Son finds information about father killed in Korean War
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser staff writer
James Aki never knew his father. He never had the chance. Aki was two years old when his dad, Clarence Halona Aki, was killed Dec. 20, 1950 during the Korean War. His grandmother wouldn't answer his questions, saying he was too young to understand. He became estranged from his mother and younger brother and couldn't ask them about his father. No other relatives knew Clarence.
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All Aki owned was a single ghost-like picture of his father affixed to a wooden plaque, faded with age, showing a handsome young man with neatly gelled hair.
Charles W. Aresta, right, sings the National Anthem during opening ceremonies at Punchbowl to mark the 51st anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
With the help of two friends, Aki filled out numerous government search forms and scanned veteran war Web sites to learn about his father. But it wasn't until yesterday, when he visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, that Aki finally found some answers.
Armed with his plaque, Aki approached the veterans from Hawai'i who may have served in the 555th Artillery Battalion. He was surprised to make the connection he sought so long ago.
"We went (to the ceremony) so we could just look to see if anyone knew my dad," said Aki, 54, of Wai'anae. "We found them. We found someone that knew him!"
Martin Pestana, who worked in the C Battery of Clarence's battalion and now is the historian of 1st Regimental Team, remembered Clarence as a mechanic he worked with in Korea.
"He was a rank corporal, and I remember when I first met him," Pestana said. "It makes me feel good knowing that I knew the gentleman and that I could help James. Oh, it brings back a lot of memories when we started talking about Clarence."
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Hibbert Manley served in the 5th Infantry with Clarence and said that they will be contacting veterans on the Mainland who may have known Clarence more personally.
James Aki, left, and the image he carried of his father, Clarence Aki, who was killed in the Korean war.
"Now that we know somebody's looking for people that knew his dad, we will find people who were in that same unit," Manley said.
Pestana said they will also help Aki find more information about exactly where Clarence died.
Aki is just grateful to find out anything about his father.
"Gave me chicken skin to know I met someone that actually knew my dad," he said. "We went to go look for a little bit more information about my dad. I didn't think I would actually meet people that knew my father."
During yesterday's ceremony, Adm. Dennis C. Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, also spoke about preserving memories of those who fought in the Korean War.
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"Above all, above all, we'll never forget those who fought, froze, bled and died," Blair said. "All veterans will die. We will all die. But, we must keep the memories bold and bright and strong, no matter how painful."
James Aki, left, and Martin Pestana, of the 5th regimental Combat Team reminisce about Aki's late father, Clarence. Pestana worked with Clarence Aki, who was a mechanic in Korea.
Aki said he was pushed to find out more about his father as the world is being taught to never forget the "Forgotten War." Hawai'i-based units played a vital role in that war with Island residents serving at a rate four times the national average.
"The feeling of having to know about my dad never dies. It will never die," Aki said, his eyes filling with tears. "I would just feel so bad if I gave up or just forgot about him."
