The Defense Department has identified a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan on May 8 as Cpl. Richard P. Schoener of Hayes, La.

He was killed when his unit was conducting combat operations in Alishang, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Schoener, 22, was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The unit is part of III Marine Expeditionary Force, based on Okinawa.

Atkins nominated for promotion to major general

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Air Force Brig. Gen. Dana T. Atkins — vice commander of 7th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Korea and chief of staff for the Air Component Command — has been nominated to the rank of major general, according to a Pentagon news release.

As vice commander at 7th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Korea, Atkins “assists the commander in training and equipping in-place U.S. air forces, and assists in planning and receiving follow-on air forces and support,” according to Atkins’ military biography. He also “coordinates and directs planning for the execution of the combined U.S. and Republic of Korea air forces mission and chairs the Combined Effects Board,” in his duties as chief of staff for the Air Component Command.

Atkins has been at Osan since April 2004 following a tour as commander of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

UMUC commencement set for Sunday at Seoul

YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — The University of Maryland University College 2005 commencement ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday in Seoul American High School’s auditorium.

Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, will give the commencement address and Dr. Robert Laughlin, president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science Technology and 1998 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, also will give remarks.

Nearly 70 graduates will receive degrees, according to school officials.

Call Jenny Ko at 723-7141 for more information.

Yokohama to hold festival

MISAWA, Japan — Yokohama Town, about an hour’s drive north of Misawa Air Base, Japan, is to hold its annual Nanohana Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

The town boasts the largest fields of yellow rape blossoms — in Japanese, known as nanohana — as well as the largest festival of its kind in all of Japan, according to Simon Bernard, local community member and Shimoda town liaison.

One of the festival highlights is a giant maze carved into a large field of flowers. Helicopter rides for a minimal fee to view the flowers also are available.

The opening ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday followed by a stage show of music, drums and dances. The festival ends at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Several running events are scheduled for Sunday, including a 10K at 10:30 a.m. and a 5K and 3K at 10:40 a.m. An open 2K and one exclusively for elementary school-age girls starts at 11:30 a.m., according to Bernard. Sign-ups begin at 8:30 a.m. near the stage area; English speakers are available.

Other festival attractions, according to Bernard, include giant windmills, a photo session with models, horse and buggy rides through the fields, sales of special products and a tasting party. Bernard said the blossoms last from two to three weeks, after which the harvested plants are processed for canola oil.

Deutsch promoted

NAVAL AIR FACILITY MISAWA, Japan — Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Kenneth W. Deutsch has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral, according to a Defense Department news release.

Deutsch has commanded Patrol and Reconnaissance 5th/7th Fleet from Misawa since fall 2003, overseeing P-3 anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft squadrons in the Pacific, Asia and Middle East, among other duties.

In April, DOD announced that Rear Adm. Arthur J. Johnson Jr. will replace Deutsch in the job. Johnson now is U.S. Pacific Command representative, Guam/Commander, U.S. Naval Base Guam. Deutsch is being assigned as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, in Norfolk, Va.

Program seeks host families

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Nagasaki Junior College is seeking American host families for pairs of English students to spend a day with.

The idea is to share American culture, games, cooking and crafts with an English learner.

The home visits take place through June. Applications are available at the base post offices.

Call Penny Rower at 0956-28-6565 for more information.