| SUFA
Honors Hawaii National Guard
29th Brigade at Waikiki
Shell
On
December 28th, SUFA held the “Hawaii Honors the
Hawaii National Guard 29th Brigade Ohana” event
at the Waikiki Shell in honor of the roughly 2,000 troops
that were home for the Christmas holidays.
We
wanted to show our heartfelt appreciation and thanks
to the soldiers and their families in the short time
they had at home before they left for training in Louisiana
in route to their eventual destination in Iraq.
The
free event was a great success. The soldiers and their
families were deeply appreciative for the wonderful
evening of great food and great entertainment.
Waikiki
hotels supplied tasty bentos, Pepsi Bottling Group supplied
the drinks, and many of Hawaii’s top entertainers
performed for free in honor of the sacrifices that the
Hawaii National Guard makes in defending and protecting
our country.
Many
other businesses, organizations, and individuals also
made contributions to make this memorable event a reality.
(Please see the complete list of sponsors at the bottom
of this article).
After
a few days of drenching buckets of rain, the sky cleared
for a magical moonlit night at the Shell.
The
evening started out with a moving invocation by Sgt.
Novie Widemann. Then, Frank DeLima, one of Hawaii’s
best-known and most popular comedians, sang an incredible
rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”
and “Hawai’i Pono”. We all know how
funny Frank is, but wow! what a beautiful voice! Frank
was our emcee and kept us in stitches all night long.
Next,
our founder and president Mike Gabbard said a few kind
words about how thankful he was for the opportunity
to help put the event together for the troops and their
families. He referred to a TV ad he saw recently that
says when a soldier puts on a uniform, the whole family
puts on that uniform. Mike talked about the importance
of the community showing support not only for our soldiers,
but also for their families during this war on terrorism
that we are engaged in.
Then,
with an exquisite sound system set up by Custom Audio,
our one and only Na Leo, arguably Hawaii’s most
popular and loved contemporary group, backed by their
five-piece band, kicked off the musical entertainment
with a hit filled set. In a word, it was awesome!
After
that, Mike’s daughter, former State Legislator
and now Spc. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo in the 29th Brigade,
gave a moving introduction to Major General Robert Lee,
the Adjutant General for Hawaii’s National Guard.
General Lee followed with an inspiring and uplifting
speech for the soldiers assuring them that their accommodations
in Iraq would be better than Ft. Bliss or Ft. Polk .
The
next entertainers to hit the stage were one of Hawaii’s
most unique and talented duos, Leon and Malia. They
harmonized beautifully and belted out some of their
ageless hits, as many in the audience sang and clapped
along.
After
their set, Frank went into a deep southern drawl and
introduced the next entertainer, Jake Shimabuckaroo
(aka Shimabukuro). As usual, Jake brought the house
down with his flying fingers and ukulele genius and
wowed the crowd with a hana hou that kept everyone’s
feet tapping.
Members
of the 442nd and their Family Readiness Group followed
with an inspired heart-warming version of “The
100th Battalion Song.”
Then
Mike and Leon joined together for a powerful rendition
of “E Kupono me ke Aloha”, a song they co-wrote,
which is included on Mike’s CD, “Stand as
One”. This concluded the entertainment portion
of the program.
Those
in attendance really enjoyed the entertainment, but
some admitted to us in private that their real reason
for coming was to get a chance at winning one of our
great door prizes.
With
Mike at the mic, and Frank drawing the winning tickets,
the audience sat attentively waiting for the numbers
to be called. The prizes included:
One-year
lease on a 2-door Honda Accord (Pflueger
Honda)
3 Round Trip tickets for 2 to Las Vegas or LA,
which includes 3 days/2nights at hotel
(JN Automotive Group)
2 Round Trip tickets from Honolulu or Maui to
San Francisco or Los Angeles via American
Trans Air
(Pleasant Island Holidays)
3 gold and diamond Hawaiian Original slipper
pendant necklaces
(Na Hoku, Hawaii's Finest Jewelers Since 1924)
$500 worth of gift certificates
(Times Super Market)
2 night stay in Deluxe Ocean View Room at Renaissance
Ilikai Waikiki Hotel
(Renaissance Ilikai
Waikiki Hotel)
4 gift certificates for Polynesian Cultural
Center (Polynesian Cultural
Center)
5 gift boxes
(3M)
$100 gift certificate
(Maui Divers of Hawaii)
1 Small Private Candy Collection
(Big Island Candies)
The
memorable night came to an end with Mike,his family,
and all of the entertainers joining together for Hawai’i
Aloha.
SUFA
thanks all the sponsors, entertainers, and helpers who
volunteered their time and energy to make this event
a success.
A
few days after the event, Mike received the following
emails, illustrating how appreciative the troops and
their families were. |
