Mikael Anthony Torres, a 2009 graduate of Waipahu High Schools in Oahu, Hawaii was awarded the 3rd annual Nainoa Hoe Scholarship of Honor on August 28 at the 1Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe Battle Command Training Center located on Schofield Barracks.
It was a special day for many reasons, especially because it would have been Nainoa’s 32nd birthday. The scholarship honors the memory and service of 1Lt. Nainoa Hoe, of Maunawili, Oahu, who was leading a combat patrol in Mosul, Iraq when he was killed in action on January 22, 2005.
The scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman in the University of Hawaii’s Army ROTC “Warrior Battalion.” The Warrior Battalion ROTC program is singularly unique as it is authorized to display a “Campaign or Battle Ribbon” earned by the Cadets in Defense of Hawaii in WWII.
Mikael’s selection recognizes his scholastic abilities and JROTC leadership. The eldest child in a “Career Army Family” young Mikael learned at an early age the true meaning of “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Today’s Army Family presents many challenges, parents on deployment, multiple moves, attending different schools and adjusting to a life of uncertainty and stress. The motto “Army Strong” is meaningful only in conjunction with “Family Strong.” Mikael is a shining example of both.
This scholarship is made possible by Waimanalo businessman and Brian LaViolette Foundation Board member, Ohelo Kaopio.
Pictured here: Staff Sgt. Nakoa K. Hoe, brother of 1st Lt. Nainoa, Mr. Allen K. Hoe, Father of 1st LT. Nainoa Hoe, Mikael Torres, Sgt. Maj. Anthony Torres, and Sgt. 1stClass Jean J Torres, Father and Mother of Mikael Torres
