By Merla Marsh

Born and raised in Hawai'i, Air Force Lt. Col. Brenda Owen is a certified nurse midwife stationed at Landstuhl Medical Facility in Germany.

The former Brenda Marsh is a 1981 graduate of Mililani High School, where she was on the gymnastic and swim teams.

She and her husband, Kenneth, and their teenage children, Caleb and Sara, live in a small German village near the hospital.

To better care for the expectant women, whose husbands are often deployed, Brenda and a colleague will be leading a new approach to prenatal care called "Centering Pregnancy."

In this program, the 70 or more newly pregnant women every month will be encouraged to participate in group sessions instead of going to individual prenatal appointments throughout the pregnancy.

By Elizabeth Ondayog

Here is a picture of my son Glen with his buddies. They are all Hawai'i natives who now live in Las Vegas and are in the Army National Guard. They deployed to Kuwait in late July 2006 and expect to be there one year.

They enjoy being stationed together and share all the local food, especially rice and Coral tuna with shoyu. The Hawaiian flag in the background was given to my son by my classmate (Farrington ’57), former Capt. Alfredo Torco. He flew that flag while stationed in Vietnam.

Photo by William Melemai

By Michael Omatsu

This photo of the Omatsu brothers, taken April 2, 2005, was the first occasion for all four of us to be in Hawai'i since 1987. This photo was taken at a farewell ceremony for the Hawai'i National Guard's 298th Engineering Detachment, which was being deployed to Afghanistan.

Pictured left to right are:

• Staff Sgt. Stephen Omatsu, 46, Hawai'i National Guard Band.
• Capt. Sean K.N. Omatsu, 40, commanding officer, 298th Engineering Detachment.
• Patrick J. Omatsu, 51, retired Coast Guard chief warrant officer.
• Michael Omatsu, 54, retired Coast Guard commander.

We grew up in Maunalani Heights. Michael and Patrick attended Kalani High School, Stephen attended University Lab School and Sean attended Saint Louis School. Our father, Yasumi "Jimmy" Omatsu, is a World War II veteran with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

The 298th deployed to Afghanistan a few days after the photo was taken. Happily, the detachment, led by our brother Sean, is scheduled to return to Hawai'i in early April.

Aloha! My wonderful husband, Spc. Scott Ocha, was deployed to Afghan- istan in April 2004, attached to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Re- giment, out of Schofield Barracks. I love you, babe, and I miss you so much! Take care my love. Your one and only, Chona

This is my son, Barry Olah, with his younger brother, Aaron. This was taken when he finally made it home on leave. He's in the 1/14th with the Golden Dragons in Kirkuk, Iraq. There are no words to express how proud I am of him. Barry: Now I'm no longer just a truck driver. Now I'm the proud father of a combat proven soldier. Have fun. — Dad

My son is Sgt. Kenneth O'Dell Jr. This picture was taken Labor Day weekend while he was home on leave from Iraq. Shortly after returning to Iraq, Sgt. O'Dell was injured and is being transferred back to his base at Schofield Barracks. I love my son and am very proud of his desire to serve his country.

Sgt O'Dell is shown with his wife, Tiffany, and daughter Morgan.

My husband, Staff Sgt. Jesse Okiyama, is with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division (Light). He is deployed to Iraq.

The kids and I are in Guam visiting with the family for the duration of his deployment. We are so proud of his accomplishments in the Army and in Iraq especially. We love him so much and miss him like crazy.

Christine, Jessie, Cody and Jamie

This is my husband Sgt. Kenneth Odom. He is deployed with B CO 1/27 Wolfhounds in Iraq. Ken is originally from Miami and has been in the Army for 6 years.

He is a wonderful soldier, husband and father to Nicholas, 3, and Zachary, 11 months.

We are anxiously awaiting his return and cannot wait to be together again in Hawai'i. 

This is Spc. Sinoe Orbe who is with the 40th Quarter Master Company, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He deployed from Schofield Barracks in mid-January. I am extremely proud to have this amazing soldier in my life.

Since the day we met, he has brought nothing but smiles and laughs to my life. His ability to find the brighter side of every situation has made our time apart easier to bare.

Sinoe, I miss you terribly and I can't wait to celebrate your safe return home. Love always, Mariko

This is my husband and brave soldier, Staff Sgt. Romel Olipas. He's serving with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. Shelby and R.J. love and miss him dearly, and we await the safe return of all our soldiers.

By the Omerod family

My son, my hero is Kerstan Omerod. He is serving with the 7th Marines in Iraq.

Kerstan was born on O'ahu and raised on the Big Island. He is a graduate of the Youth Challenge Program and joined the Marine Corps in February 2000 and his home base is Twentynine Palms, Calif.

His family loves him dearly and awaits his safe return home. We keep him in our prayers always and wish him well. Until then, Kerstan, "Semper Fi." You're a hero in our hearts. We love you.

By Ashley Vega

I am writing this on behalf of my cousin, Malina Okuda. She cannot express in words what she feels about her dad, but I will for her. She has special needs but in her childlike manner, everyone around her is truly blessed. She accepts everyone for who they are and loves them unconditionally. Her dad is AMCS Northrop Okuda and he is stationed on the USS Chosin, air department HSL-37, DET-6.

They are currently stationed in the Gulf. Malina is very proud of her dad and knows that he is one of the great men in the U.S. Navy. She also knows that he is a great UH Warrior fan and he attends all the football games. He will not be there for the opening of the season — so, Coach Jones, if you read this, can you and your team win one for Malina's dad and all of the great men and women stationed on the USS Chosin? He will not be there in person but he will surely be there in spirit.

She might not understand what is going on with the war, but she does know that it's all about freedom and that she loves and misses her dad.