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PACIFIC MILITARY FACES Report of selfie-taking Milley: Up to 600 U.S. Former fighter Carano USMC pilots angers troops to remain in Syria joins ranks of fierce Japanese officials to prevent ISIS resurgence ‘Star Wars’ females Page 2 Page 4 Page 18 RB McCoy scores 3 TDS as Army snaps 5-game skid » College football, Page 29 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 148 ©SS 2019 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Shooting for authenticity Discovery of lost WWII wreckage contrasts silver-screen action with real-life consequences BY MICHAEL E. RUANE The Washington Post he first thing the research ship picked up in the darkness below was the trail of wreckage. T A jagged piece here, a hunk of twisted metal there. Clues, perhaps, to the demise of the mighty Japanese ships the R/V Petrel was searching for. Could this be debris from the enemy aircraft carri- ers as they were battered by American dive bombers? Later, out of the gloom, a form emerged. The Petrel’s underwater robot circled it carefully as experts studied the video feed and realized this was the Imperial Japa- nese Navy’s aircraft carrier Kaga, sunk at the World War II Battle of Midway. The discovery last month of the long- lost Kaga and another Japanese carrier, SEE CONTRAST ON PAGE 4 Nick Jonas performs in a scene from the new motion picture “Midway.” REINER BAJO, LIONSGATE/AP ‘Real sense of urgency’ to award last living WWII Medal of Honor holder a state funeral BY NIKKI WENTLING McNutt. if we can’t convince the president to make Stars and Stripes McNutt, who resides in Dallas, wants this designation.” President Donald Trump to approve a The Medal of Honor was awarded to WASHINGTON — Medal of Honor re- state funeral for the last living Medal of 473 service members from World War cipient Robert Maxwell, who threw himself Honor recipient from World War II. He II, according to the Congressional Medal onto an enemy grenade in France to shield founded an organization, the State Funer- of Honor Society. The two still living are fellow soldiers from the blast, died in May, al for World War II Veterans, in 2017 and Charles Henry Coolidge, 98, and Hershel leaving behind only three living Medal of brought on dozens of volunteers to plead “Woody” Williams, who celebrated his Honor recipients from World War II. that it be done. 96th birthday last month. One of them, Francis Currey — who res- With the deaths of Maxwell and Curry, BILL MCNUTT Coolidge led a group of machine-gunners cued five soldiers pinned down by German their work is becoming more desperate. and riflemen in southern France. He was Bill McNutt, right, and Medal of Honor fire — died in October. “We are feeling a real sense of urgency,” recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams. “And now there are two,” said Bill said McNutt, 64. “How sad we will all be SEE URGENCY ON PAGE 5 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Monday, November 11, 2019 PACIFIC In-flight selfies by USMC pilots anger Japanese officials BY SETH ROBSON Motegi told reporters Tuesday in Tokyo Japanese government didn’t point out any AND HANA KUSUMOTO that the Japanese government first re- of the misbehaviors detailed in it. Stars and Stripes ceived the report on Sept. 26. The report also mentions a 2016 mishap “Detailed examination showed that one involving the squadron near Kadena Air YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Japan- of the causes of the accident was that rules Base, Okinawa, in which a Hornet’s fuel based Marine Corps aviators’ antics — in- violations had become normalized in the drogue struck and sheared off a portion of cluding reading, hair grooming and letting unit that caused the accident,” he said. a KC-130J’s fuel hose and drogue. No one go of aircraft controls while posing for in- Operating U.S. military aircraft safely was injured in the incident. flight photos — are detailed in an accident is the “major premise” for U.S. forces to Motegi said U.S. military officials told report that sparked outrage among Japa- be stationed in Japan and “there must not him they are reviewing their programs nese officials who recently learned of its be anything that would concern locals,” he and manuals because of the report. contents. added. Maj. Brian Block, a spokesman for III The report says a pilot’s inexperience Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda, who Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa, conducting nighttime, in-air refueling and showed journalists the report during a told Stars and Stripes in an email Thurs- toxic leadership contributed to the midair press conference at his city hall on Tues- day that aviation safety is a top priority for collision of an F/A-18 Hornet and KC-130 U.S. Marine Corps day, said he was extremely surprised and the Marine Corps. air tanker late last year that killed six crew “We rely on the professionalism and at- members from Marine Corps Air Station An aviator with Marine All-Weather felt strong anger about the behavior. “I hope each and every service member tention of all Marines to adhere to regula- Iwakuni. Fighter Attack Squadron 242, appears tions and policies,” he said. “The findings Investigators determined that Marine to be reading a book during an in-flight will think again about how much this has made Iwakuni residents uneasy and how of the investigation reconfirm our need to All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 photo included with a report into a midair constantly evaluate risks, identify unsafe much it will damage the trust they have in suffered from “inadequate oversight of collision off Japan in December 2018. conditions, and ensure internal controls the U.S. forces,” he said at the gathering. training and operations” and an “unpro- are being followed. Iwakuni city has repeatedly asked the fessional command climate.” Four Marine taken by the squadron’s aviators while per- “Investigating ourselves when mishaps officers — the unit’s commander, its ex- forming antics like grooming facial hair Marines and the Japanese government and other events occur is vital to helping ecutive officer, its operations officer and with a switchblade comb and reading “The to take preven tive measures and educate us identify issues that create unsafe condi- its aviation safety officer — were fired as Great Santini” by Pat Conroy. It also quotes service members about safety, Fukuda tions,” Block added. a result. from an online chat group where Marine said, adding that the pilots’ actions were “outrageous.” [email protected] The report, which said officers engaged officers used inappropriate language to de- Twitter: @SethRobson1 in wrongful use of prescription and over- scribe some of their colleagues. Iwakuni city officials were given a copy [email protected] the-counter drugs, includes in-flight selfies Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu of the report on Oct. 16, he said, but the Twitter: @HanaKusumoto No injuries after USAF drops fake bomb on Japanese property BY SETH ROBSON 35th Fighter Wing as an “inert training said. It’s customary in Japan for some gov- being of our counterparts.” AND HANA KUSUMOTO device” — landed onto a private, grassy ernment representatives to not give their In January, a plastic part detached from Stars and Stripes area about 3 miles from Draughon Range, names. a Misawa-based F-16 during flight and fell a 1,900-acre complex near Misawa where The 35th Fighter Wing has “suspended to the ground in northern Japan. YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — An Air Air Force and Navy pilots train to de- dropping inert objects as part of our train- Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flying out of There were no injuries or damages. feat enemy air defenses. It’s also used ing sorties until further notice and we Misawa Air Base dropped a 500-pound In February 2018, an F-16 from Misawa dummy bomb onto the Japanese country- by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. are working with the appropriate parties was forced to drop its fuel tanks into a lake side late Wednesday, according to the To- The impact created a deep crater, accord- to recover the device,” Staff Sgt. Melanie because of an engine fire. hoku Defense Bureau. ing to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Bulow-Gonterman, a wing spokeswoman, The jet landed safely with no injuries. The Tohoku Defense Bureau has urged said in an email Friday. “We are commit- The incident happened at 6:37 p.m., and [email protected] there were no reports of injuries or dam- Misawa’s commander to investigate the ted to performing our mission in a respon- Twitter: @SethRobson1 ages, a spokeswoman said Thursday. cause of the incident and implement pre- sible manner and we will work with the [email protected] The object — described by Misawa’s ventative measures, the spokeswoman Japanese community to ensure the well- Twitter: @HanaKusumoto T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 15 Business .......................... 21 Classified ................... 19, 23 Comics/Crossword ............ 22 Faces ............................... 18 Opinion ............................ 20 Sports .........................24-32 Weather ........................... 21 Monday, November 11, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY NATO sends 1st warfare team to Montenegro BY SLOBODAN LEKIC The announcement of the de- LAURIE ELLEN SCHUBERT/U.S. Army Stars and Stripes ployment came days after the A soldier holds a Montenegrin flag during the closing ceremony of the multinational Agile Spirit U.S. military sent an elite cyber 19 exercise at Orpholo Training Area, Georgia, in August. NATO is deploying a team specialized in NATO is deploying a special- team to the Balkan nation to pro- ized team to Montenegro to try to countering hybrid warfare threats to Montenegro, its newest member state, ahead of elections in the tect networks and study the tac- Balkan state next year.

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