The Hawaii National Guard Association honored former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie on Saturday with the Harry S. Truman Award for his lifelong support of U.S. troops.

“;For the last 20 years, members of the National Guard, both here in Hawaii and throughout the mainland, have had no better friend or stronger ally than Neil Abercrombie,”; said Hawaii Army National Guard Col. Raymond Jardine Jr., who nominated Abercrombie for the Truman award, in a written statement.

The Harry S. Truman award is the highest honor given to an individual by the National Guard Association of the United States, which represents nearly 45,000 current and retired National Guard officers.

The recognition is a local ceremony that followed the NGAUS convention in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 12, where it first honored Abercrombie with the Truman award.