 Long-time Fort Lewis public affairs specialist Joe Hitt deals out one last plateful of dish before retiring Friday. |
Joe Hitt called it a career Friday after 17 years at the Fort Lewis public affairs office.
That’s a lot of “no comments.”
Hey, we kid. Joe almost never said that – far less often, for sure, than he got dumb questions from the likes of me.
The relationship between reporters and PAOs is
…Another item for your calendar (a short advance I wrote for this weekend’s papers):
Two emerging U.S. military initiatives – the new U.S. Africa Command, and the Air Force’s Cyber Command – will be the focus of this year’s Pacific Northwest National Security Forum in Tacoma.
The half-day series of briefings by senior officers and strategists opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center at 1500 Broadway. Admission is $50, and identification is required. (Schedule here.)
"We’re kind of a future-looking forum, that’s what we’ve done in the past couple years," said Doug Adams, a retired Army lieutenant colonel directing this year’s event.
A long list of peace groups are taking part in the Northwest Winter Soldier event from noon to 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Seattle Town Hall, 8th Avenue and Seneca Street. An anti-war demonstration will follow at 4:30 p.m. Sponsor is Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Admission is $5 at the door.
Health care providers, schools officials and others who work with kids are gathering Monday at McChord Air Force Base for a three-day conference they’re calling “Military Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health and Well-Being During Wartime and Beyond.” (Agenda here.)
A Madigan Army Medical Center spokeswoman said the event is not open to the public but several Fort Lewis family members have been invited to attend.
Madigan said in a news release:
…“The summit will bring together military families, youth and medical experts in various areas to focus on solutions that will enhance the quality of
The Strykers at Fort Lewis aren’t the only ones returning after a long spell in Iraq.
About 180 aviators and support soldiers from the Washington Guard’s 1-168 General Support Aviation Battalion come home Saturday after a year over there. The Guard is hosting a welcome home ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at Soldiers Field House at Fort Lewis.
The 4,000 soldiers of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry will pile back to Fort Lewis over the next few weeks and after that the post will have all three of its Stryker brigades home. That’s a first.
A few other smaller units are due in over the next several weeks too.
But spare a thought for the 2,600 or so Fort Lewis soldiers who will remain in Iraq after July or so.
The latest list from FLWA includes:
&bull 14th Engineer Battalion
&bull 51st Signal Battalion
&bull 555th Engineer Brigade headquarters
&bull 42nd
Dana Goldsmith gets the prize for the most succinct sign among the dozens that decorated Soldiers Field House on Thursday for the return of the first batch of 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division soldiers from 15 months in Iraq.
It said, “Spc. Goldsmith. Hope you slept on the plane … not tonight!”
“I’m hoping he winds up standing right in front of me so I can make him giggle,” she said.
And as it turned out, Spc. Matthew Goldsmith did indeed march in with the last ranks of the returning soldiers and took his place in formation
…Fayetteville, N.C., Observer has a story today about a memorial ceremony Wednesday at Fort Bragg where the U.S. Army Special Operations Command added the names of its fallen soldiers from 2007 to its Memorial Wall of Honor. The story includes a photo slide show from the rainy ceremony.
The command includes the 1st Special Forces Group and the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from Fort Lewis. The two units rarely open their memorials here to the press and general public.
The Fort Lewis names added were:
&bull Sgt. Maj. Bradly D. Conner, 1st Group.