At the mournful sound of taps, Robert Arakaki teared up.

It happens every time, said the 100th Infantry Battalion association president.

Yesterday, during the Joint Memorial Services at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl to honor Sgt. Joe Takata, of the 100th Infantry Battalion, it was no different.

"I feel it right here," Arakaki said pointing to his chest. "We're here to honor the KIA (killed in action). It's a wonderful event." Under an unrelenting sun, a procession of veterans and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps members laid wreaths of every hue at the base of a monument. Tiny flags hung limp on the graves of the Japanese-Americans buried at Punchbowl.

This was the third year that the four World War II Japanese-American veteran groups joined together to support their fallen warriors. Each year, the last Sunday in September is set aside to honor their first victim of the war: Takata, who was 24 when he was killed on Sept. 29, 1943, while leading an attack on a German machine-gun nest in southern Italy.

In the front row, 65 years later, the family of another 24-year-old mourned the loss of their son. Mary Jo and David Brostrom hid watery eyes behind their sunglasses at the mention of their son, Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of 'Aiea, who was killed on July 13 in the village of Wanat, Afghanistan, along with eight other soldiers when several hundred enemy fighters attempted to overrun their vehicle patrol base.

"My heart swells with pride, but it still is broken," said Mary Jo Brostrom of her son. "The community has been so supportive."

Bill Thompson, president of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team Veterans Club, was happy to see so many veterans at the service. As members of the most decorated unit in military history, the 442nd members had to face not only the adversity of battle but racism as well, Thompson said.

"We call ourselves the nisei warriors of World War II," Thompson said. "We come every year because we want to make sure we don't forget the contributions of our fallen members. We want to keep their memory, their legacy, alive."

As the 21-gun salute echoed from the steps of the monument, Ben Riley and John Showey stood at attention in their Cub Scout uniforms. The sound of the guns made their young bodies jerk.

"We're here to honor all the guys that died in World War II," said Riley, 6, and a member of Pack 442. "My grandpa was in World War II."

After 34 years in the Army, retired Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba left his own legacy, which included leading the 2004 investigation of prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq while he was deputy commanding general for support, Third U.S. Army.

His speech yesterday was packed with the wisdom of his years of service and his family's tradition of military service.

He is only the second Filipino-American to achieve the rank of general and comes from a long line of Tagubas who were in the military. Most notable were his great uncle and father, who were on the infamous Bataan Death March in World War II.

"All the units of AJAs have a storied history of hardship of combat, all the while having to prove their loyalty to the American flag," said Taguba, a graduate of Leilehua High School. "There is no statute of limitations for recognition. It is their time of honor and remembrance."

The numbers tell the story, he said. Together, the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service earned 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Cross awards, 560 Silver Stars, 22 Legions of Merit, 15 Soldier Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 5,000 Purple Hearts and seven Presidential Unit Citations.

But their valor was not without cost, Taguba said. More than 650 were killed, 3,700 wounded and 67 went missing in action.

"Each year, we hold similar memorial services," Taguba said. "Duty is the most sublime word in the English language."