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  • Home
    • Upcoming Events
    • About hakalauhome
    • Contact Us!
  • Yesterday
    • Timeline
    • Camps
    • Schools >
      • Hakalau School
      • John M. Ross School
    • Churches & Cemeteries >
      • Churches >
        • Hakalau Jodo Mission
        • Honohina Hongwanji
      • Cemeteries
    • The Voice of Hakalau
    • Sugar Production >
      • Hakalau Mill & Other Buildings
      • Wailea Milling Company
    • Infrastructure and Transportation >
      • 19th Century Hamakua Roads
      • Bridges
      • The Railroad
  • Today
    • Hakalau Farmers Market
    • Hakalau Jodo Mission Today >
      • Obon Festival
      • Memorial Day
      • Celebrations at Hakalau Jodo Mission
    • Honohina Hongwanji Today
    • Hakalau Reunions
    • Wailea Village Historic Preservation Community >
      • Cemetery Stewardship
      • Reviving Hakalau School
      • Senior Luncheons
      • Mochi Pounding
  • Tomorrow
    • Arsenic Remediation
    • Cliff Failures
    • Hāmākua CDP & the CDP Action Committee

Memorial Day

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Memorial Day 2022: Master of Ceremonies Mike Stolp along with Hiroshi Kozohara and Teddy Shiroma raised the flag. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
The Hakalau Jodo Mission hosts Memorial Day services at the Hakalau Veterans Memorial Park each year. Current and former residents and relatives of those killed in military conflict gather to show respect and celebrate our community life. ​
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Memorial Day Ceremony, May 28, 2022. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
The 16 young men listed on the memorial came from the area extending from Kolekole to Ninole.
 
Our cultural values include honoring those who came before us. Hakalau memorial services for each soldier have always been well-attended and usually included speeches by community leaders. Services have been held annually at Hakalau Veterans Park on Memorial Day weekend and continue to this day.
​In memory of these boys from Hakalau-Ninole
​who gave their lives in:
​
World War 1:
Pvt.Thomas Smith
​
World War 2:
Pvt. Onso Chinen
Sgt. Hiroyuki Hiramoto
Cpl. Isamu Ikeda
Pvt. Yasuo Kaneshiro
Pfc. Yoshitaka Kataoka
Pfc. Satoshi Matsuoka
Pfc. Toshiaki Morimoto
Pfc. Hiroshi Motoishi
Pvt. Saburo Nakazato
Sgt. Masayoshi Ogata
Pvt. Eishun Soken

Sgt. Ronald K. Takara

Korean Conflict:

Cpl. Jun Matsushige
​
Vietnam War:
Sgt. Lester W. Alipio
Spc. Bobby J. Barcena​

Their bios are available here:
memorial_day_bios_.pdf
File Size: 6450 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Memorial Day 2022: Rev. Miyazaki performed the service, chanting the Sutta Nipata, the Goodwill Sutra. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
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Memorial Day 2022: Stacy Jacobs, Gunnery Sgt. (ret.) talked about his service in the Navy and Marines, including special operations while deployed overseas. Dedicated service to family and country are clearly his priorities. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
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Memorial Day 2022: In concluding remarks, Ninole resident, Robert Nishimoto, spoke of the Hakalau Veterans Park with this memorial as “wahi pana”, a sacred place. The young men listed on the memorial gathered in this spot frequently for school, baseball, and other gatherings. This place was important in their lives. Now it is part of ours. Let us remember. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
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Memorial Day 2022: Veteran Ray Gandy plays taps, bringing many to tears. Photo courtesy of Danny Escalona.
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!