American Samoa	Guam	Northern Mariana Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands	Marshall Islands	Federated States of Micronesia	Palau

Command Sgt. Maj. Ioakimo Falaniko retires after 32 years; Last 5 years dedicated to Son, Fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom

Excerpted from SamoaNews.Com (By Major Laupola)

SamoaNews.com (September 26, 2008) – Thirty-two years of distinguished served in the United States Army was feted and celebrated when Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Ioakimo Falaniko, originally of American Samoa, retired on September 19, 2008.  His service was recognized at a retirement/change of responsibility ceremony at Gammon Field, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, in a ceremony presided by Major General William McCoy, Commanding General US Army Maneuver Support Center & Fort Leonard Wood. More

Maj. Gen. William McCoy, Commanding General US Army Maneuver Support and Ft. Leonard Wood presented one of the many awards that Command Sgt. maj. Ioakimo Falaniko and wife Maliana received during the retirement ceremony at Gammon Field, September 19, 2008. CSM Falaniko retires after 32 years of dedicated services to the US Army. CSM Falaniko is described by his commander as a master of his profession, passion of soldiers and embodied all the values and attributes of a soldiers creed.[Courtesy Photo]

Secretary Kempthorne: Federal Partnership will Assist
Island Leaders in Strengthening Public Health Care Systems

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne told leaders of the U.S. territories and freely associated states at a Sept. 29-30 Insular Area Health Summit that the federal government is committed to working with them to improve their health care systems, underscoring that commitment with a federal task force to prioritize their critical health care needs and multi-million dollar funding to support on-going efforts. More

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne joins federal and island leaders for a group picture at the Insular Areas Health Summit. From left, Northern Mariana Islands Health Secretary Timothy P. Villagomez; Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing; Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David S.C. Chu; Secretary of Veterans Affairs James B. Peake; Republic of Palau Vice President Elias Chin; USVI Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen; Secretary Kempthorne; American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono; Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Joxel Garcia; Hawaii Lt. Gov. James Aiona; U.S. Virgin Islands Health Commissioner Vivian Ebbesen Fludd; Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori; and Guam Gov. Felix Camacho. [Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI]

Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne Announces New Cabinet-level Historic Preservation Award; Call for Applications Made

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 12, 2008) -- Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the establishment of the Secretary's Historic Preservation Award, a new annual award to recognize the outstanding contributions of the employees of Federal, State, and Tribal Preservation Offices and Certified Local Governments in the area of historic preservation.
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Statement of Douglas W. Domenech Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs before the Sub-Committee on Insular Affairs House Committee On Natural Resources regarding Identifying Labor Solutions for the Guam Military Build-Up
September 23, 2008

OIA Announces Opening For Program Analyst

Are you a bright and skilled fact-finder looking for a challenging place to start a career in the Federal government? This is an exciting developmental opportunity to refine your skills and talent in the field of Insular Affairs. If you have the skills we need and the drive it takes to be successful in the policy arena, we want your application!
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