjoy avery unique and emotional mind-set that doesn’t exist in any otherservice,” Vezey continued as helooked upon the memorial.“The reality is you fall in love

with the ship that you live on, andit has to do really with the people.People are so important, and it ishard to convey the feeling thatwhen you go to sea and the landdisappears behind you, it’s you andyour ship and your shipmates,” heexplained. “There is a bond that forms,

which is unique; it’s a tremendousfactor. These are my shipmates. Icome back because I am still hereand they are a part of me. I am notcomplete when I am not with myshipmates,” Vezey said.USS Oklahoma Memorial is con-

structed of 429 three-dimensionalwhite marble columns, engravedwith the names of each crew mem-ber who perished during the at-tack. The white marble columns are

arranged in a “V” shape, designedto resemble Sailors manning therails. Surrounding the columns areblack marble slabs etched with no-table quotes from Oklahoma sur-vivors.“As I stand here today, looking at

this solemn monument to thoseSailors and Marines who lost theirlives aboard that great battleship, Iam moved to pause for a momentand consider the names writtenthere,” shared Keeve. “I see in every one of them more

than simply a name carved in mar-ble, but instead a reminder of a lifelived, a sacrifice made, and a lessonlearned for those who will listen,”Keeve said.

USS Oklahoma ceremony honorsheroes of Dec. 7, 1941 attack

U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Katherine HofmanMarine Corps Base Hawaii’s Marine Aircraft Group 24 Rifle Detail rendersa rifle salute during the National Park Service annual USS OklahomaMemorial ceremony.

Story and photos byMC2 Tiarra FulghamNavy Public AffairsSupport Element WestDetachment Hawaii


The ashes of Robert C.Knight, a Pearl Harbor sur-vivor and former Navy chiefpetty officer, were scatteredat the USS Utah Memorialon Ford Island during a cere-mony held Dec. 7. The ceremony included a

rifle salute, playing of Taps,and a flag-folding and pre-sentation to the family.It was Knight’s wish to re-

turn to Hawaii for his “finalvoyage” to be reunited withhis shipmates who werekilled during the attack.Knight passed away Aug.

1, 2013. His son Harry andhis wife Marsha, and hisdaughter Carol and her hus-band Duane, made the tripto Hawaii for the ceremonyhonoring their father.In the days leading up to

the attack on Pearl Harbor,Knight was assigned to a pa-trol bomber (PBY) aircraftsquadron stationed at Ma-rine Corps Base Hawaii. Hewas having maintenancedone on his aircraft at FordIsland, Pearl Harbor inpreparation for an aviationexercise that was scheduledto take place in Kaneohe thefollowing week.Slated to fly the plane

back to Kaneohe the morn-ing of Dec. 7, Knight was justfinishing his breakfast atFord Island when the attack

on Pearl Harbor began.Knight’s son, Harry

Knight Jr., who attended theceremony this past Sunday,recalled the stories his dadtold him about his experi-ences in the wake of the at-tack on Pearl Harbor. “He said he’d woke up to

all the commotion of thebombs dropping on Sundaymorning, and when he wentout he said the first thing hesaw was an airplane roaringoverhead at a very low alti-tude with a big red meatballon the wing, and he immedi-ately knew what was goingon,” said Harry Jr.Harry Jr. also described

the scene his father had

recollected of the senior advi-sors using crowbars to pryopen the doors of the PBY totake their machine guns.“They used old T-shirts anddungarees to hold theweapons on their shoulderswhile shooters fired at theJapanese, and when the bar-rels got too hot they wouldswitch off holding them,”Harry Jr. explained.Jim Taylor, Pearl Harbor

survivor liaison for Navy Re-gion Hawaii, detailedKnight’s heroism that day.“Men were running in all di-rections. He ran to his air-plane. The aircraft entryhatch was locked and he did-n’t have a key. Someone

pried it open, and they wereable to get the machine gunsout. “Since the aircraft was an

obvious target, he movedaway from it and took posi-tion near some constructionmaterial so he could avoidthe strafing aircraft. Afterthe attack was over, hehelped with fighting firesand searching for wounded,”Taylor described.Knight’s squadron was

later sent to the Hebrides Is-lands in the South Pacific. In1943, he was sent to ad-vanced aviation mate schoolin Chicago. According to Tay-lor, it was in Chicago thatKnight met and married his

wife of 60 years.Subsequently, he was as-

signed in Hawaii and wasadvanced to chief petty offi-cer, attaining that rank inless than four years. “He wasobviously an outstandingSailor to make it so fast,”said Taylor.Knight was also assigned

to the aircraft carrier USSTiconderoga (CV 14), fol-lowed by a tour on the USSHancock (CV/CVA 19). Knight finished his naval

career at Naval Air Station,Vero Beach, Fla. where hereceived his discharge in1945.“Chief Knight died an

American hero. I feel quitecertain he would not havewanted to be called a hero.He would probably say hewas just doing his job—doingwhat he was trained to do,”Taylor said.“I differ with that. Robert

and every man and womanwho served during that terri-ble war were, and still are,heroes. Our “Greatest Gen-eration” created the mold ourservicemen and women liveby today. They set the exam-ple.”The family expressed ap-

preciation for the honorsgiven to their father.“I cannot begin to put

words to it. It means so muchto us as family to see his lastrequest honored and re-spected so much,” said HarryJr. “He always said the realheroes are still out here onthe bottom of this harbor. Weare just survivors. “As he got older, he got so

emotional about Pearl andthe Navy, and this was trulyhis dying wish to have hisashes scattered over the wa-ters. As far as what theNavy has done, the honorthat has been given to myfamily and to my father, Idon’t have the words,” saidHarry Jr.


Pearl Harbor survivor Robert Knight makes ‘final journey’ to Pearl Harbor


CT2 Ryan Harris

USS Michael Murphy(DDG 112) Public Affairs

SOUTH CHINA SEA(NNS) — Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile de-stroyer USS MichaelMurphy (DDG 112), home-ported at Pearl Harbor,Hawaii, conducted a passingexercise (PASSEX) Nov. 28with the French frigate FSVendemiaire (F734) whileoperating in the SouthChina Sea.The allied ships con-

ducted weapons and maneu-vering exercises, as well astraining for the visit, board,search and seizure team,during the PASSEX event.“It’s always a pleasure

conducting exercises with

foreign navies because theunique nature of naval ser-vice transcends nationalborders in so many ways,”said Cmdr. Todd Hutchison,Michael Murphy’s com-manding officer. “Having worked with the

French before, I know themto be very capable and pro-fessional mariners, and thecaptain and crew of FSVendemiaire confirmed thatreputation for me yet again.The crew enjoyed the inter-action and learning associ-ated with each of thedifferent exercises, and Ihope we have the opportu-nity to sail the same waterwith them again,” Hutchi-son said.In addition to the naval

exercises, the French and United States ships

swapped personnel for a cul-tural exchange.Lt. j.g. Benjamin Olivas,

training officer aboardMichael Murphy, visited theFrench frigate. He had an

opportunity to dine with theVendemiaire’s captain andexecutive officer and learn

about the naval heritagesand tradition of the Frenchfleet.“The Sailors on board FS

Vendemaiaire were incredi-bly gracious hosts, and I feelprivileged to have learnedmuch about their naval tra-ditions during my stay,”said Olivas. “My visit was a profound

learning experience that il-lustrated how our partner-ship with the French navyleads to effective maritimesecurity and cooperation onthe high seas. I hope we con-tinue this partnership in theyears to come.”Michael Murphy is on its

maiden deployment to theU.S. 7th Fleet area of re-sponsibility, supporting se-curity and stability in theIndo-Asia-Pacific region.

USS Michael Murphy enhances interoperability with French ship

U.S. Navy photoThe Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), right, andthe French navy frigate FS Vendemiaire (F734) conduct a passing exercise while operatingin the South China Sea.

Story and photo byMC1 John Belanger

Navy Installations CommandPublic Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) — The19-year-old Airman jumped fromhis bunk when he heard a thun-derous explosion outside his thirdfloor barracks window, Sundaymorning, Dec. 7, 1941. When helooked out the window, he saw aplane with a big red ball flyinglow to the ground strafingHickam airfield. Retired Air Force Chief War-

rant Officer Jay C. Groff Jr., a 92-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor,recounted his story about the at-tack on Pearl Harbor to the staffat Commander, Navy Installa-tions Command (CNIC) head-quarters in Washington, D.C.during a remembrance ceremonyDec. 3.“That was the first time I was

scared,” said Groff. “I could seethe bombs coming down throughthe ceiling.” Groff explained thatthe thick reinforced concretewalls in the barracks shelteredhim from the blast and probablysaved his life.Through the explosions and

gunfire, Groff hastily made hisway to an armament building tohelp a technical sergeant set upmachine guns in a baseball fieldwhile Japanese Zeroes strafedthem.“We set up probably 10 guns

between home plate and thirdbase,” Groff recalled. “I was inmy skivvies. I didn’t bother toput clothes on and until this dayI couldn’t tell you if I was wear-ing shoes.”Groff left the baseball field to

join with fellow Airmen at hisboathouse duty station andmanned a machine gun on itsroof. They were only there ashort while when an unarmedAmerican B-17 bomber, beingshot at by a Japanese Zero, triedto land on the runway just be-yond the boathouse. Groff was soclose he could see someone lean-ing out of the B-17 and the puffsof smoke coming from the Zero’sguns as the bomber crash-landed.“The Zero’s rounds hit a flare

box in the B-17 and by the time itfinished rolling, the plane hadburned in half,” said Groff.Groff made it through the

events of that terrible day but re-alized he had just witnessedwhat could have been the most

important day of the 20th cen-tury. The world had changed forthe United States and for him.“That morning I realized that

there was somebody out theretrying to kill me,” said Groff.“That changed my outlook onlife.”Groff enlisted in the Army Air

Corps after graduating fromhigh school in May 1940. Afterarriving at his first duty stationat Hickam Field, Groff was as-signed to the crash boat sectionon the base. Prior to the use ofhelicopters, the Army Air Corpsused fast watercraft similar toNavy patrol torpedo boats topick up pilots who crash-landedin the water. The ceremony con-cluded with Groff reading apoem entitled, ‘To You OurFallen” written by Sgt. W. JoeBrimm, Dec. 7, 1941, and aheartfelt thank you from Capt.Douglas F. Cochrane, chief ofstaff, CNIC. “Thank you for yourservice and thank you for an ex-ample today of a life extraordi-narily well lived,” Cochranesaid.For more information on the

Pearl Harbor attack, visithttp://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm.

Pearl Harbor survivor recounts life-changing experience during CNIC visit

Retired Air Force Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jay C. Groff Jr, a 92-year-oldPearl Harbor survivor, recounts his experiences in Pearl Harbor to thestaff of Commander, Navy Installations Command in Washington D.C.

December 12, 2014 Ho‘okele B-1

Reid Tokeshi

Joint Base PearlHarbor-HickamMorale, Welfare &Recreation

The 45th Annual TowerLighting Celebration willbe held tonight on the lawnby Freedom Tower.The festivities begin at

4:30 p.m., and patrons areencouraged to arrive earlyand claim their spot. Anevening of live entertain-ment, prize giveaways, food,treats and more await fam-ilies. One winner will re-ceive a $500holiday shoppingspree.Joint Base Pearl Harbor-

Hickam Morale, Welfare

and Recreation has set upfree activities for the kids,including bounce housesand holiday crafts.A kid’s clinic will offer

projects teaching the chil-dren to build and create.Other interactive activities,including a trampolinedemonstration, will takeplace across the grassy area.Several on-base organi-

zations will offer food boothswith dinner plates, snacksand treats available forpurchase. A milk and cookietent will also return thisyear.As the evening progresses,

music will fill the air, cour-tesy of the Air Force Bandof the Pacific and the Navy’sPacific Fleet Band.

Santa Claus will arriveat 5 p.m. to take free photoswith the kids. MWR recom-mends getting in line early.The Tower Lighting Cer-

emony is the main event at7 p.m. when the lights willcome on.Parking in the immedi-

ate surrounding will be lim-ited as areaswill be cordonedoff. MWR will provide free,round trip shuttle servicefrom the BX garden shop tothe event beginning at 4:15p.m. until the end of theevent.For more information, go

to www.greatlifehawaii.com.

Editor’s note: See page B-3 for holiday lighting guide-lines.

Tower Lighting will include pictures with Santa tonight

Reid Tokeshi

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-HickamMorale, Welfare & Recreation

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Morale,Welfare and Recreation (MWR) has puttogether a variety of holiday-themed eventsand offers this month. In addition to theTower Lighting Celebration tonight, patronscan check out what else MWR has to cele-brate the holiday season. They include:• Dec. 14, 18, 20-24, the Honolulu City

Lights Holiday Tour will depart from BlochArena parking lot at 6 and 6:30 p.m. Advancepurchase is required. Tickets have beengoing fast, so patrons are advised to call theInformation, Tickets & Travel (ITT) office at473-0792 to see which dates still have seatsavailable.• Dec. 14, Lunch and Bowl with Santa will

be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the HickamBowling Center. The event is for children 12years and younger. Participants will get onegame of bowling (shoe rental included), lunchand a chance to meet Santa. The cost is $8.For more information, call 473-2651.• Dec. 20, the Ugly Sweater Run will begin

at 8 a.m. at Hickam Fitness Center. This free5K run is open to active duty military,Department of Defense civilians and theirfamily members. Participants can win a prizeif they run in their ugliest holiday sweater.For more information, call the HickamFitness Center at 448-2214.• Dec. 25, Sharkey Theater will feature a

“two for one” because some people prefer torelax and be entertained with a good movieon the holiday. For more information,patrons can visit www.greatlifehawaii.comand click on the “theaters” link in the recre-ation tab.

• Dec. 31, a New Year’s Eve party will beheld in the Country Bar at Club Pearl. Therewill be party favors, pupus and a toast atmidnight. Admission is free. Doors open at8:30 p.m. The event is for those ages 18 yearsand older.• Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve dinner will be

offered at Sam Choy’s Island Style SeafoodGrille. Harold Beltran, executive chef, isputting together dinner specials in additionto the popular menu items. Patrons ages 21and older can receive a free glass of cham-pagne to accompany the meal. For moreinformation and to make a reservation, call422-3002.• Jan. 1, a New Year’s special will be held

at Sharkey Theater. Patrons can buy a smallfountain drink and get a small popcorn forfree.• Dec. 20-31, 12 Days of Liberty will be

offered. The program is open to all singleSailors and Airmen. MWR’s Liberty Programwill have 12 days of free activities.The activities will include ice skating, mas-

sages, football game tickets, shark adventures,hikes, luaus, holidaymeals andmore. For moreinformation, visit www.greatlifehawaii.comor call Beeman Center at 473-2583.• Through the month of December, there

will be bowling specials at Hickam and NavalStation Bowling Centers. Patrons can bowltwo games and get a third game free. Formore information, call Naval Station BowlingCenter at 473-2574 or HickamBowling Centerat 448-9959.• Throughout December, the Hickam Arts

& Crafts Center will feature holiday-themedclasses. For more information, call 448-9907.• Brews & Cues at Club Pearl, Sharkey

Theater, Naval Station Bowling Center (noonto 6 p.m.), Navy-Marine Golf Course, BarbersPoint Golf Course and all Liberty Centerswill be open on Christmas and New Year’sDay.

MWR highlights holiday happenings this month

MWR Marketing photo,Photo Illustration

Story and photo byRandy Dela Cruz

Sports Editor, Ho‘okele

With only one game remainingin the regular season, USSChung-Hoon (DDG 93) Koa Kaisaved their best for the last bytoppling league-leading USSChafee (DDG 90) Bulldawgs, 26-20, Dec. 6, in an Afloat Divisionintramural flag football game atWard Field, Joint Base PearlHarbor-Hickam.The win not only locked up a

spot in the upcoming playoffs butalso threw Koa Kai into a virtualtie with the Bulldawgs with bothteams finishing the regular sea-son with identical 7-3 records.This year’s playoffs will be held

over three days at Ward Fieldwith the opening rounds kickingoff on Dec. 13 and the champi-onship game taking place twodays later on Dec. 15.“This is pretty big,” said Koa

Kai quarterback Yeoman 3rdClass Courtney Sims. “We don’thave the best athletes, but wehave people that’s going to go outthere and play and give it 100percent. They’ll play their heartsout. Heart beats skills.”In order to come out on top, the

Koa Kai needed every bit of theirtenacity as the team fell behindby two scores early in the firsthalf.B u l l d aw g s q u a r t e r b a c k

Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Cole

Swanson started off the game byengineering an efficient 65-yarddrive on only eight plays, withSwanson taking the ball into theend zone by himself for a 6-0lead.The Bulldawgs converted their

point-after attempt to increasetheir lead to 7-0.After getting the job done on of-

fense, the Bulldawgs defense tookcenter stage and came up with abig play of their own when En-gineman 1st Class Curtis Kimberpicked off a pass by Sims to set upChafee in good field position atthe Chung-Hoon eight-yard line.Three plays later, Swanson

doubled the Bulldawgs lead byconnecting on a short pass insidethe end zone to Logistics Special-ist Seaman Recruit Tyron Davis.Down by two scores, Koa Kai fi-

nally showed some life on theirnext offensive drive.Going back to the team’s run-

ning back, Sims rushed the ballfour times for positive yards andconnected on three straightpasses to get the team on thescoreboard with its first touch-down of the game.Sims scampered in from 12

yards out to punch in the touch-down and then repeated the featto convert the team’s two-pointattempt to pull to within six at14-8.The Bulldawgs reestablished

their control of the game by mov-ing 65 yards on only four plays for

their third touchdown of thegame and 20-8 advantage.However, just before halftime,

Sims was off and running again.The Koa Kai QB picked up 25

yards on the team’s first playfrom scrimmage at their own 15and then rushed for another 40yards and a touchdown to make it20-14 at halftime.After stopping the Bulldawgs

on downs, Chung-Hoon got theball back at their own 15 andneeded only seven plays to marchdeep into Chafee territory.Facing fourth and goal from

the Bulldawgs 21, Sims did whathe does best and used his legs to

scramble into the end zone for thegame-tying score.Another defensive stop by Koa

Kai gave Sims one last series towork his magic and the Chung-Hoon QB didn’t disappoint.From his own 30, Sims, with 41

seconds remaining in the game,rushed three straight times to putthe ball at the Chafee 12-yardline.On the very last play of the

game, Sims rolled out of thepocket and connected with Cryp-tologic Technician (Collection)3rd Class Daniel Kelley insidethe end zone for the game-win-ning touchdown.

“They (the Bulldawgs) wasprobably thinking that I was go-ing to run it,” Sims said. “Iwanted everybody to flow to theleft. I looked up and saw Kelleyand said, ‘no, that’s not the play,’but I just threw it up to him andhe caught it.”Kelley explained that while the

play might not have been whatthe QB expected, he just wantedto move to the open spot and be-come a big target for Sims.“That side was predominately

weaker than the other side,” Kel-ley explained. “I’m 6’ 3” so throwit up there and I’ll go for it.”

Chung-Hoon win creates logjam at top of divisionDecember 12, 2014 Ho‘okele B-2

Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 3rd Class Daniel Kelley reaches up to secure a pass for the game-winning touchdown.

Hickam Communities

Hickam Communities residents canjoin the Hickam Communities, “GreenHawaii holiday decorating contest.”Residents can go green this holiday

season by creating a holiday display ontheir home’s façade or front lawn usingzero energy. They can use battery-pow-ered or solar decorations and could winone of three $200 gift cards.Judging will be based on best overall

decorations utilizing zero energy deco-rations. Judging will take place onDec. 19 and winners will be notified onDec. 22.For more information and to nomi-

nate a Hickam Communities Home,log on to the website www.hickamcommunities.com/go/greenholiday.

Residents ‘Go Green’Forest City Military Communities

Forest City Military Communities willhold a series of holiday-themed events tocelebrate Christmas and New Year. Theyinclude:• Dec. 15-19, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The

Forest City residential management holi-day wrapping elves will assist MoanaluaTerrace housing residents with wrappingtheir presents.• Dec. 17, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Surfin’

Santa will be on hand at Pearl City Penin-sula housing for a photo op. The event willinclude snacks and holiday crafts.• Dec. 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. Surfin’ Santa

will hand out treats at the East housingresident services office.•Now through Dec. 21. Pearl City Penin-

sula housing residents can enter a coloring

completion with the prize winner drawn onDec. 22.• Now through Dec. 22. East housing

area residents can enter a home-decoratingcontest. Winners will be announced on Dec.24.• Now through Dec. 22. East housing resi-

dents can submit their cutest Christmas petpictures to their resident services office by 5p.m. Dec. 22. Winners will be announced onDec. 24. Photos can be submitted online byemailing [email protected].• Now through Dec. 23. East housing res-

idents will have a giving tree event forFisher House children. Residents can visittheir resident services office for details.• Now through Dec. 24. East housing res-

idents can participate in an elf in the neigh-borhood contest. Residents can stop bytheir resident services office to let housing

officials know where they saw the elf andput their name in for prizes. Drawings willbe held every Friday.• Now through Dec. 30. East housing res-

idents can visit their resident services officeto enter their family for the mega familyparty pack for New Year’s. The winner willbe drawn on Dec. 31.• In addition, all month long, Forest City

Pearl City Peninsula housing area resi-dents will also hold weekly ornamentdrawings at the resident services office.Throughout December, Pearl City Penin-sula housing residents can stop by the resi-dent services office from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.Fridays for a holiday cookie treat.For more information, visit www.fcnavy

hawaii.com.

Forest City to hold holiday events for residents



One week before the postseason, the 324th IntelligenceSquadron (324 IS) One Percenters showed everyone justhow serious they are about the upcoming playoffs bytrouncing Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pa-cific (CNSGMIDPAC), 39-6, Dec. 8 in a White Division in-tramural flag football regular-season finale at Ward Field,Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.The win raised the 324’s record to 9-2 and locked up

second place in the White Division while MIDPAC fin-ished their season with a record of 4-7.

On Dec. 13 at noon, the 324 IS will square off againstUSS Chafee (DDG 90) Bulldawgs at Ward Field in thefirst round of the playoffs.The postseason continues on Sunday with quarter and

semifinal matchups while the final two teams will fightfor the base championship at Ward Field on Dec. 15 at 6p.m.“We tried things that we haven’t tried in a long time to

just try and tune up,” said 324 IS quarterback Senior Air-man Omar Vidro, who passed for three touchdowns andran for another. “I know we have a tough road in the play-offs. Plus we wanted to get the number two seed, just sowe’d have an easier road in the playoffs.”While the game meant nothing in terms of the 324

qualifying for the playoffs, the team came out as if every-

thing balanced on the outcome of the regular-season finale.Four plays into the game, the 324 IS came up with a big

play when Senior Airman Jonathan Bates picked off apass and took it to the house for a 6-0 lead.The 324 then went for and converted a three-point try

to go up by a score of 9-0.On their next possession, MIDPAC was forced to give

the ball over on downs at their own 28.After Vidro picked up a couple of yards on the first play

from scrimmage, the 324 QB went to the air and hit Air-man 1st Class Austin Debben with a strike for six pointsand a 15-0 lead.Again, the 324 went for a three-point conversion and

completed it for an 18-0 advantage.On MIDPAC’s third set from scrimmage, Bates inter-

rupted the team’s drive again by coming up with his sec-ond pick of the game.The interception gave the 324 the ball at the MIDPAC

39, and four plays later Vidro lofted a 15-yard pass to theleft corner of the end zone and into the arms of Bates.Another three-point conversion made it 27-0 in favor of

the 324 at halftime.While most games aren’t usually settled early in the

second half, the 324 all but put the game away on the firstplay coming out of the break.Starting with the ball on his own 15, Vidro stepped

back into the pocket and slipped a short pass to Debbenwho made the grab at around the 20.Debben made two cutbacks to elude the defense before

breaking out into open field for a 60-yard, catch-and-runtouchdown that made it 33-0 in favor of the 324.Later, Vidro scored on a 32-yard run to pay dirt and the

final score of the game.“I wouldn’t call this a meaningless game,” said Bates,

who finished up with three interceptions and two touch-downs. “Every game is important (because) we need to befiring on all cylinders every game. When we go on in theplayoffs, we don’t know what we’re going to hit. This wasour game to go out, clean up some things and play 100percent.”Both Bates and Vidro agreed that if the 324 are playing

at their best, the team has a good chance of playing for thetitle.“We’ve been together for a year and a half,” Vidro

pointed out. “Our defense is our strong point. If we canplay defense like we do, we can go to the top.”

Playoff-bound Intelligence Squadron drubs MIDPACDecember 12, 2014 Ho‘okele B-3

Forest CityThe Forest City Commu-

nity Handbook has guide-lines for holiday lighting.• Holiday lighting is au-

thorized for use betweenthe hours of 5 and 10 p.m.until the second weekendin January.• Decorative lighting for

other time periods may beinstalled/displayed oneweek prior to the holidayand removed no later thanthree days after the holi-day.• All lighting needs to be

removed from premises andstored properly. Residentsshould avoid overloadingcircuits and the overuse ofextension cords. Lightingshould not be left on whenno one is home.• Any lights or decora-

tions attached to the homeshould not cause any physi-cal damage. Gutter clips orsimilar clip devices shouldbe used for affixing exteriorlighting, but not nails,screws or tacks.• Roof decorations and

lighting above the first floorroofline are not allowed.Canned “snow” or other

similar substances should

not be sprayed on windows,siding or brick facades.

Hickam CommunitiesAs a reminder about holi-

day lighting, guidelines arealso listed in the HickamCommunities resident guide.• Residents are not al-

lowed on roofs for any rea-son.• Reasonable use of inside

and outside electric orna-mental lighting is autho-rized, including blow-uplawn ornaments. Residentsshould not penetrate roofs,siding or fascia with nails,staples, bolts, screws, etc.to install lighting.Residents are asked to

note the following:• Residents may use

clips or tape that are specif-ically designed to installtemporary holiday lighting.• Residents should care-

fully inspect and control or-namental lighting to avoidfire.• Extension cords are in-

tended for occasional useand should not be used on apermanent or semiperma-nent basis inside or outsideof any Hickam Communi-ties home.

Use of ornamental light-ing is authorized as follows:• Two weeks prior to and

one week after all nation-ally recognized holidays.• Thirty days prior to and

two weeks after the Christ-mas/New Year season.• Residents should en-

sure that all self-installedlighting will be used inproper applications andmeet safety regulations.• Outdoor lighting and

electrical cords need to beUnderwriter Laboratory(UL) approved and de-signed for outdoor use.• Lighting can only be

placed on the first floorroofline (no second floorroofline applications).• Residents are responsi-

ble for any damage and/orliability resulting from theuse of ornamental lighting.• Residents should prac-

tice energy conservationand limit the use of orna-mental lighting to theevening time. The lightingshould not be left on duringdaylight hours.Additional guidelines may

apply to historic homes.

Housing offices offer holiday lighting rules

Navy Region HawaiiPublic Affairs

Festival of Lights judgesextended a “bravo zulu” toall ships and submarineswho worked together to cel-ebrate the holidays on thePearl Harbor waterfront.They offered congratula-tions to contest winnerswho demonstrated theircreativity, hospitality,spirit and fun. Winners in-cluded:

Surface combatants• First place winner USS

Chafee (DDG 90), with en-signs in holiday onesies, re-ceived a free joint baseMorale, Welfare and Recre-ation-hosted commandpicnic.

• Second place winnerUSS Chung-Hoon (DDG93), with combat elves anda damage control Santa, re-ceived a free MWR-hostedfleet bash on the pier.•Third place winner USS

Chosin (CG 65) received afree MWR Outdoor Recre-ation Adventure for 20.•Honorable ment ion

winner USS Hopper (DDG70) received a free largepavilion rental.

Submarines• First place winner USS

Santa Fe (SSN 763) re-ceived a free MWR-hostedcommand picnic.• Second place winner

USS Bremerton (SSN 698)re ce i ved a f r ee MWR-hosted fleet bash on the pier.

• Third place winnerUSS Asheville (SSN 758),with special recognition forberthing barge decoration,received free outdoor recre-ation adventures for 20.• Honorable mention

winners USS Columbia(SSN 771) and USS Jack-sonville (SSN 699) receiveda free large pavilion rental.• The admiral’s choice

award was presented toUSS O’Kane (DDG 77)which returned from de-ployment Dec. 5 and mus-tered up their duty sectionholiday cheer, receiving a$200 MWR gift certificate.• The barge competition

award winner is Comman-der, Navy Region Hawaiibarge crew, which receiveda $50 MWR gift certificate.

Judges announce holiday lighting winnersSenior Airman Jonathan Bates makes an overhead catch for a touchdown.



Primo Lite scored four runs in the top ofthe first and five more in the second enroute to a 20-10 mercy-rule victory overDrama Free, Dec. 6, to win the 2014 Win-ter Softball Championship at Hickam Soft-ball Four-plex, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.Both teams entered the single-elimina-

tion tournament with identical 10-1records before earning the right to squareoff against each other for the base crown.Primo Lite leadoff hitter Tech. Sgt. Jeff

Camacho, who rapped out two singles inthree at-bats, said that while the team wasloaded with all-stars, which included twoall-armed forces selectees, everyone playedas one right from the very start.“We merged two teams together and

they just clicked,” Camacho said. “Onething good about this team is that every-body left their egos at the door. Everybodywas cool with each other and just from thestart, in our first game we were alreadyscoring 20 runs.”In the first inning, Camacho beat out an

infield single to get things started.Later, with two men on and one out, all-

armed forces player Army Capt. ChadAgustine lowered the first boom of thegame by smashing a double to drive inboth runners.Agustine came home on a sacrifice fly

before Machinist’s Mate Fireman Appren-tice Tom Devlin drove in the final run in afour-run first.After giving up a run to Drama Free in

the bottom of the first, Primo Lite pickedup where they left off in the first by rip-ping four singles for two runs to open thesecond inning.Then with one out and two runners on

base, Agustine crushed a pitch for a three-run shot to give Primo Lite a 9-1 advan-tage.Drama Free picked up their second run

in the bottom of the second, but Primo Litegot it right back in the top of the third on a

homer by Master Sgt. Joe Vann.Led by a two-run shot from Damage

Controlman 1st Class Jason Davila,Drama Free cut the lead down to 10-5 withthree runs in the bottom of the third,However, Drama Free’s momentum was

again short-circuited by the power hittingprowess of Agustine, who crushed anotherdouble with two men on in the top of thefourth for RBIs six and seven.Primo Lite went on to add three more

runs in the fourth before exploding againin the top of the fifth.Airman 1st Class Derric Ross led off the

fifth with a single and was driven home bya booming two-run shot off the bat of Ma-chinery Technician 3rd Class Ronny Char-gualaf.Primo Lite added three more runs in the

top of the fifth before holding Drama Freeto four runs in the bottom of the frame topreserve the 10-run, mercy-rule win.In the bottom of the fifth, Drama Free

got a leadoff home run by Senior ChiefElectronics Technician Jason Karns.“The biggest thing is that everybody is

safe and having fun,” said Agustine aboutthe team’s impressive win. “After that, weknew each other’s capabilities and every-body just played within their abilities.What our team did is that we just executedbetter than the other team.”While the Primo Lite bats were in a

groove throughout the game, havingscored in all five innings, Agustine pointedto fellow all-armed forces player Store-keeper 2nd Class Niko Langas, whopitched a strong game.“I give that to the pitcher,” Agustine

said. “Niko has developed into a greatpitcher. Him moving the ball up and down,changing speed, makes a difference and hedoes it well now.”Although it’s sweet to claim the champi-

onship trophy, both Camacho and Agus-tine said that playing the game is morethan reward enough.“We just said that we’re going to have

fun,” Camacho said. “We’re just going to goout there and enjoy the sport. That’s whatwe did and from the beginning to the end.”

Primo Lite out-slugs Drama Free to claim title

Army Capt. Chad Agustine, an all-armed forces softball player, beats the throw to arrive safely at third.

The Navy Region Hawaii alcohol anddrug control officer will hold StreetSmart safety briefs today with two showtimes, from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 10 to 11a.m., at Sharkey Theater. The safetybrief is geared toward holiday standdown safety.

Street Smart safetybriefs to be held today

THINK

SAFETYFIRST

Live the Great LifeLivee the GGreat LLifeDecember 12, 2014 Ho‘okele B-4

Your Weekly Fun with MWR Visit www.greatlifehawaii.com or subscribe toMWR’s digital magazine Great Life Hawaii.

PPeeeeWWeeee SSoocccceerr RReeggiissttrraattiioonn period for youthages 3 to 5 years old closes today. The sea-son runs from January to March. Registrationis available at www.greatlifehawaii.com. Thefee is $35. FMI: 473-0789.

FFrreeee KKaarraaookkee FFrriiddaayy will be held from 5:30 to8:30 p.m. today at the Escape Bowling Center(Wahiawa Annex). Free karaoke will be avail-able during open bowling hours. FMI: 473-2651.

FFrreeee GGoollff CClliinniicc will begin at 9 a.m. Saturdayat Mamala Bay Golf Course. FMI: 449-2304.

MMaacchhiinnee QQuuiillttiinngg:: Star Quilt class will be heldfrom 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from Dec.13 through 27 at the Hickam Arts & CraftsCenter. Students can learn how to cut fabricand assemble the pattern while learning quilt-ing tips and how to complete a quilt from startto finish. Tuition is $100. FMI: 448-9907.

GGrriiddiirroonn BBrreeaakkffaasstt will be held from 7 to 11a.m. Dec. 14 at Brews & Cues. Patrons canwatch NFL football games with DirecTV SundayTicket. There is no cover charge. FMI: 473-1743.

NNFFLL FFoooottbbaallll SSuunnddaayy will begin at 8 a.m. Dec.

14 at J.R. Rockers Sports Café. There will be aspecial breakfast menu for $7.50 for Air Forceclub members and $9.50 for non-members.FMI: 448-2271.

MMoonnddaayy NNiigghhtt KKiidd’’ss NNiigghhtt will be held from 5to 9 p.m. Dec. 15 at Sam Choy’s Island StyleSeafood Grille. Children ages 12 years andyounger can get a free kid’s meal with the pur-chase of an adult entrée. A bounce house willbe available for children to play in from 5 to 7p.m. FMI: 422-3002.

SSppoorrtt SShhoott MMoonnddaayy will be held from 5 to 9p.m. Dec. 15 at Naval Station Bowling Center.Patrons can test their skills on some of thechallenging lane patterns. The bowler with thehighest three-game series for the night willreceive three free games of bowling on his orher next visit. FMI: 473-2574.

SSttrreettcchhiinngg && CCoorree class will be held from 8:30to 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16 and Dec. 18 at theHickam channel pathway. Attendees shouldbring a yoga mat and water to class. The fee is$5 per class. FMI: 471-2019.

CCooookkiieess && CCaannvvaass:: Beach Time painting classfor youth ages 5 to 12 years old will be heldfrom 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Hickam

Arts & Crafts Center. Students can createpainted masterpieces on stretched canvas,while nibbling on a sweet treat. The fee is $25and includes supplies. FMI: 448-9907.

FFoorrdd IIssllaanndd HHiissttoorriiccaall TToouurr will be held from9:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 17. Points of intereston this guided tour include the USS Utah andUSS Oklahoma Memorials, the Navy ClubMemorial honoring the USS Arizona, historicNob Hill officer homes, and bombing and bulletstrafing reminders. Round-trip transportationfrom the Information, Tickets & Travel (ITT)-Hickam office is included. Tickets are $25 foradults and $20 for children ages 3 to 11 yearsold. FMI: 448-2295.

KKiiddss’’ BBooookk CClluubb will begin at 2 p.m. Dec. 17at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Libraryfor youth in fourth and fifth grades. Group two(the “Third Wednesday” group) will discuss“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White and will takehome “The Westing Game” by Ellen Raskin.FMI: 449-8299.

JJuunniioorr GGoollff CClliinniicc will begin at 4 p.m. Dec. 17at Barbers Point Golf Course. The pro will offertips for junior golfers at this free clinic. FMI:682-1911.

CChhaalllleennggee YYoouurr BBaallaannccee yoga class will beheld from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 18at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam FitnessCenter. This class will emphasize standing bal-ance poses with the option of double or triplemats for an additional challenge. The fee is$5. FMI: 471-2019.

LLiibbeerrttyy PPrrooggrraammss’’ BBaarrrraacckkss BBaasshh will be heldfrom 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at Seawolf Tower.This free barbecue is for single, active-dutySailors and Airmen only. FMI: 473-2583.

TTeeeenn PPaarreenntt NNiigghhtt bbiinnggoo will be held from5:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Hickam TeenCenter for youth ages 13 to 18 years old andtheir parents. This free event celebratesNational Bingo and Cookie Month. New fami-lies are always welcome. FMI: 448-0418.

MMoonnggoolliiaann bbaarrbbeeccuuee will be held from 5:30 to8 p.m. Dec. 18 on the lanai of the HistoricHickam Officers’ Club. A variety of meats, veg-etables and sauces will be available for 85cents per ounce. Rice, noodles, soup, bever-ages and fortune cookies are included. FMI:448-4608.

MWR Marketing photoPatrons inspect vehicles for potential bidding.

Reid Tokeshi

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-HickamMorale, Welfare & Recreation

Hundreds of customers stopped by theabandoned vehicle auction on Dec. 6 to seeif any hidden gems were among the vari-ous vehicles on the lot near Porter Gate atJoint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. More than 150 vehicles, including cars,

trucks and even motorcycles, were up forbid. The conditions of the vehicles covereda wide range. A few were in decent shapethat caught the eyes of many patrons. Oth-ers appealed only to those looking for a fix-up job.Doug Ikeda from MWR’s Auto Skills

Center said some good deals can be foundfor customers who realize what they’regetting.“You’re attending an abandoned vehicle

auction. There are no keys and the batteryis dead,” Ikeda said. He added that per base rules, the vehi-

cles need to be towed off the lot at theowner’s expense. With the wide variationon state of repair, he said people are look-ing for a variety of reasons.

“Some guys look for project cars. A lot ofpeople that come down are looking for asecond car, or they want to buy a car fortheir kids. Some people just need parts fortheir vehicle. So there are all kinds of rea-sons,” Ikeda said. All bids are sealed so everyone has a fair

shot at winning. Ikeda said he has seenbids high and low take the prize. “I’ve seen winning bids that I wouldn’t

have gone that high, and I’ve seen peoplewin with bids just above the minimum($150). People want the vehicle for a spe-cific reason,” Ikeda said. Those who did not win this time, or did-

n’t see anything that caught their eye,need not despair. Ikeda said another auc-tion is planned for next year. Every vehiclehas to go through a process before beingdesignated abandoned, but if everythinggoes smoothly, organizers hope to hold itin early spring.For more information about when the

next auction will be held, customers can go towww.greatlifehawaii.com and click on the GLHHot List button. From there, they can se-lect vehicle auctions among a list of otherspecial mailing lists to choose from.

‘Small treasures’ found at abandoned vehicle auction

Movie S

howtimes

MEET DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS 15— MWR patrons can meet the Dallas Cowboys cheerleadersbeginning at 3 p.m. at the Club Pearl Brews & Cues, Joint Base PearlHarbor-Hickam. Patrons can bring their cameras to take photos. Theevent is open to military affiliated personnel of all ages and their spon-sored guests. In addition, shuttle service to Club Pearl (for single,active-duty Sailors and Airmen only) will depart from Liberty Expressat 1:45 p.m., from Beeman Center at 2:30 p.m., and from Makai RecCenter at 2:45 p.m. FMI: 473-2583 or www.greatlifehawaii.com.

SPACE AVAILABLE BRIEF19— Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Air Mobility Command (AMC)Passenger Terminal will hold a “space available” brief beginning at 10a.m. at the Hickam Memorial Theater to anyone interested in explor-ing this benefit. Space available travel is a means where military affili-ated personnel can travel on aircraft when excess capability allows.FMI: 449-6833 or visit the Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/HickamAMC.

UGLY SWEATER RUN20— An Ugly Sweater Run will begin at 8 a.m, at Hickam FitnessCenter. The free event is open to active-duty military, Department ofDefense civilians and their family members. Awards will be given tofirst and second place winners in mens, womens, youth and strollercategories. Special awards will be given to top three participants withthe ugliest sweaters. Participants can sign up at the Hickam FitnessCenter. FMI: 448-2214.

ALOHA CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST25— A free Aloha Christmas breakfast will be held from 9 to 11 a.m.for single Sailors and Airmen at two locations on the Pearl Harborside of the base (Gabrunas Hall recreation room and ParcheMemorial) and one on the Hickam side of the base (The GatheringPlace, building 1856). Breakfast will include waffles, bacon, eggs andhomemade cinnamon rolls. The event is sponsored by the JBPHHChapel community. FMI: Johnathan Reilly at (716) 698-8953.

LIBERTY’S CHRISTMAS LUNCH25— A free Liberty’s Christmas lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. at allLiberty Centers. The event is for single, active-duty Sailors andAirmen only. FMI: 473-2583.

CHRISTMAS DAY DOUBLE FEATURE25— Patrons can watch two movies for the price of one admissionticket at 7 p.m. at Sharkey Theater. Moviegoers can check out theSharkey Theater link on www.greatlifehawaii.com. FMI: 473-0726.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY31— A New Year’s Eve party will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the CountryBar. The event will include party favors and pupus. Open to patronsages 18 and older. FMI: 473-2583.

NEW YEAR’S EVE CRUISE, FIREWORKS 31— A free New Year’s Eve dinner cruise andfireworks off the shore of Waikiki with Liberty willbe held. Shuttles will depart from the followingLiberty centers: Express at 8:30 p.m., Beemanat 9 p.m., Instant at 9:15 p.m. and MakaiRecreation at 9:30 p.m. The event is for single,active-duty Sailors and Airmen only. FMI:473-2583.

Interstellar chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole tosurpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

INTERSTELLAR (PG-13)

HICKAM MEMORIAL THEATERTODAY 12/196:00 p.m. Big Hero 6 (PG)

SATURDAY 12/204:00 p.m. Big Hero 6 (PG) 7:00 p.m. Interstellar (PG-13)

SUNDAY 12/212:00 p.m. Interstellar (PG-13)

No movie showings from December 22-25.

DECEMBER

VEHICLE REGISTRATION ONLINE APPOINTMENTSNOW— The new City & County Pearl Harbor VehicleRegistration office now offers a new online appointment system.Walk-in customers will no longer be taken. Office hours are from9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Theonline appointment system is now open for reservations eachMonday at 9 a.m. for Tuesday and Thursday appointments forthat week. FMI: http://go.usa.gov/s8Jk orhttp://www1.honolulu.gov/csd/satellite/jbphh.htm.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AT PEARL HARBORTODAY— Tours for the general public for the annual Festivalof Lights will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tonight is the last nightfor public tours. Seats are limited and tickets will be distributedon a first come, first served basis beginning at 5:30 p.m. at thePearl Harbor Visitor Center. Ships and submarines around PearlHarbor are displaying ornamental lights and decorations for theannual festival now through Dec. 25. FMI: Amanda Carona at422-3315 or e-mail [email protected].

STREET SMART SAFETY BRIEFTODAY— The Navy Region Hawaii alcohol and drug controlofficer will hold Street Smart safety briefs with two show times,from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 10 to 11 a.m. at Sharkey Theater. Thesafety brief is geared toward holiday stand down safety.

SPOUSES PERSONNEL AND PAY BRIEFTODAY — Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) PearlHarbor will hold a Spouses Personnel and Pay Brief from 8:30 to10:30 a.m. at the PSD Pearl Harbor classroom (1043). Theclassroom is located in the Moanalua Shopping Center. FMI:email [email protected] or [email protected].

BREAKFAST WITH SANTASATURDAY— The annual Breakfast with Santa will begin at8 a.m. at the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange food court lanai.Besides a pancake and bacon breakfast and a framed picturewith Santa, the event will include glitter tattoos, balloon twisters,and holiday arts and crafts for children. The cost is $12 for chil-dren and $8 for adults. The event is for authorized patrons only.FMI: 423-3287.

CHRISTMAS ORIGAMISATURDAY— Parent and child Christmas origami will beheld from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Hickam Arts & Crafts Center.The event is for children ages 6 to 12 years old accompanied bya parent. The cost is $20. Another Christmas origami class foryouth ages 12 and older will be held Dec. 20 at the center. FMI:448-9907.

HONOLULU CITY LIGHTS14, 18, 20-24— Annual Honolulu City Lights: holiday displaytours will depart at 6 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14, 18 and 20-24 fromBloch Arena. The cost is $15 per person ages 5 and older, andfree for children ages 4 and under (on an adult’s lap). FMI: 448-2295.

SHARKEY THEATERTODAY 12/12 7:00 p.m. Interstellar (PG-13)

SATURDAY 12/132:30 p.m. Big Hero 6 (PG) 5:00 p.m. Dumb and Dumber To (PG-13)7:20 p.m. Beyond the Lights (PG-13)

SUNDAY 12/142:30 p.m. Big Hero 6 (3-D) (PG)4:40 p.m. St. Vincent (PG-13)6:50 p.m. John Wick (PG-13)

THURSDAY 12/187:00 p.m. Interstellar (PG-13)

FRIDAY 12/197:00 p.m. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1 (PG-13)

December 12 , 2014 Ho‘okele B-5

Community C

alendar


Story and photo byTech. Sgt. Terri Paden

15th Wing Public Affairs

Members of Team Hickam and the localcommunity helped kick off the holiday sea-son Dec. 3 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam with the annual Cookie Caper.The volunteers took a brief break from

the daily grind to become Cookie Caper“elves,” collecting dozens of cookies for thisyear’s drive.The Cookie Caper program solicits dona-

tions for freshly baked cookies from baseand community members. Caper “elves”then collect and sort the cookies in holiday-themed bags, which are distributed to baseAirmen.“It’s all about spirit. The purpose of the

Cookie Caper is to see Team Hickam’s hol-iday spirit,” said Kristianne Swanson,Hickam Enlisted Spouses Club (HESC)president. “Especially during the holidays, people

want to find ways to give back to the com-munity and this is a good way.” Swanson said the fresh baked goods can

also help brighten an Airman’s holidayseason.“Most of the Airmen are young and here

alone away from their families,” she said.“Sometimes this offers that little bit ofcheer they need.”

According to Swanson, volunteer bakersfar exceeded the 600 dozen cookies thatwere needed to give each single Airman 12cookies apiece.Though the HESC headed the operation,

Swanson said the event was a true commu-nity effort with volunteers coming from theactive duty community, Hickam OfficersSpouses Club, the First Sergeants Association,the Friends of Hickam and 15th Wingleadership, among others.“Our job is people, and giving back to our

Airmen is part of our mission,” said MasterSgt. Alfred Wells, 15th Aircraft MaintenanceSquadron first sergeant.Wells said the Cookie Caper was a good

opportunity to take care of Airmen whilealso strengthening partnerships.“Taking care of our Airmen is every-

body’s business,” he said. “This was fun. Topartner with the Friends of Hickam andour spouses’ clubs and other helping agen-cies on base was fun. This gives us achance to come together for a good causeand strengthen those partnerships.” Wells said at the end of the day it’s

about coming together as a community andbeing a family.“I think this gives a little piece of home,”

he said. “It lets them know somebody isthinking about them and we are their fam-ily away from home.”

Cookie Caper spreads holiday cheer

Tripler Army Medical Center BloodDonor Center has updated its schedule ofupcoming blood drives as part of the ArmedServices Blood Donor Program (ASBP). Currently scheduled drives include: • Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3rd Marine

Regiment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii.• Dec. 22 and 23, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Blood

Donor Center, room 2A207, Tripler ArmyMedical Center.• Jan. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Club 14, U.S.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, Sand Island.• Jan. 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Camp Smith

Pollack Theatre, Camp Smith. For more information, call 433-6699 or 433-

6148 or email [email protected].

Armed services blood drive schedule updated

Don Robbins

Editor, Ho‘okele

The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickamfood service team will offer special holidaymenus on Christmas Day at the Hale AinaDining Facility and the Silver DolphinBistro Galley. The Hale Aina Dining Facility meal will

be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with alacarte pricing. The meal will include appe-tizers such as shrimp cocktail and assortednonfat yogurt, soup, salad, vegetables,entrees such as baked ham, roast turkeyand boneless rib of beef, gravies and dress-ings, breads and rolls, assorted dessertsand beverages. The meal is open to all military, retirees

and family members. The Silver Dolphin Bistro Galley meal

will be served from 2 to 4 p.m. and theprice is $7.70.

The meal will include chicken and wildrice soup, shrimp cocktail, oven roastedturkey, baked spiral ham with raisinsauce, carved steamship round with aujus, giblet and turkey gravy, cranberrysauce, bread stuffing with sausage, babyred mashed potatoes, baked macaroni andcheese, candied sweet potatoes, glazedbaby carrots and green bean casserole. The Silver Dolphin meal will also

include assorted hot rolls, fresh salad bar,crab salad and potato salad, assorted pies,cakes and cheesecake. The meal will alsoinclude an ice cream bar with assorted top-pings, nuts and hard candies, and a SilverDolphin Bistro holiday cake. The meal is open to all active duty mili-

tary, Department of Defense employees,retirees and their families with a valid IDcard. Attendees are asked to bring exactchange to reduce time spent at the cashierstand. For more information, call 473-2948 or

email [email protected].

JBPHH food service to offer holiday meals Dec. 25

Diane Tanoura, Cookie Caper volunteer, sorts cookies in the cookie command central atthe Makai Recreation Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.


North American Aerospace Defense Command

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — The NorthAmerican Aerospace Defense Command is ready to trackSanta’s yuletide journey. The NORAD Tracks Santa web-site, www.noradsanta.org, has been launched featuring amobile version, a holiday countdown, new games anddaily activities, and more. The website is available ineight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Ital-ian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available

in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parentsand children can count down the days until Santa’slaunch on their smart phones and tablets. Tracking op-portunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter,YouTube and Google+. Santa followers need to type “@no-radsanta” into each search engine to get started. Also new this year, the website features Santa’s elves

in the North Pole Village. NORAD Tracks Santa is intro-ducing the newest elf and asking the public to help choosethe perfect name for him. Details can be found via NO-RAD Tracks Santa social media or in the “Name the Elf”video in Santa ’s North Pole Movie Theater atwww.noradsanta.org.Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, website visitors

can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NO-RAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website asSanta makes his way over various locations. Then at 4a.m. MST (6 a.m. EST), trackers worldwide can speakwith a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s where-abouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD(1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to [email protected]. Any time on Dec. 24, WindowsPhone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, andOnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in theirvehicles to find Santa.NORAD Tracks Santa is a global experience for gener-

ations of families everywhere. This is due, in large part,to the efforts and services of numerous program contribu-tors. It all started in 1955 when a local media advertisement

directed children to call Santa direct; only the numberwas misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phonerang through to the crew commander on duty at the Con-tinental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Thusbegan the tradition, which NORAD carried on since itwas created in 1958.

NORAD readyto track Santa

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam chapels will be holdinga variety of events celebrating Christmas and New Year’sDay. They include:

Catholic services at Hickam Chapel Center• Dec. 24, 5 p.m., Christmas Eve Family Mass.• Dec. 24, 10 p.m., Christmas Eve Mass. • Dec. 25, 11 a.m., Christmas Day Mass. • Jan. 1, 11 a.m., Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation).

Catholic services at Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel• Dec. 24, 5 p.m., Christmas Eve Family Mass.• Dec. 25, 9 a.m., Christmas Day Mass.• Jan. 1, 9 a.m., Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation).

Protestant services at Hickam Chapels• Dec. 21, 5 p.m., Children’s Christmas Program, Hickam Chapel Center. • Dec. 24, 7 p.m., Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Hickam Chapel Center.• Dec. 31, 10 p.m., Watchnight Service, Hickam Nelles Chapel.

Protestant services at Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel.• Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Children’s Christmas Program.• Dec. 24, 7 p.m., Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

Aloha Christmas Breakfast for s ingle Sailors and Airmen• Dec. 25, 9 to 11 a.m. Hickam Gathering Place, King Hall, building 1856.

For other religious observances. call Pearl HarborMemorial Chapel at 473-3971 and Hickam Chapel Centerat 449-1754.

JBPHH Chapel events planned for this month

ho'okele news - dec. 12, 2014 (pearl harbor-hickam newspaper)

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