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Dispatches from: KUWAIT IRAQ AFGHANISTAN
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ALOHATROOPS

Aloha Troops

A tribute to the people in the military with Hawai'i ties serving our country in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Photos are sorted by last names.

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Q

Posted on: June 6, 2003

From left, Maj. Annette Hoffman, Hawai'i Kai; Sgt. 1st Class Joel Quebec, Maui; and Spc. Merlinda Suka, Wai'anae, get around Baghdad in a Humvee with a Hawai'i license plate.

By Joel Quebec

Here are three more soldiers from Hawai'i serving in Iraq. We are the 30th Military History Detachment from Fort Shafter.

We arrived in Kuwait on April 26 and moved into Baghdad on May 7 after a two-day drive from Camp Doha, Kuwait. We will document the actions of the 75th Exploitation Task Force, the unit from Fort Sill searching for weapons of mass destruction. We are staying in the complex of one of Saddam Hussein's palaces southwest of Baghdad.

The Hawai'i license plate on our Humvee belongs to me and gets quite a few comments. A full-size Hawaiian flag is on display at the entrance to my quarters. It was also flown at Eagle Base in Bosnia last year.

Aloha mai no.


Posted on: April 17, 2003

Master Sgt. Abraham Queja Jr.

By Anna Tes Queja Belen

I am extremely proud of my brother, Master Sgt. Abraham Queja Jr. Originally from Kalihi, he is stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Shayna and Tiffany.

"Junior" joined the Army in 1986, when he was 17. He is a paratrooper with the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. Junior is a responsible, dependable, patient and caring man with a great sense of humor. He is always joking around and can make you laugh at any time. Even on deployment, he is thoughtful enough to send out birthday wishes and gifts.

Our parents, along with his wife, girls, in-laws, brothers, sisters, niece Ashley, and nephew Kaleb miss him a whole lot. We pray for him every day and for his safe return, as well as for the other brave men and women in our military. We thank him for the wonderful job that he does and love him very much.


If you're stationed in Hawai'i or are from Hawai'i and stationed elsewhere, and have recreational snapshots from interesting places while on deployments around the world, we'd love to share them with readers. Send pictures (high resolution jpgs) to: alohatroops@honoluluadvertiser.com.

All announcements and photographs submitted to The Advertiser may be published, used or distributed in print, electronic or other media.


PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

 • Visit our photo galleries

POSTCARDS FROM THE FIELD
Read Postcards From the Field with personal messages from Hawai'i-based personnel.

 • Read the postcards

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK
Advertiser staff writer William Cole earlier this year filed anecdotes of camp life, chronicling the everyday highs and lows of Hawai'i soldiers on deployment. Read them here, in his Reporter's Notebook.
SHARE YOUR ALOHA
Share your aloha and support for the Hawai'i men and women deployed in the Middle East.

 • Send your words of aloha

ALOHA TROOPS
A tribute to the people in the military with Hawai'i ties serving our country in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

 • See recent photos

RESOURCES
MAPS:
The Advertiser's William Cole and Richard Ambo journeyed with Hawai'i troops into Iraq and Afghanistan.
 • View map


LINKS (Open in new windows):
 •  About Hawai'i's Adopt-A-Platoon program
 •  Support Our Troops (U.S. Department of Defense)
 •  About the Military (Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i)
 •  Official site of the 25th Infantry Division (Light)

MILITARY NEWSPAPERS:
 •  Army Times
 •  Navy Times
 •  Marine Corps Times
 •  Air Force Times

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