Defense Secretary Robert Gates will make his first trip to Guam as the top Pentagon official this week to discuss military buildup on the island, according to Air Force officials.
During the two-day trip, Gates will meet with local leaders and military commanders to discuss the planned move of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, a major portion of the long-term buildup.
The secretary also will meet with airmen at Andersen Air Force Base, re-enlist two sailors and preside over the retirement ceremony of Seikichi "Mr. Paul" Kaneshiro, the longest-serving federal employee in the Air Force in history, according to an Andersen spokesman.
Kaneshiro, a vertical repair superintendent with the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron at Andersen, will retire Friday after 66 years with the Air Force, according to an Andersen news release.
Kaneshiro joined the military in 1943 as part of the 522nd Field Artillery, a part of a battalion of Japanese-American soldiers. After serving with the U.S. Army in Germany, France and Italy, Kaneshiro returned to Hawaii to work for the Air Force.
He worked at Hickam Air Depot in Hawaii, then moved to Guam to help rebuild the island after a typhoon hit in 1946.
Gates’ visit to Guam comes as local officials and military leaders are planning $10.3 billion in expansions to move the III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa.
Other military projects are also planned, including the addition of an Army air defense unit and a port that can handle long-term visits from aircraft carriers.
