HANAPEPE — When Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard reached out to shake Gabriel Cataluna’s hand, the 102-year-old veteran grasped the young hand and the tears rolled down his cheeks. Cataluna and Kazuma Monty Nishie, 100, are the two oldest surviving veterans on
HANAPEPE — When Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard reached out to shake Gabriel Cataluna’s hand, the 102-year-old veteran grasped the young hand and the tears rolled down his cheeks.
Cataluna and Kazuma Monty Nishie, 100, are the two oldest surviving veterans on Kauai and were tasked Wednesday with presentation of the Soldiers Creed on behalf of the Kauai Veterans Council.
Before that could take place, the two veterans reached out to each other from the confines of their wheelchairs, the touching of hands being a magical connection between the two longtime buddies.
“They’ve known each other for about 80 years,” said Kathleen Cataluna, Gabriel’s daughter. “They went through the war — together.”
Following this encounter, the handshake from the congresswoman garbed in full uniform saw the frail veteran overcome with emotion.
“Veterans Day is for the living,” said Ed Kawamura, commandant of the Kauai Veterans Council. “We celebrate all veterans, today.”
Gabbard said saying “thank you” is important.
“We all must say ‘thank you’ from a grateful nation,” she said. “It is important to remember the debt and cost of war, and who carries the burden.”
She said during her first deployment, she experienced firsthand the cost of war as part of the medical service.
“As I went through the lists on a daily basis, my fingers would run down the list and I thought of the mothers, fathers, and families back home who belonged to those names,” she said. “It made an indelible impression on me. I salute those who serve, and take a moment to honor the empty chairs at the dinner table for those who are still downrange.”
In recognizing the treatment of veterans — the homeless, those who can’t find jobs, and more notably the Vietnam veterans — Gabbard said the way to thank them is to fight for them as they fought for us.
“She is my role model,” said Athena Abadilla, the Miss Kauai Veteran. “When I found out this morning in the newspaper that she was going to be speaking, I got really excited because of how she has influenced me. I never got to meet her before, and when I had the opportunity, I was star-struck. I couldn’t say anything.”
Among the audience which overflowed the pavilion at the Hanapepe Veterans Cemetery, Reni Pereira silently searched the area.
“This is Mrs. Kimiko Demos,” Pereira said. “She’s with my mother, Fumie Beppu, in a care home. But Mrs. Demos was born in Japan. She has no family here, and her husband is buried in this cemetery after passing away at a Texas care home. I’m trying to help her find her husband’s spot in the crematorium.”
Steven Pereira said Gus Demos, born in Chicago, served at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Mana before being moved out where he eventually passed away in Texas.
Jerry McCarthy of San Antonio, said he is staying at the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club.
“We try to come here for this service because I like the service,” he said. “It’s special. There is something about having the chickens running between the rows of graves.”
