CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Sgt. Lee Lleces, left, of the Hawaii National Guard 298th Engineering Detachment gave a shaka sign yesterday as he held his grandson Randen Hinshaw. Lleces is being sent with his detachment to Afghanistan.

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Deployments rely
on century of service

Several members of the
Halemano family are called
to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan

Retired Sgt. Maj. Colbert Halemano estimates that between himself, his two sons, two grandchildren and one son-in-law, there is at least 100 years of Hawaii Army National Guard service in the family.

Yesterday, Halemano, who retired in 1991 after 34 years in uniform, watched from the sidelines as his son Sgt. Daniel Halemano and his granddaughter Spec. Lehuanani Halemano became the latest members of the Hawaii Army National Guard to begin 18 months of active duty, which will include a year in Afghanistan.

"Today, if you join the Guard, you know you will go to war somewhere," said Colbert Helemano, who spent 34 years in the Guard without ever seeing combat. "It's going to be tough on everyone. It's really changed. The only thing we can do now is support those who serve."

The brief activation ceremony for 53 Guard soldiers at the National Guard's Pearl City Armory was also attended by Gov. Linda Lingle, who announced proposed legislation to benefit all of Hawaii's citizen soldiers.

Lingle told the soldiers and family members that her administration will sponsor three bills during the upcoming legislative session that would:

» Ensure that state employees called to active duty in a war zone will continue to earn the same salary. If the soldier's active-duty pay is less than his state salary, the state would make up the difference.

» Exempt National Guard and Reserve members from paying the state vehicle tax and registration fees. The change would cost the state and the counties about $1.3 million in lost revenue, according to Lingle.

» Allow reservists who hold professional and vocational licenses to renew their licenses when they return from active duty, without having to pay a penalty.

"Our proposed initiatives are small in comparison to the important responsibilities each of you will carry to preserve freedom and democracy," Lingle said. "But we believe they are fair and just and demonstrate the respect we have for our military community."

She urged the private sector and the county governments to also adopt her salary compensation idea.

Daniel Halemano, 41, is one of 43 soldiers assigned to the 298th Engineer Detachment. His daughter Lehuanani is one of 10 soldiers with the 117th Mobile Affairs Detachment, which was activated and will spend the next three months at Schofield Barracks before leaving for Afghanistan. They join two other family members on their way overseas.

Colbert Halemano has another son, Sgt. 1st Class Colbert Halemano Jr., and a grandson, Spec. Keoni Halemano, who are at Fort Polk in Louisiana completing the final two weeks of pre-deployment training before flying out to Iraq. Colbert Halemano Jr. is a member of the 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery, while Keoni is assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry. Both units are part of the 29th Infantry Brigade.

Lehuanani Halemano, 22, volunteered to join the Guard's team of journalists, photographers and videographers. Her unit was taken off the rotation earlier this year, but she said, "I was already in that mind-set."

"We were supposed to deploy," said the 2000 Sacred Hearts Academy graduate, "so I just volunteered."

Daniel Halemano hopes he and his daughter will be based in the same camp in Afghanistan. "Then we can take care of each other."