NORTH KONA — With Memorial Day approaching, it seems fitting to honor our nation’s military.
There is perhaps no better way to honor a deceased veteran’s service to country than a military funeral honors ceremony, showing deep gratitude to those who have faithfully defended their country. This can be especially touching and powerful when honoring a family member or close friend.
Seattle and part-time Mauna Lani residents Mario and Sue Taylor found that to be true after requesting and later attending a military funeral honors ceremony for Mario’s father, Noble Lewis Taylor. It was held April 12 at West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery in North Kona.
“The memorial service was such an honor to him,” Mario said. “His service made me think about honoring all the men and women who have been or are in the service today. I was proud my family and I were able to recognize him and many others in this wonderful way.”
Noble was in the Air Force for 20 years of his life, serving four deployments in both the Korea and Vietnam wars. He received an Air Force Commendation Medal and a National Defense Service Medal.
Noble passed away in 2005 at age 77. He was cremated, and a portion of his ashes was spread in an inlet near Jupiter, Florida where he had retired and enjoyed fishing. For the next 13 years, Mario’s portion of his father’s ashes remained with him at home.
That changed when Mario and Sue were driving to Kona and saw the West Hawaii Veterans Memorial Cemetery. They visited the peaceful green cemetery, situated between the ocean and mountain, and Mario knew immediately that was where his father was meant to be.
“The Big Island was where my dad wanted to live. As a young man he was stationed on Oahu and even bought some land near Hilo, hoping to return to paradise someday,” Mario recalled.
Noble met his future wife, Satoko, while stationed in Japan. When his service was up there, he promised her he’d return and did three years later. She was waiting for him and they married.
After leaving the military, Noble got a job working on rocket engines at Pratt &Whitney in Florida. Over time the couple also lived in Ohio and Japan, but they never came to Hawaii.
“He talked so much about coming here over the years but never made the trip,” Mario said. “I am so happy that we were able to bring his ashes to rest in his ‘dream’ home.”
Public Law 106-65 requires that every eligible veteran receive a military funeral honors ceremony if the family requests it. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) sends representatives from the applicable branch of the military’s honors unit, and funeral home representatives may be contacted to request military funeral honors on behalf of a veteran’s family.
The Taylors worked with Rosalind Canite at Dodo Mortuary who made all the arrangements.
To qualify for a military funeral, the most important document is the veteran’s DD 214, or discharge papers, Canite explained. The DD 214 must specifically state the veteran was honorably discharged and how much time he or she served in the military.
After confirming those details, Canite contacts the County of Hawaii Department of Parks &Recreation regarding cemetery space and use, and coordinates with volunteers from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion and survivors of the Korean War.
“If it weren’t for these volunteers our veterans would not get the proper honors, such as the gunfire salute,” Canite said.
“They didn’t want to be paid other than a donation for gas, and they provide scholarships for high school students,” Sue added.
Brothers Mimeo and Minoru Hanato, both of Kona, have been DAV volunteers for more than 20 years. Mimeo, who served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1962, has been a volunteer van driver providing transportation services to veterans for medical services since 2002.
Minoru is the DAV’s community chairman for the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery and drives the van for the DAV Honor Guard. He was in the Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam where he served in the I Corps Tactical Zone in northern Vietnam.
Both brothers say they volunteer as their way of giving back.
The volunteers assist with two of the three core elements required by public law for military funerals: the playing of taps and a gunfire salute. The DoD representatives perform the folding of the flag and flag presentation. For Noble’s service, Air Force Honor Guard servicemen flew over from Oahu.
At Noble’s service, Minoru and Eugenio Pabre performed taps, while Daniel Manuel, Mel Vinhasa and Kent Simmons did the gunfire salute in conjunction with the Air Force Honor Guard. Ricky Uemura represented the American Legion.
The playing of taps by a bugler at a military funeral is a final salute to the deceased veteran. The somber tune has become a traditional way to honor service members.
Sue said it brought her to tears.
“It’s not often you get to experience something like that,” she said.
Following the taps and gunfire salute, Air Force Honor Guard representatives folded a U.S. flag 13 times. The highest ranking honor guard presented the flag to Mario on behalf of his father’s faithful and dedicated service.
The Taylor family had three generations at the service: Mario; his son, Noble Cameron Taylor; and his one-year-old grandson, Noble An. Also present were Mario and Sue’s daughters, Kymberlee Mariko and Kelsea Kiyomi; grandchildren Autumn and Liberty; and daughter-in-law Ngoc Thuy Truong.
In reflection on the day, Mario said he was grateful for the love and respect shown to his late father.
“There is a closeness among veterans that is hard to explain to anyone who has not gone through wars together,” he said. “As I watched the Air Force veterans salute my father with a gunfire salute, I thought about that brotherhood that connected them together for life.
“When you hear it’s a single brotherhood, it is so true. It was like that for my dad and his friends throughout his entire life, and also today,” he concluded.