Vietnam veterans Roy Wiginton, lower right, and David F. Deal, both of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 1, saluted yesterday after placing a lei during the Memorial Day service at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe. Behind is Korea and Vietnam veteran Joe McCloskey of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4.
Kaneohe pays
tribute to fallenHundreds mark Memorial Day
at a ceremony where Lingle
urges support for the Iraq war
Amid waving flags and flower-bedecked graves, Sonny Masaniai of Aliamanu and his family spent Memorial Day at his son's grave at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe.
While people swarmed the beaches on what is known as the unofficial start of summer, Masaniai brought his wife, two sons, a daughter and eight grandchildren to the cemetery yesterday for an all-day tribute to the "American heroes" who laid down their lives while serving their country.
Among them is his son, Sonny Darrell Masaniai, 25, shot four years ago while on duty as a military policeman at Travis Air Force Base, in northern California. "It's like being at Arlington (cemetery)," he said as he gazed across rows upon rows of flags flapping in the breeze.
Just up the hill, Gov. Linda Lingle paid tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in defense of America and to those currently deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other trouble spots around the world.
Hundreds across the state spent Memorial Day in ceremonies and rituals yesterday honoring loved ones and fallen comrades and praying for the safe return of those deployed overseas.
More than 250 veterans and their families, military personnel and support organizations attended the afternoon ceremony in Kaneohe that included the laying of a wreath at the Memorial Plaza by Lingle and the state adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, a 21-gun salute and a flyover by four Sea Stallion helicopters from the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 based in Kaneohe.
In her address, Lingle said she is troubled by repeated comparisons made between Vietnam and the current war. People are saying they are against the war and the mission, but not the soldiers carrying out the missions, she said.
"I don't believe our people -- our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives -- who are fighting for our freedom are able to make that kind of distinction when they're fighting for their lives, and I hope that kind of talk ceases, at least here in our state, and we simply focus on supporting our troops and their mission today they're involved in," Lingle said.
Our support should be extended not only on Memorial Day, but throughout the year, and should include the families who are left behind, she said.
Lingle also recognized heroes yesterday -- veterans who served during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Desert Shield -- including the 5,600 buried at Kaneohe, "each with a story."
Kalihi-born Shermiah Iaea, 72, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, attended the ceremony in memory of his brother and for the buddies he lost. "Do them honor," he said, as his eyes watered. "Cause they made the supreme sacrifice."
