West Loch Post

🫡🇺🇸
Today, we remember the 13 brave men and women who lost their lives at Abbey Gate during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan:
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee Cpl. Daegan Page LCpl. David Espinoza LCpl. Dylan Merola Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
Cpl. Hunter Lopez
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
SSG. Ryan Knauss
LCpl. Kareem Nikoui
Seaman Maxton Soviak SSgt. Darin Hoover LCpl. Jared Schmitz LCpl. Rylee McCollum
Your sacrifices will never be forgotten. Rest easy.

𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐢’𝐬 𝟐𝟒𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥!
Click here for tickets and room reservations; https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hawaiis-249th-navy-ball-tickets-948664078797


U.S. Pacific Fleet Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Pacific Missile Range Facility U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Commander, Navy Installations Command

At TAPS events, even the moments of downtime can offer meaningful opportunities for growth and healing. Jon Ganues, TAPS Men’s Program Manager and Surviving Father, shares how a quiet moment during a 2017 Men’s Retreat helped him reconnect with his younger son. We hope Jon’s story may inspire you to nurture the important relationships in your life after loss.

Read more here ▶️ taps.org/articles/30-2/cabin-of-reconciliation

For details on all TAPS events, both online and in-person, visit taps.org/events

🇺🇸 In the Face of Adversity 🇺🇸 | Remembering Pfc. James Anderson Jr.

📍 Marine Corps Base Hawaii (August 21, 2024)

Today, we remember Pfc. James Anderson Jr., a rifleman with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, who became the first African American Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor on August 21, 1968.

On February 28, 1967, amidst an intense firefight in Vietnam, Anderson made the ultimate sacrifice by using his body to shield his fellow Marines from a gr***de explosion. His courage and selflessness continue to inspire, and live on at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, where Anderson Hall stands as a lasting tribute to his valor.

As we honor Pfc. Anderson, we reflect upon the courage he displayed and the core values he upheld, remembering both his sacrifice and the principles he stood for. Semper Fi. 🦅🌎⚓️

This , we salute Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle, the Navy’s first-known Black woman to earn her ‘wings of gold’ as a tactical air pilot in 2020. Swegle is part of a new generation of TACAIR pilots, mastering state-of-the-art equipment on the USS Gerald R. Ford. Thank you for your service and trailblazing spirit, Lt. Swegle!

PHNSY & IMF USS Hawai’i (SSN 776), back to the fleet following the completion of her depot modernization period (DMP) availability.

Hawai’i began its maintenance period at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Pearl Harbor in late 2021. Significant refurbishments of major components were performed due to periodicity requirements during a depot modernization period availability. Upgrades, inspections and repairs were conducted throughout the submarine. For almost two maintenance crews worked in the dry dock, then Hawai’i was moved pier-side where the remaining work was completed. https://dvidshub.net/r/a3hpg6

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard COMSUBPAC

📸Justice Vannatta

Trivia Thursday!

Do you know what Chief Warrant Officer Flores is standing next to?

Hint: Coast Guard Cutter Juniper’s main mission is maintaining these aids to navigation devices to inform boaters where they need to be!

VAPIHCS Veterans,

Enroll Now at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic

The Akaka VA Clinic opened in April of this year and is accepting new patients now. If you are a Veteran who would like to get their care at our new clinic, call 1-800-214-1306. The Akaka clinic at 91-1051 Franklin D Roosevelt Ave, Kapolei, HI 96707, is an 88,675 square-foot multi-specialty outpatient clinic which provides primary and mental health care, x-ray, laboratory and diagnostic services, a pharmacy, Women’s Health, and specialty care. Representatives from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) are also co-located with us in one building. We look forward to serving you in our new clinic space.

West Oahu Vet Center Move

The physical location of the West Oahu Vet Center at 885 Kamokila Blvd Ste 105, Kapolei, HI 96707, will be closing at the end of August 2024. However, they will be available for online appointments during the month of September 2024. On October 1, 2024, they will open their new location in the new Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic at 91-1051 Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue Kapolei, HI 96707. We look forward to welcoming Vet Center services in the Akaka VA Clinic.

Thoughts from Chaplain Jewel Davis

Earth’s beautiful inhabitants boasts of at least two remarkably contrasting animal species: the cheetah and the elephant. The cheetah, known as the world’s fastest land mammal, can sprint 60-71 mph. With their small heads, slender bodies, extended necks, long legs, and supple spines, cheetahs run at their top speeds with quickness and agility. Their movements are a delicate dance of endurance and exhaustion. Female adult cheetahs typically live in isolation while the adult males socialize in tight groups called coalitions. Elephants, on the other hand, are Earth’s largest land mammals. They have huge bodies, large ears, and long trunks. And though graceful in their own right, elephants move considerably slower than cheetahs. Yet, these gentle giants form complex social structures. They maintain strong relational bonds that rely heavily on effective communications, which are critical for their survival.

In our era of digital communications, the speed at which information travels mirrors that of cheetahs’ swiftness. Innovations like email, text messages, social media, and instant messaging apps provide immediate accessibility and convenience, allowing for rapid communications even if distances apart. Undoubtably, these advancements have enhanced the speed at which information is communicated. They have also enabled us to stay connected and keep our friends, loved ones, and colleagues informed. However, the downside of digital communications is the decline of interpersonal interactions. Although this form of communications may be quick and easy, it lacks the nuances of nonverbal cues such as body language, tone, inflection, and presence, which are some of the very things that connect us as humans who need other humans. Like cheetahs, digital communications has its own delicate dance of emotional disconnect and misunderstandings.

Conversely, like elephants’ relational structures and bonds, interpersonal communications encompass those verbal and nonverbal cues that can convey attentiveness, full engagement, and emotional availability. Such communications also have the potential to create genuine bonds simply through direct human interactions and the building of trust.

So, in this fast-paced world of rapid information sharing, it’s important that somewhere in the midst of all the busyness of dialoging on digital platforms, that we remind ourselves to slow down enough to nurture companionship through conversations with other human beings live and in person.

I finish with this. Please keep conversations going because, in the words of Maya Angelou, “We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as the Earth we share.”

Blessings and Mahalo.

One Team, One Ohana!
Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE
Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
VADM, MC, USN, (RET)
36th Surgeon General, USN
Stay Informed
Website: https://www.va.gov/pacific-islands-health-care/ submit your email to get our updates
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VAPacificIslands/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/va_pacific_islands/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PAOOffice1
Podcast: https://vapihcspao.podbean.com/

Get ready to raise your steins and join us for a fantastic Oktoberfest celebration!🇩🇪🥨🍻
Saturday, September 28 from 5-9:30 p.m. at Weyand Field

🎶Experience a traditional Bavarian-Style Oktoberfest celebration with us:
- Wurst 5k Run
- Mr. & Ms. Oktoberfest Competition
- Souvenir Glass Mugs ($)
- Traditional Oktoberfest Food ($)
- Live Entertainment
- Bounce Houses
- Much more!

Save the date and invite your friends and family to this sensational Oktoberfest celebration! We can't wait to share this unforgettable evening with you. Prost! 🍻

No pets | No outside food or drinks | No coolers | No tents | ATM on site

Open to all DOD ID Cardholders and guests.

📞 For more information about Oktoberfest, call (808) 787-5740 or visit https://hawaii.armymwr.com/calendar/event/2024-oktoberfest/6514697/91138

For more information about the Wurst 5K, call (808) 787-4104 or visit https://hawaii.armymwr.com/programs/physical-fitness-center

U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii | Tripler Army Medical Center | Hawaii BOSS Program

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS SURVEY

Take the Survey: Please complete a 20-question Environmental Concerns Survey. The survey is open until November 30, 2024. It is anonymous and may take up to 20 minutes depending upon your level of engagement. This survey will help the Navy understand your level of awareness and concerns about Environmental Restoration sites at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The results of the survey will be used to inform the development of the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program, Community Involvement Plan that will be made available to the public. This plan lays out information on the sites and helps the community understand how they can stay informed and involved in the cleanup process. If you have questions concerning this survey email NFHI_PAO_DL .navy.mil. To take the survey go to: https://usnavy.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81RjA47PujQ3m18
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

The USS Arizona is the final resting place of over 900 US servicemembers who perished aboard the battleship during the 07 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. To visit the memorial, you must either make advance reservations on recreation.gov (8 weeks in advance or the day before at 3pm HST) or virtually sign up with our Standby Line on the day of your visit.

Program Details:

Pricing: Online reservations require a $1/person non-refundable online processing fee; it is free to wait in the Standby Line.

Duration: This 45-minute long program consists of a ranger orientation, boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, time spent on the memorial, and a boat ride back to the park dock.

Hours: Boats run every 15 minutes from 8am-12pm and 1-3:30pm HST, conditions permitting.

There are NO RESTROOMS available during this program, utilize the ones near the park entrance and/or Snack Shop before checking in.

Cell phone use is not allowed; this includes no phone calls, texting, scrolling, live streaming, video calls, etc. You may take photos and videos, EXCEPT when you are on the ramps entering the memorial.

Clear water only is allowed on the memorial, no other food or drinks are permitted.

Save this post when planning for your visit to the park!

Photo Credit: NPS/S. Alexander

Today, we honor the Navajo Code Talkers who played a vital role in securing victory during World War II. Using their native language, the code talkers developed an unbreakable code that helped turn the tide of battle in the Pacific, saving countless lives.

Save the date! 🚨Get ready for our annual Badges and Buckets fundraiser. The event is set to take place across 18 locations statewide. Catch the action in Molokai (Sept 4-6), Maui (Sept 5-7), East Hawaii (Sept 5-7), Kauai (Sept 5-7), Oahu (Sept 6-8), and West Hawaii (Nov 8-11). Watch as our dedicated officers take community service to new heights, literally, perched on 10-foot scaffolds and rooftops.