Story and photo by
Ensign Aimee Lindner
USS Lake Erie (CG 70)

Capt. William Johnson relieved Capt. Ronald Boxall as commanding officer of USS Lake Erie (CG 70), during a change of command ceremony held April 30 on board the warship in port at Pearl Harbor.
Boxall had some departing words for his shipmates, whom he had led for more than two years. "I am the luckiest CO in the Navy. To have this crew, with this work ethic, this high standard, this winning attitude and to do it with a smile on their face is what we all hope for as captains," Boxall said.

Story and photo by
Bill Doughty
Deputy Director, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

With a trauma operating room nurse just back from deployment in Afghanistan leading the discussion, Navy Region Hawaii kicked off the first in a series of live TV interviews last month on the role of Navy individual augmentees in support of overseas contingency operations.

Story and photo by
MC2 Robert Stirrup
Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

Personnel assigned to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Field Office Hawaii were awarded the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Medal for the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) during an awards ceremony on board the Battleship Missouri Memorial on May 3.
Mark Clookie, director of NCIS, presented the award to 12 special agents and staff.

Story and photo by
Grace Hew Len
Navy Region Hawaii Environmental Public Affairs Officer

In the heart of Waianae Valley, where lo`i kalo, or taro patches, grow in the gentle sloping valley floor of Ka`ala Farm, a new and historic partnership has been formalized. Navy Region Hawaii joined the State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Army Garrison Hawaii, Board of Water Supply and other leaders of the Waianae community in signing the Waianae Mountains Watershed Partnership Memorandum of Understanding during a ceremony April 22 at Ka`ala Farm.

Story and photo by
Blair Martin
Contributing Writer

The phrase "until they are home" is one that is familiar to many military families. However, for the chosen few who work at Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), it is not only their command's motto but also the hopeful promise of closure for families of missing American service members who left for war and never returned.

Story by
Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two Public Affairs

Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two (CPRW-2) conducted a "pie in the face" fundraiser April 27 to raise money for the Navy - Marine Corps Relief Society for
the benefit of fellow Sailors, Marines and their families.

Story by
Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two Public Affairs

Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two (CPRW-2) staff members wore jeans on "Denim Day 2010" on April 21 in honor of victims of sexual assault and in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in April.

Story and photo by
MC2 John W. Ciccarelli Jr.
Navy Public Affairs Support Element West Det. Hawaii

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam held a class May 3-4 to inform service members about the benefits of the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP).
"The program gives the military member the opportunity, while active, to complete their apprenticeship and journeyman certificate just like their civilian counterparts," said Kenneth
Ledbetter, market outreach coordinator for USMAPS.

Story and photo by
MC2 Ronald Gutridge
Commander Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office

The Los Angeles-class, fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on May 3, following a six-month deployment to the western Pacific region.

Story and photo by
MC2 Michael Hight
U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

Rear Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Pacific Fleet Master Chief John Minyard announced the 2010 Pacific Fleet Sea and Shore Sailors of the Year on April 22 during a ceremony held at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu.
Operations Specialist 1st Class (SW) Samira McBride was named the Pacific Fleet Sea Sailor of the Year and Legalman 1st Class (SW/AW) Jessica Byard was named the Pacific Fleet Shore Sailor of the Year.