 "Photo:")
In remembrance of alumni who died in battle, the University of Hawai'i's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps honored their comrades in a wall dedication and ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 9. The Army ROTC building, located on lower campus, will now house plaques for eight former soldiers. The plaques bear each soldier's photo, awards and stories as told by family and friends. "Each of these young men led absolutely amazing lives," said Lt. Col. Rodney Laszlo, a professor of military science who helped organize the event. "They were all shaped by the University of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i community." The 85-year-old ROTC program honored graduates ranging from the class of 1965 to the class of 2006. At the ceremony, family members and friends remembered loved ones with humorous stories, ranging from anecdotes of bravery to silly pastimes of childhood. "I'm supposed to talk stink about my brother," said Stephanie Blevins Borabora, sister of 2nd. Lt. Thomas Blevins, who died in the Vietnam War. Borabora recalled her high school prom, to which her brother was forced to escort her after Borabora's date suddenly caught chicken pox. "He was a great brother," she said. Trying to keep the tone light, Capt. Matt Sun talked about his friend 1st Lt. Jeremy Wolfe, who died in the Iraq War. "He was compassionate and he loved animals," said Sun, speaking about Wolfe's pet koi. "The koi outgrew their fish tank," he said. "Wolfe wanted to release them into the wild. So he snuck into Ala Moana and put his fish into the pond outside Assagio's restaurant." Blake Brostrom, a cadet enrolled at UH ROTC, spoke about his older brother 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom, who died in the Iraq War. On the first day of his younger brother's training, Jonathan Brostrom took to slapping his little brother in the face each time Blake came up from a push-up. "He always pushed all of the (the underclassmen)," Blake Brostrom said. The Brostrom family was also presented with a quilt at the ceremony by Home of the Brave Quilts, an organization dedicated to providing a quilt to every military family who has lost a loved one in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
"Every one of these heroes (for whom we have made a quilt) have become our family," said Dawn Kucera, coordinator of the Hawai'i chapter of Home of the Brave Quilts. "We hope that the Brostrom's will find comfort in this quilt."
Alan Hoe, whose son, 1st. Lt. Nainoa Hoe, was honored, addressed the Brostrom's as well. "Freedom is not free," said Alan Hoe. "The families of the Warrior Battalion truly understand that."
University of Hawai'i's "Fallen Warriors"
2nd Lt. Thomas Blevins Class of 1965
2nd. Lt. Frank Rodriguez Class of 1967
1st. Lt. Brian Wong Class of 1969
1st. Lt. Jeremy Wolfe Class of 2002
1st. Lt. Nainoa Hoe Class of 2003
1st. Lt. Jonathon Brostrom Class of 2006
