VOLUME 16 NO. 18 APRIL 16 – APRIL 29, 2021 SUBMIT STORIES TO: GUAM@STRIPES.COMGUAM.STRIPES.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC FREE MILITARY CHILDREN HAVE LOTS TO SAY PAGE 6

Marshall with other repatriated American POWs in Norman, OK, September 1945. Photo by BUMED PAO, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Congratulate a 2021 grad! Our annual Grad Tab highlighting Pacific DODEA high schools and their graduating classes will appear in the May 28 edition of Stripes Guam. For just $19, customize your own message that will appear in this keepsake edition. What you need: • A photo of the graduate PETER MARSHALL’S JOURNEY • Graduate’s first name • Your name, as you want it to appear in print (e.g. “Suzy & Steve” or “Mom & Dad”) • A congratulatory message of no more than 20 words The story of the last living • The graduate’s high school Send info by May 14, 5 p.m. to Pacifi[email protected] and a Stripes representative will American POW on Guam follow-up with you right away. BY ANDRÉ SOBOCINSKI, Marshall battled through pulmonary tu- Hospital San Diego where trained as an U.S. NAVY BUREAU OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY berculosis contracted at the prison camps, Operating Room (OR) technician (now INSIDE INFO post-traumatic stress disorder and even a known as a Surgical Technologist). Earning n March 25th, 2021, Peter Breckin- bout of COVID-19 before passing away at $54/month as a Hospital Apprentice First ridge Marshall’s journey came to the Prescott VA Medical Center earlier in Class, his job was to provide nursing care an end as he was laid to rest beside www.guampedia.com O March 2021. in the operating room, safety, and support his wife Faye at the National Cemetery at Marshall’s journey began in Long Lane, patients before, during and after surgery. Cave Creek, Arizona. GETET TO Missouri, 50 miles northeast of Springfield. In January 1941, Marshall and two oth- GUAM Among those pay- This was not so much a town as a family KNOW ing their respects er OR Techs received orders for the Naval were his family and farm situated along a long country road. Hospital Guam, arriving in early February He was the tenth of 12 children. His early of that year. Navy Medicine has had a pres- PAGES 8-9 friends, members of his beloved Hospi- childhood read like The Adventures of Tom ence on Guam going back to the Spanish- tal Corps, the Patriot Sawyer, whose eponymous hero wandered American War. In the months leading to Guard Riders, and lo- the backroads of Missouri seeking adven- the war Naval Hospital Guam consisted of cal media. ture and fostering an active imagination. four 2-storied bungalow-type buildings— The story of Mar- Growing up he saw his older brothers a main administration hospital and three shall is one of humil- enter military service—and in World War principal ward buildings (containing 30 ity, survival, and—to II, six of the 12 Marshall children served beds a piece). The four buildings formed a be sure—longevity. Peter Marshall in the military. With a little wanderlust in square with a courtyard in the center. The Living to be a cen- his heart, in October 1939—at the age of main building was used for administration, tury old, Marshall earned the distinction 18—Peter Marshall enlisted in the Navy to sick call and also contained the galley and as the last of the Prisoners of War (POW) expand his horizons and “see the world.” storerooms. The average complement at captured on Guam in World War II. His After basic training at Great Lakes, he at- the hospital before the war was six to 12 captivity lasted 1,386 days—the dura- tended Hospital Corps School in San Di- tion of the war. In the years after the war ego and then briefly served at the Naval SEE POW ON PAGE 4 2 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 Emergency management feels the CBRNE

STORY AND PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN HELENA OWENS, ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE

Max D. Lederer Jr. ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE Publisher Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic – “Practice how you play.” You Commander may have heard a coach or par- Chris Verigan Engagement Director ent tell you this once or twice Marie Woods while learning a sport or hobby Publishing and Media Design Director and for the members of the U.S. Chris Carlson Publishing and Media Design Manager Air Force it’s the same. Wheth- Eric Lee er you are an athlete training Advertising and Circulation Manager for game day or a pilot training Monte Dauphin Guam Area Manager for a sortie, practice is key. Kentaro Shimura Production Manager For the 36th Civil Engineer Rie Miyoshi Squadron emergency manage- Engagement Manager ment flight at Andersen Air Denisse Rauda Publishing and Media Design Editor Force Base, Guam, prepara- Publishing and Media Design Writers tion and prevention are some of ChiHon Kim Shoji Kudaka their main priorities. To be able Airman 1st Class Maria Daneault instructs Senior Airman James Fink how to don his mask during Chemical, Biological, Takahiro Takiguchi Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives defense training at Andersen Air Force Base on March 25. to accomplish Andersen’s mis- Layout Designers Mamoru Inoue sion, the emergency manage- Yukiyo Oda for that next step in war, essen- of the readiness and emergency allies, our partners and our- Yuko Okazaki ment flight develops and main- Kayoko Shimoda tially.” management flight a part of the selves so that we expedite col- Multimedia Consultants tains readiness for all Airmen. Emergency Management 36th CES. “Our Airmen have to lective responses to any chal- Max Genao Doug Johnson Jason Lee Hans Simpson “I have many different du- isn’t just training for CBRNE have a very high level of atten- lenges to the rules based on Chae Pang Yi Gianni Youn Robert Zuckerman ties, but my main focus is the attacks, it is also planning for tion to detail because ultimately international order. Graphic Designers training section classes,” said natural disasters, coordinating its life-or-death situations they “We are important in so many Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class prompt response during disas- train for.” different aspects,” said Da- Sales Support Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa Maria Daneault, an emergency ter relief operations, including Readiness and resilience of neault. “Thankfully we haven’t Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro Yusuke Sato Saori Tamanaha management apprentice as- mobilizing resources, and gov- our force protects the home- had to experience a disaster Toshie Yoshimizu Un Chong Yu signed to the 36th Civil Engi- ernment organizations. land, deters aggression and en- in the past couple of years but Distributors Joe Guzman neer Squadron. “I help provide “It takes a very astute, moti- sures Pacific Air Forces’ ability if or when it does happen our John Wesley the foundation for educating vated and hardworking Airmen to fight and win if needed. Ex- team will be able to effectively For feedback and inquiries, contact [email protected] the base on Chemical, Biologi- to be part of this specialized ca- ercises, exchanges and opera- get the base back to mission op- To place an ad, call 355-5160 cal, Radiological, Nuclear and reer field,” said U.S. Air Force tions refine the readiness and erations, ultimately because we guam.stripes.com/contact Explosives defense to prepare 1st Lt. John Flory, commander resilience of the joint team, our ‘practice like we play’.” APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 3 4 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 POW: ‘Kind man and devoted to his family’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 was assigned backbreaking duty as a stevedore trans- porting cargo onto ships and unloading freight onto train medical officers, one pharmacist, two to five nurses, and cars and trucks. At the camp Marshall began suffering 30 to 40 hospital corpsmen. respiratory problems. To be sure, showing any weak- On Monday morning, December 1941, Marshall was ness was never good and only a limited number of pris- scrubbing in for the first operation of the day when the oners were permitted to miss work to recuperate. For a surgeon Lt. Cmdr Hubert Van Peenen entered the OR to time, a Navy pharmacist’s mate second class (Clayton announce that all operations were cancelled. Pearl Har- Atwood) ran a sick bay and held daily sick call for the bor had been attacked and Japanese planes were now prisoners. There was also a makeshift “hospital” at the overhead. As he spoke, the Marine barracks was being stadium, but those who were sent there were often on bombed and the hospital was strafed. Immediately, the their last legs and rarely returned. Among the prisoners hospital medical personnel went into action preparing it was believed that only ten percent of the patients sent triage wards and soonafter received their first patients to the hospital came back alive. When Marshall began of the war. The next day, as they continued to tend to suffering illness he tried to hide his condition as best he Peter Marshall and his wife Faye in 1946. Photo by André Sobocinski, the wounded the hospital’s Commanding Officer, Capt. could for fear of being sent to the hospital. U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery William Lineberry came by with some bad news. “He It was only when his breathing became so labored didn’t mince words,” Marshall later recalled. “He said that he could barely stand, he saw a doctor that had Marshall was in and out of VA hospitals over the next by this time tomorrow we would all be prisoners of war newly arrived at the camp. He was diagnosed with fluid few years because of his TB and eventually underwent or killed. I don’t think I slept a wink that night.” in his pleural cavity and a partially collapsed lung. The a pleurodesis to prevent future episodes of collapsed doctor then took out a large needle and syringe and per- lung. He later became a serologist at a laboratory in formed a thoracentesis to remove some of the fluid from Arizona where he specialized in work on Valley Fever. 1,386 DAYS AND NIGHTS his lung. This offered temporary relief, but Marshall In 1950, American POWs were compensated for By the time Guam was attacked, all the medical would continue to suffer respiratory issues for years to $1.00 a day every day they were imprisoned. The money personnel knew about the devastation in Shanghai and come. came from frozen wartime Japanese and German as- Nanking and at Pearl Harbor. When Guam surrendered sets. That year Marshall received a check for $1,386— on December 10, the Japanese came by the hospital the most money he had ever received in his life up to compound and ordered Capt. Lineberry to limit his staff REPATRIATION AND RETURN TO SERVICE that point. to 20 and move all patients and staff into a single ward. While on work detail on the morning of June 1, 1945, Despite the many hardships as a POW, Marshall’s The other staff was to be moved to a nearby church. Marshall heard a loud droning overhead that caused the family said he was never bitter and held no ill-feelings Marshall remained at the hospital working alongside ground to shake. Looking up he saw a group of B-29 Su- towards the Japanese people—it was only the thoughts Dr. Van Peenen and other hospital personnel. perfortresses overhead that was soon followed by the of those smirking soldiers that held him and his fellow On December 12th, the Japanese gathered 20 staff dropping of bombs onto the camp. The bombardment prisoners at gun point that occasionally bothered him members including Marshall to the center of the hos- lasted four hours. The camp was levelled and the sur- later in life. He rallied against the injustices the Japa- pital compound and lined them up in a row directly in viving prisoners were rounded into temporary quarters nese-Americans faced at U.S. internment camps during front of a manned machine gun with another machine for three weeks before being packed into a boxcar des- the war. In the 1960s, he became strong advocate for gun pointed at them on their right side. tined for the port of Fushiki with a bucket of rice and a Civil Rights in Arizona, took part in marches on Flag- “I had never been so scared in all my life,” Marshall single toilet to share. Marshall later remarked, “From staff and fought for the hiring of minorities at the labo- remembered. ”I can truthfully say I know how it feels the time we were taken prisoner there were two con- ratory he worked at. just before you are put to death. My heart was pounding. stants for me—hunger and humiliation. I think this was Like many World War II veterans, Marshall never I could feel sweat running down my body.” Instead of true for every American POW.” shared his war experiences. Growing up, his daughters being shot they were instead given a long-winded pro- At the new camp the prisoners were a mess and ra- knew that he served in the war, but it was never a topic paganda speech. The trauma of that event later caused tions were even more meager than they had been. “Peo- of discussion at the dining room table or anytime for Marshall “black out” and not remember anything for ple were dying all over the place, two or three a week that matter. Curiously though, when they were children the next three weeks. from dysentery and other related diseases,” remem- he taught them how to count in Japanese, a skill they he It was January 10, 1942 when Marshall and his fel- bered Marshall. “I could hardly wait for a work detail learned when mustering at the prison camps. low prisoners were finally removed from the hospital just to get away from the camp.” It was in the 1990s—during the many World War II compound and gathered with other POWs from the is- Again as a stevedore, Marshall began to work bare- commemoration events—that triggered some of those land—including 300 American military personnel, 200 foot just to ensure that his shoes would last another “bad memories” Marshall had internalized all of those American civilians, five Navy nurses (including a future winter. Fortunately that winter would never come. On years. While he was in his seventies, he began to draft director of the Nurse Corps), a serviceman’s wife and August 16, 1945, the prisoners at Fushiki were informed a memoir in order to deal with those painful experienc- her baby, and five Spanish priests. They were marched that Japan and the Allies were discussing peace terms. es. Remarkably this was the first time his family and to the Piti Navy Yard and loaded onto Argentina Maru They were supplied food and a radio when they learned friends learned about his experiences as a POW. Over prison ship destined for Japan. The naval hospital Mar- through on an English station that prison camps were the last decades of his life Marshall began accepting shall had left ceased to exist at that point. urged to draw a large “POW sign” for aerial spotting. interviews and speaking about his experiences proved Arriving on the morning of January 15th, the prison- On August 23, an American plane dropped a bundle cathartic for him. ers were each given two slices of bread, ferried ashore of cigarettes and a note stating that their camp has been For his daughters, Peter Marshall was more than a without blankets or adequate clothing in the cold tem- spotted. Additional parcels containing K-rations and sailor who served as a POW. perature and across the snowy landscape. The women cigarettes “galore” were dropped on the camp in the His daughter Beverly spoke about his great sense and child were separated from the men who were pho- ensuing days. Just over a week later, the first military of humor and playful nature. To entertain his children tographed and then taken to Zentsuji prison camp, an personnel arrived at Marshall’s camp to repatriate the and his many nieces and nephews he would walk on his old army barracks that had housed Russian prisoners prisoners. hands and clown around. In the mornings he would wake during the Russo-Japanese War some forty years ear- up his daughters by saying “reveille in the swamps” or lier. Officers were then separated from enlisted. En- “Get up now. The Rebels are coming.” And on Christ- listed personnel (E-5 and below) were assembled into LIFE AFTER SERVICE mas morning—he was the biggest kid in the house—and working parties and assigned to clear the land for plant- After being repatriated, Marshall returned to his would wake up his daughters two o’clock in the morning ing crops and to work as stevedores loading box cars family and to service. He and his wife Faye had two to open presents. and ships. The Navy nurses were later exchanged for daughters—Cynthia and Beverly—both born after the For Cynthia, there is sadness in the loss of a father Japanese prisoners that year aboard the Swedish ship war. And Marshall was happy to return the Navy that he who is the last of the 12 Marshall siblings. But more than Gripsholm. loved and sought to “make a career” out of the Hospital anything she wants him to be remembered for a lifetime Marshall and 150 fellow POWs were relocated to Corps. as a caring person who always had time for others and Osaka in June 1942—first interned at the stadium quar- He attended laboratory technician “C” school at the loved making people happy despite his own hardships. ters and then the notorious Osaka POW Camp No. 1. National Naval Medical Center Bethesda and was as- “I want people to know that he was a kind man, and At that point, Marshall realized that he and the others signed to the dispensary at the Marine Corps Air Sta- devoted to his family.” were “in it for the long haul” and their plight was not tion in Cherry Point, N.C. (the precursor Naval Hospital going to be over soon. By the summer of 1942, he was Cherry Point). Sources: „Hopkins, Cynthia and Beverly Doyle. “An Interview about Peter one among 27,000 Americans facing forced labor, star- One day he began feeling run-down and was sent Marshall.” Interview conducted by A.B. Sobocinski, 18 March 2021. vation, disease, and torture at Japanese prison camps. to the Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune for testing. They „Jackson, Leona. Notes made aboard SS Gripsholm, 1942. Navy Forty percent of these American POWs never made it discovered that he had active pulmonary tuberculosis. Department Library. out of those camps. Marshall was transferred to Naval Hospital St. Albans, „Marshall, Peter. 1368 Day: An American POW in WWII Japan. Eugene, OR: Luminare Press, 2017. Marshall served alongside Americans, Australians, N.Y., for advanced treatment before being medically „Patton, W.K. “Naval Hospital Guam.” A History of Naval Hospitals British, Chinese, Dutch and Indians at Osaka. He again discharged from the Navy in July 1948. (unpublished), ca 1970. BUMED Archives APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 5 6 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021

Ms. Bailey & Ms. Bartl Virtual class 1st grade CELC LEBRATINGLEBRATINLEBRATINGEBRATING MONTHMONTH OFTHEOOFF THE MILITARY CHILDCHCHILD

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– Isaiah Turner, Ikego

– Charlie Cardenas, Iwakuni

– Darius Branigan, Ikego

– Jeremy Acosta, Iwakuni

– Cheryl Chen, Yokosuka

– Maddox Groen, Okinawa

– Carter Wilson, Okinawa

– Minerva Acevedo Lopez, Misawa

Check out more military children stories at: – Azarah Roberts, Okinawa militarychild.stripes.com – Brendan Hackett, Ikego APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 7 8 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021

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A VILLAGE PROFILE COURTESY OF GUAMPEDIA Editor’s note: The U.S. territory of Guam is comprised of 19 villages, many with their own distinct character, history and points of interest. Stripes Guam and Guampedia have joined forces to present this weekly feature on each of them in the hopes that it will help our readers get out – and get to know – our gracious hosts. To learn more about Guam’s people, history, culture and places, visit: guampedia.com

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tion of farms in a given section. The Mangilao-Barrigada area was chosen be- cause of its rolling plateaus and proximity to the island’s capital, Hagåtña. To encourage people to live on their farms and produce more, Price built a road into the area and then the Mangilao School in 1926. He ordered families to send their children to the school, so they would have to live in Mangilao during the week and in their Hagåtña homes only during the weekend. Price ordered that an agricul- ture department and a dairy factory be built in the village. After World War II, Mangilao continued to be Spanish Mission Style Architecture, 1950 Photo by Guampedia Guam’s main farming area. Some of the village’s major crops included tapioca, cassava, corn, mongo BY VICTORIA-LOLA LEON GUERRERO, MFA, freshwater caves and ancient latte. beans, tomatoes, peppers and other beans. Many GUAMPEDIA Originally, Pagat was thought to have been oc- people paid for their homes by selling these crops cupied during the later part of the Ancient Guam to a new population of people that moved to Mangi- angilao derives its name from the word Period or early in the Spanish Period in the late lao – construction workers. The village housed ilao, which means to look for something. seventeenth century. Because of the areas limited thousands of construction workers employed by MIn the past, hunters and fishermen accessibility, it was theorized that the first inhabit- the military who lived there during the post-war re- would go to Mangilao to search for crabs, deer, ants had fled from Spanish rule, but the discovery building boom. Roads and houses were built to ac- wild pigs, and fish. of a certain type of pottery found there in the 1980s commodate the workers, and grocery stores began has proven to be typical of an earlier settlement, to line the village’s main road. perhaps just more than a thousand years ago. Although Mangilao quickly developed into a Village history Mangilao lacks a natural water source, therefore, prominent village, it was not fully recognized as it was not until the late 1920s that the area would be one at that time. Until the 1950s, Mangilao fell un- The village of Mangilao today is fairly new, but repopulated after water wells, a school, and a road der the municipality of Barrigada. Jesus Pereira, the area has ancient sites that date back more than were built. People who owned ranches in Mangilao who worked for the Barrigada commissioner and a thousand years. The district of Pagat, located on farmed there during the day and, at night, would supervised the Mangilao area, believed the village Route 15 (also commonly referred to as the back return to their homes in Hagåtña. In the 1920s, Na- deserved to stand on its own. At the time, he said road to Andersen), was once an ancient Chamorro val Governor Henry B. Price launched a vigorous Mangilao did not receive a fair portion of Barri- village. Pagat is one of the most scenic areas on “back-to-the-soil movement” to convince Chamor- gada’s budget and needed a separate budget the island, with breathtaking cliff lines that over- ros to develop their agriculture and become self- and its own leadership. He submitted a re- look the Pacific Ocean, and jungle trails that lead to sufficient. Part of his program was the concentra- quest and Mangilao became a municipality of

Left: Santa Teresita, Mangilao Right: Mangilao Church Photos by Guampedia APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 9

its own. is the oldest public high school on Guam. Its first grad- and Biblical studies. Pereira became the first elected commis- uating class was in 1940. In 1945 it was moved from sioner in 1952 and served the village un- the capital to Sinajana and then to Mongmong in 1952. Santa Teresita Church til 1968. During his tenure as mayor, Pereira saw It was rebuilt in Mangilao in 1965 and remains in this Mangilao’s Catholic church, established in 1951, Mangilao transform into what it is today – a growing present location. was redesigned from its former Spanish missionary town with the island’s only university and communi- style to its new architectural design and rebuilt on a ty college, several government agencies, public and Guam Community College lot adjacent to the former church building after being private schools, non-profit organizations, businesses Initially established as Guam Vocational Technical destroyed by Supertyphoon Pongsona in December and the island’s prison and youth detention facility. High School, Guam Community College—a public vo- 2002. cational educational institution—was created in 1977 by Public Law 14-77. The legislation was aimed at Sisters of Mercy Convent strengthening and consolidating vocational education The Mercy convent opened in 1951 in Tai, Mangi- on the island. GCC has offered secondary and post- lao as a second convent to accommodate the growing secondary vocational programs, adult and continuing number of sisters and novices. The first convent was in education, community education, and short-term spe- the capital city of Hagåtña. cialized training programs. An Act of Congress in 1946 and 1963 and subsequent amendments designated the United Methodist Church Historical college as the State Board of Control for vocational Methodist church members received a loan from Marbo Cave education. Today GCC offers more than fifty courses the United Methodist Development fund in 1996 to Marbo Cave is a freshwater coastal cave. The of study that are job related. Additionally, the college build this church on Route 15 in Mangilao. The con- spring was used to supply fresh water by the Japa- offers courses of study to prepare its students to trans- gregation was initiated on Guam in 1971. nese administration until 1944 and then by the U.S. fer to four-year colleges and universities. Army until 1950. The cement foundation in front of University of Guam the spring supported a large pump to bring up water KGTF-TV Public Television Station In June 1952 the Government of Guam established from the spring. KGTF-TV, Guam’s first and only public broadcast- the Territorial College of Guam as a two-year teacher ing television station, went on the air for the first time training school in the village of Mongmong under the Pagat Cave on October 30, 1970. The station was initially funded Department of Education. In 1960 the college moved Located on the eastern side of Guam along the by a federal grant from the Department of Health, to its present location along the cliffline in Mangilao coastline, Pagat Cave is located in a sinkhole at the Education and Welfare and the Government of Guam. and by that time had expanded the academic pro- bottom of a cliff and contains a deep freshwater pool. KGTF established its offices, tower, and transmitter in grams, faculty and staff to meet the needs of increas- Mangilao where it continues to operate today. An ex- ing enrollment. Administrative control over the col- ecutive order created the Guam Telecommunications lege was transferred in 1963 from the Department of Commission, which enables KGTF to be licensed from Education to a five-member Board of Regents. Recreational the Federal Communications Commission. In 1974 the The college was accredited as a four-year, degree Eagle Field 12th Guam Legislature made a public law to create a granting institution that same year and again in 1965. This recreational and sports field is located along nonprofit, public corporation to operate KGTF creat- After gaining the maximum five-year accreditation pe- Route 15. It was recently renovated for youth football ing the Guam Education Telecommunications Corpo- riod, the college was renamed the University of Guam leagues. Private skydiving companies also use the ration. by an act of the Guam Legislature. An Act of the Unit- area as a landing site. KGTF works closely with Guam’s educational insti- ed States Congress on June 22, 1972 designated the tutions and the local government to raise the standards university as a land-grant institution. The university Onward Mangilao Golf Club in education providing outreach activities, workshops, later gained Administrative Autonomy with the enact- This Mangilao golf course is located on the central and training sessions to parents, caregivers, and edu- ment of Public Law 13-194, “The Higher Education eastern coastline of Guam. It offers 6,904 yards of sce- cators of young children. Act” in 1976 establishing it as a non-membership, non- nic landscape for each of its 18-golf holes. It was origi- profit corporation under the control of a nine-member nally opened in April 1992. 3DFLƓF%LEOH&ROOHJH Board of Regents appointed by the Governor of Guam Established in 1991 on Guam, this educational in- with the advice and consent of the Legislature. The Thousand Steps stitution offers Associate of Arts (AA) degrees, and a University of Guam is recognized today as the major This set of concrete steps, which actually number Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees with focus on Christian institution of higher learning in the Western Pacific. closer to 150 very steep steps, provides public ac- cess to the beach at the Mangilao Golf Club. Visitors can see a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean along Guam’s eastern coast or a spectacular sunset. This village at a glance &DSWDLQ+%3ULFH(OHPHQWDU\6FKRRO • Population: According to the US Census, there were divisions bordering Dededo and Yigo. These subdivi- 15,191 people living in Mangilao. sions include Latte Heights, Latte Plantation, Sunrise Villa, More commonly known by the shorter name of Ř 9LOODJH RIƓFLDOV Allan Ungacta, Mayor, 2017-Present; Banyan Heights, and lower and upper Pagat. The village Price Elementary School, this school is part of the Nonito C. Blas, Commissioner/Mayor, 1987-2016; Nico- has been called “Guam’s capital of education” because Guam Public School System and houses grades Kin- las D. Francisco, Commissioner, 1973-1987; Jesus D.L.R. both the University of Guam and the Guam Community dergarten through grade five. The school was opened Santos, Commissioner, 1969-1973; Jesus T. Pereira, Com- College are located there. in 1958. It was named after Price who was a former missioner, 1952-1969; Manuel T. Sablan, Commissioner, Several other government agencies are also located in naval governor of the island in the 1920s who pushed 1950-1952; Francisco P. Pangelinan, Commissioner, Mangilao, including the Department of Public Health for agricultural development in the area at the time. 1933-1944; Thomas Duenas, Vice Mayor, 2017-Present. and Social Services, the Department of Agriculture, the (courtesy of Konsehelon Mahot Guåhan/the Mayor’s Department of Corrections, the Department of Youth George Washington High School Council of Guam.) Affairs and several schools. Many island residents work Commonly referred to as G.W., this high school is • Village description: The village of Mangilao is located in Mangilao and have moved to the area to be closer to one of four high schools within the Guam Public School in central Guam. It lies between the villages of Barrigada work. About 6,000 people who do not live in Mangilao System. G.W. was established in 1936 in Hagåtña (to and Chalan Pago. The village also branches off into sub- come to the village for work during the week. replace the Seaton Schroeder Junior High School) and

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East Coast Photo by Guampedia GUAM.STRIPES.COM 10 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 Wake Island up! It’s time to train!

SeniorS Airman Juan Ordonez calls in a nine line report.

Senior Airman Jasmine De La Sierra conducts Self Aid Buddy Care.

Master Sgt. Jordan Smith, weather flight chief assigned to the 36th Operation Support Squadron, sets up weather systems equipment gear during a field training exercise on Wake Island, Western Pacific, April 2. Airmen assigned to the 36th Contingency Response Group, prepare to off load a C-17 Globemaster Photos by Staff Sgt. Divine Cox, U.S. Air Force III assigned to the 8th Airlift Squadron, McChord Air Force Base, Wash. during a field training exercise on Wake Island. APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 11 Army medics give shot of hope to Saipan

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRAD RUSZALA, JOINT REGION MARIANAS

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Is- lands – A team of 12 U.S. Army medical professionals began ad- ministering COVID-19 Vaccine doses to members of the local community in Saipan, April 3. The team, composed of a medical officer and combat medic specialists assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at U.S. Army Garrison Ha- waii, traveled to Saipan, April 1. The Soldiers are slated to complete a 30-day mission as- signment to augment Common- wealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC) medical providers in their campaign to vaccinate the Commonwealth of Northern Sgt. Franchesca Esteban (left) and Mariana Islands (CNMI) com- Staff Sgt. Joshua Padilla administer COVID-19 vaccines in Saipan. munity. Following the medical team’s Torres voiced his gratitude for at the MCATS and during the Marianas, echoed Torres’ sen- vaccination campaign and help- arrival, CHCC Chief Operating the assistance that the medical homebound vaccination pro- timents regarding the team’s ing to protect the health of the Officer Subroto Banerji pro- team has provided to bolster gram that CHCC and the Task mission to Saipan. “I’m truly CNMI community.” vided the Soldiers with a tour CHCC’s “Vaccinate CNMI” Force is going to be rolling out grateful for the men and wom- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, of the CHCC Medical Care and mission. soon,” said Torres. “I would en of the 25th Infantry Divi- through U.S. Army Pacific, re- Treatment Site (MCATS) where “The 12-member U.S. Army like to extend my appreciation sion medical team and their mains committed to providing the team would soon integrate 25th Infantry Division Vaccina- to INDOPACOM and USARPAC assistance to our partners in continued, flexible Department with CHCC staff, review proce- tion Support Team will provide for their partnership and to the the CNMI,” said Menoni. “The of Defense support to the Fed- dures, and begin providing CO- tremendous support in supple- 25th ID Vaccination Team who fight against COVID-19 is an eral Emergency Management VID-19 Vaccine doses to com- menting ongoing requirements are here on the ground.” all hands effort and I’m proud Agency as part of the whole- munity members. by CHCC and the Task Force as Rear Adm. John Menoni, that these Soldiers are direct- of-government response to CO- CNMI Gov. Ralph DLG. we expand vaccination efforts commander, Joint Region ly contributing to the CHCC VID-19. 12 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021

Airmen deliver a donation at Catholic Social Services for Leinani Naholowa’s Alee Shelter Program. Photos by Alana Chargualaf, U.S. Air Force Andersen provides essentials to Guam’s Alee Shelter BY SENIOR AIRMAN AUBREE OWENS, program manager. “We have individuals, who are 36TH WING coming right out of the street, or being removed from their environment and away from their abus- quadron members across the 36th Wing, ers, and they come with nothing but the clothes with contributions from fellow service mem- on their back, so we are very fortunate that we bers, civilians, and dependents at Andersen S received this donation from Andersen Air Force Air Force Base, garnered 3,000 pounds of essen- Base.” tial goods to donate to the Alee Shelter on Guam, According to Naholowa’a, Guam has the second March 31, 2021. highest rate of criminal sexual conduct per capita The Alee Shelter is a local nonprofit organization in the United States and its territories. As an emer- and safe house for women gency protective location, the and children affected by Alee Shelter’s mission is to domestic violence and serve the individuals in need sexual abuse. Currently, Airman 1st Class Timothy of such services, as well as to the team serving in this Garden carries bags of educate and increase aware- emergency protective clothing and bedding to a van at Andersen Air Force ness of domestic violence in shelter caters to four Base, Guam, March 31. women and 26 children the island’s community. between two undisclosed All the squadron members locations. These women who assisted in the donation and children rely on the drive had a different reason shelter and the donations for volunteering and donat- received to help fulfill ing. U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. their basic life needs, a Travis Meyer, superintendent cause the Andersen AFB of radar, airfield, and weather community was more sysystemss assigned to 36th OSS, than willing to support. heheard the call to assist in this par- “We chose the Alee titicular drive, as he was a victim Shelter because we want- of domestic abuse growing up. ed to help women em- “Organizations, like the Alee power other women,” said ShShelter, were there for us when U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. wwe needed help, so it’s my way Trisha Cruz, deputy air- of looking back at it and paying field manager assigned to bback those who paid it forward the 36th Operations Sup- to mme,”e said Meyer. port Squadron and one of TThehe donations provided by the An- the lead coordinators for ddersenersen AFB community replenished the donation drive. mmanyany of the essential items the Alee The drive was held SShelterhelte supplies to the women and during the entire month of cchildrenhildr within it. It is through the March in honor of Wom- help of the base and local community en’s History Month, and was announced across the that the Alee Shelter is able to operate and help the 36th Wing to achieve maximum participation. As a women and children in their facility recover, then team, the members and visitors of Andersen AFB go out and thrive. were able to collect various items, such as face “The partnership with the base and shelters, masks, bottled water, toilet tissue, diapers, sanitary such as the Alee Shelter, is an ongoing effort,” said napkins, laundry soap, dish soap, pillows, bedding, Cruz. “I grew up on Guam, and I didn’t know about towels, and clothing. the Alee Shelter until I was a military member, but, “Everything we received in this donation is es- now that I am back here serving with Team An- sential toward the day-to-day operations of our dersen, it feels really good to give back to the local shelter,” said Leinani Naholowa’a, Alee Shelter community.” APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 13

Teaming up to remove invasive species

STORY AND PHOTOS BY STANLEY JAMES, downward around host trees, eventually killing MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BLAZ the invasive species and creating a habitat for native fauna,” stated horticultural researcher DEDEDO – Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Dr. Jim McConnell. “Many of the plants we are Blaz and the University of Guam (UoG) are col- working with are found in other tropical forests, laborating to restore and enhance more than 400 so the information about these species will be acres of Guam’s forests at the North Finegayan useful beyond Guam. The techniques we’re de- Forest Enhancement Site (FES). This is part of veloping here can help future forest projects be the largest forest restoration effort in the island’s more successful.” recorded history, eventually covering 1,000 acres The North Finegayan FES project is part of of Guam’s forests. MCB Camp Blaz and experts the 1,000-acre forest enhancement program from the UoG began working together in July of identified in the United States Fish and Wildlife 2019 to remove invasive species and restore the Service’s Biological Opinion for the Marine Re- native habitat. Enhancement efforts include the location to Guam. Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz planting of culturally important species like the continues the extensive collaboration with our Intsia bijuga, Artocarpus mariannensis, and El- partners, sharing information and taking delib- aeocarpus joga, more commonly known as ifit, erate, cooperative measures to ensure a respon- dokdok, and yoga, respectively. sible military buildup process. “The North Finegayan FES project is the first “We hope that the partnership with the Uni- attempt to improve the native habitat at a large versity of Guam will further attract and create scale,” said Naval Facilities Engineering Sys- opportunities for our aspiring local conserva- tems Command Marianas Forest Enhancement tionists to develop and contribute to solutions for Program Manager Adrienne Loerzel, Marine our declining forests. We are also looking to our Corps Base Camp Blaz. “Many of the methods we region’s best and brightest to infuse community are developing for this project could be used on values into our conservation approaches, which Guam and in the rest of the Marianas, to improve I believe we will need to achieve long-term suc- the habitat for the islands’ native and endemic cess supporting conservation and the DoD mis- species.” sion in Guam and throughout the Marianas,” said This is the first time many of these species Al Borja, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems have been studied by horticultural scientists. A Command Marianas Environmental Director, suite of control methods for Vitex parviflora, also Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz. known as the molave tree, are being developed This project supports the MCB Camp Blaz ob- and can be implemented on a larger scale across jective of environmental stewardship and pro- Guam and in the Marianas. Removal methods vides new tools to address invasive species on for additional invasive species on Guam like Mi- Guam. Experts have already learned more about kania micrantha and Spathodea campanulata, processing and safely storing seeds prior to prop- also known as Mile-a-Minute vine and the Afri- agation. Additional findings will serve as a model can tulip tree, are also being researched. for future restoration efforts across Guam and Innovative methods to control invasive plant the CNMI. life include the usage of animals to disperse na- Additional information and resources can be tive Ficus tree seeds. “Birds and bats eat native found on the MCB Camp Blaz website. For more Ficus fruits and then spread the seeds over the information, visit https://www.mcbblaz.marines. tops of other trees. The seeds sprout and grow mil/Environmental-Program/.

Dr. James McConnell, left, and Dr. Rachel Jolley from the University of Guam’s Guam Plant Extinction Prevention Program highlight the danger of Antigonon leptopus, also known as cadena de amor, to native plant life. 14 STRIPES GUAM A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021

By Daryl Talbot

G.A.I.N. Pet of the Week

PETER PAN: (tan & white puppy) This handsome pup is only 9 weeks old. Looking for a FURever family to show him the ropes in having an awesome life. Once you meet him, you will never want to grow up.

Call G.A.I.N. (Guam Animals In Need) Animal Shelter in Yigo at 653-4246 or visit for more information on adopting this pet. G.A.I.N. is a shelter-based humane society with a mission to prevent cruelty to animals, educate the public and promote good animal laws. Under Water World will donate one adult admission for every Pet of the Week adopted.

Stripes Guam is A Stars and Stripes Community to remote and isolated locations where overseas DOD Publication. This newspaper is authorized for publication personnel are located. The appearance of advertising in by the Department of Defense for members of the this publication, including inserts or supplements, does military services overseas. However, the contents not constitute endorsement of those products by the of Stripes Guam are unofficial, and are not to be Department of Defense or Stars and Stripes. Products considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the or services advertised in this publication shall be made U.S. government, including the Department of Defense available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard or the U.S. Pacific Command. As a DOD newspaper, to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital Stripes Guam may be distributed through official status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any channels and use appropriated funds for distribution other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. APRIL 16 − APRIL 29, 2021 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES GUAM 15 Boonie Stomps Guam

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY GUAM BOONIE STOMPERS

Apr. 17 Difficult Rain Gauge to Clint’s Trail 5 hours for 4 miles

We take a long, hard hike to a small waterfall with a deep swim hole below. Along the way are several interesting features, including the river crossing challenge, the swamp with its clean feet challenge, the gun location, and more sword grass than you ever want. Bring: 4 quarts water, hiking shoes, gloves, insect repellant, sunscreen, lunch and snacks, and camera. Special conditions: Lots of sword grass, a lot of climbing, a long steep exit, and a very long hike.

Apr. 24 Easy Taguon Bay to Umatac 2 hours for 1 mile

A great family and tot hike, a great beach dive/snorkel hike, and our annual cleanup hike. We walk along the south shore of Umatac Bay, cross the headlands through grass and trees, then reach the beach. After the hike, Crossword by Margie E. Burke Taguon Bay is a great place to swim, snorkel, and beach dive. ACROSS 1234 56789 10 11 12 13 Bring: 1 quart water, get wet shoes, swim suit, snorkel gear, sun screen, 1 Gyro ingredient lunch, and camera. 14 15 16 Taguon Bay to Umatac Special conditions: Some rough rocks and a small stream to cross. 5 Alex of James Patterson novels 17 18 19 Every Saturday, Guam Boonie 10 Skier's transport Apr. 24 Medium 20 21 22 Stompers offers public hikes to 14 Exotic berry MOONIE STOMP - Mt. J-M 3 hours for 2 miles a variety of destinations such 15 Safe place 23 24 as beaches, snorkeling sites, 16 Corduroy ridge We hike up to the top of Mt. Jumullong-Manglo to watch the sunset and 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 waterfalls, mountains, caves, latte hopefully catch a green flash, then enjoy the spectacular views while waiting 17 One of three sites, and World War II sites. We for the full looking moon to hike down. copies 32 33 34 meet at 9:00 AM in the Center Bring: HEADLIGHT or flashlight, 1 quart water, sturdy hiking shoes, gloves, 19 It's pumped in a Court of Chamorro Village in and insect repellent. gym 35 36 37 38 Special conditions: A steep hill to climb, areas of rough trail. 20 Poisonous plant Hagatna. The cost is $5.00 for 39 40 41 42 hikers over 17. Children must be 21 Proving ground Stomp Tips: accompanied by a responsible 23 "Raiders of the 43 44 45 1) Alcohol and hiking do not mix. Lost ___" adult. Hikers should provide 46 47 48 2) Do not bring beverages with caffeine on hikes. 24 Make bubbly their own transportation. Guam’s 3) Bring plenty of water with you on hikes. 25 Plentiful supply 49 50 51 52 53 54 trails are not developed. Weather 4) When hiking, lots of little snacks are better than one big meal. 29 Sailor's bunk conditions can make the hikes 5) Always carry a well stocked personal first aid kit. 32 ___ of the above 55 56 57 more difficult than described. No 6) Carry a couple of extra shoelaces in your first aid kit. 33 Elmer, to Bugs reservations required. They have many uses. 58 59 60 34 Ballpark For more information: 7) Always bring a small flashlight in case you get lost, or souvenir 61 62 63 www.facebook.com/ delayed. Save your phone battery for calls. 8) Do not hike alone and let someone know Boonie Stomps 35 Neptune, e.g. GuamBoonieStompersInc Copyright 2021 by The Puzzle Syndicate where you are going and your return 10 36 Casanova, e.g. or call 787-4238. time. 38 WWII General 2 "Care" anagram 36 Command to a 47 Necklace Arnold 3 Seriously injure dog fastener Complete T-Shirt! 39 Treeless plain 4 Many a crop- 37 Farm grazer 49 Horse hoof to earn a Boonie Stomp 41 Boozehound duster 40 Shift+5 on a sound 42 Gift for a 5 Songbird in a keyboard 50 High praise sweetheart W.C. Fields film 42 Destructive 51 Locale 43 Cube root of 27 title spree 52 Nibble away 44 Times, at times 6 Poolroom 44 Tailor's tool 53 Crowning point 46 Missing-person accessory 45 Conspiracy 54 Look closely finder 7 Lab eggs 57 "Welcome" site 48 Popular street 8 Parlor piece name 9 Scornful look 49 One of a cereal 10 Company with a trio blue bird logo 51 Temporary 11 Kind of quartet Answers to Previous Crossword: measure 12 Medicinal herb SMOG GEESE SPAN 55 Tahoe or 13 Tear apart HAUL ELVES PANE Titicaca 18 Word in a Tolkien ANTECEDENT ONTO 56 Right of entry title ROGER ENTERTA I N Stripes Sports Trivia 58 Hot spot 22 Cavalry weapon PROCESS ROOM 59 Shade of blue 24 Plaintiff LATTER SNACK SAY MY NAME! Are you a quarterback? If so, I’m in your nightmares. I’m not that weak offensive 60 Jenga, e.g. 25 Teen affliction ASSUME DALE HUE 61 Flippant 26 Trade-show BLOB ELEGY PATE lineman on your team. No, I ate him for breakfast. That strict diet led me to the 2016 NFL Defensive 62 One of the setup LOP TR IM MARTEN MVP award with my former team. Nowadays, though, I play for a franchise known for its defense. Brady Bunch 27 Funeral director ETHOS DAPPLE Who am I? 63 Pitcher in 28 Affirmative OPAL SH I NGLE paintings action? CAMERASHY BARON 30 Poke fun ANON ST I CK I TOUT

Answer Mack Khalil DOWN 31 Really keyed up SERE SUSH I APSE 1 Plaster backing 34 Flying socialite EWE R ONSET LEER

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Curbed capability
Combat readiness weakened after decades of conflict, government watchdog agency Page 2 Sailors remove a line as the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz prepares to move from its pier in Bremerton, Wash., to a dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in March 2018. Maintenance backlogs have adversely affected Navy readiness, according to a GAO report.

IAN KINK/U.S. Navy PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, April 16, 2021

COVER STORY GAO: Readiness weakened by decades of conflict BY JOHN VANDIVER Meanwhile, all other military Stars and Stripes domains — ground, air, space Two decades of conflicts have and cyber — got a boost in re- degraded the military’s ability sources. But that only translated to fight in the air and at sea into increased capability to while ground forces have expe- carry out missions for ground rienced a boost in their ability to units, the GAO said. carry out missions, a govern- In the air domain, services ment watchdog agency report reported numerous challenges, said. including the effects of 2018’s The Navy was especially hard Hurricane Michael, which dam- hit, seeing declines in availabil- aged bases and put limits on the ity of resources and ship main- use of the Air Force’s F-22 fight- tenance backlogs, the Govern- er jets. ment Accountability Office said Pilot shortages also hindered in a report released April 7. operations for the Army’s “The Navy cited limited main- AH-64 Apache attack helicop- tenance capacity at private and ters and the Marine Corps’ public shipyards as the primary readiness was compromised by challenge for recovering ship limited depot repair capacity for ROBERT FELLINGHAM/U.S. Army and submarine readiness,” the light attack helicopters, the AH­64 Apache attack helicopters of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade launch from Katterbach Army Air­ GAO said in an analysis of mil- GAO said. field, Germany, for a battalion training mission, on March 17. Pilot shortages hindered the Armys Apache itary capabilities between 2017 Overall, continuous conflict operations in recent years, the Government Accountability Office said in a recent report. and 2019. has “degraded U.S. military The GAO broke down “read- readiness — the forces’ ability al Defense Strategy acknowl- how the military’s operations itary’s advantage across all iness” into two categories — to fight and meet the demands edged the challenge it faces in have been hampered. Most of domains in a new security envi- resources and capability. While of their assigned missions,” the adapting because a “backlog of the analysis is classified. ronment characterized by great- resources focused on availabil- GAO said. deferred readiness, procure- The GAO, which was tasked power competition, DOD is ity of personnel and equipment, In recent years, the Pentagon ment, and modernization re- by Congress to monitor the working to rebuild and restore capabilities assessed whether a has sought to shift focus from quirements has grown in the military’s ability to carry out readiness while also modern- service could carry out its as- counterterrorism to capabilities last decade and a half and can missions through 2022, says the izing its forces,” the GAO said. signed missions. Operations at needed to counter military ad- no longer be ignored.” Pentagon has now put in place a sea experienced declines in vances by Russia and China. The public version of the GAO plan to “recover readiness.” [email protected] both areas, the GAO found. But the Pentagon’s 2018 Nation- report offered few examples on “To maintain the U.S. mil- Twitter: @john_vandiver Army looking at biometrics to replace plastic ID cards BY JOHN VANDIVER ronment” that makes use of biometrics — Stars and Stripes such as facial recognition or other phys- The U.S. Army is looking for alterna- ical traits — and data such as a password tives to traditional military identification to enable base entry, the bid announce- cards, which are needed to gain entry to ment said. bases worldwide but are also “known “Use of PEACE provides real-time vectors of diseases,” a service bid an- validation of persons at the entry point nouncement said. location as well as within the installation The Army in an April 1 solicitation said and various facilities,” the Army announ- it will begin accepting proposals later this cement said. month for developing a system that would The Army didn’t make clear if the goal utilize biometrics and metadata, such as is to develop an alternative CAC or an passwords. outright replacement of the plastic card. The current system “results in the But it did say it wants proposals that physical handling of cards which are could be used across the Defense Depart- known vectors of diseases and which can ment as well as in the civilian sector. result in large percentages of personnel Within the military, the “PEACE” sys- being exposed,” the Army said in its an- tem would be used “to secure access to nouncement. sensitive/classified areas, access and The military’s Common Access Card is operations of critical weapons/respective used by military personnel, both uni- platforms, and homeland protection in formed and civilian, to gain access to urban areas,” the Army announcement installations and is needed to access cer- said. tain government computers. It’s also re- PRESTON WEBB / U.S. Air Force Commercial applications could include quired for making purchases at commis- A Common Access Card is returned to an airman in 2017, at an undisclosed location in venues “such as Disney World, where saries and exchange shops. southeast Asia. The cards are ''vectors of disease,'' said the Army, which is looking for anannual passes are sold as well as major But the Army says a physical card is alternative that uses biometrics. sporting events whose tickets are subject “subject to compromise and in a pandem- to counterfeiting,” the Army said. ic environment results in a significant risk ease Control and Prevention stated in mouth, nose, or eyes, the guidance stated. The deadline for submitting proposals to the population that is to be protected.” guidance released April 5. However, it Colds and other illnesses can be transmit- is May 18. The risk of coronavirus infection from could be transmitted by touching surfaces ted the same way. touching contaminated surfaces is gener- an ill person has recently coughed or The Army’s aim is to develop a “Pan- [email protected] ally considered low, the Centers for Dis- sneezed on, and then directly touching the demic Entry & Automated Control Envi- Twitter: @john_vandiver Friday, April 16, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3

PACIFIC Guam grapples with economic blow from virus

BY WYATT OLSON The industry remains largely Stars and Stripes dormant a year after the pan- The tiny island of Guam has demic began. faced its share of natural disas- ters through the decades, but the A strict quarantine economic devastation delivered The rates of new infections by the coronavirus stands alone. have waxed and waned on Guam, “There’s nothing to compare as they have in many U.S. cities Pixabay this to historically in terms of and states. More than 1.6 million visitors arrived in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2019, mostly from Japan and length, duration and magnitude,” As of March 31, Guam had South Korea, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau. The pandemic snuffed that out. Gary Hiles, chief economist for seen 7,807 confirmed coronavi- Guam’s Department of Labor, rus cases over the course of the pletely unemployed, there are a said in a phone interview last pandemic, resulting in 134 lot who are partially unemployed week. “There have been other deaths. with significantly reduced events, such as typhoons — and In combating the virus, offi- hours.” 9/11 caused a temporary contrac- cials early on imposed a 14-day Guam has no unemployment tion — but nothing of this dura- hotel-bound quarantine for any- insurance program, unlike the 50 tion.” one arriving on the island that states, Puerto Rico and the Vir- “People are scrambling; peo- still remains in place. Currently, gin Islands. Unemployed work- ple are trying to figure out the returning residents are allowed ers have, however, received the next step,” said Catherine Castro, to spend their second week of stipends approved by Congress, president of the Guam Chamber quarantine at home. which was $600 a week under the of Commerce. By comparison, Hawaii — akin original CARES Act and then Guam, a U.S. territory span- to Guam in its dependence on reduced to $300 weekly under a ning only 30 miles at its widest tourism and defense spending — relief bill passed in December. point, is of vital importance to the eased a similar restriction early Jones helped with a recent Pentagon’s strategy in dealing last fall by requiring visitors to survey funded by Guam’s gover- with an expansive Chinese mil- pre-test before arriving. nor that resulted in a portrait of itary. It is home to Andersen Air Guam’s conservative approach those most affected by the eco- DYLAN DEASY/U.S. Navy Force Base, a deep-water port at to the virus — which has in- nomic turndown. A sailor plumbs a support wall for a construction project at Andersen Naval Base Guam, a robust Coast cluded various levels of mandato- “The profile shows the most Air Force Base, Guam, last year. The construction sector, driven by Guard unit and nearly 22,000 ry closures of restaurants, bars affected were women under 40 of Defense Department projects, is an economic bright spot for Guam. service members, defense work- and clubs, some of which are still Chamorro descent, earning less ers and their dependents. in place — has been a double- than $20,000 a year, living in the current fiscal year. effort. The defense sector is a signif- edged sword. While it has no households of five to seven,” she Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat Guam officials were cheered icant part of Guam’s economy, doubt prevented infected individ- said. International Airport is in the when the U.S. Centers for Dis- but many of the roughly 170,000 uals from arriving, it has also Most have a high school educa- middle of $167 million worth of ease Control and Prevention people on the island have come likely prevented Guam residents tion or less and were spending improvement projects, including lowered its travel risk for the to rely on a vibrant and growing from getting other needed med- more than 20 hours a week edu- construction of an international island from “high” to “moderate” tourism industry for their live- ical care. cating children at home in the arrivals corridor that will sep- on April 5. lihoods. More than 1.6 million “The health system here is wake of school closures, Jones arate arriving and departing “This downgrade communicat- visitors arrived in the fiscal year very fragile,” Jones said. “I said. passengers. es to the nation — and the rest of ending Sept. 30, 2019, mostly mean, we absolutely rely on A Japanese firm has continued the world — that we are taking from Japan and South Korea, being able to get specialized Building a bright spot construction throughout the charge and taking control of the according to the Guam Visitors medical care through a network The economic bright spot for pandemic of a vast shopping virus,” said Guam Gov. Lou Leon Bureau. that includes, Hawaii, [Los An- Guam has been the construction center near the airport that will Guerrero in a news release. The pandemic snuffed that out. geles] and Manila, so we don’t sector, driven in no small part by house a Don Quixote outlet and “More importantly, it paves the In February 2020, when the have the resources here to deal Defense Department projects other supermarkets. way for reopening Guam and coronavirus was first detected with all of the medical care needs and a major airport renovation. The pace of coronavirus vacci- re-energizing not just tourism, outside of China, about 160,000 that go on.” The U.S. and Japan are in the nations on the island is also en- but our economy.” visitors flew into Guam. Two midst of a massive endeavor to couraging. Jones said that the past year months later, arrivals at Guam Ballooning unemployment relocate about 5,000 Marines and Almost 55,000 people on Guam has demonstrated the resiliency International Airport were essen- Predictably, Guam went from their dependents from Okinawa had received at least one in- of those who live on a speck of tially zero. an unemployment rate of 3.6% in to Guam. oculation as of April 2, according land in the middle of the vast “As you can imagine, [the September 2019 to 19.4% in De- Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz to government statistics. Pacific. pandemic] closed most of the cember, the most recent month is being built from scratch beside Guam government officials “We are finding that busi- businesses that had anything at the statistic is available, accord- Andersen Air Force Base in the have set a goal of fully inoculat- nesses have suspended their all to do with tourism,” Roseann ing to the Guam Bureau of Labor northern end of the island. The ing 50% of the island’s 125,000 operations, and some of them are Jones, an economics professor at Statistics. Naval Facilities Engineering people ages 16 and older by May bringing them back online where the University of Guam, said in a The island experienced a net Systems Command Pacific spent 1 — dangling the prospect of they can,” she said. “But very phone interview on March 16. loss of 8,000 jobs out of roughly $265 million on construction “adjusted quarantine require- few have permanently closed or “So, we saw two-thirds of the 51,400 that existed before the projects related to the Marine ments” as an incentive. filed for bankruptcy. So, there is economy shut down. We have a pandemic began, Hiles said. Corps base in the fiscal year that The change would allow in- this hunkering down and waiting hotel industry here. We have “It’s actually worse than that in ended Sept. 30, according to coming visitors to skip quaran- and seeing and looking forward aviation. We have all of the retail the sense you only get counted as figures the Navy provided Stars tine if they arrive with a negative to the day when we can bring this — high-end retail — and the unemployed if you’re totally and Stripes. pretest. back.” travel support services, rental unemployed,” he said. “That’s The facilities command pro- “I would say that everybody is cars and tour operators. All of the official definition. jects it will pump another $398 cautiously optimistic,” Castro [email protected] that came to a halt.” “But in addition to those com- million into these projects during said, referring to the vaccination Twitter: @WyattWOlson PAGE 4 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, April 16, 2021

MILITARY Navy spouses add Guam, Okinawa to kids’ book series BY SETH ROBSON ing Guam.” Stars and Stripes The new books show places YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan familiar to kids on the islands, — Marines storm a beach, such as parks and beaches. fighter jets line up on an air- The Okinawa book includes field and troops parachute from scenes of Marines training with an aircraft in the latest install- an amphibious vehicle, an AH-1 ments of a book series for chil- Cobra helicopter and an MV-22 dren living in military commu- Osprey aircraft as well as Air nities. Force F-15 Eagle fighters. Yokosuka, Japan-based Navy The Guam book features a wives Sarah Murphy and Amy scene of Navy explosive ord- Dobbins published their first nance disposal troops parachut- children’s book, “Good Morning ing from a cargo plane and Yokosuka,” last summer. speeding in an inflatable boat The 16-page illustrated book while a submarine surfaces off — for early readers or for par- the island. ents to read aloud to youngsters It tells kids about the “boom” — features a guided-missile that Guam residents are used to destroyer underway as Mount hearing as troops detonate Fuji rises against a sunset on some of the World War II-era THERON GODBOLD / /Stars and Stripes the cover. It gives readers a munitions found on the island. Navy wives Amy Dobbins, left, and Sarah Murphy show off the three installments of their “Good Morning snapshot of life for children at Dobbins’ husband, Lt. Com- Military” children’s book series at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on April 8. the home of the 7th Fleet. mander Jonathan Dobbins, Murphy and Dobbins, both disposes of explosive ordnance Seattle-based artist John Molin- “All we were allowed to do The titles are available at mothers of young kids, dropped for the Navy. Murphy’s hus- ero, who provided art for the was sit outside and talk,” she Yokosuka’s Navy Exchange, by the library recently at the band, Cmdr. Micah Murphy, other books, the pair said. said. some on-base gift shops on home of U.S. Forces Japan in leads Afloat Training Group They began collaborating on The books help children to Okinawa and online at good- western Tokyo to show off the Western Pacific. their first book during coro- learn: “This is where we live. morningmilitarybooks.com. latest installments in what has Illustrations for a fourth navirus restrictions that left This is what it looks like. These become a series: “Good Morn- book, “Good Morning San Die- them with plenty of time to are the places we visit,” Mur- [email protected] ing Okinawa” and “Good Morn- go,” are being prepared by plan, Dobbins said. phy said. Twitter: @SethRobson1 First lady details initiative to help military families BY NIKKI WENTLING you need it so that you don’t have to feel Stars and Stripes like you’re choosing between your job and WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden taking care of your kids.” plans to focus on the education, employ- Regarding education, Biden said Joining ment, entrepreneurship, health and well- Forces would help support military-con- being of military and veteran families as nected children and help ease the burden part of her relaunched Joining Forces ini- created by their frequent moves. She’s held tiative, she announced April 7. multiple listening sessions with military Biden unveiled her new priorities for the children and educators this year and ex- campaign during a speech at the White pressed the need to help train future teach- House. Biden first started Joining Forces ers about how to support military children with former First Lady Michelle Obama in in their classrooms. 2011 as a way to help military families with “Our schools want to support all stu- employment and education. The program dents, but they don’t always know how to do was discontinued during former President so,” she said. “We’re going to work with Donald Trump’s time in office. educators and our government partners to Biden plans to expand its scope and ANDREW HARNIK/AP make sure that you — our military-connect- make it permanent, she said. First lady Jill Biden speaks at a virtual event with military families from around the world ed kids — have what you need to succeed.” “Our goal is that this work will live on as part of the White House initiative to support military and veteran families. Lastly, Joining Forces will focus on the long after we leave as a permanent priority physical, social and emotional health of for every White House, because you de- with little notice. Spouses often must quit Child care would also be part of that military families, Biden said. She listed the serve nothing less,” Biden said. their jobs and face long periods of unem- effort, Biden said. President Joe Biden is in issues that disproportionately affect mil- She divided the priorities into three ployment or underemployment after they the process of pitching his new infrastruc- itary families, including depression, sub- groups: employment and entrepreneurship; move, according to a Chamber of Com- ture plan, which earmarks $25 billion to stance abuse and food insecurity — all of military child education; and health and merce report from 2017. Spouses who hold upgrade and build child-care centers. An- which have been made worse during the well-being. professional licenses must also overcome other piece of Biden’s plan is expected to pandemic, she said. According to a Defense Department the obstacle of getting licensed in a new include a universal prekindergarten pro- Addressing those issues was a “national survey, the unemployment rate for spouses state or country. gram. security imperative,” she said. of active-duty service members was 22% in Biden said her office would work with “All of you deserve opportunities to do “It is critical to acknowledge that they too 2019 — before the economic fallout from employers to create more flexible, transfer- the work you love, whether that means shoulder the weight of the past 20 years of the coronavirus pandemic. The overall able and remote job opportunities for mil- keeping your job when you move from base sustained warfare,” Biden said. unemployment rate in the U.S. was 3.5% itary spouses. She also promised to in- to base or owning your own businesses,” that year. crease resources for spouses who are in- Jill Biden said. “And we need to make sure [email protected] Military families frequently move, often terested in entrepreneurship. that you can get quality child care when Twitter: @nikkiwentling Friday, April 16, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 5

MILITARY Fort Stewart sending all-female team to sapper competition

BY COREY DICKSTEIN Army’s Sapper Leader Course who commissioned as an officer Stars and Stripes for enlisted combat engineers last year after previously serving ATLANTA — A pair of Fort and engineering officers. The as an enlisted combat engineer Stewart, Ga.-based engineering 50-team competition sees contes- with the North Carolina Army officers is set to become the first tants span more than 50 miles in National Guard. “Being able to all-female team to compete for 50 hours on limited sleep while kind of carry that on and go on the title of the Army's best-skilled carrying more than 80 pounds of for it next month is going to be combat engineering duo next gear, and tests a variety of skills really exciting.” month in Missouri. including demolition and land The all-female team is one of The 3rd Infantry Division will navigation, according to the Ar- the three Best Sapper teams send the all-female team of 1st my. entering the competition from Lt. Trish Burden and 2nd Lt. It will also mark the first time Fort Stewart, including another Amanda Atkinson to the Army’s competing in the event for Bur- with a female engineering offi- Best Sapper Competition May 1-4 den and Atkinson, who are both cer. First Lt. Madison Jones will at Fort Leonard Wood, Army Sapper school graduates. compete with 1st Lt. Andrew officials said. Burden and At- An all-female team from the Wilhelm, both of the 92nd Engi- kinson are engineering officers 101st Airborne Division was set neer Battalion, 20th Engineer with the 3rd ID’s 9th Engineer to become the history-making Brigade. Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade pair to compete in the Best Sap- Burden expects the competi- Combat Team. per Competition last year, before tion to be grueling. Competitors “It's an honor to compete and the coronavirus pandemic forced know generally the skills that represent our unit, and even if the Army to cancel the 2020 they will be tested on, but they CANAAN WRIGHT/U.S. Army we weren't the first all-female contest. Capt. Hilary Thomas and enter the contest unaware of Army 1st Lt. Trisha Burden, right, and 2nd Lt. Amanda Atkinson pose team just to go is a very, very 1st Lt. Alyvia Orsini, who were precisely what the course will for a photo at Fort Stewart, Ga. They will compete in the 14th annual good opportunity for us,” said with the 101st’s 21st Brigade look like or what tasks they must Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Burden, who commissioned into Engineer Battalion, 3rd Combat complete. Wood, Mo., on May 1­3. the Army in 2017. “We’re really Team would have competed last Burden and Atkinson have proud to be able to do that, [and] year, the Army had announced spent the last three months train- sessions, which they follow with for months, Burden said. to show other Sappers that it is before scrapping the event. ing for the event, focused largely afternoon training on their engi- “I'm not worried about becom- possible to go as an all-female Burden and Atkinson said that on long runs and ruck marches neering skills. ing a heat casualty at all,” At- team is exciting.” they were inspired by the expec- through Fort Stewart’s swampy They do think they have at kinson said. “This is way hotter The 2021 competition will tation of an all-female team last tank trails that wind throughout least one advantage in training at than anything we’re going to mark the 14th iteration of the year. the wooded training grounds on Fort Stewart. They will compete experience out there.” Best Sapper contest, which tests “It was pretty cool that [Tho- the coastal Georgia Army post. in Missouri, which is cooler with combat engineering teams in a mas and Orsini] were able to They intend to navigate 70 miles less humidity than the climate in [email protected] variety of skills learned in the actually enroll,” said Atkinson, next during morning training Georgia, where they have trained Twitter: @CDicksteinDC POW/MIA flag flies atop White House again

BY WYATT OLSON The relocation of the flag last McCain and others who were Stars and Stripes summer from over the White captured on the battlefield,” A flag honoring American House to a less visible spot on Reed said. “He inexplicably service members missing or the South Lawn had infuriated promotes the Confederate flag held captive during war is flying some veterans groups and law- but fails to fly the POW/MIA atop the White House again makers. flag.” after being removed last year by Some critics speculated that Just days after his inaugu- the Trump administration. Trump’s antipathy toward the ration on Jan. 20, Sens. Marga- The National League of Fam- late Sen. John McCain, who was ret Hassan, Tom Cotton and ilies POW/MIA Flag, commonly held prisoner for almost six Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to known as the POW/MIA Flag, years in North Vietnam, played President Joe Biden asking him was hoisted with the American a part in the flag’s move to a less to “take swift action to restore flag April 9 in to mark National prominent place. the flag to its place of honor.” Former Prisoners of War Rec- “He’s not a war hero. He was “I am thankful that the POW/ ognition Day. a war hero because he was cap- MIA flag now once again flies The black-and-white flag, tured,” Trump said of McCain high in its rightful place above which was adopted by The Na- while on the campaign trail in the White House,” Hassan said tional League of Families in 2015. “I like people who weren’t in a news release. “It is a power- 1972, carries the image of a captured.” ful way to continually remem- silhouetted man beside a guard KEN SCAR / U.S. Army Democratic Sen. Jack Reed ber and pay tribute to the tre- tower and barbed wire fence, An ROTC cadet at Clemson University, S.C., carries a POW/MIA flag told Reuters in September that mendous sacrifice of prisoners along with the phrase “You Are during an honor run Oct. 16, 2020. the flag’s removal was “a pat- of war and missing service Not Forgotten.” tern of disrespect” by Trump. members.” The POW/MIA flag honors war, missing in action or unac- the White House in 1982, ac- “It’s bad enough that Presi- the roughly 82,000 service counted for in America’s past cording to the Department of dent Trump publicly ridicules [email protected] members listed as prisoners of wars. It was first flown above Veterans Affairs. American heroes like Senator Twitter: @WyattWOlson PAGE 6 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, April 16, 2021 MMILITARY arine of tomorrow Tech-savvy Marine excited to use skills to modernize Corps

BY MATTHEW M. BURKE Stars and Stripes “It’s been like that CAMP KINSER, Okinawa — The buzz among Malik Pugh’s fellow Marines finally since I was a kid. I caught the attention of his platoon com- mander in the 3rd Marine Logistics Group can’t think of a time during a routine inspection back in August. when I didn’t want to Warrant Officer Joseph Kimmel said he harbored some trepidation about then- build something.” Lance Cpl. Pugh’s living quarters after hearing whispers about what he would Cpl. Malik Pugh find there. “When I make it to his room, all I see is In middle school, Pugh took robotics tech and electronics everywhere,” Kimmel courses and built robots, he said. He said in a March 18 email to Stars and learned enough about motors and actua- Stripes. tors to attempt his first humanoid robot. It PHOTOS BY MATTHEW M. BURKE/Stars and Stripes Kimmel found an array of electronics, was a disaster. Marine Cpl. Malik Pugh shows off goggles that allow him to see from the perspective of computer monitors, whirring servers, “It was a freak of nature, honestly,” he a homemade drone at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, on Feb. 22. neon lights, 3D printers and a work bench said with a laugh. “It didn’t even get off the full of gadgets and tools, including a par- ground … but it was a good taste of what I tially built humanoid robot. wanted to do.” The Marine Corps also took notice of After high school, Pugh found himself Pugh, who was recently promoted merito- rudderless. He tried college and worked riously to corporal. two jobs, but he felt redundant and un- Pugh sees numerous opportunities accomplished, he said. In 2019, he joined where his expertise can benefit the Marine the Marine Corps. Today he’s responsible Corps, from 3D-printed covers to protect for setting up a complement of ground gear from the elements to custom tools and terminals for satellite communications. even reconnaissance drones to assist The humanoid robot he calls Project ground troops by making them more Alita, after the 2019 action film “Alita: aware of their surroundings. Battle Angel,” sits atop his work bench, The III Marine Expeditionary Force on minus a head. Okinawa has shown a willingness in recent “That one’s going to be a fun one,” he years to integrate the ideas of tech savvy said. Marines, through unit leadership and by The first step for Alita will be walking hosting invention competitions. and navigating the room, Pugh said. Then “He is extremely intelligent and tech- he hopes it will identify objects and people nically savvy,” Kimmel said. “He has a it sees frequently, building a profile for very bright future.” each person and varying its reactions Pugh, a digital wideband technician in depending on its familiarity with them. Communications Company, Combat Logis- Alita will be self-sufficient and able to tics Regiment 37, has a lifelong affiliation charge itself on its own, Pugh said. Lastly, with electromechanics. he hopes to teach the robot certain proto- A self-described military brat who cols, like chores. But mostly he wants it to bounced around a lot as a child, Pugh final- be a funny companion he can interact with. ly settled outside St. Louis in a small town Pugh has also built a remote-controlled, called Fairview Heights, Ill., he said on a motorized long skateboard with brakes sunny February afternoon outside the that takes him to and from work each day, warehouse where he works. and several drones that perform various From “Bob the Builder” toys and Legos, functions. He’s also working on a robot Pugh graduated to tinkering with whatev- that can vacuum and mop the floor as it er electronics he could find around the moves around like a Roomba. house. Kimmel said Marines like Pugh are a “It’s been like that since I was a kid,” he sign of the times. said. “I can’t think of a time when I didn’t “Growing up with more advanced tech- want to build something.” nology is an advantage that younger Ma- Discovering radio-controlled cars in his rines have over those of us that are a little formative years, with their batteries and more seasoned,” Kimmel said. “Each new motors, was a game-changer, he said. Marine that I have seen come in after me After he built a car that went 50 mph, he has been a little bit smarter than the previ- wanted to see what he could do in the air. ous.” He saved his lunch money in middle school to buy the parts to build his first [email protected] Marine Cpl. Malik Pugh explains a robot he hopes will sweep and mop the floor in his drone. Twitter: @MatthewMBurke1 barracks room at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, on Feb. 22. Friday, April 16, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 7

MILITARY IG: Military telework boosted productivity, added security risks

BY JOHN VANDIVER Stars and Stripes “Extra sleep, extra Defense Department personnel report being more productive and possibly hap- spare time, and yes, pier due to the sharp increase in telework brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, extra work. … as for but the shift from traditional office work me, production also has increased security risks, Inspec- tor General reports said. numbers are up and Nearly 50% of the roughly 50,000 mil- itary personnel surveyed reported higher life is just better.” levels of production while an additional 41% said their effectiveness remained the Survey respondent same, the Pentagon IG said in an April 1 report. Various Defense Department compo- Just 11.9% of respondents said they were nents also did not fully implement controls MIKE SMITH/U.S. Air National Guard less productive. to maintain cybersecurity, which put the Nearly half of the roughly 50,000 military personnel surveyed in a Defense Department “Extra sleep, extra spare time, and yes, department at “a higher risk of becoming Inspector General report released April 1 reported higher levels of production while extra work,” as one survey respondent put victims to cyberattacks that could threaten teleworking. it. “I can’t speak for the organization as I the safety of the warfighter and the securi- don’t have those metrics, but as for me, ty of the United States.” Department and its service components ed unnecessary meetings. Less time wast- production numbers are up and life is just Although some of the security issues update their respective pandemic plans ed commuting to the office also was cited better.” identified in the redacted report have “to include the revised assumptions re- as a major factor in allowing more time for But the transition to home offices was been addressed over the past year, six garding telework for essential and non- work. not without complications. recommendations remain unresolved, the essential personnel and the resources “Overall, DoD Components and the Some Army, Navy and Air Force per- IG said. required to support the teleworking work- majority of survey respondents expressed sonnel worked without approved telework For the Defense Department, the find- force.” positive maximum telework experiences,” agreements or required training because ings in the report released April 1 could Among the reasons cited for increased the IG said. some supervisors were overwhelmed with have longer-term implications for how productivity: 78.8% credited fewer in- other duties, the IG found in a redacted staffers carry out their jobs in the future. terruptions and distractions. Additionally, [email protected] report released March 29. The IG recommended that the Defense 25.7 % reported that teleworking eliminat- Twitter: @john_vandiver For Navy grooming standards, ‘faddish,’ ‘outrageous’ are out BY THERON GODBOLD grooming standards last year. Stars and Stripes The service assembled focus Sailor feedback has prompt- groups of sailors — male and ed the Navy to change terms female, officer and enlisted — for grooming standards that and asked them whether the are considered vague and ar- existing standards are racially bitrarily applied, according to a biased. recent Navy administrative The Navy found no bias, but message. sailors cited many instances of The changes are aimed at inconsistent application and “enhancing clarity, interpreta- policy enforcement because of tion and application of uniform vague terms in the standards. policies,” according to Naval “Overall, with grooming stan- Administrative Message issued dards, we found that there April 1. were none that were discrimi- Terms like “faddish,” “good natory,” Vice Adm. John No- taste” and “outrageous” will be well Jr., the Navy’s chief of deleted from the regulation. personnel, said in February. Other terms like “professional “But the way that some were appearance” are being revised written, it was too subjective, or added. as a commanding officer looked “I think the changes were at the interpretation and carry- very needed, especially with ing out what those regulations the experiences of my peers,” were.” Petty Officer 3rd Class Belen The message states that the Saldana, who works for Amer- update is “forthcoming” and ican Forces Network at Yokota that until the Navy’s uniform Air Base, Japan, said Monday. regulations are updated, the “It helps protect sailors and naval administrative message better defines what sailors can should serve as a reference. and can’t do with their hair.” ALEXANDER KUBITZA/U.S. Navy The message comes after a [email protected] An officer checks sailors on the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship in the Arabian Sea on Sept. 20, 2019. Navy review of hair and Twitter: @GodboldTheron PAGE 8 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, April 16, 2021

MILITARY Navy vets locate WWII destroyer in deep dive

BY WYATT OLSON Stars and Stripes Searchers have located and filmed a World War II destroyer lying four miles deep in waters off the Philippines, the deepest known shipwreck in the world. An expedition by undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic found the wreck of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Johnston in Marchbelow 21,180 feet of water east of Samar Is- land in the Philippine Sea, the firm said in a news release. A previous expedition had located debris believed to belong to the Johnston or a virtually identical destroyer that sank in the same battle, but the main wreckage lay down a cliff in waters too deep for the sub- mersible to go. The Johnston sank on Oct. 25, 1944, during the Battle off Sa- mar, which was the central scene of action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the biggest naval battles ever fought. Led by Cmdr. Ernest Evans, a Native American from Oklaho- ma, the Johnston was supporting the landing force attempting to Caladan Oceanic liberate the Philippines from the The hull number 557 on the USS Johnston is visible four miles below the surface of the Philippine Sea in a photo taken by divers in March Imperial Japanese. Evans was 2021. among the 186 sailors to perish out of the crew of 327. He was largely intact portion of the ves- trolled submersible. from the area, leaving a small awarded a posthumous Medal of sel. That vehicle, however, could group of 7th Fleet ships behind: Honor, the first Native American “The image is impressive, and not dive deeper than 20,000 feet, three destroyers and four de- in the U.S. Navy and one of only we look forward to seeing the below which rested the majority stroyer escorts. two destroyer captains in World rest of the data collected during of the Johnston, including the At dawn Oct. 25, the small War II so honored, the Naval the expedition because the story forward two-thirds of the bow fleet faced the much larger Japa- History and Heritage Command of the Fletcher-class destroyer and the bridge that were found nese force of four battleships, six said. USS Johnston (DD 557) and her last week, the company said. heavy cruisers, two light cruisers Two former U.S. Navy officers crew is a perfect example for The pair of dives captured and 11 destroyers, according to funded and carried out the expe- modern Sailors of the honor, images of the destroyer’s two an account by the Naval History dition to film the wreck. courage, commitment, and valor intact 5-inch gun turrets, twin and Heritage Command. Parks Stephenson, a retired of their predecessors from the torpedo racks and other gun “Heavily outmatched, Evans lieutenant commander and naval Greatest Generation,” Sam Cox, mounts. gave the order to attack a major historian, served as navigator a retired rear admiral who now No human remains were ob- portion of the Japanese fleet,” and mission specialist, the com- directs the Naval History and served, and nothing was taken the account said. “Although pany said. Heritage Command, said in a from the wreck, the company Johnston had hit a heavy cruiser Retired Navy Cmdr. Victor news release. said. which was forced to retire, ene- Vescovo funded the search and Cmdr. Ernest Evans “We need to take great care to my shells managed to strike personally piloted Limiting Fac- Petrel discovery make sure that the ship remains Johnston causing widespread tor, a deep submergence vehicle, or unmanned, in history,” the The crew of the Petrel, a re- completely undisturbed, and I damage and casualties. Evans to the wreck site during two company said. search vessel owned by the late believe that can be very effec- himself was seriously wounded. separate eight-hour dives, the The company did not disclose Microsoft founder Paul Allen, tively done in manned craft, Despite the grave damage, no company said. The vehicle has the exact date of the dives and discovered a debris field be- especially as the depth here torpedoes remaining, and re- no operating depth limitation, did not respond to a query by lieved to be associated with the precludes most remotely oper- duced speed and firepower, does not require a surface tether Stars and Stripes. ship in 2019. ated vehicles,” Stephenson said Johnston commenced a second and can hold two occupants. One image posted on the com- They filmed pieces of a de- in the news release. attack firing 30 rounds into a The pair of dives “constituted pany’s web site clearly shows the stroyer strewn across a higher “We could see the extent of 30,000-ton Japanese battleship.” the deepest wreck dives, manned ship’s hull number, 557, in a seabed using a remotely con- the wreckage and the severe At one point, Evans ordered damage inflicted during the the ship to draw fire away from intense battle on the surface. It the escort carrier USS Gambier took fire from the largest war- Bay. Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the ship ever constructed — the “After two-and-a-half hours, editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense- Imperial Japanese Navy battle- Johnston — dead in the water — Terry Leonard, Editor for members of the military community. Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be consid- ship Yamato — and ferociously was surrounded by enemy Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content ered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including fought back.” ships,” the account said. “At 9:45 the Defense Department or the military services. The Guam Edition of Stars Doreen Wright, Guam Edition Editor a.m., Evans gave the order to and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. Guts and gallantry abandon ship.” Scott Foley, Revenue Director The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense One naval historian has writ- The ship rolled over and sank CONTACT US or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. ten that the U.S. Navy has never 25 minutes later. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available shown “more gallantry, guts and The badly wounded Evans 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 116, Washington, D.C. 20001 for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gumption than in the two morn- never made it to safety, but how national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or Editorial: (202) 886-0005 ing hours between 0730 and 0930 he died after ordering the ship to Advertising: (202) 886-0014 any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. off Samar.” be abandoned is not known. Additional contact information: stripes.com © Stars and Stripes, 2021 A Japanese decoy fleet had [email protected] lured the ships of 3rd Fleet away Twitter: @WyattWOlson