Memorial Day services throughout islands honor those who paid ultimate price to protect freedom, safety, peace

As we lit the grill for the last time Monday during the long holiday weekend, gathered with family, friends and neighbors — maybe lingered a bit more at the beach — it was important, necessary, to take time to remember the reason we were afforded the extra time off.

“Memorial Day is a time for all of us to stop, reflect and truly remember always — the brave men and women who laid down their lives in service to our country,” Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green wrote in a Facebook post after delivering the address during Memorial Day ceremonies Monday at the Hawaiʻi State Veterans Cemetery in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu.

The theme of this year’s ceremony “E Hoʻomanaʻo Mau,” or “Remember Always,” is more than a phrase. Green said it’s a promise to carry forward those lives and legacies to live on in us: “in the stories we tell, the families we support and the way we serve each other and our communities.”

Memorial Day — in its first form — began after the Civil War as a day to honor and remember those who made the final full measure of devotion while serving in the military.

The day was originally known as Decoration Day, a time to decorate the graves of service members.

New York in 1873 was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. By the late 1800s, many more cities and communities observed Memorial Day, and several states declared it a legal holiday.

It became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars after World War I was more widely established as a national holiday. U.S. Congress in 1971 established that Memorial Day was to be commemorated on the last Monday of May.

The holiday today is a time to honor all men and women who paid the ultimate price to preserve freedom — a day to reflect on their courage and commitment.

“As a physician, a father and your governor, I carry a profound sense of gratitude for those who laid down their lives so that we might live in freedom, safety and peace,” Green wrote in another Facebook post Monday morning after attending the 74th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Pūowaina, or Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

City and County of Honolulu and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs presented this year’s ceremony honoring those U.S. Armed Forces members who made the final, full measure of devotion in the line of service.

Pūowaina was designated National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific after World War II with the first Memorial Day Ceremony conducted in 1949 within the crater.

Since that first humble ceremony, City and County of Honolulu has been honored to work with numerous veteran, community and educational organizations to help facilitate the time-honored tradition.

The free event — attended by community members as well as Green and several other local, state and federal officials — featured several presentations and tributes such as oli, or chant; speeches from Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo; color guard; presentation of wreaths; firearm salute; military aircraft flyover; playing of taps; performances from the Royal Hawaiian Band and Sounds of Aloha; and hula from the 96th Lei Court.

Hawai‘i has long stood at the crossroads of military history and service, from the heroes of Pearl Harbor on the day of infamy Dec. 7, 1941, to the hundreds of thousands of island sons and daughters who have answered the call to duty around the globe since.

Also remembered are the thousands who trained, served and sacrificed right here in the islands — and the local families who carry their legacies forward.

“Let us honor them not just in words, but through action — by caring for our veterans, supporting military families, strengthening our communities and upholding the values of democracy and justice they fought to defend,” Green wrote. “On behalf of my family and our entire state, I offer my deepest respect and aloha to those we have lost, and to the loved ones they left behind. Hawai‘i remembers you. We honor you. And we will never forget.”

Paparo gave the keynote address Monday during the 74th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, prevailing in conflict.

Maj. Gen. Christopher K. Faurot, mobilization assistant to Paparo, spoke and laid a wreath Monday during the Memorial Day observance at the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium. The annual ceremony is organized by the Friends of the Natatorium.

Kīlauea Military Camp inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island also hosted a Memorial Day ceremony Monday.

Guest speakers from U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa Training Area and other camp friends — including Boy Scout Troop 210, Konawaena High School Junior ROTC and Kumu Hula John Kuʻuhoamele Cuban and Hālau Nā Mōhai Aloha o Ka Lauaʻe Pā Ola Kapu — were there for the observance.

Those who attended also could peruse booths manned by camp supporters giving out their business information after the ceremony and the Recreation Lodge 10-pin bowling alley had red pin bowling available for everyone’s enjoyment.

Plus, Crater Rim Cafe served up a special prime rib lunch for the holiday.

Nā Leo TV based in Hilo on the Big Island remembered the many local heroes who answered the call — such as members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the most decorated units in U.S. military history, made up largely of Japanese-American soldiers from Hawaiʻi.

“Many of them had ties to our island, and their courage continues to inspire generations,” Nā Leo TV wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

The nonprofit Big Island public access television station sends its deepest mahalo to those who served, those lost and the families who carry their memory: “Let us never forget their sacrifice.”

Kauaʻi Veterans Council hosted a Memorial Day ceremony Monday morning at Kauaʻi Veterans Cemetery with the help of several community groups such as Waimea High School Junior ROTC battalion, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Scouts of America and others.

“Today we attended a beautiful Memorial Day tribute in Kauaʻi at the veterans cemetery,” Deanna Sheldon wrote in a Facebook post. “May we live our lives worthy of the men and women who died for our freedom. And, may we always honor and remember their sacrifice as well as their loved ones’ sacrifice.”

U.S. Rep. Ed Case, a Hawaiʻi Democrat who represents House District 1 on Oʻahu in Washington, attended the Memorial Day services at Punchbowl in Honolulu.

“Sorrow, commitment, hope,” the congressman wrote in a Facebook post after the ceremony. “We honor your memory and sacrifice, and pledge again to support your veteran brothers and sisters and the country you loved.”

The governor pledged to all who serve now, to those who gave everything and to the families who carry the weight of their sacrafice — “we remember you.”

“We honor you. And we will never forget you,” Green wrote in one of his Facebook posts. “Mahalo for your service.”