FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         May 2, 2005

MAYOR AND ROYAL HAWAIIAN BAND TRAVEL TO MAUI

Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the Royal Hawaiian Band, under the direction of Bandmaster Michael Nakasone, will be on Maui this weekend to participate in the Valley Isle’s Military  Homecoming and Celebration on May 7.

The celebration at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku is being held to officially welcome home Maui members of the Army Reserve’s 411^th Combat Engineer Battalion who recently returned from Iraq. It begins with a parade at 10 a.m. from Kanaloa Avenue.

The Honolulu contingent was invited to participate by the Maui Family Readiness Group, a volunteer organization that supports families of members of Detachment 1, A Company of the 411^th.

“We are pleased to have this opportunity to show our gratitude and admiration for the sacrifices made by these citizen soldiers,” said Mayor Hannemann. “We are happy for their safe return, and pray for the safekeeping of the thousands of other Americans who are serving our nation in uniform.”

 No high school bands on Maui were available for the celebration, which includes a parade. Nor were any military bands from Oahu, so the Maui Family Readiness Group appealed to Mayor Hannemann.

The family readiness group is underwriting travel expenses for the Honolulu delegation.

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Contact:  

      Mark Matsunaga, 352-1528

      Bill Brennan, 527-6928