Army IDs soldiers who drowned off Kualoa

The Army on Sunday identified the two soldiers who apparently drowned Friday off Kualoa Beach Park.

They are:

» Sgt. John H. Nguyen, 27, assigned to Charlie Company, 715th Military Intelligence Battalion, 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, Schofield Barracks.

» Pvt. Tuan M. Huynh, 26, assigned to Headquarters, Sustainment Automation Support Management Office, 45th Special Troops Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, Schofield Barracks.

Nguyen joined the Army in 2007 and is originally from Clemson, S.C., according to U.S. Army Pacific, based at Fort Shafter.

A third soldier was injured returning to Kualoa Beach Park from Mokolii Island, also known as Chinaman’s Hat, and is being treated at a nearby hospital.

An investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of death, the Army said.

Officers enforce rules at sandbar, islets

State enforcement officers continued to issue citations in and around the Kaneohe Bay sandbar over the Labor Day weekend and also cleared about 100 people from the Mokulua Islands, where tents, camping and alcohol are prohibited.

An estimated 75 to 100 people in 25 to 30 boats visited the sandbar Sunday, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. State enforcement officers issued seven vehicle citations at Heeia Pier, where people park before boarding boats to get to the sandbar.

One person was Sunday cited for possession of alcohol in the sandbar safety zone, Ward said.

Officers conducted 11 vessel boardings but issued no citations. Three divers without flags were given warnings.

Enforcement officers also went to the Mokulua Islands after an off-duty DLNR employee saw 100 people boating and kayaking to the islands with tents and camping equipment, Ward said.

Overnight camping, alcohol and dogs are prohibited on the Mokulua Islands, she said.

While there were no dogs, people did bring tents and alcohol, Ward said.

"There were too many to cite, so the officers just cleared the island," Ward said.

State enforcement officers will return to the sandbar today and will continue to monitor the Mokulua Islands, Ward said.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Propeller cuts hand of swimmer in channel race

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is looking into a collision Saturday between an escort boat’s propeller and the hand of a long-distance swimmer nearing the end of the Maui Channel Swim.

DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said Sunday she had no information on the age, gender or hometown of the swimmer or his or her condition.

Race director Ian Emberson declined to provide the Star-Advertiser with any information on the accident.

Ward said the escort boat’s propeller struck the swimmer’s hand at about 2:30 p.m. near Black Rock, near the finish of the Lanai-to-Kaanapali Maui Channel Swim.

The operator of the escort boat had turned off his engine "and we think he may have had some things to do in the cabin of the boat," Ward said. "The people conducting the race notified him on a loudspeaker that he was drifting into a restricted zone. When he started up his engine to get out, his prop hit the hand of one of the swimmers."

The swimmer was taken to Maui Memorial Hospital.

$100,000 grant will help Hilo hospice build new center

HILO » The Hospice of Hilo plans to build a new 12-person inpatient facility with the support of a $100,000 grant.

First Hawaiian Bank said Friday it awarded the funds for the new center, which is expected to serve about 300 patients a year.

The facility will help terminally ill patients of all ages who are too sick to be cared for at home or who do not have family members who can serve as caregivers.

The Hospice of Hilo has been providing end-of-life care for Hawaii island residents in their own homes for 28 years.