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19th Fighter Squadron Rocks on! |
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In case you hadn’t noticed, the Military has a big presence here in Hawaii. It is a major factor in our economy right up there with tourism as far as bringing revenue into the state. But beyond the dollar $igns, the Military is people. On Oahu alone we have Hickam Air Force Base, Kaneohe Marine Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, the Tripler Army Medical Center, Wheeler Air Field, and other installations. It’s estimated that 1 in 9 are military-related residents, so that is a lot of people contributing to our population! |
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 Yes, that is a Ship! |
I was recently honored to attend the 19th Fighter Squadron Realignment and Assumption of Command Ceremony on October 4, 2010 on Hickam Air Force Base.
What is Hickam AFB? On January 31, 2010 the two historic military installations, Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base, joined to become the Joint Base Pearl Harbor -Hickam. They do remain separate facilities though; so today we are going to cruise through the AFB.
Here’s a quick video cruise for you.
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| Hickam AFB consists of 2,850 acres of land and facilities bordering Pearl Harbor and is valued at more than $444 million. In 1934 the Army Air Corps saw the need for another airfield in Hawaii. Hickam was dedicated May 31, 1935 and named in honor of Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam, a distinguished aviation pioneer. It was completed and officially activated on September 15, 1938. It was the main army airfield in Hawaii and the only one large enough to accommodate the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Initially part of the United States Army, the United States Air Force was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947.
When the Japanese attacked Oahu’s military installations on Dec. 7, Hickam suffered extensive damage and aircraft losses. Through the Korean, Vietnam and Cold War periods Hickam continued to play a major role in the defense of our country and was named “America’s Bridge Across the Pacific”. This is home to the 19th Fighter Squadron. The 19th is known as the “Gamecocks” for the fighting birds who dominate all opponents with deadly hitting power.
Fast forward to today: The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth generation fighter aircraft designed to… well…kick some serious butt in combat. And Hickam is now the new home of the F-22. |
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| The ceremony was awe-inspiring, not just for the implication of the powerful 19th Fighter Squadron defense unit being here in Hawaii, but also for the overwhelming dedication these personnel have to faith, family and our country.
So because our pictures say it better than words, let’s look at some of the results of our media group.
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 The F-22 Raptor |
| @coffee_tweets was burning the midnight oil to get her photos up here.
@gabrielmy has a few up here in his twitpic stream.
@rickyli99 has what I would call “Best in Show” here.
Waiting for @colinsato, @synwpn and @dallasnagata to get some pics, will post links as soon as I get them!
 One Nation, under God
I’ll wrap up with my photo set which I like to think makes up in enthusiasm what it lacks in talent!
Many thanks to @apocalypse81
and @pacificcommand for inviting me to attend!
I’ll close with this video I took. Again, remember I’m ENTHUSIASTIC! Much Aloha to you from Biz…
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Tag-Archive for ◊ F-22 Raptor ◊
• Tuesday, October 05th, 2010
Just listen to the music, ok?Category: Fun Stuff, Oahu Neighborhood Crusin', Our Military
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