16 November 2015 - The State of Hawaii commemorated Veterans Day on November 11 with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe with several Hawaii State officials, war veterans and other VIPs in attendance.
Philippine Consul General to Honolulu Gina Jamoralin, together with Hawaii’s consular corps and veterans groups, offered a wreath on behalf of the Philippine Government to honor the past and present war veterans including those of World War I & II, Korean War and Vietnam War. This year’s ceremony coincided with the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Delivering the keynote remarks were Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui and Adjutant General of the Hawaii National Guard, General Arthur Logan. Others present were US Senator, Brian Schatz and US Pacific Command (USPACOM) officials led by PACOM Commander Admiral Harry Harris, Jr. and Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, as well as other Hawaii State legislators.
Consul General Jamoralin also met with several Filipino-American veterans and their families who also attended the solemn occasion.
The Consul General later attended another Veterans Day event held at sunset on board the USS Missouri, now a Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu. Keynote speakers included US House Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Captain Gerald Coffee (USN, ret.), ex-POW during the Vietnam War.
Another Veterans Day ceremony was held in the morning of November 11 organized by the Oahu Veterans Council at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific or Punchbowl. Consul Roberto T. Bernardo laid a wreath on behalf of the Philippine Consulate General. The Keynote Speaker was Brigadier General Gary Brito, Deputy Commander, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army. END