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Music
Better than All Right
"When we were in Iraq, we used 'LaLea' as a greeting. It was our way of saying, it's okay or it's alright," said Jose Villa, a member of the Army Reserve's 100th Battalion.
Four of the members in LaLea are Army Reservists in the 100th Battalion, deployed to Ballad, Iraq in August 2004. While stationed at Camp Anaconda, Villa and Tachibana discovered that they had something in common with two others serving in their unit, Kekoa Wong and Alfonso "Bruce" Scanlan. Villa, Tachibana, Wong, and Scanlan struck up a lasting friendship, and the four new friends made a pact to return to Hawaii to pursue a career in music. Once they returned home, the reservists aligned themselves with a group of mutual friends who were also aspiring to make a name in the local music industry.
While in Iraq, music served as a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Miles away from home, playing the ukulele eased Jarrett Tachibana into his comfort zone. "It was a good life experience. It wasn't easy being in a foreign country, but playing music would put me in a dreamland. When I was playing it was like I was in a dream, and once the music stopped, it was right back to war," said Tachibana, a 2004 graduate of McKinley High School.(Read more)
Just Your Average Kim
Dwight Kim used to be your average 18-year-old trying to figure out what to do with his life...(Read more)
F-15 Pilot
"Growing up I always thought I would be a mechanic because that's what my dad and grandfather did. I just didn't set any high goals for myself...(Read more)