Army 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe

Died January 22, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Kailua, Hawaii; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Jan. 22 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds received when he was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire.

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Officer with Oregon ties killed in Iraq

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — A soldier with Oregon ties has died in Iraq, family members said Monday.

Nainoa K. Hoe, 27, was shot and killed by a sniper last weekend as he led a foot patrol through Mosul, according to his wife of seven months, Emily Hoe, a Western Oregon University business student whose parents live in Newberg.

Nainoa Hoe was originally from Kailua, Hawaii, a Honolulu suburb, and graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii, according to his mother-in-law, Sharon Vo.

A first lieutenant in the Army, Hoe had been stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., but hoped someday to join the FBI, his mother-in-law said.

Hours before his death, Nainoa Hoe had emailed his wife to tell her that he’d be home on leave in February, Vo said.

“We think he had that joy in his heart,” Vo said.

Nainoa and Emily Hoe were married last June during a simple sunset ceremony on a Hawaiian beach, Vo said, attended only by their families. The two were planning a formal reception for next fall, when Nainoa Hoe was due to return from Iraq, she said.

“He was a wonderful man. She fell in love with him immediately,” Vo said, of her daughter. “She has a notebook here with all his awards. He was a top soldier. He had done so much, it’s unbelievable. Now she is 21 and a widow.”

A memorial service in Hoe’s honor is planned at Fort Lewis, Vo said.

“He was following his duty, that was what he was doing,” Vo said. “We support the troops a thousand percent.”

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Officer killed in Iraq honored at memorial service

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A soldier from Hawaii who was killed in Iraq was remembered as a brother, husband and son Wednesday during a memorial service.

“He was a great guy,” said Pfc. Nakoa Hoe, the brother of 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe. “He was a great brother, he was a great husband to my sister-in-law, and he was a great son to my parents.”

“I’m very proud him, and in 27 years of his life, I knew him for 19 of them. And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Nakoa Hoe said.

Nainoa Hoe was shot to death by a sniper Saturday as he led a foot patrol in Mosul, according to the Defense Department.

“The truth of the matter is, Nainoa is not resting right now,” his brother said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that 1st Lt. Hoe is looking down on his men, protecting them, influencing their every decision, and just adding that little bit of luck that everybody needs in combat.”

The memorial service was held at the Main Post Chapel, where Hoe’s father, Allen Hoe, saluted a photograph of his son and embraced service members who came to pay their respects.

Nainoa Hoe graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1995 and earned his bachelors degree in management information systems and a master’s in business administration from the University of Hawaii. He and his wife, Emily, married last June in Hawaii Kai.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. He had been in Iraq since October.

Nakoa Hoe is with the 100th Battalion, 29th Brigade, based at Fort Shafter in Honolulu. The unit is scheduled to leave for Iraq from Fort Polk, La., within a month.

— Associated Press

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Slain soldier’s family asks public to support Hawaii troops headed to Iraq

HONOLULU — The family of a Hawaii soldier who was killed in Iraq is asking Hawaii residents to remember the Hawaii National Guard members who will be spending a year in Iraq.

Advance elements of the Guard’s 29th Infantry Brigade arrived in Iraq last week.

The family of 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe issued a statement asking the people of Hawaii to remember the brigade families “who will live in fear every day until their loved ones return.”

“Help them now, love them now and share your aloha with them now as we have learned to cherish life in this special place we call home,” the Hoe family said.

Hoe’s younger brother, Nakoa, is a member of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, one of three combat units assigned to the 29th Brigade. Army officials say the younger Hoe has not said whether he will seek a waiver from combat duty since he is now the sole surviving son.

The Hoe family said it is “deeply humbled by the outpouring of love and aloha for Nainoa. We are truly blessed with wonderful memories of his life and remain in awe of the countless others whose lives he touched and made a difference.”

The family extended its thanks for the prayers and messages of love and support.

“Nainoa was not one who just dreamed, he dedicated his life to making things happen. Above all, he loved life, especially when he was sharing with or helping others,” the statement said.

“Nainoa would want us to remember the good times and the many blessings we shared and above all to celebrate his life and the things he cherished, ohana, his heritage and the men and women he served with in the Army...he lived his dream,” the family said.

Nainoa Hoe, 27, was killed by a sniper in Mosul, Iraq, while leading his platoon on Jan. 22. He was a graduate of the Kamehameha School and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Hawaii College of Business Administration. He was commissioned as an Army officer through the UH ROTC program.

— Associated Press

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Hawaii soldier honored at memorial service

HONOLULU — Hundreds of mourners attended memorial services late Monday for a soldier from Hawaii who was killed in Iraq.

First Lt. Nainoa Hoe, 27, will be buried Tuesday at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe.

The service at Kawaiahao Church included a traditional Hawaiian ceremony.

The Hoe family issued a statement, thanking the people of Hawaii for their prayers, support and love.

“Nainoa was not one to just dream. He dedicated his life to making things happen. Above all, he loved life, especially when he was sharing or helping others,” the family said.

Hoe was killed by a sniper in Mosul, Iraq, while leading his platoon on Jan. 22.

He graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1995 and earned his bachelors degree in management information systems and a master’s in business administration from the University of Hawaii. He and his wife, Emily, married last June.

Hoe was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Wash. He had been in Iraq since October.

— Associated Press

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Soldier remembered as standout student, citizen

HONOLULU — Army 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe was remembered as a Hawaiian warrior who always put others before himself.

Hoe, 27, was buried Tuesday at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe, not far from where he grew up in Kailua.

“Nainoa’s life came to an end much too soon, but I know few people who have lived so fully as he did,” Lt. Col. James Johnson said. “His indelible imprint has left me with not just the quintessential example of excellence as a cadet and junior officer, but with a reaffirmation of faith in the human spirit.”

Hoe was killed by a sniper in Mosul, Iraq, while leading his platoon on Jan. 22.

His funeral included Hawaiian chants and military honors. Bag pipes echoed in the valley.

Adjutant General Robert Lee said Hoe caught his eye.

“Soldiers that get your attention either do very well or they are in serious trouble on both extremes,” Lee said. “I just wanted to assure the audience that Nainoa was of the first category. Nainoa got our attention in a very big way.”

Hoe graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1995 and earned his bachelors degree in management information systems and a master’s in business administration from the University of Hawaii. He and his wife, Emily, married last June.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Wash. He had been in Iraq since October.

“This is very difficult because we lost Hawaii’s best, and you know we will have more soldiers going into harm’s way,” Lee said.

— Associated Press