29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Honors Their Lost Soldiers
Posted on May 11, 2015 in FY2015
Soldiers from the Hawaii Army National Guard’s 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team gathered at the unit’s headquarters in Kapolei, Hawaii on May 3 to honor the soldiers of the unit who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The annual ceremony pays tribute to the soldiers the unit has lost since the first time it was ordered into active federal service in May 1968, said retired Army Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Chaves, past commander of the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and keynote speaker for the ceremony.
The names of every soldier the brigade has lost are engraved on a pair of plaques, each set in sacred stones, or “Pohaku”, said Chaves
“Having this memorial ceremony every year is really about bringing people back, and reminding everybody about the sacrifice that [the fallen soldiers] made so that we can enjoy the things that go on every day in our lives,” said Chaves.
The ceremony took place between the Pohaku to honor the brigade’s fallen soldiers. During the ceremony, the name of each brigade soldier who gave their life in the line of duty was read so that they would always be remembered.
The purpose of the ceremony is to remind service members and their families to live their lives to the fullest, contributing to America’s strength in honor of those men and women who gave their lives so that they can live.
Throughout his military career, Chaves has held numerous key positions in the 29th brigade. These positions include platoon leader, company commander, brigade operations officer, brigade deputy commander, and brigade commander.
“I spent most of my career in the 29h Brigade,” said Chaves. “When I retired, I had 43 years of service, and I would say about 30 of them were in the 29th brigade.”
