Posted on: Thursday, December 30, 2004
Origami cranes to greet troops
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
A lei of origami cranes made in memory of a fallen soldier will greet returning Schofield troops who arrive home today from deployment in the Middle East.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser The Kahuku students made the presentation to the Commander of U.S. Army Hawai'i, Col. Michael McBride, and to McMahon's family.
McMahon, Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan, 31, and Spc. Harley D. Miller, 21 — all with the 25th — were killed in a plane crash in the mountains of Afghanistan on Nov. 27.
Lt. Col. Jeanette McMahon, Lt. Col. Michael McMahon's wife, said she was amazed by the outpouring of support for her family, and that support has made her strong during her time of grief.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser "But what has comforted me more was that Mike was truly a leader in peace, and that's why this crane lei is so important today — to show that what the division is doing in Afghanistan is really working toward peace in that country and peace in our world."
The McMahons have three sons, Michael 14, Thomas, 11, and Ricky, 5. The two older boys were involved in making cranes for the lei and both said they enjoyed the experience.
Michael said the lei and the time taken to make it are a symbol of the people's support for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. He expressed wonder that people would think of his family and make a lei for them.
"I thought (grieving) would be ceremonies, hugging and shaking hands, and I felt it was amazing that people made this for us," Michael said.
"It makes me feel happy because of all the colors," said Thomas, who liked the idea of using the lei to greet the homecoming troops. "It will be a nice surprise for them."
The Kahuku students didn't know the McMahons but felt a connection with them through their art teacher, Jerylin Florimonte, whose parents had befriended the McMahons through their church.
The discussion of McMahon's death during art class triggered an outpouring of stories about friends, relatives and acquaintances touched by the conflicts and peace missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, Florimonte told the small gathering at the Chain of Cranes Ceremony yesterday.
The students from Florimonte's four art classes decided they wanted to do something for the McMahons and for the soldiers fighting in the wars. They also wanted to involve the St. John Vianney School, which the McMahon children attend.
"They wanted to reach out to you," Florimonte said. In accepting the lei, McBride said he was overwhelmed by the gesture, especially since it arrived in time to greet a planeload of soldiers redeploying from the Middle East. Some 11,000 25th Infantry troops are in Afghanistan and Iraq, McBride said. The lei will greet the soldiers at receptions at Wheeler Army Air Field.
Lafotasi Alaiasa, 15, said making the lei was a personal act, even though it was organized by her teacher and students worked on it. She said she understood something of what the McMahons were going through because she lost a cousin in the war.
"A little piece of me went into each crane," Alaiasa said. "I really felt touched by the boys' loss."
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
The lei made by Kahuku High and Intermediate School and St. John Vianney School students covered a 10-foot table in the command conference room at Schofield Barracks. It was given to the 25th Infantry Division (Light) yesterday in a ceremony attended by a handful of soldiers, and the widow and children of Lt. Col. Michael McMahon.
Kahuku High teacher Jerylin Florimonte, left, and two of her students present a lei of cranes to the family of Lt. Col. Michael McMahon.
Jeanette McMahon said her husband was a recognized leader in war.
Michael McMahon,14, arranges the crane lei.
