Pearl Harbor
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INSIDE Hawaii Military Week Events A-2 Word on the Street A-3 Radio Recon Screening A-4 SACO of the Quarter A-6 Every Clime and Place A-8 Asian/Pacific Heritage B-1 MCCS B-2 Sports B-3 Windward Half Marathon B-4 M ARINEARINEMarine Makeponos B-5 VolumeM 30, Number 19 www.mcbh.usmc.mil May 24, 2001 Epic premiers on Oahu Camp Smith Marine honored Cpl. Jacques-René Hébert MarForPac Public Affairs CAMP H.M. SMITH – A product from a diverse past, his parents had crossed archaic and outdated social and cultural lines to make a life together. His father was full-blooded Jewish, while his mother was half Spanish and half Puerto Rican. The two met in his father’s native Brooklyn, N.Y and eventually settled there. A city of asphalt and anger, poetry and police, Brooklyn boasts a patchwork of neighborhoods that vary drastically in nationality and cultural identities. But for 1st Sgt. Harry Rivera of Headquarters and Service Co., Camp H.M. Smith, his upbringing was filled with love and discipline, which shel- tered him from the hard New York streets. “New York’s diversity gave me an op- portunity to see from many different perspectives,” Rivera reflected. “My father was firm,” he remem- bered. “Whatever I did, he stressed that I do it to the best of my ability.” Image by Andrew Cooper for Touchstone Pictures And this he did. Rivera was recog- A stupendous air attack upon Pearl Harbor by bombers from the Imperial Empire of Japan shatters the world and changes the nized as Marine Corps Times “Marine course of history, in Touchstone Pictures’ epic drama, “Pearl Harbor,” which opens in theaters Friday. of the Year” during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., May 17. For Rivera, the road to top Marine Hollywood invades Pearl Harbor hasn’t been exactly straight. From Brooklyn native to Marine drill instruc- tor, baseball hopeful to Marine Corps the history of the Disney subsidiary, of the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Sgt. David Salazar Times “Marine of the Year,” Rivera has Touchstone Pictures. Disney crews spent the Missouri. Editor lead a life a little less than ordinary. latter part of the past week converting the The Honolulu Symphony entertained the As a child on the tough blocks of ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STEN- ship’s 4.5-acre flight deck to an outdoor the- crowd with musical numbers while Dick Brooklyn, thoughts of Chesty Puller, NIS, PEARL HARBOR – In what was to be ater under the stars. Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Pictures Smedley Butler, and Dan Daley were far the second invasion of Pearl Harbor, more A more than 850-foot-long crimson carpet Group, introduced and thanked Oahu mili- from his mind. Rather, visions of than 2,000 guests boarded the nuclear-pow- lead celebrities and guests from the pier to tary officials including Lt. Gen. Frank Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench and ered aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, the ship’s gangway where guests were then Libutti, commander, Marine Forces Pacific, Thurman Munson, were the heroes that Monday, for the world premier of Disney’s lifted via a massive elevator normally used and the cast and crew of “Pearl Harbor.” kept him out of trouble. newest epic film, “Pearl Harbor.” for loading heavy equipment onto the ship’s Crews then lowered the majestic 125-foot “I tried not to stay in the streets,” re- Among the guests were the stars of film, hull. wide, four story-tall screen for the showing flected Rivera. “I wanted to make sports Oahu military officials, state elected offi- Once guests were seated, they were treat- of the three-hour-long epic. my world.” cials, local celebrities, more than 500 mem- ed to military demonstrations by Navy and It wasn’t only the film that moved the au- As a student at John Jay High School bers of the media from across the globe, and Army personnel while they waited for the dience to tears though. After the film was in Brooklyn, he became a stellar athlet- Pearl Harbor bombing survivors. show’s start. Grammy Award winner Faith over, the screen was again raised to reveal ic performer, taking part in swimming, The $5 million-dollar gala marked the Hill opened the show with her rendition of largest and most extravagant film premier in “The Star Spangled Banner,” set within view See PREMIER, A-12 See RIVERA, A-14 USS Missouri hosts HMAW kickoff ceremony Cpl. Jacques-René Hébert as the U.S.S. Stennis, an awesome display of the modern nu- MarForPac Public Affairs clear powered warships that our Navy is now using.” Next, Hawaii Governor, the Honorable Ben Cayetano, offi- FORD ISLAND – With the USS Arizona memorial as a bril- cially proclaimed May 17-26 as Military Appreciation Week for liant, white reminder of the Harbor’s fiery past, an opening cer- 2001. emony at the famous USS Missouri kicked off Hawaii’s Military “This week is just a small token of thanks for all you’ve (the Appreciation Week May 17. military) contributed in the defense of our country,” Cayetano The event, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of said. Hawaii, commenced with a joint-forces color guard marching Accepting the proclamation was Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas to the music of the Marine Forces Pacific band. R. Case, deputy commander in chief for the U.S. Pacific Ken Sandefur, chair of the military affairs council of the Command. Chamber of Commerce, gave the welcoming remarks, remem- “Men, women and veterans of the armed forces,” Case be- bering the past, present, and future of the U.S. military. gan, “I can’t tell you how proud I am to represent Adm. (Dennis) Petty Officer 3rd Class Sunday Sawyer “Welcome to the 17th annual commencement of Military Blair (Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command) and you in A joint service color guard stands at attention dur- Appreciation Week,” Sandefur began. “What a perfect setting ing the HMAW kickoff ceremony May 17. for this event. Off behind me is the Arizona memorial as well See HMAW, A-12 Small battery causes big problems for CSSG-3 Marines Sgt. Richard W. airborne radio systems from a unit Brandon J. Raccio, another field ra- battery. Station Eight wasn’t going Holtgraver Jr. that had recently been in the field. dio operator for CSSG-3, who had to take any chances with the recov- Combat Correspondent While handling the batteries, been in the room at the time of the ery of the potentially lethal battery. they discovered that one of the units incident quickly evacuated the en- Dressed in blue, level “A” de- Two Marine sergeants from was leaking toxic Sulfur Dioxide tire building and called the Federal contamination suits, firemen Combat Service Support Group-3, gas. Fire Department. Patrick McAnnallay and Manuel Headquarters Co., faced a life- “I smelled the gas and I thought Sulfur Dioxide is a corrosive gas, Balaski entered the evacuated threatening situation May 17, and there was a possibility I was ex- according to Thomas Rey, a safety building and secured the small their quick reaction saved the lives posed to the toxic fumes,” said Sgt. specialist for the safety office power pack so it could be disposed of more than 40 other Marines in Rudolph B. Frazier, a field radio aboard MCB Hawaii. of properly by MCB Hawaii Sgt. Richard W. Holtgraver Jr. building 1044. operator for CSSG-3. “All I could Once the area was secure, and Hazardous Materials Division. A firefighter dressed in a level “A” decontamination suit, rinses That morning, their work section think about was the safety of my the appropriate officials were noti- Once the battery was secure, himself thoroughly under a received three BA5590 lithium bat- Marines in the area.” fied, the fire department was given shower after retrieving a faulty teries for single channel ground and That’s when Frazier and Sgt. the “go ahead” to retrieve the faulty See GAS, A-14 battery. A-2 • May 24, 2001 HAWAII MARINE MCBH NEWS Marine saves family from fire Pvt. Iain A. Schnaible to the infant’s room and rescue BRIEFS Combat Correspondent him, only to be repeatedly pushed back and severely On April 28, 1999, around 3 burned by the viciously hot EMORIAL AY EEKEND M D W a.m., a house in Roseburg, flames. After realizing that AFETY S Ore., was engulfed in flames. there was no chance of reach- The MCB Hawaii Command Deck reminds In the house lay the family, ing the infant, Exceen went Marines, Sailors, family members and civilian sleeping their night away. back outside and directed the employees to have a fun but safe Memorial Day Suddenly the mother awoke arriving firefighters to the lo- Weekend. and screamed in fear at the cation of the infant’s room and sight of her house full of smoke the source of the fire. YOUTH SOCCER COACHES and flame. Once the fire was extin- NEEDED The scream awakened the guished, Exceen learned that The MCB Hawaii Youth Sports organization father, who realized his family his valiant effort was tainted by needs five coaches for the upcoming soccer sea- was still in the house. the infant’s death. son. As he attempted to The firefighters were Interested individuals may contact Clark rescue an infant from unable to get to the Abbey at 254-7611 to volunteer. another room, he was room in time to res- Pvt. Iain A. Schnaible badly burned and cue him. Lieutenant Col.