PHOTOS BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM About 130 members of the Moanalua Senior Citizens Club made gift packs yesterday for isle Army Reserve and National Guard troops in Iraq. At top, Joann Tomei proudly touched the name tag of Spc. Nakoa Hoe while talking about Hoe's brother, Army 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, who was killed in Iraq in January. Lily Choy, above right, was among those selecting items for gift bags.

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A senior citizens club prepares
gift bags with floss, toothpaste,
li hing mui powder and more

Dozens of Moanalua Senior Citizens Club women lined up along a long table grabbing small bottles of shampoo, boxes of playing cards and toothbrushes and placing them into cloth bags to be sent to troops in Iraq.

"Our troops are really important to us," said Pearl Kau, one of the organizers of a project that seeks to boost morale among soldiers overseas.

About 130 club members gathered at the Moanalua Recreation Center yesterday and prepared 65 gift bags for the troops.

Kau said they plan to make more than 300 gift bags for troops of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry's Delta Company of the Army Reserves, and the Hawaii National Guard's 1st 487th Field Artillery's C Battery and the 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry Regiment HHC.

The club's 180 members also donated dental floss, batteries, bars of soap and small tubes of toothpaste. The colorful cloth bags were sewn by club members.

Packaged mango slices and li hing mui powder also made it into the bags.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Club members also wrote letters to the soldiers.

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Meanwhile, a group of women laminated and cut sheets of paper into the size of playing cards. Each card contained a short prayer for the soldiers for their safe return home.

Some of the women also wrote personal letters to each of the troops thanking them for their service. The letters and prayer cards will be included in the bags.

Hideko Masaki, another project organizer, said she and Kau contacted Army Reserve and National Guard officials in December of the club's interest to send troops care packages after reading newspaper articles about school groups sending items to troops. Some of the members have grandchildren who served in the war.

"Most of us came from a generation of World War II. We did our part during World War II," Masaki said. "It felt good then. It feels good now."

Kau said they plan to finish all the care packages by the end of May.

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Joseph Yokoyama talked with Moanalua Senior Citizens Club member Winifred Shimabukuro yesterday at the Moanalua Recreation Center as they looked over toiletries, toothbrushes, candies, cards and other items ready for gift bags.

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Two weeks ago, club members held a fund-raiser at the recreation center selling baked goods, bentos and plants to raise money to purchase items for the troops. Masaki said the event raised more than $2,000.

Some club members served in the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II.

Ronald Sakai, 84, who served in H Company of the 442nd, said they did not receive care packages when he served in the war. Sakai said the war was as scary as the war in Iraq.

"I wouldn't want to go through the same thing again. I can't imagine what the boys are doing overseas," he said.

Sakai said the gift bags are a good idea to support the troops.

"If I received anything like that, I'd be happy," he said.

Vera Estes, whose husband, Robert, served as a master sergeant in the Army and fought in World War II and the Korean War, wrote letters to the troops to show her support.

"I can't emphasize how essential it is for the home front to support our home troops," Estes said.