SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – The 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Hawaii held a Quarterly Recognition Ceremony, Dec. 12, 2023, at Weyand Field, Schofield Barracks.
The ceremony was held to honor 45 25th Infantry Division Soldiers for completing volunteer hours during the third quarter and 26 U.S. Army Hawaii Department of Defense civilian employees for their respective lengths of service.
“Volunteerism is truly powerful, and we cannot thank you enough for what you do,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, the 25th Inf. Div. and USARHAW commanding general to the awardees. “You are the unsung heroes who build bridges and transform the lives of those you help while also setting a positive example for others to follow. Your acts of service are the support pillars for our strong, caring and fruitful Ohana.”
25th Inf. Div. Soldiers were awarded either the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal or a Volunteer Recognition Certificate of Appreciation based upon the total number of community service hours completed.
“I accumulated over 100 volunteer hours working as my battalion B.O.S.S. (Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers) representative and being a member of the Hui Ha’a team,” said U.S. Army Cpl. Victoria Henry, an information technology specialist assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Inf. Div. Artillery (DIVARTY) Brigade. “I definitely feel like volunteering is important because it builds character and you meet new people at the same time. I’m grateful and appreciative my work is being noticed, especially by such high-ranking people.”
Each award recipient was selected and nominated by their respective brigade command team or organization leadership to be recognized and awarded.
In total, 25th Inf. Div. Soldiers amassed over 5,000 hours of volunteer work within the quarter – which equates to almost one full calendar year of time.
DIVARTY volunteer award recipients included – Lt. Col. Matthew Cahill, Maj. Kevin Holmes, 1st Lt. Steven Sunthonlap, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dario Noguera, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Austin Chestnut, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Adam Decker, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jacob Miles, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Osei, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Whitney Smiley, Master Sgt. Bryan Corbett, Sgt. 1st Class Florentino Martinez, Staff Sgt. Caelab Carter, Staff Sgt. Lester Herbert, Staff Sgt. Adrian Thomas, Sgt. Bernard Corpuz, Sgt. Rachel Sweeney, Cpl. Victoria Henry, Spc. Kiara Newbill, and Dr. Manulani Meyer.
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team volunteer award recipients included – 2nd Lt. Demetri Germanos, Sgt. Malachi Johnson, SPC Jae Pursel, and Pfc. Letici Casatii.
3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team volunteer award recipients included – Staff Sgt. Henry Garcia Discua, Staff Sgt. Luis Ojeda Castillo, Sgt. Stephanie Palacios, Spc. Kenneth Crisostomo, Spc. Craig Gascon, and Pfc. Julian Banuelos.
25th Division Sustainment Brigade volunteer award recipients included – Sgt. 1st Class Richard Soto, Sgt. Veronica Bos, Sgt. Brandon Burr, Sgt. Kenneth Marshall, 1st Lt. Emily Adkins, 1st Lt. Erick Ochola, Warrant Officer Trevor Colclasure, Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Ramos, Staff Sgt. Robert Flowers, Sgt. Alba Zambrano Ramirez, Spc. Jason Highsmith, Pfc. Diego Loeza, PV2 Ashante Kendall, PV2 Kethio Nelson, and PV2 Axel Solis.
25th Combat Aviation Brigade volunteer award recipient included Spc. Nathaniel Abcede.
U.S. Army Hawaii Department of Defense Length of Service awardees included – Bryan Son (5 years), Maria Martinez-Glory (5 years), Johnie Hickmon (5 years), Alian Hernandez (5 years), Joshua Jackson (5 years), Peter Sablan (5 years), Ricky Morales (5 years), Edwin Allen (10 years), Cameron Holmes (10 years), Jesse Wagnon (10 years), Baltazar Barrientos (20 years), Renee Benito (20 years), Victor Jimenez-Perez (20 years), Jasper Johnson (20 years), Melvin Kinsey (20 years), Monty Loa (20 years), Jodee Watters (20 years), Marcial Gasper (25 years), Stephen Litten (25 years), Yeshua Maxwell (25 years), Edward Brown III (30 years), Larry Magaoay (30 years), Jerome Joseph (35 years), and Candace Johnson (40 years).
The U.S. Army Hawaii Department of Defense Civilian of the Quarter awardees included Debra McMonagle and Timothy Gustavus.
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