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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Theresa Inouye, mother of Sgt. Deyson Cariaga, held yesterday the certificate of promotion posthumously awarded Cariaga.

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An isle son
remembered

Sgt. Deyson Ken "Dice" Cariaga's mother said it is difficult for her to believe that her son will not be returning home.

His family was No. 1 in his life, said his mother, Theresa Inouye, at a news conference held yesterday at the New Hope Christian Fellowship Church in Sand Island.

Cariaga, a member of the 29th Brigade Combat Team's 229th Military Intelligence Company, was killed in Balad on July 8 when a homemade bomb detonated near his Humvee. He is the first Hawaii National Guardsman to be killed in Iraq.

Cariaga, a 2002 alumnus of Roosevelt High School and student at Honolulu Community College, was to turn 21 on July 28.

Inouye's older son, Lance Cariaga, comforted his mother by holding her hand as she thanked the public for its support as the family copes with the young man's death.

Inouye described her son as a local boy who loved surfing, had a competitive spirit and enjoyed helping others.

"He liked children," Inouye said. "He was always the Pied Piper at family outings. ... All the kids would follow him."

"He would be the leader of the pack," she said.

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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Lance Cariaga, left, brother of Sgt. Deyson Cariaga, and Theresa Inouye, their mother, held a photo of Sgt. Cariaga yesterday that was taken in Iraq.

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Inouye also said her son always shared with everyone. "That was something that he has always done through his life," she said, noting how he gave toys to Iraqi children.

Sgt. Deyson Ken "Dice" Cariaga

Cariaga kept in touch with his mother through weekly e-mails and phone calls. As a mother would do, she told him to concentrate and that she awaited his safe return.

She said Cariaga fought for everyone's freedom and that her son would want his fellow soldiers to carry out their mission. "He wouldn't want it any other way," Inouye said.

He also kept in touch with friends in Hawaii through his personal Web page. In his blog, Cariaga expressed how he wanted to return home to see his family and friends.

"He was really homesick," said Inouye, adding that he coped in Iraq the best way that he could.

His mother said he appreciated photos and food, especially his favorite snacks such as li hing mui mango and coconut balls that she sent him.

"He was inundated with food," said Inouye, smiling when she recalled her son told her not to send him any more food because he did not want to gain too much weight.

She also said her son enjoyed watching surfing movies and asked her to send him his DVDs.

Cariaga's older brother described him as a compassionate, exceptional young man who always put others first. And he always lifted his spirits whenever he was around him.

"He enlisted on his own free will. He wanted to serve a greater purpose," he added.

Lance noted that his brother would be laughing at all the media coverage on him because he was low-key and did not like to be the center of attention.

Cariaga's longtime friend Tiffany Roloos wiped away tears from her reddened eyes as she described Cariaga as someone who put 100 percent into everything he did.

Also, he always made sure everyone was included and felt welcomed, Roloos said.

Cariaga will posthumously receive the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, which will be presented to his relatives.

Along with his mother and brother, Cariaga is also survived by father Rodney Cariaga, stepfather Jerry Inouye, maternal grandparents Roland and Haruko Akatsuka, and paternal grandmother Margaret Boydston.

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Funeral for Cariaga on Thursday A funeral service for Sgt. Deyson Ken "Dice" Cariaga of the 29th Brigade Combat Team's 229th Military Intelligence Company will be held Thursday at the Mission Memorial Auditorium, located near City Hall. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. The service will start at 6 p.m. The public can attend. No flowers are requested. A private service will be held the following day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, where Cariaga's remains will be interred.