Posts Tagged ‘pacom’
US Pacific Command Change of Command Ceremony
Today, I was invited by the United States Pacific Command to photograph the Change of Command ceremony as Admiral Robert F. Willard relinquished command to Admiral Samuel Locklear III upon his retirement after 39 years of military service. Guest speakers at the ceremony included the United States Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey.
I’ve had the privilege to photograph Adm. Willard at a few events before, and even have a few of my photos of Hawaii military events hanging in his office in Washington D.C. I wish him the best in his retirement!
University of Hawaii/PACOM Wounded Warriors Tribute
I was fortunate to once again be invited by Pacific Command to cover their Wounded Warriors tribute event along with the University of Hawaii during the halftime of a football game at Aloha Stadium. Much like last year’s event, it rained, I met a lot of awesome people, and the action was great to watch from the sidelines, but unlike last year, this time I got to experience it all with my own ‘wounded-ish’ warrior by my side. This time, we also got to see a selection of military spouses honored prior to the game’s start for their own achievements. Enjoy the photos! (And click the top photo to see a bigger version!)
Again, much thanks to Theresa Donnelly and Pacific Command for this awesome opportunity!
December 7th Hickam Field Remembrance Ceremony
December 7th, “the day that will live in infamy”, immediately brings Pearl Harbor to mind, but this morning I had the privilege of attending a quiet ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base commemorating the Japanese attack of Hickam Field, which was also bombed that day, 69 years ago. The nearby buildings riddled with bullet holes from the air strike that day are a somber reminder of the destruction that sent our country into war.
The ceremony was attended by three December 7th survivors, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Herbert J. Carlisle, the 13th Air Force commander, was the guest speaker.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Today, I was invited to attend U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s arrival at Hickam Air Force Base by Pacific Command, as well as her press conference with Japan’s Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, which was held in Kahala. Mrs. Clinton was personally greeted by Admiral Robert Willard, the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, his wife, and Colonel Robert J. Dague (Vice Commander, 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii).
After her arrival, Mrs. Clinton’s motorcade escorted her to Kahala, where she exchanged gifts with the Mr. Maehara (he, an apparent train enthusiast, was presented with a model train, while he gave her a set of crystal wine glasses) and then met with him for two hours before both diplomats entered the press conference.
I admit that written journalism is not yet my strong point, but the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has an article detailing the topics covered during the press conference.
And now, onto the photographs!
UH/PACOM Wounded Warrior Tribute at the Nevada vs. Hawaii Football Game
First of all, I’d like to apologize for the tardiness of this posting – between shooting three weddings this month, getting sick, setting up my house while my husband is deployed, life has gotten a little crazy and I have a huge backlog of work to get done. However, I have now stayed up till 2:30am just to get this posted!
On October 17th, I had the honor of being invited by PACOM to photograph UH Manoa’s Wounded Warrior Tribute ceremony during the halftime of their football game against Nevada. Along with a few of my photographer peers/friends, I was granted sideline access for the entire game, which was a fantastic experience. As a University of Hawaii alumni, as well as an Army wife, I was proud to witness and document these two organizations honoring some of America’s heroes. Here are some of my photos from the night:
The Last F-15 Eagle Training Sortie
Thanks to PACOM, PACAF, and the Hawaii Air National Guard, we were invited to watch Hawaii’s F-15s fly their last training exercise before they are replaced by the new F-22s. Here are some of my photos from the day, enjoy! (And yes, I was feeling a bit black-and-white while processing!)
While the fighter jets were doing their exercise, we escaped the hot sun to go inside and look at some of their equipment, including their helmets and flight simulators.
We then headed back outside to greet the landing planes and congratulate the pilots.
The pilots were greeted with a traditional hosing as they got out of their F-15s.
Afterwards, the various media people interviewed the pilots while the maintenance crews got to work on the planes.
We had some fun with the F-15s too!
Thanks to Jasmine for another fun opportunity to observe and document our military!
RIMPAC Amphibious Assault Exercise
These are late, but I’ve been a bit busy with life. Here are my photographs from one of the later RIMPAC exercises, an Amphibious Assault Vehicle exercise done by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Australian Army. Enjoy!
© 2010-2012 Dallas Nagata White
