Army Pvt. Eugene D. M. Kanakaole

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Eugene D. M. Kanakaole, 19, of Maui, Hawaii

Pvt. Kanakaole was assigned to the 87th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died June 11, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.

Maui soldier dies in Iraq
The Honolulu Advertiser

A 19-year-old Kihei, Maui, man serving with the Army in Balad, Iraq, died of injuries suffered in a noncombat-related incident on June 11, the Department of Defense reported yesterday.

Pvt. Eugene D.M. Kanakaole, a graduate of Maui High School, was assigned to the 87th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

The incident is under investigation, the military said. Balad is about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

Geraldine Serrao, his paternal grandmother, described Kanakaole as “a real cool guy” who “never got into trouble.”

On his own MySpace page, Kanakaole gave himself the moniker “hawaiiansoljah” and inserted as his quote, “id rather die on my feet then live life on my knees.”

Kanakaole last signed on to his MySpace page on May 31. He last listed his mood as “mischievous.”

A group of 104 soldiers from the 87th Engineer Company was sent to Iraq in early May on a 15-month deployment. Their job is primarily to detect and clear roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices, 1st Lt. Benjamin Washkowiak, the company’s executive officer, told the Killeen (Texas) Daily Herald last month.

The 87th’s engineers trained for this mission at Fort Hood and at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., the newspaper reported. In Iraq, the 87th is working in tandem with the 5th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Army Pvt. Eugene D. M. Kanakaole was killed in a non-combat related incident on 6/11/08.