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Veteran’s Corner

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Column by Jesse Church

Hello my beloved veterans and people of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans’ news and upcoming events. In the Air Force, for maintainers, three of the best words they can hear are “black-letter initial,” a sign that they have done their jobs the best they can and their airframe is in the best condition to fly. But what does this phrase mean? During an inspection, the inspector marks a red “X” on the paperwork’s status box if there are discrepancies that necessitate the grounding of an aircraft. A red number “l” notes the discrepancies found aren’t bad enough to keep the plane on the ground. When there is not a single discrepancy found on the inspection, the status box is annotated with the initial of the crew chief on duty in black ink, hence the “black letter initial.” The Air Force says these “black letter initials” are rare enough that many crew chiefs can go their entire career without receiving one.

Real life once again takes cues from science fiction. The Army is developing a “cloaking device” that takes its name from the Romulan cloaking device on the 1960s TV show “Star Trek.” On the show, Mr. Spock said the device uses “the selective bending of light.” Mr. Spock’s description is a logical one for the Army’s cloaking device, which is made of meta-material that guides light around the cloaked object so that only the back-ground is visible.

On Oct. 7, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan. The first sorties, flown by 15 land-based bombers, B-18 Lancers, B-2 Spirits and B-52 Stratofortresses, took aim at terrorist targets inside Afghanistan, Air Force General Richard B. Myers said at an initial briefing. Then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters in an early briefing that the strikes were intended to destroy the Taliban’s base of operations, acquire intelligence, establish relationships with opposition groups and provide humanitarian relief to the people of Afghanistan. In addition to strike sorties, U.S. C-17s dropped humanitarian aid and supplies to civilian areas of Afghanistan. While our raids today focus on the Taliban and the foreign terrorists in Afghanistan, our aim remains much broader, Rumsfeld told reporters at the time. Our objective is to defeat those who use terrorism and house or support them. The world stands united in this effort. It is not about a religion or an individual terrorist or a country. Our partners in this effort represent nations and peoples of all cultures, all religions and all races. We share the belief that terrorism is a cancer on the human condition and we intend to oppose it wherever it is.
I want to remind everyone that John Candello will be available on Thursday Nov. 3 and 10 at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. by appointment, call 553-3611. Remember that our essay contest on “What does being an American mean to you” ends Oct. 31, so get your essay in. Send entries post marked no later than Nov. 1 to P.O. Box 482219, Kaunakakai, HI, 96748 or email editor@themolokaidispatch.com. Good luck! Let’s not forget our military personnel stationed around the world, and especially those in harm’s way. We send them a big mahalo for all they do, and to our veterans at home for all they have done, and to the people of Molokai for supporting them. You are all very special and dear to me, I love you all.

Veteran’s Corner

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Column by Jesse Church

Hello veterans, old Jesse here with all the veterans’ news and upcoming events. In the Navy and Coast Guard, officers and enlisted service members facing a non-judicial punishment (NJP) disciplinary hearing are said to be headed to “captain’s mast.” Why is that? It dates to the days of sail, when crews would gather under a ships mainmast, according to Naval History and Heritage Command. The commanding officer would speak to the crew, holding ceremonies under the mainmast regularly often on Sunday morning before a religious service. The ceremony became referred to as “mast” because of its location, and the disciplinary hearing for NJP subsequently became known as a captain’s mast or, if overseen by an admiral, an admiral mast or flag mast.

The Navy’s sub fleet entered the nuclear age Sept. 20, 1954, when the service commissioned its first nuclear-powered submarine. The service was able to produce Nautilus thanks to the development of a nuclear propulsion plant by Navy scientists, according to the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Conn. The 319-foot sub could dive to 700 feet and stay underwater for more than two weeks, a far cry from the 12 to 48 hours that World War II subs could remain submerged. Nautilus quickly became a star in the sub fleet, shattering a number of submerged speed and distance records. It also became the first ship to ever cross the North Pole in 1958, during a top secret mission dubbed Operation Sunshine. Nautilus was decommissioned in March, 1980, after 26 years of service and more than 500,000 miles. The historic sub is on display at the Submarine Force Museum and is Connecticut’s state ship.

The Veterans Affairs Department (VA) now offers phone counseling for veterans’ family members and friends to help them encourage their loved ones to get medical and mental health care if needed. The “Coaching into Care” service, run by professional counselors, helps callers “find the right words” to convince their veterans to seek help, according to VA.  A pilot program launched last year as “Families at Ease” helped 50 veterans and family members in its first year.  Rebranded in March as “Coaching into Care,” the service has drawn 650 calls and helped 175 veterans, according to VA.  Coaching into Care is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at 888-823-7458. The line is connected with the VA Veterans Crisis Line, Caregiver Support Line and the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans in case of an immediate crisis, and veterans who need immediate help anytime can dial the VA Crisis Line at 800-273-8255.

Rosalie Schreiber, the nurse practitioner that has been coming to Molokai through the Home Based Primary Care Program, has been re-assigned. Our new nurse practitioner is Kate Hansen-Schmitt.  She will be taking over all of Rosalie’s duties here and see the veterans that Rosalie was helping. You can reach Kate at 808-442-2001, email Katrina.hansen-schmitt@va.gov, or 808-871-2454, ext. 3696.

Don’t forget our essay contest, “What does being an American mean to you?” Send your entries via email to editor@themolokaidispatch.com, and good luck to all. Please let’s not forget our men and women in uniform around the world, especially those in harm’s way, and all they do for us. When you’re out and about and you see a veteran, thank them for their service, it would make their day. To all our active duty military personnel, our veterans at home, and all the people of Molokai we send a big Mahalo, for you all are truly very special, and I love all.  If anyone has any news, or wants to talk, or needs help, give old Jesse a call at 553-3323.