Isle Boy Scouts unit to honor 100th Battalion

A local branch of the Boy Scouts of America will hold its first event to honor the famed 100th Infantry Battalion World War II Army unit.

The Aloha Council Venturing Officers Association will host the Venturing 100th Battalion Memorial Event on Saturday to commemorate the unit known as the Purple Heart Battalion, a Japanese-American unit composed primarily of members from the Hawaii National Guard.

There will be activities and informational booths where attendees can learn about the battalion and Boy Scouts. The event is free and open to the public.

“It’s honoring, it’s appreciating and respecting those who have come before us and those who helped get us to where we are,” said Elizabeth Kwock, advisor for the VOA.

The highly decorated Purple Heart Battalion gained recognition for its exploits during WWII, which included its high casualty rate.

Guest speaker William Belcher, assistant professor of historical archaeology at the University of Hawaii- West Oahu, will give a presentation on Honouliuli, Hawaii’s largest internment camp. Other guest speakers include Lloyd Kitaoka, former president of the 100th Battalion Organization and son of WWII veteran and former Maui circuit judge Takashi “Kit” Kitaoka.

Attendees can also participate in folding paper cranes and lei-making. Items will be placed on each grave at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Aloha Council’s Good Turn event on Sunday.

The Saturday event will be held at the 100th Infantry Clubhouse on 520 Ka­moku St. from 9 a.m. to noon. Free parking will be available at ‘Iolani School.

For more information and registration email 100BnGoodTurn@gmail.com.