Freedom Salute Welcomes Heroes Home to Hawai`i
Approximately 200 Hawai`i Army National Guard soldiers were welcomed home this month from deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines during Freedom Salute ceremonies on O`ahu and the Big Island.
Fifty soldiers and airmen are welcomed home during a Freedom Salute ceremony in Hilo.
State Adjutant General Major General Robert Lee presided over the ceremonies and welcomed the troops home on behalf of a grateful state.
"Boy, it is sure nice to see your Black Hawks in the background here," General Lee said to the troops. "You helped to build their nations. They're going to be grateful to you long after you hang up your uniform in service to your country."
During the Freedom Salute Ceremony, each soldier received an encased American flag, a commemorative coin, a certificate of appreciation and a lapel insignia. Spouses received a lapel insignia while the soldiers' children were recognized and presented with a homecoming footlocker kit, which included two games, trading cards and a comic book.
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'Freedom Salute,' Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, November 9, 2008
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