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  • Home
    • Upcoming Events
    • About hakalauhome
    • Contact Us!
  • Yesterday
    • Timeline
    • Camps
    • People >
      • The Ross Families of Hakalau
      • Satoru Kurisu
      • Toraichi Morikawa
      • Waichi Ouye
      • Aigoro Uyeno
    • Schools >
      • Hakalau School
      • John M. Ross School
      • Hakalau Japanese Language School
    • Churches & Cemeteries >
      • Churches >
        • Hakalau Jodo Mission
        • Honohina Hongwanji
      • Cemeteries >
        • Honohina Cemetery
    • The Voice of Hakalau
    • Sugar Production >
      • Hakalau Mill & Other Buildings
      • Wailea Milling Company
    • Transportation >
      • Ships
      • 19th Century Hamakua Roads
      • Bridges >
        • Highway Bridges, 1950-1953
      • The Railroad
  • Today
    • Hakalau Farmers Market
    • Hakalau Jodo Mission Today >
      • Community Commitments >
        • Obon Festival
        • Memorial Day
        • Presentations >
          • American Gatha
          • Building World Peace, Local Style
          • Stronger Than a Tsunami
          • The End of Sugar
          • Ready, Set, Obon!
        • Newsletters
    • Honohina Hongwanji Today
    • Wailea/Hakalau Kumiai
    • Hakalau Reunions
    • Wailea Village Historic Preservation Community >
      • Cemetery Stewardship
      • Reviving Hakalau School
      • Senior Luncheons
  • Then and Now
    • UP & DOWN CAMPS: THEN AND NOW
    • Memorial Day: Then and Now
  • Tomorrow
    • Arsenic Remediation
    • Cliff Failures
    • Hāmākua CDP & the CDP Action Committee

Memorial Day

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. 

2025 marked 60 years since the dedication of the recently restored monument. 
​
This year's audience was about 65, much larger than usual, thanks to the active involvement of the Veterans Advisory Committee to Parks and Recreation and the American Legion Post 3. 


Highlights:
  • Honoring the Men and Boys we've lost​
  • Red poppies of remembrance passed out by members of the American Legion
  • Three Gold Star families present
  • Recognition of the Veterans among us
  • The American Legion Honor Guard Firing Party's 21-Gun Salute to the fallen
  • America the Beautiful
  • Appreciating the love and respect within our community
PictureThe monument, dedicated in 1965, was restored in February 2025.
​

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. Yeishun Allen Soken* 
*bio contributed by High School Student Neve Enriquez, mentored by Mrs. Kelly Uyeda, Waiakea High School, 
2018-2019, as part of the National History Day program

Sgt. Ronald K. Takara

Korean Conflict:

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

The bios of all 16 men are available here:
memorial_day_bios_.pdf
File Size: 4491 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
Memorial Day 2025. 21 Gun Salute by the American Legion Post 3 Honor Guard Firing Party. From mauka to makai (L to R): Mathias Thornley, Larry Nahalea Sr, Cyrus Wilson, Dennis Rocha, Stephan Kitagawa, Arnold Ishii, Tom Fujita.
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: . Ray Gandy, a two tour Vietnam veteran and retired brigadier general, played “America the Beautiful” after the 21 Gun salute by the American Legion Post 3 Honor Guard Firing Party. Ray Gandy uses a 1892 “Field Trumpet”, also known as a bugle. This is the same model still used at Arlington Cemetery by the Army and Marine Corps. We are grateful to Ray for his participation in our service over many years.
Rev. Junshin Miyazaki chanted the sutra, recognized those listed on the memorial, and welcomed all.
Picture
Our Speaker, Paul Austria, Hakalau Boy, Immediate Past Commander of the American Legion Post 3
Picture
Memorial Day 20235: Our speaker this year was Paul Austria, Immediate Past Commander of the American Legion Post 3. Paul was born and raised in Hakalau (Down Camp) and, as a boy scout, was present for the didication of the memorial in 1965.
Recognizing Gold Star families and friends and the Veterans Among Us
Picture
As Michael Doolitle acknowledged the veterans and Gold Star Families, our large crowd enjoyed the view of the monument and the abundant flowers.
Three Gold Star Families and friends were present to honor Pfc. Yeishun Soken, Pfc. Hiroshi Motoishi, and Sgt. Lester Alipio.
The Soken Family
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: Shown here are 98 year old Mieko Soken who would have been sister-in-law to Pfc. Soken, her daughter Karen Wakata, her great-granddaughter Sammy Stone, and her son Patrick Soken.
The Motoishi Family
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: from Left to Right: Motoishi Family Sue Escalona, Michelle (Motoishi) Ferreira, Mike Motoishi, and Vietnam Veteran Maurice Motoda.
The Alipio Family
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: Growing up, Paul Austria lived in Down Camp, next door to the Alipio family who lost their only son, Lester, in Vietnam. Here from Left to Right: Cynthia Agan – Reis, Reinior Simeon ( originally from Hakalau), Yvonne Agan-Ferreira, Paul Austria, Audrey (Alipio) Fujimoto
The "All American" Lunch was a big hit!
Hot dogs, potato salad, bean salad, ranch beans, potato chips, and lots of desserts. Abundant talk story.
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: Rev. Miyazaki and Kitchen "Boss" Virginia Juettner are enjoying their "All American" lunch.
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: From Left to Right-Our County Council Representative Heather Kimball, Veterans Robert Arakaki and Teddy Shiroma, Purple Heart Recipient Kiyoshi Fujimoto, and Community Leader Brad Kurokawa enjoy the breeze and the great lunch.
Picture
Memorial Day 2025: Akiko Masuda asks, "Ice cream, anyone?"
Picture


​Photographs by Elizabeth Hansen

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!