1 00:00:03,703 --> 00:00:11,883 My name is Allen Kale’iolani Hoe. I am a Vietnam combat veteran. I was a combat 2 00:00:11,883 --> 00:00:16,523 medic with a long-range reconnaissance team in 1967 and 3 00:00:16,523 --> 00:00:21,803 1968. When I got to Vietnam and got integrated into my 4 00:00:21,803 --> 00:00:25,963 reconnaissance team, and we were in a little curio shop and I 5 00:00:25,963 --> 00:00:29,723 saw this American flag that was there; and I said, "Wow, that's 6 00:00:29,723 --> 00:00:33,963 pretty cool." So, I bought it and, just as a talisman, carried 7 00:00:33,963 --> 00:00:41,483 it with me in my, in my pack. On Mother's Day in 1968, my unit was 8 00:00:41,483 --> 00:00:45,883 overrun by a North Vietnamese regiment, and I lost eighteen 9 00:00:45,883 --> 00:00:48,923 men; and this flag took on a special meaning that day 10 00:00:48,923 --> 00:00:55,083 because we all agreed that when our comrades were located and 11 00:00:55,083 --> 00:00:57,883 identified and returned to their families that we would 12 00:00:57,883 --> 00:01:02,363 attend the services and present this flag to the parents of our 13 00:01:02,363 --> 00:01:07,683 platoon leader. So, this flag lay in my possession on my desk 14 00:01:07,683 --> 00:01:12,723 for, like, 36 years when my son, First Lt. Nainoa Hoe, had 15 00:01:12,723 --> 00:01:16,323 been deployed to Mosul, Iraq, with the 25th Division. 16 00:01:16,323 --> 00:01:20,323 His young soldiers asked him to have me send them the flag 17 00:01:20,323 --> 00:01:23,923 because they would love to carry it in honor of the men 18 00:01:23,923 --> 00:01:28,083 who served with their lieutenant's dad, and I, I was so 19 00:01:28,083 --> 00:01:34,523 thrilled. My son was carrying this flag on January 22nd 20 00:01:34,523 --> 00:01:38,203 2005, the day he was killed in combat. 21 00:01:42,383 --> 00:01:48,643 This flag, um, has taken on an incredible life of its own. It 22 00:01:48,643 --> 00:01:52,563 has simply been adopted by the 25th Division, Tropic 23 00:01:52,563 --> 00:01:55,363 Lightning. The combat units that were affiliated with my 24 00:01:55,363 --> 00:01:57,683 son while he was with the 25th, whenever they 25 00:01:57,683 --> 00:02:01,043 went down range, they took this flag with them and kind of 26 00:02:01,043 --> 00:02:05,363 carried it with them as a reminder of its significance and its purpose.