HI MOFW Commandery News DEC 2024

Page 1


Table of Contents:

Commander’s Message p. 1

Editor’s Note p. 1

Chaplain’s Corner

p. 2

Note from the Secretary .p. 2

25th Anniversary INTERFET ……………………………………………… p. 3.

Veterans Day 2024 in Hawaii p. 4.

Commandery Recognizes CAP Cadets p. 4.

Chain Reaction Wars ……………………………………………..……….. p. 5.

Discovering Hawaii’s Hidden Military Memorials p. 7.

National Guard Youth Challenge Awards ………………………… p. 8.

HI Commandery Recognized by 50th Commission p. 9.

Commandery Operations ……………………………………………….. p. 10

80th Anniversary of the attack of Pearl Harbor, 1941

Poppy Appeal

Hawaii Celebrates USA Semi-quincentennial .…..….....……. p. 10

Welcome New Companions p. 11

Upcoming Events ……..……………….……………………..….....……. p. 12

Cover Photo: Australian Army Facebook. https://www.faceb ook.com/AustralianArmy/posts/21-years-ago-today-the-firstaustralians-from-the-international-force-for-eastt/10158341957921195/

Commander’s Message

Aloha Companions and Friends, Aloha Compatriots!

I hope this newsletter finds you and your families well. I wanted to cover and provide an update on the upcoming events and priorities through the end of the calendar year. As you can imagine, it is terribly difficult to plan and coordinate any stand-alone MOFW events given our in-person availability. To better meet our organization’s 7 stated purposes, we will be collaborating in the support and attendance of events and programs sponsored by other like-minded civic and heraldry organizations here on Oahu. As I mentioned in our first newsletter, recruitment into our ranks is the key to our organization’s viability in the coming months and years. In order to remain viable, and encourage others to possibly join or we need to get visibility in other public events.

Specifically, I am working on strengthening relationships and support to mutually beneficial opportunities with the Military Order of World Wars (MOWW), Veterans of For

-eign Wars (VFW) Post 8616 Waikiki, Hawaii Society Sons of the American Revolution (HISSAR), the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Jospeh Kanaka Camp, and the Hawaii Chapter of the Association of the US Army (AUSA).

We would greatly appreciate your attendance at the events listed at the end of this issue of the Commandery News. These include the Joint MOWW & MOFW Christmas Brunch, at the Elks Lodge in Waikiki. On 14 DEC, and the Hawaii Army National Guard Youth Challenge Academy Graduation, Nakasone Performing Arts Center (Pearl City Cultural Center) at 1700 hrs on 17 DEC.

Should you have any questions and want to participate in the above events, or our vacant Vice Commander and Quarter Master positions don’t hesitate to reach out to Secretary Tulak or to me directly.

Notes From the Secretary

Reminder that annual dues should be sent in to the Commandery using the return address on the last page of this issue of the Commandery News. Your dues help to cover the costs of our programs of service to Veterans and the military community in Hawaii. Annual dues are $35 per year, and should be received by 1 FEB 2025.

The National 50th Vietnam War Commemoration is coming to a close and we should finish strong. We have not exhausted our supply of recognition medals to recognize Vietnam Veterans who have volunteered to serve their communities, and should still be looking for Vietnam Veterans who have not yet received their 50th Vietnam War Commemoration lapel pin.

Finally, there is a standing invitation for all Companions to submit articles or Companion News updates for publication in these pages.

Deus et Libertas,
LTC (R) Daniel J. Curtis, USA

Chaplains Corner

We all look for inspiration when it comes to living our lives. Whether it is secular inspiration or religious inspiration, to become inspired or to inspire others is hopefully innate in all of us. Whether we look for inspiration from others and/or seek to inspire ourselves, the goal is to “grow,” “give,” and yes, sometimes “get.”

But the concept of being inspired or “inspiration” per se has deeper connotations and applications. A very unknown connotation of the word “inspiration” literally means, “God breathed.” So dear reader, when you become inspired for the good of yourself or others, God has “breathed on you.” The Bible confirms this in 2 Timothy 16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Therefore, when we are righteously and correctly inspired, a “spiritual power,” or “God” as you may define it, is the source of that inspiration.

We all, no doubt, are familiar with the Hawaiian tradition of the “Ha” or the “breath of life” which is a greeting by the ancient (and now modern) Hawaiians welcoming another into their space. (The “Ha” is performed by nose-to-nose contact giving the person being greeted one’s breath.) And the message is also that one’s breath was a key to good health and it contained “mana” or “spiritual power.” Isn’t it interesting that even the ancients in the Hawaiian culture were inspired, if you will, to relate the “Ha” to spiritual power? And we in the western culture often relate “spiritual power” to God.

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4) God’s “breath” is indeed the source of one’s inspiration! So, breathe in God’s inspiration every day!

Fred

Do you know where your DD-214 is?

Your DD214 is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member’s retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. It is officially known as Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. The DD214 is proof of military service and shows the status of a separated or retired military member and the nature of their service including dates, awards and decorations, and other important details.

You can request your military service records to get information like this through the National Archives such as :

• Your character of discharge (from your DD214 or other separation documents)

• Your duty stations and assignments

• Your medals and decorations (awards)

• Your qualifications, licenses, and certificates You can request your military service records online using the National Archives’ eVetRecs tool. https:// vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.html and select “Make a new request” Note: You’ll receive an email letting you know that we’ve received your request. Additionally you can request your make your request by fax or mail. Mail a letter or Standard Form (SF) 180, Request Pertaining to

Military Records to: National Personnel Records Center 1 Archives Drive

St. Louis, MO 63138

25th Anniversary INTERFET,

INTERFET was the first large-scale deployment for the Australian Defence Force (IDF) since the War against Communism in Vietnam. The ADF initially contributed more than 5,000 personnel to the 21-nation regional force,1 and would deploy over the period of 1999 to 2013, some 18,800 Australian military, police personnel, and civilians to Timor-Leste.2 INTERFET’s ‘D -Day’, entry into Dili, took place on September 20, 1999, five days after it was established. The Australian Commander of the operation was Australian Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC, who was a combat Veteran who served with the Free World Forces Command in Vietnam alongside the American military.

The international military intervention in East Timor was a response to the widespread violence which followed a UN-sponsored referendum on independence, where the people voted by a wide margin for independence from Indonesia. East Timor and Indonesia, had both been part of the Portuguese Empire, which the new government of Portugal intended to liberate. The Portuguese government convened a Decolonization Commission conference in June 1975 in Macau to determine, in part, the future of Timor. A small scale civil war broke out in Portuguese Timor between the main political parties, with the socialist Fretilin, party taking power and declaring Timor to be an independent nation on 28 November 1975. However, this was short-lived as Indonesia invaded and militarily annexed the fledgling nation of East Timor on 7 December 1975. The annexation had never been recognized legally by the international community, and international intervention to restore order following the referendum authorized by the Indonesian government was justified on humanitarian grounds.

The U.S. Government knew that Indonesia was planning to thwart the independence referendum with force, and President Bill Clinton cut off military aid to Indonesia in September 1999 reversing a longstanding policy of military cooperation.3 U.S. policy documents declassified on the 20th anniversary of the crisis showed that the U.S. government was fully aware of the Indonesian military’s “determination to thwart an independence vote in East Timor through terror and violence,” with the Indonesian military supporting the anti-independence East Timorese militia Besi Mera Putih (Iron Red and White), and permitting them to carry out atrocities in a campaign of terror against unarmed civilians.4 As Eric Schwartz records in his report, the violence was perpetrated by the East Timor-based militia, supported by the Indonesian military, who “...went on a rampage throughout the territory, destroying much of its infrastructure and perpetrating violence in which at least many hundreds (if not more) were killed.”5 U.S. Commander-in-Chief Pacific (USCINCPAC, now USINDOPACOM) deployed forces to in support of INTERFET, providing troops, aircraft, ships, and other assets to the international effort, and designated as U.S. Forces INTERFET (USFORINTERFET), supporting the Australian Operation STABILISE.

Following the completion of the ADF-led mission and the restoration of calm, a large United Nations peacekeeping force, United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), took over from INTERFET in February 2000. UNTAET had been established 25 October 1999 by the U.N. Security Council and gave it overall responsibility for administration of the country.6 East Timor became formally independent on 20 May 2002, at which time the state was renamed Timor-Leste. Following independence, UNTAET was replaced by the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), which was established “to provide assistance to core administrative structures and to provide interim law enforcement….initially established for a period of 12 months, the mandate was extended until 20 May 2005.”7

Companion LTC, Ret. Curtis Manchester was part of US Support Group East Timor (USGET), which followed INTERFET. Ask him to you his stories!

Endnotes:

1. Australian War Memorial, “INTERFET,” updated September 2024, https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/interfet

2. Stephen Day DSC AM, State President, RSL Queensland, 11 September 2024, “A message from the state president: 25th anniversary of Australian service in Timor-Leste” See also this video from RSL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLjN87hTwPI

3. Helen Davidson, August 28, 2019, “US knew Indonesia intended to stop East Timorese independence 'through terror and violence',” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/29/us-knew-indonesia-intended-to-stop-east-timorese-independence-throughterror-and-violence

4. Ibid.

5. Eric Schwartz, December 2001, “The Intervention in East Timor Report for the National Intelligence Council,” https://spp.umd.edu/sites/ default/files/2019-08/schwartz.pdf

6. Laura Southgate, May 2019The East Timor Humanitarian Crisis, https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529202205.003.0004

7. Ibid.

Veterans Day 2024

The Commandery was noticed at the Mayor’s Veterans Day Ceremony at the Punchbowl, and at the ceremony at the WWI Memorial hosted by VFW Post 8616. Other organizations attending included American Legion Post 17, American Legion Riders, Celtic Kula Pipe Band of Hawai'I, Friends of the Natatorium, Military Order of the World Wars, Saint Louis High School JROTC, Elks Lodge 616, the Honor Guard of the 100th Bn 442d In Regt. and the Celtic Kula Pipe Band of Hawai' Companion Dan Garcia presented a lei on behalf of the Commandery. Also present at the event were Commander Dan Curtis, and former Commander Curtis “Manny” Manchester. The MOFW Hawaii Commandery Wreath was also delivered to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific for display.

Commandery Recognizes Civil Air Patrol Cadets

The Commandery recognized the top leaders of each of the CAP Squadrons in the June issue, where the following Cadets were photographed receiving their medals and certificates from Companion Ed Green. They are C/Col Thomas J. Lynch, 77th St. Louis Crusaders Composite Squadron; C/1st Lt Noah C. Araki, 66th Hickam Composite Squadron; C/2d Lt Mia J. Xu-Sugahara, 30th Maryknoll Cadet Squadron; C/1stLt Santiago J. Padilla-Lenz, 9th Wheeler Composite Squadron; C/Capt Jose Nicanor, 75th West Oahu Composite Squadron, and ; C/Col Stacy K. Haruguchi, HI Wing Commander.

One Cadet who could not attend that ceremony was C/2d Lt Juneau Stickley, 43rd Lyman Field Composite Squadron, photographed at right receiving her MOFW Bronze Leadership Medal and certificate during a scheduled drill on Sunday, December 1st. Congratulations to Cadet Strickley!!

Photo top right: U.S. Army National Guard Color Guard. Photo above left: Companion Dan Garcia presents a lei to remember those memorialized on the Honor Stone, assisted by Junior Marines from the Pyramid Rock Battalion. Photo above right: Companion Dan Garcia, and Past Commander Curtis Manchester (representing MOWW).

Chain Reaction Wars, by Dr. Arthur Tulak, Editor

What is a chain reaction war? It is a war that unfolds in a domino-like chain reaction as nations are compelled to enter into conflicts due to treaty obligations, and warfighting operations plans. The best example is WWI, for which the spark that started the conflagration was the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his and his wife, Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg. The royal couple were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by a Bosnian Serb terrorist, trained and supplied by Serbian Military Intelligence. In response Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (July 28); Serbia's protector, Russia, mobilized its forces to defend Serbia (July 30); and Austria-Hungary's ally, Germany, declared war against Russia (August 1), which also necessitated declaring war against France (August 3). The original Allied powers united because of a web of bilateral treaties activated in a domino-like chain reaction. Germany’s military plan for fighting France required it to first invade Belgium, which it promptly did (August 3–4). Great Britain was obligated to defend Belgium, so it responded by declaring war against Germany (August 4). And as an ally of Great Britain, Japan declared war against Germany on August 23. In London on September 5, 1914, Russia, France, and Great Britain formalized their alliance with a treaty stipulating that no member of the partnership would make a separate peace with their mutual enemies (“the Central powers”). It was from this point that the countries were called “the Allies.” Other countries, looking to take advantage of an opportunity to settle old scores, or take territory from nations now more vulnerable as they are engaged in war, joined the fray. Italy, which began the war as an ally of Germany and Austria-Hungary, chose to adopt a neutral footing when the conflict began. However, the opportunity to recover the Italian-speaking territories annexed by Austria-Hungary in previous wars proved too great. The Entente powers offered those lands to Italy if the she would join the war and fight Austria-Hungary. The resulting Pact of London was secretly signed on April 26, 1915, leading Italy to declare war against Austria-Hungary on May 23. Japan, not a European power, saw the opportunity to take German imperial holdings in the Pacific, and in China and joined the Allies 23 August 1914. Many other nations joined the Allies, to include: Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, the Hejaz, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Serb-Croat-Slovene State, Siam, the and Uruguay.

Could this happen today? The U.S. is a member of NATO, along with 31 other nations, and now confronting the Russian Federation (and to some extent, Belarus) in a proxy war being fought in Ukraine for over two years. Israel, a major Non-NATO Ally, has been at war since October 7, 2023 with Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Yemeni Houthis, requiring extensive U.S. military deployments to the region to protect our Ally from rocket attacks. The most significant military threat is posed by the PRC, specifically, a military invasion of Taiwan. The probability of this invasion has increased dramatically over the last ten years, and many U.S. military leaders have expressed concern that the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) invasion of Taiwan is imminent, and might prove inevitable if the wars in Europe and the Middle East continue and possibly expand to a wider conflict, inviting adventurism from America’s adversaries. The Commission on the National Defense Strategy (NDS), in its final report delivered to Congress on July 29, 2024, found that the U.S. was not prepared to meet the security threats facing the U.S., and that the 2022 NDS force construct did not “sufficiently account for global competition or the very real threat of simultaneous conflict in more than one theater” based on the increasing political and military cooperation of America’s peer or near-peer adversaries, that pose real threats to the U.S. system of alliances and partnerships.1, 2

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin believe their nations are already actively engaged in conflicts with the United States.3 The Chinese Communist Party, the government of Communist China, declared a People’s War against the U.S. in 2019,4 while the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed this year that the U.S. is already at war with Russia.5 Kim Jon Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea and Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of North Korea has ended all efforts at reconciliation with the democratic ROK, declared it to be his nation’s “principal enemy,” and stated that he “has no intention of avoiding war.”8 Kim had previously declared that reunification with South Korea is no longer a policy goal nor is it possible to achieve.7 Kim also threatened to "thoroughly annihilate" the United States and South Korea if provoked.8 Kim has provided artillery rounds, ballistic missiles, and anti-tank rockets to Russia, and recently provided 10,000 to 12,000 of his special forces troops to Russia which are now in the Kursk region to carry out combat operations under the command of the Russian military.9, 10, 11, 12 The U.S. and Communist North Korea are still technically in a “state of war” following the armistice to stop fighting on July 27, 1953.13 Iran, which has no diplomatic relations with the U.S., has killed over 1,000 Americans via its proxy wars, since the 1979 revolution.14 More recently, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that “Iran has enabled scores of militia m and UAV attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.”15 Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has explained that the ‘Death To America’ chants from its people and government are “not just a slogan, it is a policy.”16 Russian President Vla-

dimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced closer ties during a meeting on October 11, 2024, which Putin said will help to establish “new world order.”17 Iranian relations with the PRC have already benefited Iran by undermining the efficacy of U.S. sanctions against it, helping Iran to become the dominant power in the Middle East.18 In the event of a conflict over Taiwan, Iran might decide to create additional problems for the U.S. to aid the Communist Chinese. GEN, Ret, Jack Keane commented that Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are all 'collaborating and cooperating together [to oppose] a mutual enemy – the United States and like-minded democracies.”19

Could we see Chain Reaction War in the near future? The U.S. remains faithful in its obligations to its treaty Allies and partners, as the increasingly tightening coalition or working alliance between Russia, Communist China, north Korea and Iran demonstrate that they could reprise the role of the Central Powers in committing to war based on secret agreements and also publicly acknowledged treaties and partnerships. The heightened level of open military cooperation among America’s major adversaries has been given several names, to include “Axis of upheaval,” 20 the “Axis of Chaos,” “Axis of Authoritarianism,” as well as the ‘CRINKs’22’and the ‘CRANKs’ (China, Russia, Iran, north Korea). As the names imply, this rapidly developing anti-West strategic coalition is ready for a wider conflict.22 According to the Commission on the National Defense Strategy, “This new alignment of nations opposed to US interests creates a real risk, if not likelihood, that conflict anywhere could become a multi-theater or global war.”22

Endnotes:

1. Chris Gordon, July 29, 2024, “Not Prepared for Major War: Commission Slams US Defense Strategy,” Remarks of Commission member Thomas Mahnken, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/not-prepared-major-war-commission-slams-us-defense-strategy/

2. Jane Harman, Thomas G. Mahnken, Mara Rudman, Mariah Sixkiller, Alissa Starzak, and Roger Zakheim, July 29, 2024, Commission on the National Defense Strategy, p. viii. https://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/NDS-commission.html

3. GEN Gary M. Brito, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Eustis VA, “Operational Environment 2024-2034: Large-Scale Combat Operations,” p. 2. https://g2webcontent.z2.web.core.usgovcloudapi.net/OEE/Story%20Posts/ TRADOCG2_2024JUL30_OE_2024_2035_Lg_Scale_Comb_anonymous.pdf

4. Bloomberg News, May 14, 2019, “China Vows ‘People’s War’ as Trade Fight Takes Natonalist Turn,” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-0514/china-vows-people-s-war-as-trade-fight-takes-nationalist-turn

5. Times of India, March 18, 2024, "United States is at war with us, 'Kremlin says after Putin wins record 5th term," https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/ rest-of-world/united-states-is-at-war-with-us-kremlin-says-after-putin-wins-record-5th-term/articleshow/108595228.cms

6. Lee Jeong-Ho, January 9, 2024, “Kim Jong Un labels S Korea as ‘principal enemy,’ boasts war readiness The North is ready to ‘devastate’ the South if the latter contemplates use of force or poses a threat, Kim says,” Radio Fre Asia. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-sk-warning01092024210827.html

7. Dan Leaf, April 1, 2024, “It’s Time to Resolve the Korean War, United States Institute of Peace, https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/04/its-time-resolvekorean-war

8. CBS News, January 1, 2024, “North Korea's Kim Jong Un orders military to "thoroughly annihilate" U.S. if provoked, state media say” Associated Press. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-kim-jong-un-us-missile-tests-threat-nuclear-war/

9. Nick Koutsobinas, October 19, 2024, “SKorea: NKorean Troops in Russia Readying for Combat in Ukraine,” Newsmax, https://www.newsmax.com/world/ globaltalk/south-korea-north-korea-russia/2024/10/19/id/1184722/

10. Katherine Donlevy, October 19, 2024, “Ukraine warns 11K North Korean troops ‘ready to fight’ alongside Russia,” New York Post, https:// nypost.com/2024/10/19/world-news/11k-n-korean-troops-ready-to-fight-with-russia-ukraine/

11. Jim Garamone, Nov. 4, 2024, “Pentagon Says 10K North Korean Troops in Kursk Oblast,” DOD News, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/ Article/3955757/pentagon-says-10k-north-korean-troops-in-kursk-oblast/

12. Kelly Ng,6 November 2024, “Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time,” BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14le0p4310o

13. United States Department of State, Bureau of Arms Control, “Text of the Korean War Armistice Agreement” https://2001-2009.state.gov/t/ac/rls/ or/2004/31006.htm#:~:text=This%20Armistice%20Agreement%20shall%20apply,of%20any%20kind%20of%20Korea.

14. Col. Richard Kemp, British Army, and Maj. (Ret.) Chris Driver-Williams, British Army, 2015, “Killing Americans and their Allies: Iran’s Continuing War against the United States and the West,” https://jcpa.org/killing-americans-allies-irans-war/

15. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), 2024, Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence community, p. 18. https://www.dni.gov/files/ ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2024-Unclassified-Report.pdf

16. Channel 1 (Iran), November 1, 2023, “Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Death To America Is Not Just A Slogan, It Is A Policy,” Memri TV, https://www.memri.org/tv/iran-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-death-america-not-slogan-policy-west-protests

17. Deirdre Bardolf, October 12, 2023, “Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet for first time, hailing ‘robust’ relationship,” New York Post, https:// nypost.com/2024/10/12/world-news/russian-iranian-presidents-proclaim-robust-relationship/

18. Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, February 1, 2024, “The Mullahs and the Dragon: Tehran and Beijing, in a dangerous alliance,” National Review, Vol LXXVI, No. 2, pp. 39-42.

19. Fox News, Fox & Friends, April 26, 2024, ack Keane warns Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are all 'collaborating' https://www.foxnews.com/ video/6351801113112

20. Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Richard Fontaine, May 23, 2024, “The Axis of Upheaval: How America’s Adversaries Are Uniting to Overturn the Global Order, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/axis-upheaval-russia-iran-north-korea-taylor-fontaine

21. Robbie Gramer, Eric Bazail-Eimil, and Joe Gould, October 29, 2024, “Naming the Russia-China-Iran-North Korea quartet,” Politico, https://www.politico.com/ newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/10/29/naming-the-russia-china-iran-north-korea-quartet-00183727

22. Paul J. Saunders, May 28, 2024, “Meet the CRANKs: How China, Russia, Iran and North Korea Align Against America,” https://nationalinterest.org/feature/ meet-cranks-how-china-russia-iran-and-north-korea%C2%A0align-against-america-211186#

23. Simone McCarthy, October 24, ‘As North Korea, Iran and China support Russia’s war, is a ‘new axis’ emerging?’ CNN, As North Korea, Iran and China support Russia’s war, is a ‘new axis’ emerging? | CNN

Hawaii’s Hidden Military Memorials

Another local military memorial “ re-discovered” in Aeia. This memorial was erected by the Aiea Community Association during the Territorial period in 1945 in honor of Aiea’s military men who died in war. The names of the fallen:

1. CPL Kiyozo Enomoto, 100th Battalion

2. PFC Masaki Fujikawa

3. PFC Sadami Fujita, 100th BN, KIA near Biffontaine, France,

4. Shigeto Fyuumuro, 100th BN

5. PFC Hatsuji Hadano, KIA aboard prison ship en route to Japan from Philippine Islands

6. SGT Wilson B. Higa

7. SGT Kunito Kinoshita

8. PFC Sadaichi Kohara, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 3rd Battalion K Company

9. Toshio Kuroda, 442nd RCT

10.Richard D. McCarthy, U.S. Army

11.Masayoshi Miyagi, 442nd RCT

12.PFC Gordon S. Shimizu, 442nd RCT, 3rd Battalion, I Company

13.Takeo Yamamoto

National Guard Youth Challenge Awards Presentation Summer 2024

Officiating the ceremony was BG Logan, Deputy AG, and BG Ret. Bruce Olivera, Hawaii State Dod.

Receiving the Bronze Medal was Cadet Venagen. The Silver medal went to Cadet Miller. The entire ceremony may be viewed on Facebook. LTC Curtis’ presentation is at the 31 minute and 30 second mark. https://www.facebook.com/ hawaiiyouthchallenge/videos/1001576241976472

Commandery Recognized as Top Performer by DoD 50th Vietnam Commission

The Commandery was recognized by Major General Edward J. Chrystal Jr., Director of the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration for being in the top 15% of the thirteen thousand commemorative partner organizations that achieved Commemorative Partner status. In his letter to the Commandery dated 22 July 2024, MG Chrystal added "Your dedication and initiative contributed significantly to this national tribute, whereby over 4 million veterans and their families have been recognized for their service and sacrifice through 28 thousand events over the past thirteen years. While truly amazing, your indelible impact cannot be measured in numbers, but rather in the hearts and faces of those whose lives were touched and will never be the same again. Your worthy efforts have helped facilitate healing and bestow honor to these veterans, their families, and our communities."

This is a great honor to receive, and we still have more opportunities to honor Vietnam Veterans. If you know a Vietnam Veteran worthy of recognition, we still have the 50th medals to honor Vietnam Veterans who made a difference in their local community as volunteers. At the National level, the commemoration is winding down. March 15 – last day to submit a request for event support to the National Committee, and March 31 – last day it will be providing support for events. As of April 1, normal formal event support operations will cease. The Commemoration will continue with events conducted by Commemoration partners, and will officially end on Veterans Day 2025.

Commandery Operations

80th Anniversary of the attack of Pearl Harbor, 1941

Commander Dan Curtis notified the membership of an opportunity to participate in a parade honoring the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. This is an opportunity to publicly represent our organizations and join with the Elks on this remembrance day. Ms. Yvonne Geesy, the Veterans Chair Elks Lodge 616, has invited other military/civic organizations to join them in their participation in the upcoming Pearl Harbor Day Parade. The Elks are in the lead and willing to have like-minded organizations join in, to walking alongside the Elk trolley and handi out flags.

The Honolulu Elks Lodge members agreed to hire a trolley ($1400) to participate in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade on Saturday December 7th. We will meet at the Lodge about 4-4:30 to decorate the trolley, then be driven to the parade start at Ft. DeRussy, participate in the parade to Kapiolani Park and then be driven back on the trolley to the Lodge.

Poppy Appeal NOV 2024

The Commandery once again had approval from the Commandant of MARFORPAC to conduct its semi-annual Poppy Appeal at Camp H.M. Smith 6 & 7 November, but the event had to be cancelled on account of heavy rains. We will plan for Memorial Day along with VFW Post 8616 to keep this tradition going.

Hawaii establishes Military Committee of the Semi-Quincentennial, By Dr. Arthur N. Tulak.

The Hawaii 250th Commission has stood up, and is operational. Governor Green signed Executive Order 2023-04 on December 15, 2023, approving the establishment of the State’s 250th Commission, and listing members of the Hawaii SAR and Hawaii DAR as members along with several others in City, County and State government ex-officio. This Commission is meeting monthly, and is led by Chairman Mr. Peter Young, and Vice Chairman Col, USAF, Ret. Rob Moore. In addition to being the 250th Committee Chairman for the Commandery, I am serving as Treasurer of the Commission and Chairman of the HI 250th Military Committee. The Commission has established committees for work on specific lines of effort and Companions of the Order are encouraged to volunteer. The HI 250th Commission has signed commemoration partner agreements with the American Veterans (AMVETS) Dept. of Hawaii, Elks Lodge, and is seeking to bring on other Veterans Organizations to the Military Committee. The Commission has received an initial $10,000 grant from the National Commission that will be used to provide seed monies to local organizations to plan, resource, and carry out grass-roots commemoration events in 2025 2026. HI 250th Commemoration partners include civic, patriotic, genealogical, history, Veteran, and professional organizations in Hawaii who agree to plan and carry out 250th Commemoration events/programs, donate funds or services-in-kind, or provide officers to serve on the Commission or its committees. The current commemoration partners of the Hawaii 250th Commission include Hawaii Society SAR, Hawaii DAR, AMVETS Dept. of Hawaii, the Hawaii Commandery of the MOFW, and the Hawaii Elks Lodge. The American Legion and VFW are working their applications. The Military Committee will conduct monthly meetings, and the plan is to hold these at the OVC during the work week, mid-day, to avoid afternoon traffic. Many of the organizations we work for and with can become Commemoration Partners and receive recognition. Examples include the HI Civil Air Patrol, ROTC and JROTC units, Youth Challenge Academy, and others. We will be publishing instructions for the last 50th Vietnam Essay Contest in January, and will also publish instructions for the MOFW 250th Essay Contest, with continued support from our sponsor the Federal Business Council. Please consider volunteering to serve on this committee!

Welcome New Companions—Mr. David S. Powell Jr.

The Commandery welcomed to the Order Mr. David S. Powell Jr., as a hereditary member, under the service rendered by his father, Captain, U.S.A., Thomas Phillip Sowell Sr., M.D., Ph.D., in the War Against Communism in Vietnam. CPT Powell served on active duty from July 8, 1964 to Sep 30, 1965. CPT Powell served in the U.S. Army Reserve and on active duty as a General Surgeon. He volunteered to serve during a time of war, knowing that the Army needed surgeons and that he would be able to make a difference. He was activated from the Army Reserve and promoted to the rank of Captain on July 8, 1964. CPT Powell had completed 8 years of college education, earning several degrees: a Bachelor of Science, a Philosophical Doctorate in Physics, and a Medical Doctorate. During his active duty service, he was assigned to the Army Medical Branch as an orthopedic Surgeon specializing in traumatic injury. The demand for orthopedic surgeons was very high, based on the type and high number of battlefield injuries. CPT Powell was discharged stateside from active service at Letterman General on September 30, 1964, while then assigned to the U.S. Army Hospital at Fort Ord California. His total time in service was 6.5 years (1 year, 2 months, 23 days on active-duty, and 5 years, 3 months of reserve duty). CPT Powell experienced PostTraumatic Syndrome Disorder, or PTSD, from his many operations on wounded soldiers, which took a toll on him and his family post military service.

Mr. David Powell is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and attended the Merrick Business School of the University of Baltimore. David has worked for the Federal Business Council Inc., since 2000 and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. David has supported several military commands over the years in running professional conferences for military, government, and government-affiliated organizations, to include: U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning GA, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Dept. of Defense at the Pentagon, the National Defense Industrial Association, the Cyber Resilience Institute, the Cyber Threat Intelligence Network, and the U.S. Space Force Association.

David comes from a family with a proud tradition of military service to include his uncle Steve Olesnevich served in the U.S. Army from 19621964. David’s brother Phillip Powell, who served in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Program from 1981 1991. His nephew Sean Keyman served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2004-2008, and his nephew Steven Snyder attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and served in the U.S. Army Ranger Regiment from 20142023.

above: Commander LTC, Ret. Dan Curtis inducts David Powell as a Hereditary Companion into the Order at the Sunset Lanai.

David’s company has supported our annual Cadet Essay Contest with prize money for several years. This program will end with next year’s contest, but will be augmented with another essay contest focused on the U.S. Semi-Quincentennial.

Photo

Upcoming events:

• 7 DEC — Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Parade 1630 2000 hrs.

• 13 DEC—388th National Guard Birthday (est. 1636)

• 14 DEC MOFW and MOWW Christmas Brunch, Elks Lodge, Waikiki

• 16 DEC 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge which began on this day in 1944

• 17 DEC Youth Challenge Academy Class 61 Graduation 1700 hrs, Nakasone Performing Arts Center (Pearl City Cultural Center), Waimano Home Rd, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782

• 20 DEC 5th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Space Force (2019)

• 23 DEC Vietnam Veterans will gather once again on the Richards Street side of the Hawai‘i State Capitol by the Korea/Vietnam Memorial on Monday, December 23, 2024 at 2300 (11:00 p.m) together with supportive family and friends. This will be the 30th year for this low-key, un-sponsored event. For more info call Allen Hoe (808) 521-6927 or Tom Stirling (808) 383-2085.

• 28 DEC—Oahu Veterans Council Meeting at the Oahu Veterans Center 0800 1100 hrs.

• Week of 6-10 JAN—Commandery EXCOM Meeting, details TBD.

• 20 JAN Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump.

• 3 FEB Four Chaplains Day. A day set aside to honor the four U.S. Army chaplains who gave their lives to save others when the troop ship USAT Dorchester sank during World War II. F

• 19 FEB - Coast Guard Reserve Birthday

• 29 March 2025, National Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Details pending.

• 25 April, ANZAC Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Details TBD.

Hawaii Commandery, Military Order of Foreign Wars

A non-profit 501 (c) 3 Veterans Organization

Oahu Veterans Center, 1298 Kukila St. Honolulu Hawaii, 96818

Mahalo to our 2024 Sponsors:

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