K-Bay Marines Return Home Needed for Joint Public Arlene Mee Served Five Months As Headquarters; Mina Sidman Uet.3D Marines Began Three-Hundred and Forty
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MCAS Kaneohe Bay Camp N.M. Smith Marino Barracks Volume. 20, No. 37 September 19, 1991 HAWAI tows Briefs Volunteers K-Bay Marines return home needed for Joint Public Arlene Mee Served five months as Headquarters; Mina Sidman Uet.3d Marines began Three-hundred and forty. for Pier; Bahrain; and for a short augmenting the Combat Fand Support blood drive four Marines of Security De- duration, King Service Element there, in Saudi International Airport. lending a hand in a variety A blood drive will be held tachment 3d Marines returned security detachment Station Monday, home last night after 5- Their vigilance had to be a ways -- mostly loading at the Air a different pallets of ammunition and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the month mission in Saudi Ara- military occupational 200-mile long area of maintained across stretches of from gear onto located next to bia. The Marines guarded specialities in 26 fields, was operations in Eastern Saudi empty horizons, through ships. family gym, formed "The performance of 7-Pay Store. For more ammunition and equipment out of individuals from Arabia. periodic sandstorms and 130 - the 3d individual Marines was information, call Sgt. Davis being retrograded and recon- Marines; Brigade Service "We are degree temperatures. Support Group-1; Marine responsible for outstanding, especially at 257-7800. stituted into the Maritime security for 12 Second only to providing Aircraft Group-24; Company providing considering the heat, long Prepositioning Fleet. sites 11 security came maintaining a B, 7th Communications different - up to at hours, inconsistent sleep Nearly 100 Marines of the a time," DeBruyne explained high level of training. CHAMPUS Battalion; and Headquarters of schedules and Spartan detachment remain in Saudi "Because of the diversity conditions," DeBruyne said. and Service Company, lit Among the locations Det. 3d the Marines' join in the needs Arabia as the follow-on body. Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Marines were guarding are the "I'm very proud of our This final group is scheduled detachment, the fundamentals Marines' performance." Detachment Commander Port of Jubayl; Camps Five, became to come home mid-to-late of infantry training The story above was statements for LtCol. David DeBruyne said. Fifteen, and Two-and-a-Half; very important," he said. October, Ammunition Supply points adapted from a report filed by The security detachment, a This disparate group arrived Two, Three, Four and Five; A third mission emerged as Marine Forces Southwest Asia certain care 450-man composite unit in the desert in mid-May and Naval Air Facility; the retrograde/reconstitution Correspondent LCpI. James F. Beginning Oct. 1, some comprised of Marines from 75 immediately took charge of a Commander Marine Forces progreeeed. On July 1, the Moore. CIIAMPUS- eligible people will need non-availability state- meats from military medical facilities before CHAMPUS will share the cost of some Outreach program type' of outpatient treatment they receive from civilian healti-care providers. In the past, non-availability state- seeks excellence ments were only needed for non-emergency inpatient care from civilian sources for people Families, deployments discussed who lived within the zip code- area of the nearest military during DoD visit to Station hospital. By Cpl. itaVin Doll for Family Programs, Deputy Hawaii Men. Stilt Wane. Assistant Secretary of Defense (Personnel Support, Families Bevy of balls The family support network military and Education), the main planned for within the did many complaints here have been things to help those left behind expressed at almost every during the Persian Gulf War, Corps' room command they've visited on 216th but there is always their tour. Probably most for improvement. prominent of these, she added, the message birthday This is Station have been complaints about the Marines will celebrate the community-members had for a lack of information filtering back Corps' 216th birthday at family support task force from the desert to the department from family various places on the island. defense during members. its day-long visit here Sept There will be an officer, a 12. the stair NCO and two enlisted The Department of Defense Although 1st Marine organized the Outreach Task Expeditionary Brigade and its The officer's ball will be twirl Force in the early stomas of the :ub.irdinate commands taitab for fished a massive ombudsman Nov. 9 at the Hilton Hawai- war to improve support program to give separated ian Village Coral Ball Room, families left behind as a result build-up families a central point of starting at 6 p.m. No ticket of the massive military contact for advice and in the Gulf. informa- price has been set yet. More tion, many spouses complained information will be forthcom- The task force worked fever- task force that ing. ishly the to find to the the Hotel reservations maybe throughout war program didn't do enough. made through Susan Wong at the gaps in the network and fill 947-7835. the holes. Now, with the war Several military spouses blamed The staff NCO ball will be several months down range, the their individual ombuds- man, who were held Nov. 8 at the Ilikai Hotel, task force is preparing to give volunteer beginning at 5:45 p.m. Tick- its last report to Congress, not spouses, for "not knowing ets will be sold at the Air only on how well families fared anything," but Station officials Station's SNCO club through during the crisis, but how DoD explained to the task force that the problem was most often with Nov. 1 at $32. Reserva- and local commands can better tions may be made through provide them during future the lack of available and for confirmable the hotel at 949-3811. deployments. information filter- Camp Smith's enlisted ball When the task force visited ing out of the desert -- some- outside will be held Nov. 8 at the the Station, as part of its Pacific thing the ombudsman's control. Hale Hoe Hotel, starting at 6 region fact-finding tour, it re- p.m. Tickets will go on sale ceived plenty of input to take "There was a feeling from some families that the Oct. 1 at Camp Smith for back to Washington. military was $20. Briefings by Station leaders 'holding something back," The Air Station's enlisted early in the day primarily shed said Maj. Geri Jones of the ball will be held Nov. 9 at the light on what worked, including Brigade's manpower administra- Windward Enlisted Club, be- innovative changes made dur- tion. "But we had to make sure ginning at 6 p.m. Tickets ing the war to meet new family our information was correct -- may be purchased from unit needs. Meeting with individual we weren't as fast as CNN, representatives for $15. Marines, sailors and their although some families expected families in the afternoon, us to be." however, the task force heard In addition to complaints mostly about what didn't work. about the lack of information, Station officials were not town meeting attendees also without suggestions for improve- aired concerns about such topics ment, though. Some recommen- as "incredibly slow mail," dations included: reduced hours of Station facili- Receiving military payment ties during the deployment and through direct deposit as soon the stopping of a Marine or as possible (now mandated by sailor's comrats, even though Marine Corps order) many families rely on that Ensuring spouses know how money to eat. to read and understand every- Single parents and dual-mili- thing on a leave and earnings tary couples had questions and statement. complaints of their own. Several Keeping an ongoing spouse said they didn't agree with volunteer ombudsman program current military deployment for information and support policies, such as single parents Setting up a fax system not being reimbursed for round- between deployed units and trip tickets to send their chil- National POW/ parent commands for faster dren to relatives and bring them information dissemination. back after a deployment, and MIA Recognition Equally, the approximately both parents being required to 100 attendees of the town deploy. Day events meeting in the afternoon were While most attention during A service will be held Friday not without comments of what the Outreach Conference was to honor those service members Training, teamwork in Tonga worked well, but their attention paid to supporting Marine still listed as POW/MIAs in was sharply focused on that families, single servicemen had MAG-24's chaplain's office, Roy& Tongan Marines and U.S. Marines prepare for their joint training during Talakuia '91 The which needed improvement. a few things to say as well. building 301, at 11:30 a.m. week long exercise was the first time a U.S. military has trslned with Tongan forces. According to Meg Falk, task Several had experienced storage At Camp H.M. Smith there force leader and deputy director See SUPPORT/A-8 will be a POW/MIA Remem- brance and Commemoration ceremony Friday at bordelon Field at 7:45 a.m. Col. B.M. Youngs, CO, HQSVC Bn., Camp Smith, will make opening remarks and perform a wreath HMH-463's MALS -24, laying ceremony. The FP4Frac Band will perform. This Week Also, a POW/MIA ceremony 'big birds' Radio Bn. will be held at 7 am. Friday at the Arizona Memorial Visitors' talk win big Woman's uniform rags explained A-3 Center. Admiral Robert J. Engineers Kelly, Commander-in-Chief, honored for heroism A4 U.S. Pacific Fleet will be guest A-2 'The Bus' schedule A4 speaker for the ceremony. In B-1 Station medical clinic's services A-7 addition there will he a joint reenlistment ceremony for 32 servicemen and women from Hawaii military commands.