Airman continues 104-year legacy

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Russell Ahrens
  • 90th Security Forces Squadron
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  If you have driven through one of F.E. Warren's installation gates in the last couple of months, you may have had the privilege of meeting one of the 90th Security Forces Group's sharpest gate guards, Airman Kaiea Hokoana.

Hokoana enlisted in the Air Force in the spring of 2013, leaving his hometown of Wailuku, Hawaii, right after graduating from high school.

"I want to serve my country, take advantage of getting a quality education and carry on my family's proud legacy of military service," Hokoana said when asked why he decided to leave Hawaii to serve in the Air Force.

There is a large population of families who have had their family members serve in the military, but there are not many families that can say they have had at least one member of their family serving in the military for the last century.

Hokoana is the most recent member of his family to serve in the military. He continues a heritage that goes back 104 years to 1911 with some distant relatives having served as far back as the American Civil War. He has done extensive research on his family's tradition of military service and has compiled service records for over 35 family members, including seven family members who are currently serving.

Through his research, Hokoana discovered the story of a great-uncle, Staff Sgt. William Hokoana Jr., who served in the U.S. Army's 105th Infantry Regiment - 27th Infantry Division in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. William Hokoana was awarded the Silver Star for single-handedly fending off several hundred Japanese soldiers during the battle of Siapan July 7th, 1944, with just 16 magazines for his Browning automatic rifle.

Kaiea Hokoana has continued to uphold his family's legacy in his short time at F.E. Warren. He has become certified as an installation entry controller, passed his five-level EOC exam with flying colors and processed several individuals with arrest warrants at the main gate.

He is also currently putting together an admissions package to attend the United States Air Force Academy.

When Hokoana was asked what his best memory from his short career, he said a simulated combat situation with ground burst simulators and gunfire going off all around him during his Security Force Apprentice Technical Training easily stood out.

This is just the promising start to Hokoana's Air Force career.