An airman assigned to the 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, was killed during a scuba diving accident off the island of Okinawa, according to an Oct. 22 release. TSgt. Jason McIlvaine, 42, was diving near Serakaki Village, Okinawa City, when two other airmen noticed he was in distress. The airmen brought him to the surface, but McIlvaine was not breathing. The airmen performed CPR until local first responders arrived, and McIlvaine was moved by helicopter to a local hospital in Nakagami, but doctors were unable to revive him. McIlvaine’s death comes weeks after three airmen from Robins AFB, Ga., who were deployed to Kadena on a temporary duty assignment, were killed after being swept out to sea in the aftermath of Typhoon Phanfone, prompting a multi-day search.
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
