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President Obama Arrives in Hawaii
On late Wednesday night, Air Force One touched down at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam bringing some special guests, President Obama, Senator Akaka, and Congresswoman Hirono. Here are some pictures from that night.
Thanks to Pacific Air Forces and Pacific Command for this rare opportunity.
A Pic of President Obama
Thanks to a flash from one of the closer photographers, this picture of President Obama came out decent (when enlarged at least).
President Obama is followed by Senator Daniel Akaka and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono.
What to Expect from the Kaneohe Bay Air Show 2010
Here’s what you can expect from the Kaneohe Bay Air Show 2010… in pictures.
Lots and lots of seating but expected to be filled.
Emergency services and plentiful police (watching Fat Albert).
Aircraft, lots and lots of aircraft, both civilian and military.
Music from the Pacific Fleet Band.
Vendors.
The Mobile Gamer Guys.
It’ll be hot so visit the Farmers Hawaii booth for some breezy relief.
Amazed spectators.
Skydivers.
Fun for the kids.
Crazy stunt pilots.
Scenic views.
Of course, the high flying (and sometimes, very low flying) Blue Angels.
And there’s much, much more! Thanks to Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet, and the KBay Air Show!
See more pictures on Flickr.
“Until They Are Home”
This is the simple but poignant reminder of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command:
Until they are home.
The mission of JPAC is to “achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of our nation’s past conflicts” and to date, this 400-personnel organization at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam is working tirelessly to give closure to over 90,000 families who’ve lost loved ones in conflicts since WWII. JPAC has an amazing and noble goal, one that baffles my mind after taking a tour of their facilities and learning about their operation (as an overview, watch their command brief).
Recently, JPAC joined the social media movement of the DoD and hosted its inaugural tweetup. JPAC commander, Major General Stephen Tom, talked to our social media group about the determination of the JPAC organization to fulfill our Nation’s promise of bringing fallen comrades home.
JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) is the largest skeletal identification lab in the world where approximately 30 forensic anthropologists and dentists work on solving mysteries decades old. In teams of 10-14 specialists, the JPAC staff researches historical sites, launches a investigative team, then as warranted, deploys a full recovery team to collect remains and artifacts.
As part of the tweetup, I witnessed a repatriation ceremony where remains collected from Vietnam, Laos, and Vanuatu were honored then taken to the CIL lab for identification.
I can’t begin to explain the complex challenges JPAC faces in their mission. Their combat scene investigations cover the spans of time, geography, culture, science, and so much more. If you can, visit JPAC on one of their public tours and learn about its honorable mission.
Thanks to JPAC and Pacific Command for this amazing opportunity.
For more pictures from the JPAC tour and arrival ceremony, check out my Flickr set.
JPAC online at:
More #ArrivalCeremony coverage:
Aloha to the F-15 Eagles
To witness a moment in history is why I found myself staring at the sky near the end of a runway at Hickam Air Force Base. A group of social media, traditional media, and crew members from PACAF and the Hawaii Air National Guard were all gathered to say one final aloha and mahalo to the last trio of F-15 Eagles departing Hawaii.
In service for more than 30 years and protecting our Hawaiian islands since the 1980’s, the F-15 Eagles have migrated to another perch as part of the Pacific’s transition to F-22 Raptors. So the gathered ohana watched as Buddha, Chucker, and Odie roared across the Honolulu skyline before making the trek over the Pacific Ocean.
Once again thank you to Pacific Command, the Hawaii Air National Guard, and PACAF for this opportunity to witness history.
F-15 Takeoff Recording FAIL!
I knew the F-15 Eagles would be moving fast during takeoff, but they were WAY fast. Check out my movie fail while recording the takeoff.
Yes, it’s blurry, and I couldn’t even pan the camera fast enough to keep up with the jet. FAIL!!
Aloha to Hawaii’s F-15 Eagles (in Pictures)
Just the pictures from today’s farewell ceremony for Hawaii’s last F-15 Eagles fighter jets.
Blog post coming later…