Thank You

Seikichi Kaneshiro, the longest-serving federal employee in the Air Force, retired May 30 after 66 years during a ceremony at Andersen AFB, Guam. Of his total years of service, 62 were spent on Guam, where he last served as Andersen’s 36th Civil Engineer Squadron maintenance and operations supervisor. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has been on a tour of Asia, attended the ceremony and presented Kaneshiro with the Outstanding Civilian Career Service award. “Our country is only as strong as its citizens and their willingness to serve the greater good,” Gates said, calling Kaneshiro “an example of the extraordinary service required to keep our nation safe, prosperous and strong.” A native of Hawaii, Kaneshiro joined the Army in 1943, serving for three years in the highly decorated 442nd “Go for Broke!” Battalion of Japanese-American soldiers. After the war, he worked as a woodcraftsman at then-Hickam Air Depot, Hawaii. He came to Guam in 1946, staying so long, Kaneshiro said, because he liked his job. “I love to see the base being improved with new buildings. I have seen and created almost every building. When I came to Andersen, there was nothing but jungle,” he said. (Andersen report by SSgt. Angelique Smythe and American Forces Press Service report by Donna Miles)