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KUWAIT (March 11, 2009) - Staff Sgt. Nakoa Hoe,
convoy escort team commander, D Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd
Infantry is carrying a piece of family history that spans two
generations and four decades. Nakoa carries a flag that his father,
Allen, had when he was a medic in Vietnam.
The year was 1968, and as a specialist in the U.S. Army, Allen
and his platoon were assigned to provide over watch, in order to
defend the withdrawal of military and civilian personnel from a
special forces camp at Kham Duc, Vietnam.
Allen went home for leave and when he returned to Vietnam, most
of his platoon had been killed in action. Allen kept the flag,
which became a symbol of pride honoring the sacrifice that his
fellow Soldiers made.
Thirty seven years later, Allen's son, Naino, a first lieutenant
in the U.S. Army, carried the same flag into combat that his father
had carried in Vietnam. This time the battlefield was the urban
sprawl of Mosul, Iraq. Naino was an infantry platoon leader with C
Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry of the 25th Infantry
Division.
January 22, 2005, while escorting a human intelligence team in
Mosul, a shot rang out from a mosque about 400 yards away, striking
Naino.
Although his fellow Soldiers tried to save him, Naino was
declared KIA. Today, the flag, carried by Allen 41 years ago in
Vietnam, and four years ago by Naino in Iraq, is carried by
Nakoa.
Nakoa carries the flag as he leads his CET on convoy escort
missions between Kuwait and Iraq. He is very proud to carry the
flag, as it is much more than a piece of the U.S. Army, or military
history. He keeps it close as a reminder of all those, specifically
his brother, who have given everything to defend what it
represents.
"I carry this flag as a memorial to honor the men in my father's
platoon in Vietnam and to honor and remember my brother," said
Nakoa.
The flag and what it represents is just one example of a
tradition of excellence that prevails within 100th Bn., 442nd
Inf.
"This Soldier is an exceptional Soldier, in an exceptional
battalion," says Sgt. Maj. Dean Shackles, the 100th Bn., 442nd
Inf., who refers to the colorful history of the 100th Bn., 442nd
Inf., the U.S. Army's most highly decorated unit, and the fact that
the unit is the only combat arms unit in the U.S. Army Reserve.
"I expect nothing less than greatness from my Soldiers," said
Lt. Col. Michael Peeters, commander, 100th Bn., 442nd Inf. "It is
an honor to serve with such fine Soldiers in my Battalion and
[Nakoa] is carrying the torch and continuing the tradition of
excellence in the [unit]."
The fact that this flag, a family heirloom, has been passed from
one generation to the next and that it continues to travel,
representing those who have made the ultimate sacrifice; is a
testament to the legacy of the 100th Bn., 442nd Inf.
The unit continues to carry the tradition and legacy of the
original members of the 100th Bn., 442nd Inf.
Today the 100th Bn., 442nd Inf. is the most diverse Army Reserve
unit, with companies in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan.
With the unit deployed, Soldiers have come from across the
continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Korea, Guam and Saipan to augment
the unit for its deployment.
"The Soldiers are very proud of the unit's legacy, and they take
seriously, the charge of carrying on the unit's tradition" said
Command Sgt. Maj. Glenn Gomes, 100th Bn., 442nd Inf. "We will all
ensure that the legacy and spirit of the [unit] live forever," said
Gomes.
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