HANAPEPE — The funds are already being used, but there wasn’t any opportunity to make it formal, said Tony Ricci of the Sons of Hawai‘i motorcycle club. “We had people deployed, others couldn’t make it, and now, we’re dealing with
HANAPEPE — The funds are already being used, but there wasn’t any opportunity to make it formal, said Tony Ricci of the Sons of Hawai‘i motorcycle club.
“We had people deployed, others couldn’t make it, and now, we’re dealing with the tight economy,” Ricci, one of the key leaders of the Operation Military Appreciation, said. “Some people made pledges, but when the economy turned bad, the funds took a while to be released.”
The Sons of Hawai‘i and other motorcycle enthusiasts hosted representatives of the various family support groups as well as members of the Kaua‘i Veterans Council Honor guard to a lunch at the Salt Pond Beach Park, where they were joined by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho, who had just returned from attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
Ricci said $18,300 was presented to Kaua‘i’s family support groups headed by Army National Guard’s Milton Oshiro as well as the Kaua‘i Veterans Council Honor Guard.
“Each of the family support groups from the Navy, the Hawai‘i Air National Guard and the Army National Guard got $5,500 each and the Kaua‘i Veterans Council Honor Guard received $1,800 to support the services they provide for the island,” Ricci said.
Operation Military Appreciation will be celebrating its third year when it unfolds at Puhi Park behind the Kaua‘i Harley Davidson in Puhi during the final week of June, Ricci said.
During that event, families, motorcycle enthusiasts and the public are invited to enjoy food, entertainment and camaraderie as a fundraiser to help families of Kaua‘i’s military personnel that are deployed overseas.
One of the highlights of that event is the motorcycle caravan that leaves the Puhi site for an island ride before returning for lunch at the park.
Oshiro, who has been spearheading efforts with the family support groups since the first deployment of Kaua‘i troops, said currently there are 58 Kaua‘i personnel deployed overseas. Of those, 50 are stationed in Kuwait and eight are in the Philippines, he said.
