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On Thursday, July 17, 2014, Colonel Kenneth Hara, had the honor of administering the enlistment oath to his son, Justin. The ceremony was at the Honolulu Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawai‘i.

CPT Gary Hara administers the oath of enlistment to Kenneth. In the background, Dennis, LTC Henry Hara, mother Janet, and Larry
CPT Gary Hara administers the oath of enlistment to Kenneth. In the background, Dennis, LTC Henry Hara, mother Janet, and Larry

Photos by Stephen Lum

The Hara family has a long tradition in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. Justin is the first third generation Guardmember.

Justin’s grandfather, was Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hara commanded the 2nd Battalion, 299 Infantry in Hilo for 13 years, and retired in 1988. Henry’s brother was Lieutenant Colonel Horace Hara, who served as a M-Day soldier.

LTC Hara’s four sons are the second generation to serve.

  • – Major General Gary Hara currently serves as the Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Pacific
  • – Colonel Kenneth Hara is the Chief of the Joint Staff, Hawai‘i National Guard
  • – Sergeant Major Dennis Hara served in the HIARNG for 42 years and just retired from the Hawai‘i Army National Guard
  • – Master Sergeant Larry Hara is a technician with the Combines Support Maintenance Shop #2 in Hilo.

After Justin’s enlistment, COL Hara spoke on the Hara family history with the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. This is an edited version of his speech: The Hara Family

The Hara Family and the Hawaii Army National Guard

Justin Hara, a 2014 graduate of Mililani High School, is the first of the third generation “Henry Hara Clan” to join the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. Justin will also be starting his college education at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa.

For the family of the late Henry Hara, the military, particularly the Hawai‘i Army National Guard became a way of life.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hara, respectfully referred to as the “Shogun”, served over 37 years in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. The most impressive part of his distinguished career was the more than 13 years that he served as the commander of the 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry in Hilo. He worked as a full time Guardsmen retiring in October of 1988 with 35 full time years. Henry passed away in November of 2005.

Major General Gary Hara, the eldest of four boys, enlisted into the Hawai‘i Army National Guard in April 1970 and climbed through the ranks to become the first general officer of the Hara family. MG Hara currently serves as the US Army Pacific’s Deputy Commanding General – National Guard.

Retired Command Sergeant Major Dennis Hara, the second eldest, enlisted into the Hawai‘i Army National Guard in January 1972. Dennis also became the first of the second generation Hara’s to retire from the Hawai‘i Army National Guard. Dennis worked 37 years as a fulltime federal technician with the HIARNG and recently retired in June of 2014.

Master Sergeant Larry Hara, the third son, enlisted into the Hawai‘i Army National Guard in 1974, with a break in service between 1980 and 1981. Larry currently serves with the Maintenance Assistance and Instruction Team at Joint Force Headquarters. Larry works fulltime with the HIARNG and currently 27 years as a federal technician.

Colonel Kenneth Hara, the fourth and youngest son enlisted in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard in May of 1984. Kenneth currently serves as the Chief of the Joint Staff for the Hawaii National Guard. Kenneth also works fulltime and has 23 years as an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) with the Hawai‘i National Guard.

Collectively, Henry and his four sons served a total of 192 years, and counting, in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard – over six years of that being combat deployments.

Henry mobilized with the 29th Infantry Brigade in 1968 and served in the Republic of Vietnam as the commandant of the Military Assistance Command – Vietnam.

In 2005, Gary mobilized and deployed to Baghdad as the Chief of the Reserve Component Division, Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

Dennis received his mobilization orders and deployed to Afghanistan as an Embedded Tactical Trainer and was assigned to a Police Mentor Team in Logar Province, Afghanistan. Then in April 2008, he was selected as the Command Sergeant Major for the Regional Police Advisory CommandCentral, Camp Dubs, Afghanistan.

Larry became the first of the Hara sons to serve in combat when he was mobilized with C Company, 193rd Aviation in 2004 and deployed to Iraq. Larry deployed for a second combat tour – this time to Kuwait with the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2008.

Kenneth mobilized and deployed for three combat tours. He first deployed in 2005 to Baghdad, Iraq; then deployed in 2008 to Kuwait and Iraq; and most recently in 2012 he deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

More Hara’s:

Larry’s son, Staff Sergeant Ryan Hara enlisted in the Active Army in 2000 and currently is an instructor/writer for UH60 Blackhawk Helicopter at Joint Base Langley Eustis Virginia. Ryan deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom before the start of the war and since then has deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan.

Henry’s youngest brother Horace Hara also served honorably in the Hawaii Hawai‘i National Guard and retired in 1993 as a Colonel. Horace mobilized with the 29th Brigade in 1968 and was shipped to the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea

Horace’s son Darren received his commission from the Air Force Academy in 1983. Darren flew B52 bombers and E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) in the Active Duty Air Force. While assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, Darren conducted Homeland Defense missions after 9/11 and deployed to Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia for Operation Southern Watch as the operations officer for the AWACS detachment. Darren, now residing in Oklahoma, retired as a Major in October 2006.

Cousin Donna (Hara) Kim enlisted with the Hawai‘i Air National Guard on 30 Apr 1976. “I remember before enlisting” says Donna in an email “having my commander, Maj David Howard, call Uncle Henry to ensure it was ok and give his blessing to have his niece “cross over to the blue.” Donna started off part-time as an Information Specialist and became a full-time technician and later a recruiter in the Hawai‘i Air National Guard in Hilo. She retired in 2013.

Cousin Jarrett Hara works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 8 August 2005. Jarrett was hired as a Civil Engineer, Occupation Code 0810 and has a Professional Engineering (P.E.) License. He is currently the Senior Hydraulic Engineer here that the Pacific Ocean Division Civil Works Technical Branch.

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