HAWAII MARINE Voluntary payment for delivery to MCAS housing/$1 per four week period VOL. 9 NO. 28 KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII, JULY 16, 1980 TWENTY I'AGES HMM-165 reins switch hands LtCol Gary Thiry assumed Thiry was selected for jet Administration, magna cum HIS PERSONAL decorations command of Marine Medium transition in 1969 but opted for laude. include the Distinguished Flying Helicopter 'Squadron-165, Marine orders to Army training in the AH- Cross (5 awards), Bronze Star with Aircraft Group-24, at MCAS IG "Cobra" helicopter at Fort ONE YEAR AFTER receiving Combat "V", Defense Meritorious Kaneohe Bay, during ceremonies Hunter, Savanna, Ga. He was his degree Thiry was transfered to Service Medal, Air Medal with 65 July 3. Thiry replaced LtCol one of the first 20 Marine pilots New River for a second tour. There Strike Flight awards, Navy Richard Bland who has been trained in the new attack he served as executive officer of Achievement Medal, Navy assigned to the Naval War College, helicopter. Thiry then returned to Marine Fighter Attack Helicopter Commendation Medal with "V" Newport, R.I. MAG-16 at Marble Mountain, in Squadron-269. and the Vietnam Cross of the Republic of Vietnam. Thiry also served as executive Gallantry with Bronze Star. THIRY WAS BORN in Green officer of Marine Fighter Attack Bay, Wis. 38 years ago. He enlisted RETURNING TO CONUS in Helicopter Squadron-369 in in the Marine Corps upon October of 1970, he attended Okinawa during 1976. In 1977 he completion of high school. A year Amphibious Warfare School at attended the Command and Staff later he was accepted into the Quantico, Va., and was subse- course at the Naval War College in Marine Aviation Cadet Program quently assigned to Headquarters, Newport. and received his commission and Fleet Marine Force Pacific, During August 1978 he was sent wings in 1963. Hawaii. He served as assistant to the United States Taiwan His first assignments were to staff secretary under then LtGen Defense Command in the Republic Marine Medium Helicopter Louis Wilson, later to become the of China and assigned as J-3 plans Squadrons 264 and 365 at New 26th Commandant of the Marine officer. There he was responsible River, N.C., where he participated Corps. for the execution of the in numerous exercises and Presidential order to withdraw 1973 he was assigned as deployments while flying the UH- In U.S. forces from Taiwan. He commanding officer of the Cobra 34D helicopter. continued as the chief, Operations detachment at Kaneohe Bay and Division, CINPac Provisional simultaneously served as Plans Office, Handling residual DURING 1966 AND 1967 officer Headquar- operations for Taiwan matters. He joined MAG- Thiry served his first tour in ters and Maintenance Squadron- Vietnam with the "Red Lions," 24 in October of 1979 and was 24. assigned as the operations officer Photos by Sgt Chris Taylor HMM'363, stationed at Chu Lai. 1975, in recent assignment to THE GREATEST OF EASE - An Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter He returned to Pensacola, Fla. to During he participated until his neatly suspends an F-8 Crusader fighter as it approaches Kaneohe serve as a flight instructor and the Bootstrap program at HMM-165. Bay (above). Marines pit their combined strength in a tug-of-war later as adjutant of the Marine Chaminade University of The lieutenant colonel and his (below) against heavy gusts created by the Chinook's churning Aviation detachment from 1967 Honolulu and received his wife Sharon, have two daughters, rotors as they stabilize the Crusader prior to its landing Friday. until the fall of 1969. !Bachelor's Degree in Business Laurie, 17 and Debora, 15. LtCol Gary Thiry Marines, soldiers and sailors cooperated in a project to transport the veteran fighter from Naval Air Station, Barbers Point, to Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay. Command level bonus authorized HQMC, WASHINGTON, MC movement and duty or duty THERE ARE SEVERAL other carried Marines to at least 81 NewsMarines can get approval station options, which still have to changes to the order that should months of combined active and for Selective Reenlistment Bonus be approved by Headquarters help Marines. They are: obligated service, Now, to rate a payments from their local Marine Corps. Zone A bonus, active and obligated commanders as of July 1. In the The change in the bonus -Zone A eligibility criteria will service length will be cut to 72 past, a request had to be approved payment policy should benefit be reduced to 21 months months. In other words, you will be by Headquarters Marine Corps. most bonus-eligible Marines, continuous active service, from able to commit yourself to less time The change means, at least officials believe. Before, a 31 months; and 72 months active to be eligible for bonus money. in theory, that lump sum Marine had to submit for approval plus obligated service, instead of 81 reenlistment bonuses can be paid a bonus payment request with months. THE UPDATED ORDER also as soon as company, battery or other reenlistment paperwork to includes the Agreement to Train squadron administrative offices Headquarters Marine Corps; or, a For example, first term Marines Option Program. ATOP, begun in complete the required paperwork, Marine could reenlist, then put in a on initial three-year enlistments January, offers Marines the and the Marine reenlists. This is a request to Headquarters for the will be able to reenlist within one chance to be guaranteed formal key feature of sr npdnted Marine reenlistment bonus. Either way, year of their end of active service schooling in new Occupational Corps Order (7220.24K) on SRBP. date-and receive a bonus- Fields and bonus payments for Now commanders can authorize under the old policy, Marines had instead of waiting until they've reenlisting in those OFs upon virtually all first and second term to wait several weeks before reached 31 months of continuous completion of schooling. reenlistment incentives, except knowing for sure if they'd be active service. In the past, zone A All changes under the new order career progression training, lateral collecting a bonus. reenlistments must have also took effect July I. Honors bestowed upon civil servant A twenty-eight year station programs including the staffing, is, " having a reliable, capable unions- something we didn't do employee was recently presented wage and classification, employee staff of nine people working for me. before, and our programs are the Commendation for Meritorious relations and services, labor Bunny's federal service career more comprehensive." Civilian Service award, one of the management relations, Equal spans more than 35 years. She During her employment, Bunny highest honors bestowed upon a Employment Opportunity and became an employee at MCAS has been honored with four civil servant in the Naval training for 450 civil service Kaneohe Bay in 1952 and for the Quality Step Increases, three department. employees. next five years, worked as an Sustained Superior Performance Bernice Burum, civilian She also provides services and administrative assistant in a awards, 10 Outstanding Perfor- personnel officer, was cited by Col advice on personnel programs for supply section. She then mance Ratings, numerous Letters Mel Sautter, commanding officer, approximately 600 nonappropri- transfered to the civilian of Appreciation from outside the MCAS Kaneohe Bay, for her ated fund employees, and 120 personnel office where she command, the Superior Civilian ". outstanding record of workers of tenant organizations of advanced through the grades to Service Award from the dedicated service to the Federal the Navy Ocean Systems Center. become head of the section and has Commandant of the Marine Corps government and specifically to And the list doesn't stop there. held that position for 20 years. and a Certificate of Commenda- Marine Corps Air Station, She's equally active in many other tion for 1500 hours of accumulated Kaneohe Bay." programs. "MY JOB really has changed sick leave. over the years," she reflects The Explaining her exceptional BERN ICE, or Bunny as she is JUGGLING A tremendous highly efficient, energetic Bunny performance, she modestly fondly called, is responsible for schedule such as hers is often comments, "Laws have changed, summarizes, "the main thing is *Crusader arrives coordinating all personnel hectic, but Bunny says her secret we're now dealing with labor getting the job done." as new gate sentry ft% /44 .44,tote A beaming Col Mel Sautter, Division, stationed at NAS commanding officer of MCAS Barbers Point. That unit Kaneohe Bay and an equally maintains CH-47 Chinook pleased Executive Officer LtCol helicopters capable of externally, Mamalahoa Parachuting Medicine James Marshall checked in the lifting heavy ground equipment newest aerial arrival to the air and aircraft. station Friday morning. Marines clear land Kekaha residents Healthy bodies Plans for the grounded fighter THE RESULT of interservice include a total facelift, complete for Wairnanalo look to the sky, ara patients' cooperation and coordination, an with sandblasting, new tires, Army helicopter lifted and carried appointment with Marine Corps farming project but not for fireworks responsibilities too an F-8 Crusader fighter aircraft insignia and a respected position fromtNaval Air Station, Barbers near the Dec. 7, 1941 monument at Page A-2 Page A-9 Page A-10 Point, to its new home at Kaneohe the H- 3 gate. Bay. Sautter offered to take the MSGT GARY BRENNAN, veteran fighter off the Navy's aircraft maintenance chief of hands when it became available, Station Operations and Mainten- replaced at the main gate at ance Squadron, will supervise the Barbers Point by a P2V aircraft. restoration. "By working on it Sports Castle High Education The colonel had piloted F-8s earlier evenings, Saturdays and Sundays in his career and had commanded we should be able to finish it in a FMFPac Regional New auditorium Programs offer Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack couple of months," he said.