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Source: United States Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 01/22/2025 05:15 PM EST
01/22/2025 04:49 PM EST
Source: United States Navy (Medical)
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – A young Billy Bui sat cross-legged on the floor with his head resting in the palm of his hand. He peered up at the weathered face of his grandfather as he listened in earnest to his grandfather’s story. There was a subtle breeze blowing through the nearby open window. It was the early 2000’s and Bui lived in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, but through his grandfather’s words he was being transported to another place and time: the Vietnam War in April 1975.
His grandfather, Danny Dang, recounted his time as a captain in the Republic of Vietnam army during Operation Frequent Wind. The Americans were pulling out of Vietnam and Dang was forced to figure out a way to evacuate his family. All they possessed was a small fishing boat. Unable to head north or south because of the North Vietnamese military and the Filipino pirates, they set out to sea in the Pacific Ocean in their small boat.
Bui hung on his grandfather’s every word, listening in awe and anticipation, as the story became more suspenseful. There was a feeling budding in Bui that he couldn’t shake. His grandfather continued, his voice gravelly.
For two days, Dang and his family had drifted aimlessly in the vast deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. On their last hope and running out of food, water and supplies, they came across U.S. Navy frigate USS Hepburn (FF 1055). At the time, the ship was not tasked with rescuing refugees, but Dang saw this as an opportunity.
Making a hasty decision, Dang scuttled their boat by stabbing holes in the bottom. The little boat had begun to sink, forcing the Americans on USS Hepburn to save them and allow them on ship. They were taken to America, never seeing Vietnam again.
“Granddad carried all his experiences with him for a long time and was really big on talking about it,” Bui said. “He did everything he could, fighting for his country and he instilled in me a sense of duty to my country. It’s a sense of individual sacrifice.”
Having that sense of duty instilled in him at such a ripe age, Bui grew up knowing he would join the military. He would go on to earn a degree in health science at California State University Channel Islands and later join the U.S. Navy Reserve as a corpsman in 2016.
It wouldn’t be until Bui wore his uniform and lived the life of a service member that he’d fully appreciate and understand the stories he grew up listening to from his grandfather.
For the next eight years and continuing to this day, Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer 1st Class Billy Bui has been attached to Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, a Marine Reserve unit headquartered in Seal Beach, California.
As of Nov. 1, 2024, the unit has been activated for a scheduled 2025 deployment to Okinawa, Japan, in support of the Marine Corps Unit Deployment Program.
The unit began intense training prior to the activation in preparation for the deployment as they provided a Total Force solution to align with the Marine Forces Reserve’s commitment to the Marine Corps’ strategic objectives.
It was during one of these training exercises that Bui would be faced with one of the most intense and nerve-racking moments of his career.
In August 2024, the Marines with 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment were practicing daytime land navigation at Camp Talega on Camp Pendleton. Bui stood near the Combat Operations Center, alongside the radio operators.
The arid hills of southern California stretched endlessly and were framed by sparse foliage. Bui squinted his eyes against the relentless sun.
The morning had been calm and overcast, but the cover that the clouds had provided quickly burned away as it reached noon. Bui ran his sun-kissed hand through his hair, drawing in a deep breath of the dry air. The pungent smell of sagebrush filled his nostrils. This was the last steady breath he’d take before things began to escalate.
A sudden crackle over the radio dismantled the placidity of the day.
“We’ve got to stop,” a voice blared.
A second call requested the range safety officer in order to investigate the situation. The urgency was unclear at first.
The radio screamed again, “We need Bui out here now!”
Bui’s focus sharpened instantly. He jumped in the nearby Humvee and the driver tore through the uneven terrain, speeding faster than a bullet. The Humvee could only get Bui so close before he had to run on foot. His heart raced like that of a hummingbird’s wings and his breaths became rapid as the adrenaline coursed through him. With a stretcher in tote, Bui climbed the steep hill, reaching the top where a Marine lay unconscious.
The Marines had already begun the fight to save the unresponsive Marine, stripping him down to his undergarments to cool his soaring body temperature.
Bui quickly assessed the scene. The Marine was completely unresponsive, and his tongue threatened to block his airway. Without hesitation, Bui delegated tasks, thrusting a nasal pharyngeal airway into the hands of Sgt. Michel Charles while he monitored the unconscious Marine’s vitals.
“Get this in his nose—now!” Bui ordered.
Together, Bui and the Marines moved the unconscious Marine onto the stretcher and navigated back down the narrow trail.
Once Bui and the Marine were in the back of the Humvee, Bui performed a sternum rub to elicit a pain response from the patient. Bui also scooped ice onto the Marine’s neck, armpits, and groin to combat the heat. The Marine’s fate teetered back and forth on the brink of life.
“Don’t go into the light,” Bui said to Marine with a certain desperation in his voice.
Upon arrival back to base, Camp Pendleton paramedics took over, preparing the Marine for medevac. Within moments, the helicopter descended, the urgency of the scene mirrored by the seamless coordination of the team on the ground.
Bui watched as the helicopter disappeared over the horizon, carrying the Marine to advanced care.
“It wouldn’t have mattered if we’d cooled him,” Bui later reflected. “If his airway wasn’t open, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Days later, the news came: the Marine survived.
Bui said, “(The Marine) survived an internal core temperature of 106, which at that point is a heat stroke.”
When the Marine returned from the hospital, one of the first things he did was seek out Bui.
“Doc,” the Marine said, “I remember hearing you the whole time. I couldn’t move, but I knew you were there.”
Bui was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal for his actions at the end of the exercise in July 2024. But for Bui, it wasn’t the medal that mattered; it was knowing the Marine would live to see another day.
Bui viewed his actions as part of a team effort, a chain of lifesaving decisions made possible by training and trust.
“Practicing your medical interventions is essential because your field craft is a very perishable skill,” Bui said. “If you’re not consistently drilling and staying sharp, those skills can slip, and in medicine, that can mean doing more harm than good. Training ensures we’re ready and up to date with the latest techniques. This kind of preparation is exactly what sets us up for success during the deployment.”
Now, Bui is a senior line corpsman with eight corpsmen under his command. He is also working towards a master’s degree to become a physician’s assistant.
As Bui reflects on his journey, he finds himself coming full circle to the stories his grandfather tells him.
“I really didn’t appreciate my grandfather’s stories all that much until I put on the uniform and lived some of my own stories,” Bui said.
Just as Captain Dang courageously fought for his family’s survival during a perilous moment in history, Bui’s own actions during training exemplify the same principles of resilience, sacrifice, and duty.
Now, as a senior corpsman with his own stories to tell, Bui understands the profound legacy his grandfather passed down to him, a legacy of heroism in the face of adversity.
As Bui prepares for the deployment, he carries that legacy forward, determined to serve with the same unyielding commitment his grandfather inspired in him so many years ago. Through his actions, Bui honors his family’s history while forging his own path, proving that courage and sacrifice are values that transcends generations.
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Who We Are: The United States Marine Corps Reserve is responsible for providing trained units and qualified individuals for mobilization to active duty in time of war, national emergency, and crisis or contingency operations. On a day-to-day basis, Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) consists of a talented and dedicated pool of nearly 100,000 Marines able to augment the Active Component in a myriad of ways, to include operational deployments, support to training, participation in bi/multi-lateral exercises with partner nations and allies, and service-level experimentation in support of Force Design and refinement of new concepts, tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Source: United States Coast Guard
01/22/2025 01:39 AM EST
HONOLULU — The Coast Guard suspended its search at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday for two teenagers who went missing off the North Shore of Oahu.
For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac
Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)
Issued by: on
SINGAPORE (Jan. 16, 2025) Rear Adm. Todd F. Cimicata, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF 73), right, meets with Canadian Army Maj. Gen. Greg Smith, Director General International Security Policy, left, during a scheduled trip to Sembawang Naval Installation, Jan. 16, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed surface units and aircraft carriers, along with regional partners, to facilitate patrols in the South China Sea, participation in Naval exercises and responses to natural disasters. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jomark A. Almazan/Released)
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2025 01:24 |
| Photo ID: | 8838024 |
| VIRIN: | 250116-N-DB724-1002 |
| Resolution: | 7236×4824 |
| Size: | 2.3 MB |
| Location: | SG |
| Web Views: | 0 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Director General International Security Policy, Canada Visits COMLOG WESTPAC [Image 5 of 5], by PO1 Jomark Almazan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)
Issued by: on
SINGAPORE (Jan. 16, 2025) Rear Adm. Todd F. Cimicata, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF 73), left, meets with Canadian Army Maj. Gen. Greg Smith, Director General International Security Policy, right, during a scheduled trip to Sembawang Naval Installation, Jan. 16, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed surface units and aircraft carriers, along with regional partners, to facilitate patrols in the South China Sea, participation in Naval exercises and responses to natural disasters. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jomark A. Almazan/Released)
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2025 01:24 |
| Photo ID: | 8838023 |
| VIRIN: | 250116-N-DB724-1001 |
| Resolution: | 5682×3788 |
| Size: | 2.63 MB |
| Location: | SG |
| Web Views: | 0 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Director General International Security Policy, Canada Visits COMLOG WESTPAC [Image 5 of 5], by PO1 Jomark Almazan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND
The following individuals were sworn-in yesterday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the Pentagon:
Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND
Mr. Robert Salesses was designated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as Acting Secretary of Defense and assumed the functions and duties of the office at 12:01 p.m. on January 20th. In his permanent capacity, Mr. Salesses serves as the Deputy Director, Washington Headquarters Services.
Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND
SINGAPORE –
Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, traveled to Singapore where he met with senior military and government officials and participated in the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting, Jan. 18-22, 2025.
Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND
YOKOSUKA, Japan –
Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, opened the new Navigation, Seamanship, and Shiphandling Trainer (NSST) facility at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Yokosuka, Japan, Jan. 16, 2024.
“I’ve seen how history and time bend to the winner who works hard and plans—this is what simulation allows us to do,” said Kacher. “It’s great to see the power of these trainers, and we’re thrilled to bring this capability to the fleet.”
During the ceremony, Kacher received a tour of the new facility and observed Sailors and junior officers from the waterfront simulating harbor movements. Capt. Dave Huljack, deputy commodore of Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, also attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Our teams our busy, and we’re getting after it. We don’t only use these facilities for certification, we practice close-quarters shiphandling, tactical maneuvering, and just getting better,” said Huljack. “Building more trainers surges the volume of qualified and capable mariners that we’re able to bring to the fight.”
Members from the NSST staff Jesse Summerlin, Brad Stallings, and Bill Ault explained the capabilities of the new facility and spoke on the importance of the NSSTs as a whole.
“We’re already booked at 95% capacity for the remainder of the calendar year,” said Summerlin, an LB&B Associates NSST Instructor. “The demand from the ships has been overwhelming and our team stands ready to accept the challenge and continue to provide the best possible product to our customers on the Yokosuka waterfront.”
DESRON 15 is the Navy’s largest destroyer squadron and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. It is forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND
SOUTH CHINA SEA –
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Navy conducted a bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the South China Sea, Jan. 17-18, 2025.
MCAs demonstrate a collective commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. This MCA is designed to emphasize our longstanding partnership between the two militaries in the maritime domain.
“Professional engagement with allies, partners, and friends in the region allows us to build upon our existing, strong relationships and continue to learn from each other,” said Rear Adm. Michael Wosje, commander, Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG-1). “The U.S. and the Philippines are ironclad allies. As fellow maritime nations, we share the common goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific, assuring access to the seas.”
Each subsequent MCA builds upon the last, enabling added levels of complexity and interoperability which advance and strengthen combined capabilities, tactics, techniques and procedures.
“Bilateral exercises in the region have grown in scale, scope and complexity, and we are proud to participate in combined operations that maintain stability in the region and reinforce deterrence,” said Capt. Matthew Thomas, commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). “As the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1, Carl Vinson is both excited and honored to conduct maritime exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
MCAs are conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other states.
Participating units include the U.S. Navy Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Navy P-8A assigned to Commander, Task Force 72, alongside Gregorio del Pilar-class offshore patrol vessel BRP Andrés Bonifacio (PS 17) and Jose Rizal-class guided-missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151) from the Philippine Navy.
CSG-1 consists of Carl Vinson, embarked staffs of CSG-1 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) one, Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110).
CVW-2 is composed of nine squadrons flying the F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, CMV-22 Osprey and MH-60R/S Seahawks.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
For more news from CSG-1 and Carl Vinson visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CSG1, https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CVN70