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Volume No. 15, Issue No. 5 Web Site: http://www.aloha-moaa.org May 2014
(Voices of Warriors)
Chartered January 27, 2000
Na Leo O Na Koa
Newsletter of the Aloha Chapter,
An Affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America
2007 Chapter Rating
MOAA’s Moa Sale Appropriately for Hawaii, Aloha Chapter, MOAA, had its annual Chicken Sale Fund-raiser on Sunday, 27 April. As we all know, moa is the Hawai-ian word for chicken.
This pri-mary fund-raiser for our chapter was very capably run again by L T C O L H e r b e r t
Nakagawa, Jr., USAF, Ret., who wrote and mailed the let-ters announcing this event along with a request for the pur-chase of the tickets he had printed and enclosed with an addressed return envelope. He tabulated the purchases
See Chicken Sale on Page 3
mospheric Administration, we learned, has many important missions in addition to forecast-ing the weather. Its integrated programs are focused on Fish and Marine Mammals, Oceans and Coasts, Satellites, Scientific Research, Climate and Weather.
NOAA manages more than $70 million a year for a wide array of fisheries, ocean, coastal, climate and atmos-pheric programs in Hawaii.
See NOAA Page 4
April Tour and Luncheon at NOAA On Tuesday, 15 April, 36 Aloha and Hawaii Chapter members, spouses and guests gathered on Ford Island at NOAA’s new Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center, pictured below, for a very informative and fasci-nating tour of the new facility. The National Oceanic and At-
Inside May Issue
Birthdays 7 Bridge Report 5 Calendar of Events 2 Chairman’s Corner 2 Chapter Leaders 8 Golf Report 6 HAMS Golf Tournament 7 Membership Application 7 Obituary 5 Viet Nam Veterans VFW 5
Page 2 Nā Leo O Nā Koa No. 15, May 2014
Chairman’ s Corner
By Mark Webster
Our Aloha Chapter member, COL Mark Torreano, USAF, Ret., presently the President of the Hawaii State Chapter, par-ticipated in early April in
MOAA’s annual Stormin’ the Hill at the U. S. Congress, representing both of our chapters on Oahu. The two chapters alternate years sending a representative; last year I had this honor in Washington, D. C. This is a major lobbying ef-fort and expense by MOAA to present military issues affecting active, reserve and retired mili-tary personnel and their families by assembling members from chapters in every state to call on their respective Representatives and Senators. It is an extremely well organized event with train-ing and preparation for the assault on Congress.
Thanks to LTC Darrell Large, USA, Ret., we had a very interesting and enjoyable tour and luncheon at NOAA’s new Daniel K. Inouye Re-gional Center on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. It was appropriate that it was on Tax Day so we could see how our taxes are being spent. We were given professional presentations by CDR Robert Kamphaus, NOAA, and Steve Gal-lager, Site Manager, in the Large (sic) Conference Room. Afterwards, in the not-yet-activated Tsu-nami Warning Center upstairs, we learned about submarine subduction earthquakes and conse-quent tsunami. The Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach will relocate and consolidate in this NOAA facility in a couple of months.
On Sunday, 27 April, we had another very suc-cessful annual Chicken Sale Fundraiser organ-ized and managed by LTCOL Herbert Naka-gawa, Jr., USAF, Ret. It was held again at Ka-lihi Waena Elementary School on Gulick Ave-nue. Preliminary tabulations are that 600 whole, BBQ chickens were ordered and 588 were sold. Of those sold, our generous chapter members bought and donated 270 whole chickens to the Institute of Human Services (IHS) in Iwelei. Also, all 100 rolls of sushi offered for sale were sold. Representatives from Aloha Chapter went
Notice This newsletter, my 101st issue of Nā Leo O Nā Koa, is promulgated electronically monthly as an official pub-lication of Aloha Chapter, Military Officers’ Association of America, P.O. Box 201441, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96820.
Views expressed herein are not necessarily chapter policy.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
7 May 2014 0930, Tour of Chinatown followed by lunch (Wednesday) at Empress Restaurant. POC: Wes Fong
7 May 2014 1730, JROTC Graduation Ceremony, Rice(Wednesday) Field, Punahou School. POC: Bob Takao
8 May 2014 0900, EXCOM Meeting, Muligan’s Res-(Thursday) taurant, Hale Ikena, Ft. Shafter
10 May 2014 1200, Military Recognition Luncheon, (Saturday) Coral Ballroom, Hilton Hawaiian Village
19 May 2014 0900-1430, Military Appreciation Day, (Monday) FREE Admission to Honolulu Zoo; food, beverages and entertainment provided
23 May 2014 0900, Golf Outing, Navy/Marine Golf (Friday) Course, Pearl Harbor
25 May 2014 1300, Bridge Party, Fahrni Realty Class-(Sunday) room, Aiea. Hosts: Les and Shirley Ihara
26 May 2014 0800, Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, (Monday) National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
26 May 2014 1300, Governor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, (Monday) Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe
19 June 2014 1100, Catered Lunch, Oahu Veterans Center, (Thursday) Speaker: LTC Ray Swalley, USMC, Ret., re Aviation Experiences from 1922 to 1958
20 June 2014 1000, MG Herbert E. Wolff Golf Tournament (Friday) Leilehua Golf Course. POC: Jack Bohman
17 Aug 2014 1200, Annual MOAA Picnic, Bellows AFS
11 Dec 2014 1100, Christmas Luncheon Party, Sunset (Thursday) Lanai, Camp H. M. Smith, Aiea Heights
to IHS to prepare and serve this special Sunday luncheon to the grateful homeless clients there.
Coming up shortly on Wednesday, 7 May, is our Chinatown tour followed by a luncheon at the Empress Restaurant. The tour starts from the Hawaii Heritage Center, 1040 Smith Street, viewing their historical and cultural exhibits.
May is Military Appreciation Month. It is a time for everyone to give thanks to the troops and their families for their untold and unselfish sacrifices to give us our freedom in the best country in the world. Note some of the spe-cial commemoration events in the Calendar.
Chicken Sale from Front Page
and donations, ordered the BBQ whole chickens, and supervised all of the volunteers at the pick up and the Institute of Human Services (IHS) where the donated chicken lunches were distributed to homeless for a stupendous Sunday luncheon.
No 15, May 2014 Nā Leo O Nā Koa Page 3
COL Les Ihara, USA, Ret., delivering an order of BBQ whole chickens to a drive-up cus-
tomer.
COL Les Ihara rushing to get a sushi order while COL Larry Siu, USA,
Ret., delivers the BBQ chickens.
Good friends Taffy Wells, left, and Esther Takenaka, enjoying the good times at the an-nual chicken sale
fundraiser
Mary Cho and Shirley Ihara, right, also having a good time socializing at the annual Aloha Chapter, MOAA, Chicken Sale Fundraiser. In the back-ground is LTC Harold Takenaka, USA, Ret., attempting to keep track of the financial transactions.
Marion and
LTCOL Vernon Von, USAF, Ret., obvi-ously having a good time.
A bar graph il-lustrated by Jane Kekoa, Bob Kozuki and Mark Webster
COL Harold Kuwa-hara, USA, Ret., left, and Serene, a friend of the Von’s from Singapore.
Left to right, Ana Grem-ber, sister-in-law to member CW2 Ronald Todd, USA, Ret., her friend Luz Quiroga, and COL
Sunny Young, USA, Ret.
The serving line at the IHS. Left to right, Ana, Luz, COL
Wesley Fong, USA, Ret., and Sunny Young.
NOAA Tour and Luncheon from Front Page
In fact, Hawaii has the 3rd largest concentration of NOAA facilities outside of its headquarters in Washington, D. C., with over 20 offices and 500 employees. NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurri-cane Center is one of two hurricane warning centers in the U. S.; the other is the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida. The largest coral habitat in the world is co-managed by NOAA., the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument of the Northwest-ern Hawaiian Islands. From Kure Atoll at one end of the Hawaiian archipelago to Hawaii Is-land at the other end, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service in Hawaii protects Hawaiian monk seals, humpback whales, sea turtles, and other endangered and threatened species. In 1972, the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps became the first uniformed service to recruit women on the same basis as men. The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps with ap-proximately 300 officers, all scientists or engi-neers, we were surprised to learn, has no enlisted members. At the conclusion of our educational tour, we had a cafeteria lunch.
Page 4 Nā Leo O Nā Koa No. 15, May 2014
CDR Robert A.
Kamphaus, NOAA,
explaining to us the
many missions of
NOAA and how they
affect our lives.
Steve Gallager, Site Manager, NOAA’s
Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center, Ford Island, ex-
pounding on the hi-tech deep groundwater cooling system and the utilization of trade winds for air conditioning.
LTC Darrell Large, USA, Ret., right, asking a question of CDR Robert Kamphaus, NOAA, in the Large Conference Room of NOAA’s Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center. In the background are Patty
Miller and Steve Gallager.
The museum-like atrium of the new NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional
Center, Ford Island
The very hi-tech, interactive world globe in the atrium that can be programmed for events in the past and fu-ture. It is presently depict-ing the propagation of the massive December, 2006, Indian Ocean tsunami.
A view of NOAA’s Cafeteria with Jane Kekoa waving.
No 15, May 2014 Nā Leo O Nā Koa Page 5
Aloha Chapter Party Bridge With this year’s Easter being on the 3rd Sun-day in April, the April bridge session was played a week earlier than usual on the 13th. It was hosted by Jean Wilkinson and played in the Fahrni Realty Classroom. Play began at 1300 with 3 tables with 10 regular and 2 substi-tute players.
Ending this session with the highest score for the first time this bridge-year was Mitzi Aus-tin who was the only one with scores in the 4,000’s. Just over 1,000 points less, finishing 2nd was John Kim, followed by hostess Jean Wilkinson, Les Ihara, and Joan White. The remaining players, in descending scores, were: Trudi Ernst, Bill Ernst, guest Judy Lutsy, Shirley Ihara, Leney Vine, Harriet Weiss-man, and guest Midge Brooks. As the rela-tively low scores may indicate, there were no slams bid and made.
For the 2nd consecutive month, the 3rd Sunday is a “significant day” — Mothers Day — but this time the next bridge session will be played on the 4th Sunday, 25 May. It will be played in the Fahrni Realty Classroom and hosted by Les & Shirley Ihara. Those who have not signed up but would like to play on that date must contact Les or Shirley by telephone to 239-7947, or e-mail to [email protected], not later than Wednesday, 21 May.
For the first time since the chapter’s party bridge program began in 2007, this report will be missing a photo of the top scorers. Unfor-tunately, the cellular phone camera used was lost before the photo taken could be saved for this article. My apologies to the honorees.
Shirley Ihara, Program Coordinator
Add these Websites to your “Favorites”
http://www.aloha-moaa.org http://www.moaa.org
In Memoriam Esther Kiyoko Tanaka, 79, a retired bookkeeper, died in Kaiser Medical Center, 27 March 2014. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by her husband, Aloha Chapter Life Member COL Stanley K. Ta-naka, M.D., USA, Ret.; son Glen A.; daugh-ter Fay M.T. Atebara; brothers Ernest and Walter Kokubun; and four grandchildren.
Aloha Chapter President BG John Ma, USA, Ret.; left, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie; MG Calvin Lau, USA, Ret.; and COL Harold Ku-wahara, USA, Ret.; on 17 April 2014 at the UH Orvis Auditorium, presented 39 Army ROTC gradu-ates with their respective branch insignia and awarded the top cadets of the Army—Emily C. Walker—and the Air Force—Daryl O. Robison—with MOAA Medals and Certificates of Achievement.
UH ROTC Graduation Ceremonies
VFW Needs Viet Nam Vets The Vietnam Veterans VFW Post 10583 is being shut down by the State and National VFW for having fewer than 25 members. Perhaps there are Viet Nam vets in the Aloha Chapter who would consider, if not already VFW members elsewhere, joining #10583 solely to keep it alive as the "Vietnam Veterans" post in Hawaii? The most knowledgeable member of Post 10583 is Carswell J. Ross, Jr. at 94-102 Puana St., Wai-pahu, HI 96797. I have no phone #, but an e-mail of [email protected]. John Ma
Page 6 Nā Leo O Nā Koa No. 15, May 2014
April Golf Report The weather during the week of our monthly golf outing had me on pins and needles. There were some really heavy showers the beginning of the week here in Mililani and Wa-hiawa; however, by mid-week we had some nice weather dur-
ing the day with only some nighttime showers. On Thursday we had some heavy clouds and some light rain. The morning of our golf out-ing, Friday, 25 April, I received a phone call at 0615, one of those "I can't play golf today" calls and, since I had my alarm set for 0630, I decided to remain awake and began my morning ritual. I did notice a pain on my left side between my shoulder and hips. When I went to retrieve the morning paper, the streets were wet, the skies were overcast, and a light rain falling. Somehow, my pain would increase with each sign of a pos-sibility of taking a "rain check." Nevertheless, I decided I would proceed to the golf course and at least get the group going. As I entered H-2, the road was dry and there were patches of blue skies and some sunshine, each an indication of a "lucky come Hawaii" day about to begin. My pain seemed to magically disappear and the thought of missing golf in such beautiful weather became more enticing the closer I ap-proached Barbers Point Golf Course.
I arrived at the golf course extremely early, about 0800, and went in, paid my green fees and loaded my clubs on the golf cart, there were no question that I was going to play, even if that back ache returned. It did not take long for the players to begin arriving and paying for the "blind partners" mega jackpot.
Today's participants consisted of a wahine golfer, Phyllis Yasumoto, a couple of snow birds from Novato, California, Stan and Phyllis Yasumoto; couple of first time members of Aloha Chapter, Gary Hamada and Leslie
Norm Fujiwara
Bise; the guests of Walt Kinoshita, Kerry Kiy-abu and John Harris, who replaced Janice Ki-noshita; a guest of Ken Yamada, Charlie Ta-kahama; and guests of Myron Brumaghin, Stan Goud, Carl Watanabe and Andrei Soto.
We promptly started at our assigned time of 0900 and the group was led by Kelly Lau, with Mel Soong and Ken Munechika in his group; they were followed by Mert Agena, Walt Ki-noshita, Kerry Kiyabu and John Harris; the third group consisted of Stan Yasumoto, Phyllis Yasumoto, Gary Hamada and Leslie Bise; the fourth group had a no show so they ended up as a twosome of Ken Yamada and his guest Charlie Takahama; they were followed by a fivesome of Myron Brumaghin, Bob Na-gao, and their guests Stan Goud, Carl Wata-nabe and Andrei Soto; in the last group were Joe Kuroda, Curtis Lee and yours truly.
After playing 18 holes with nary a drop of rain, we began compiling the data for our mega jackpot. After selecting all the blind partners, the dual partners’ net scores were totaled and in third place were the blind partners of Leslie Bise and Myron Brumaghin, in second place was the partners of Curtis Lee and Walt Kino-shita, and our grand champion for the day was Mert Agena who was the odd person in the group so he became his own partner and we just doubled his score and he was determined the grand champion of the day.
Congratulations to all the winners, especially our grand champion. Our Mahalo goes also to all the participants and their contribution to the mega jackpot.
Now for our thought of the day, a follow-up to our last month's thought of the day. “The last word in an argument is what SHE says. Anything HE says after that is the beginning of another argument.”
Our next month's golf outing will be at the Navy/Marine Golf Course on Friday, 23 May.
Aloha and Good Golfing, Norm
No. 15, May 2014 Nā Leo O Nā Koa Page 7
Hau'oli lHau'oli lHau'oli lHau'oli lā hhhhānau!nau!nau!nau! Partial List of
May Babies Chester Saito 5/01 John Seward 5/02 Esther Takenaka 5/03 Arthur Yamamoto 5/06 Walter Kinoshita 5/09 Dayle Carlson 5/14 Takeshi Yoshihara 5/14 Kazuto Tomoyasu 5/16 Samuel Taylor 5/19 Ben Acohido 5/22 Samuel Heth 5/22 Donald Birdseye 5/28 John Ma 5/28 Kenneth Yamada 5/28 Norman Saito 5/30
Best Wishes for many, many more
The Hawaii Army Museum Society's (HAMS) 33rd Annual Golf Tournament will be held at Leilehua Golf Course on Friday, 20 June 2014. Incidentally, HAMS Director and Aloha Chapter member LTC Les Bise, USA, Ret., is the Tournament Chairman this year.
Aloha Chapter MOAA has provided many volunteer workers for this event over the years, and the opportunity is again available; Hawaii Chapter members are also warmly welcomed to participate.
The “Tour of Duty” starts at 1000 and generally runs until around 1700; volunteers help with a multitude of Tournament tasks. In ad-dition to great fun and comradeship, volunteers all enjoy a delicious lunch, beverages during the day, are invited to attend the dinner ban-quet, and will each receive a tournament gift.
For additional information and to sign up, please contact Aloha Chapter member Jack Bohman, (808) 235-8078.
Aloha Chapter
Military Officers Association
Of America
P.O. Box 201441
Honolulu HI 96820-1356
* 2002 5-Star Chapter
* 2003 4-Star Chapter
* 2004 Winner Best Website
* 2004 2nd Runner-Up Electronic Newsletter
* 2004 4-Star Chapter
* 2005 Winner-Cat VII "Give Me 10" Recruitment Campaign
* 2005 5-Star Chapter
* 2006 4-Star Chapter
* 2007 2nd Runner-Up Print Newsletter
* 2007 5-Star Chapter
* 2008 2nd Runner-Up Print Newsletter
Aloha Chapter Awards
2014 Aloha Chapter Leadership
Directors
Effective 1 January 2014
(Term in years indicated in parenthesis)
(1) Mark Webster, USN Chairman
734-5994 [email protected]
(1) Lawrence Enomoto, USAF Parliamentarian
685-1521 [email protected]
(2) Wesley Fong, USA
595-6127 [email protected]
(2) Mel Soong, USA
254-2374 [email protected]
(1) Robert Kozuki, USA
942-4047 [email protected]
(2) Ira Tagawa, USA
487-5448 [email protected]
(2) Harold Takenaka, USA
456-7822 [email protected]
Executive Committee & Committee Chairs
President: John Ma, USA 486-4805 [email protected]
Vice President: Stephen Tom, USA 295-2570 [email protected]
Secretary: Ira Tagawa, USA 487-5448 [email protected] Treasurer: John Kim, USAF 988-3349 [email protected]
Community Affairs: Wesley F. Fong, USA 595-6127 [email protected]
Legislative Liaison: Robert G. F. Lee, HARNG 486-1488 [email protected]
Membership: Lawrence Enomoto, USAF 685-1521 [email protected]
Personal Affairs: Harold Okita (Windward), 262-0882; & John Jefferis (Leeward) 372-6601
Programs: Stephen Tom, Ira Tagawa. Melvin Soong & Helene Webster
Publications/PR: Mark Webster, USN 734-5994 [email protected]
ROTC/Veteran Affairs: Harold Kuwahara, USA 944-4010 [email protected] Bridge: Shirley Ihara 239-7947 [email protected]
Fundraising: Herb Nakagawa, USAF 271-1172 [email protected] Golf: Norman Fujiwara, USA 626-4630 [email protected]
Scholarships: Curtis Lee, USA 836-6733 [email protected]
