IWTS Hawaii Sailors Volunteer for Local Community Beautification

Courtesy Photo | WAIMĀNALO BEACH, Hawaii (Jan. 12, 2024) Sailors from Information Warfare Training Site (IWTS) Hawaii collected trash during an Adopt-a-Highway cleanup event supporting their local community. IWTS Hawaii, as part of Information Warfare Training Command San Diego, provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel at sites across the Pacific that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.  

WAIMĀNALO BEACH, HI, UNITED STATES

04.25.2024

Story by Kurt Van Slooten 

Center for Information Warfare Training

WAIMĀNALO BEACH, Hawaii – Sailors assigned to Information Warfare Training Site (IWTS) Hawaii participated in multiple community service events in recent months, earning recognition for their selfless service to the community through team building events and partnerships with local organizations.

IWTS Hawaii adopted approximately one mile of Kalaniana`ole Highway through Adopt-a-Highway, a program that allows environmentally conscious groups to help maintain sections of state highways, creating periodic opportunities for the command to host roadside cleanup events.

The team also supported beautification efforts at nearby Waimānalo Beach on the windward side of O`ahu.

During the beach clean-up, Cryptologic Technician Collection 2nd Class Kevin Blake shared, “When you’ve been to as many places as I have, you tend to grow a deep admiration for the location and the people.”

Participating in the local community and helping maintain the natural beauty of Hawaii is a key goal for the site’s volunteer programs.

During a different volunteer event Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class John Severo, an instructor at IWTS Hawaii, said, “Being appreciated by residents as they drive by, they honk and wave, it means a lot. We’re not just here to be Sailors, but to be good to them as well.”

The team also participates in the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s Adopt-a-Space program, enabling IWTS Hawaii to maintain the iconic bridge of the USS Missouri (BB 63) by cleaning it weekly and conducting preservation work, as needed.

In recognition of their outstanding efforts, the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s Director of Volunteers commended IWTS Hawaii Sailors with a plaque honoring their “2023 Outstanding Adopt-a-Space” contributions during a ceremony in February.

“It’s an honor to help support the preservation of the historic Mighty Mo,” shared one of the Sailors who worked on the team. “The USS Missouri represents one of the bookends of World War II along with her sister ship, USS Arizona. It is our privilege, as custodians of naval heritage, to help preserve and honor this mighty battleship.”

Information Warfare Training Site Hawaii, a subordinate unit of Information Warfare Training Command San Diego and the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel at sites across the Pacific that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains more than 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, cyber warfare technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

• Date Taken: 04.25.2024
• Date Posted: 04.25.2024 12:13
• Story ID: 469513
• Location: WAIMĀNALO BEACH, HI, US