Military people say interest in all services is on the rise

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

It was military appreciation day at Bishop Museum yesterday, and soldiers with booths there said more parents and youngsters are interested in the military since Sept. 11.

Keegan Nozawa, 8, takes on Navy diver Mike Sinrich in a game of tic-tac-toe at Bishop Museum. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

"There's greater interest in all the services," said Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Hiro. "A lot of people over our age limit of 27 want to join. It's patriotism."

The Coast Guard grants waivers to some, including those with needed skills; people with military experience can apply up to age 40.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Giovanni Dimino of New York said "some parents are more apprehensive" about military service.

But the service is still a place for most to learn, not fight, he said.

There are 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, he said, compared to a million in the Army, three-quarters of a million in the Navy, a half-million in the Air Force, and 178,000 in the Marines.

Dimino says he's "happy to be in Hawai'i" again, where people seem "really receptive." He was married here and his first son was born here, he said.

Army Reserve Master Sgt. Val Minor said Hawai'i is more supportive of the military compared to Ohio, where she was last stationed, "because we are such a large part of the community here."

She said "a lot of parents with children 7 and 8 years old are suggesting military careers."

Her daughter, Kerbie, isn't buying.

"I don't want to go to war," said Kerbie, 11, whose father, Maj. Dana Minor, is serving in Bosnia.

Kerbie has another reason: "I want to be a veterinarian."