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WASHINGTON, April 25, 2001 – (This is a summary of the American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending April 27, 2001.)
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Sub Skipper Reprimanded for Ehime Maru Incident
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2001 -- The U.S. Pacific Fleet commander found that the former skipper of the USS Greeneville was derelict in his duties and had handled the
submarine hazardously prior to the Feb. 9 collision with the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru.
Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Thomas B. Fargo administered nonjudicial punishment, a punitive letter of reprimand, to Cmdr. Scott Waddle April 23 in Honolulu. The letter directed Waddle's removal from command of the Greeneville "for cause," and ordered him to forfeit half his pay for two months, which was suspended.
Fargo said he didn't recommend Waddle for a court-martial because the inquiry produced no evidence of criminal intent or deliberate misconduct.
Fargo said that Lt. j.g. Michael J. Coen, officer of the deck, had received an official admonishment and recommended that Petty Officer 1st class Patrick Seacrest, fire control technician, attend a nonjudicial Captain's Mast hearing. He said that official admonishments would also be issued to Lt. Cmdr. Gerald K. Pfeifer, executive officer; Master Chief Petty Officer Douglas Coffmann, chief of the boat; and Petty Officer 1st class Edward McGiboney, sonar supervisor.
Capt. Robert L. Brandhuber was also admonished. Although not a member of the Greeneville crew, Fargo said, Brandhuber should have challenged Waddle's hurried
periscope check.
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DoD Kicks-Off New Guard/Reserve Awareness Campaign
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2001 - The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve launched a new public service advertising campaign April 25 during a Pentagon kick-off ceremony.
Charles L. Cragin, acting assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, introduced the new 20- and 30-second ads depicting reserve component members from several
civilian professions performing a variety of military missions. The ads will be aired on more than 19,000 media outlets, he said.
The outreach objective is to make civilian employers more aware of the crucial roles reserve component service members play in U.S. military operations today. Cragin said noted the 1.3 million men and women in the reserve components comprise nearly half of America's total military force.
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DoD Vows to Rededicate Itself to MIA Mission
FORT MYER, Va., April 27, 2001 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said the example of the seven Americans and nine Vietnamese killed in a helicopter crash April 7 will serve to renew the commitment to further their work of accounting for missing Americans in Southeast Asia.
Wolfowitz spoke during a memorial service here April 25. On the altar of the memorial chapel were the flags of the United States, Vietnam and the POW-MIA organizations. Family members of the seven Americans and co-workers from Joint Task Force-Full Accounting and POW-MIA Affairs attended the service. In addition, Vietnamese Deputy Chief of Mission Pham Van Que and members of the Vietnamese Embassy attended.
The 16 men died in a helicopter crash in Quang Binh province, Vietnam during a site survey for an upcoming mission to recover the remains of U.S. servicemen lost during the Vietnam War.
"Let us remember the words of Abraham Lincoln ... when he said 'It is for us the living to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they so nobly advanced,'" Wolfowitz said. "Our resolve is strengthened by their example."
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