Department of Defense

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii – The Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) held it’s annual Launa ‘Ole awards ceremony yesterday. Launa ‘Ole, when translated to English could mean unequalled, superior, beyond comparison, without peer. Airmen with backgrounds such as communications, medical and aviation competed with each other for the top spot.

Launa ‘Ole chooses the best of the best Officer and Enlisted Airmen from the full-time and traditional staff. The candidates are selected from a committee comprised of air force officers and enlisted personnel. 

Most of the airmen in the awards ceremony are traditional members (meaning part-time). Individual winners are categorized as full-time and traditional.  

The winners for the full-time Airmen are:

Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Mariah Akau;

Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year, Tech Sgt. Blesmay Belmonte;

Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, Master Sgt. Richard Pacheco;

Company Grade Officer of the Year, Capt. Kristin Wolfford;

Field Grade Officer of the Year, Maj. Francis Shen.

The winners for the traditional Airmen are:

Airman of the Year, Senior Airman Ken Hayashi;

Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year, Tech Sgt. Amy Gerard;

Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, Master Sgt. Christopher Hox;

First Sergeant of the Year, Master Sgt. Jeffery Romualdo;

Company Grade Officer of the Year, Capt. Kimberly Gushikuma;

Field Grade Officer of the Year, Lt. Col. William Takashima.

For 11 Airmen, they completed tasks given to them on duty, such as, flying combat missions and participating in global exercises like Vigilant Guard 2014.

The Airmen also donated their personal time to organize support to assist Hawaii’s elderly and raising money for the Susan G. Komen foundation were just some of the ways these Airmen donated their personal time.

The Hawaii Air National Guard is comprised of approximately 2,500 airmen whose federal mission is to be trained and available for active duty operational missions.