Big Island father loses one son, sends one to war

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i — Jimmy Spiri and his older brother Jesse were "raised in fatigues," said their father, Jim Spiri of Waikoloa. The boys played army together, ran track and played baseball together, worked as lifeguards and attended the New Mexico Military Institute Junior College.

Jesse, left, Jim and Jimmy Spiri pose on Memorial Day weekend, 2001. Jesse Spiri, who was a Marine lieutenant, died that year of brain cancer. Jimmy, 22, is an Army sergeant serving in Iraq. Their father, Jim, works in Waikoloa. Spiri family photo

The brothers perhaps would have even gone to war together if a brain tumor hadn't taken Jesse's life two years ago at age 21. In a tragedy that blindsided the family, doctors discovered the cancer just hours after he was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant in May 2001. He died several weeks later.

When the Marine Corps refused to pay for Jesse's treatment because it said the cancer was a "pre-existing condition," Jim Spiri launched an aggressive campaign against what he calls the "health insurance bureaucracy." He pressured the military and lobbied the U.S. Congress for changes in the system, and is still angry about the way his son's case was handled.

But Spiri, who handles operations and reservations for Sunshine Helicopters at the Hapuna resort helipad, paused in his personal crusade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reasoning that a nation at war had more pressing concerns.

Spiri had more pressing concerns as well. His younger son, Jimmy, was a flight engineer and door gunner on an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter. He was deployed to Afghanistan, where he helped ferry troops and equipment in operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida. He is now serving in Iraq.

Jimmy, 22, was able to visit his parents in Waikoloa in August and September before shipping out for Iraq in February. He played in the surf and enjoyed the sights at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel where his mother, Candi, works, but his father noticed how he had matured.

"When he was home from Afghanistan, we walked along the beach and we talked about a lot of things that a father and son who have both seen combat would talk about," said Spiri, who witnessed a brutal civil war as a freelance photographer in El Salvador.

Jimmy is a sergeant in Bravo Company, 159th Aviation Regiment based at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., which is part of the aviation brigade for the 3rd Infantry Division. That division led the invasion of Iraq, and is playing a key role in the fight for Baghdad.

Spiri said his son calls home when he can, but never talks about what he's doing.

"He's very, very busy, and he doesn't ever comment on those things," Spiri said. "He's not allowed to, and he doesn't. He just says, 'I'm very busy, Dad.' "

Despite the possibility of losing another son, Spiri, who also has two daughters, doesn't question the war.

"I stand shoulder to shoulder with the president," he said. "I choose to stay loyal, just like my son Jesse did. He never complained about the system. He just marched and said 'Amen,' and walked right into the Lord."

Spiri also is critical of those who have been demonstrating against the war.

"I don't want anybody at any time putting my son's life in jeopardy, and I feel that a lot of times the protesters who speak so negatively forget that there's parents here who have their kids fighting for everyone's freedom."

Spiri established a Web site devoted to son Jesse and his own push to improve military health coverage. It's at www.jessespiri.com.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.

Correction: The Army uses CH-47 Chinook helicopters. A previous version of this story misidentified the type of helicopter.