Isles pay tribute to fallen troops

The annual Hawaii Medal of Honor ceremony is more than just a time to recognize and honor fallen troops. It’s a time for friends, colleagues and loved ones of the dead to gather, console and connect with each other, to be reassured that those close to them will not be forgotten, and to be welcomed into the island ohana.

"It does not matter whether our fallen heroes were born or raised here or whether they’re stationed here for a couple months or a couple years before deployment," state Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Darryll D.M. Wong said Wednesday at the commemoration for 24 service members at the state Capitol.

"They are part of the ohana, or family, and by extension, their families become ours as well, and always will be," Wong said.

Nikki Altmann, widow of Army Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann, who was killed last Christmas Day during an insurgent attack in Kunar province, Afghanistan, said she could feel the aloha spirit in the House chambers.

"It’s like he’ll forever be a part of Hawaii, and that just means a lot to me," said Altmann, 24. "It’s nice to see that our husbands are being honored, but at the same time they’re saying, ‘Hey, we know they left you behind, but you’re not forgotten either."

The Hawaii medal was first awarded in 2006 to pay tribute to service members who were residents or stationed here and died in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Wednesday’s ceremony marks the seventh year that the observance has been held. The names of the fallen service members were read aloud. Colleagues or family members of 18 of them were present to receive the medals and shake hands with state leaders.

The ceremony is also a time for widows and family members such as Altmann to meet and support each other, swap stories and laugh as well as grieve together.

"It’s nice to have people know what you’re feeling," said Altmann’s mother, Kelly Nichols.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie shared a similar sentiment during a speech while describing the meaning and purpose of the ceremony.

"Yes, we look to ourselves, and we look inward to determine for ourselves what meaning we are to derive from a gathering such as this," he said. "But more importantly, we reach out to one another in solidarity as brothers and sisters in our common humanity."

Nikki Altmann said the ceremony brought her a sense of closure. "It’s nice to know I’m not alone," she said.

She said she met Joseph Altmann, a native of Marshfield, Wis., in January 2010 while on vacation in Hawaii visiting a friend. He was a combat medic, she said, and served two deployments in Iraq and worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., before deploying to Afghanistan and moving to Hawaii in 2009.

Altmann was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team out of Schofield Barracks, when he died in Afghanistan 10 days after his 27th birthday. He was set to come home in February or March this year after deploying in April 2011, his widow said.

"They were starting to pack up and everything, and he called me and said, ‘I have one more mission to go on, and I’ll be gone a few days, but I promise I’ll be back,’" Altmann said.

Altmann, a flight attendant with a charter company that flies military troops around the world, was on an assignment in Ireland when she was notified of her husband’s death — the same place she was less than a year earlier when he first told her via a Skype video call that he wanted to marry her.

They married in February 2011 in a private ceremony on Waikiki Beach, just the two of them, she said, and she continued to live in her hometown of Austin, Texas, because of his scheduled deployment.

"Me and Joe, ever since we met, it’s been long distance," she said. "But it was worth it. He was my love and still is."

State House Speaker Calvin Say said during his speech that while lawmakers feel honored to be able to host events such as the ceremony, they hope a day will come when they are no longer necessary.

"Our prayers are with you, and we are honored by your presence," Say said in an address.

"Every one of us owes you a great debt, one that we can never fully repay. We truly mourn your loss, and it cannot be said enough. These heroes, these patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, will never be forgotten."