Chapel One reopens following renovation

Kadena's Chapel One will once again be open and filled with the sounds of Sunday morning services Sept. 19 after being closed for about two years. The chapel was closed two years ago due to safety concerns and underwent renovations starting January 2010. The renovations, designed to improve the

Memorial service set for 909th ARS pilot

A memorial service in honor of Major Michael Kallai is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 16 at Chapel One here.Major Kallai, a KC-135 pilot serving as the18th Operations Group director of staff, was found unconscious in his home Sept. 12 and rushed to Camp Lester Naval Hospital for treatment. He was

The gift of a greeting

Chances are you've watched television back in the United States during the holidays and have seen service members and families sending their love back home. Now that you and the family are overseas, that opportunity is available to you.The Hometown News holiday greetings team will be at the Tee

Kadena Co-Commanders visit base, strengthen ties

Dozens of local leaders visited Kadena Sept. 10 as part of the base's Co-Commanders' tour.The Co-Commander program links a local community member with a unit on Kadena to promote partnership, cooperation and understanding. The tour was just one event of many which are held throughout the year by the

Kadena rescue unit sharpens skills in Afghanistan

Pop Warner, a famous football player and coach, is credited with saying, "You play like you practice." If so, the lifesaving Airmen assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing have a good shot at going undefeated.A realistic mass casualty exercise held here Saturday on a remote part of Bagram

Kadena Airmen, iron deploy to Guam for Valiant Shield

The air is rife with jet fumes, sweat and the sounds of more than 600 Kadena Airmen making preparations for exercise Valiant Shield held at Andersen Air Base, Guam, Sept. 7-31.Thirteen tankers, three AWACS, eighteen F-15 aircraft, and supporting units that participate, play a critical role in the

Base conservation efforts net federal award second straight year

For the second consecutive year, Kadena's civil engineers have been awarded a Federal Energy and Water Management award for their aggressive conservation efforts on Okinawa.Last year, the 718th Civil Engineer Squadron was honored for having one of the best 2008 Energy Efficiency and Energy Programs

Deployed Kadena Airmen recognized

Two Kadena Airmen were recognized for their efforts at their deployed location in Southwest Asia.The 405th Air Expeditionary Group Commander, Col. Gregory Schwartz, awarded Kadena Airman 1st Class Malcolm Macdonald, deployed from the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron here at Kadena, "Performer of

Kadena sounds an end to nuisance alarms

Imagine it's 4:30 on Friday afternoon and you're driving toward Gate 1. You've had a long day at work and all you want to do is go home and start your weekend. Then as you approach the gate, you notice that the gate is closed and security forces isn't letting anyone off the base ... again. False

Airmen aid in Okuma cleanup

For most Kadena residents, Typhoon Kompasu was a dud. But for Capt. Adam Vacarezza and his staff at Okuma Recreation Facility, the typhoon was more than just a few wind gusts and hard rain. Kadena weather forecasters estimate the storm's wind speeds reached more than 100 knots (115 mph) snapping

Okuma reservations cancelled due to typhoon damage

Due to damage caused by the typhoon this week, reservations for the Okuma Recreation Area in northern Okinawa are cancelled for at least this weekend.More information will be released as it becomes available.For more information, visit the Okuma web site here.

Back to school safety tips

The first day of school for students in the Pacific is August 30th. The start of a new school year creates more traffic congestion, and pedestrian traffic in and around our schools. Children rely on walking, riding a bicycle, riding with parents or riding the school bus in order to get to school.

LORE tests Kadena's ability to deploy

Airmen from the Air Force's largest combat air wing were evaluated this week on their readiness to mobilize, deploy, and regenerate personnel, cargo and aircraft. The wing participated in a Local Readiness Exercise Beverly High 10-04, Aug 22-25, designed to test, train and evaluate the base's

Practice makes perfect in BH 10-04

Kadena Air Base members ready themselves to support real world contingencies by practicing operations and honing military tactics. Kadena base exercise Beverly High 10-04 gives Airmen an opportunity to perform deployed actions in a controlled environment so that when the time comes, the Airmen can

Cupcakes bring community together