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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Yay! He did it!!!!"}]

Smile 26 7 5 2

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, July 5, 2026</title>

Yay! He did it!!!!

Daily Smile: Sunday, July 5, 2026

John Dekhane

Viewpoints

Hawai‘i History

During World War II, as fear and devastation spread across the world, a generation stepped forward and answered the call to serve. From the bustling streets of Honolulu to the shores of Hilo and communities across the Hawaiian Islands, countless young men left behind their homes and families in defense of freedom. Among the brave souls who left Hawaiʻi and made the ultimate sacrifice was 

Nagaji was born on July 10, 1920, in Waipahu, Hawaiʻi, the son of Kichijiro and Shizuyo Nagaji, both Japanese immigrants who built their lives in the islands. He grew up in a close-knit family alongside his two brothers and sister. Raised with strong values of integrity, responsibility and perseverance, he would go on to embody these principles throughout his life.

He was educated at Waipahu Elementary before attending McKinley High School, where he graduated in 1939. A brilliant student, he then continued his studies at the University of Hawaiʻi. However, as the world moved closer to global conflict, Nagaji chose a different path. He left the university to serve with the Hawaiʻi Territorial Guard and later joined the Varsity Victory Volunteers, where he distinguished himself through his skill in carpentry and dedication to service. In a moment meant to be, Nagaji fell in love with Betty Katano of Waipahu. They became engaged and dreamed of a future that the war would ultimately deny them.

Following the lifting of restrictions on Japanese American service in combat units and determined to play his part in the struggle for freedom, Nagaji joined the U.S. Army on March 25, 1943. He became a proud member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 34th Infantry Division, and trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. His determination carried him through the intensity of his instruction, preparing him for the harsh realities of combat overseas.

In 1944, Nagaji was deployed to Europe, where he saw action in Italy as part of the Allied campaign against German forces. Thousands of miles from home, he fought near Suvereto in Tuscany and displayed remarkable courage under fire. Sadly, on June 26, 1944, during an assault on an enemy tank, he was mortally wounded when it exploded. He was only 23 years old.

News of his death brought profound grief to his family and community in Hawaiʻi. His parents, siblings, friends, and fiancée were left devastated by the loss of a young man with so much life still ahead of him. His father, Kichijiro, passed away in 1963, followed by his mother, Shizuyo, in 1965, both later laid to rest at Mililani Memorial Park in Waipahu.

Today, Nagaji rests at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where he is honored among fellow service members who gave their lives for a cause greater than themselves. The cemetery stands in quiet stillness, a place of remembrance and reflection.

When his country called, Staff Sergeant Grover Kazutomi Nagaji fulfilled his duty with pride and dignity. Now it is our responsibility to honor and preserve his legacy, ensuring his sacrifice is never forgotten. His story reflects those of countless fallen heroes from Hawaiʻi — young men who traveled overseas and gave their lives on foreign soil in the name of freedom. Though their journeys ended far from the islands they called home, their courage and memory remain forever woven into the history of Hawaiʻi.

Grover K Nagaji tomb

<title>From Waipahu to Italy: Remembering Staff Sgt. Grover Kazutomi Nagaji</title>

Born and raised in Waipahu, Nagaji joined the U.S. Army on March 25, 1943. He became a proud member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 34th Infantry Division, and trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. One year later, he was deployed to Europe, where he saw action in Italy as part of the Allied campaign against German forces.

From Waipahu to Italy: Remembering Staff Sgt. Grover Kazutomi Nagaji

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

 party over three years ago and declined to show, according to the Office of the Governor.

 from the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Josh Green was asked “to establish a Hawaiʻi Commission on the United State Semiquincentennial.”  

The commission formed by the governor did not receive any government funding

 “to coordinate a statewide effort commemorating and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America,” per the executive order.

Leading the 19-member Hawai‘i America250 Commission is Peter Young, a member of the Hawaiʻi Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, along with lawmakers and other representatives.

The commission is responsible for soliciting donations to bring local events and activities to “communities across the Islands [that] will reflect on our shared past, celebrate our diverse heritage, and honor our veterans and ancestors through events grounded in local culture and the Spirit of Aloha,” its website notes.

To donate, volunteer and learn more, go to: 

Hawaiʻi opts out of Great American State Fair

Hawaiʻi has no official government representation at 

, a block party on the National Mall in Washington D.C., running now through July 10.

It features attractions like rodeos and a 110-foot Ferris wheel, with more than 150 exhibits for all 50 states plus U.S. territories, as well as "businesses, innovators and civic organizations," according to 

, the organizer of the fair and other semiquincentennial events.

The decision for the Hawai‘i America250 Commission, which includes Green as an honorary chair, to say, “No can” to participating in the fair appears to have grown more apparent as the travel commitment grew “from a few days to two weeks with 12-hour days,” 

Green told Aloha State Daily in a statement Friday, “The Hawai‘i America250 Commission is not operating a pavilion at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., which is 5,000 miles away. No funds were earmarked by the state, or by Congress.”

One Mililani resident wrote in to ASD after hearing Hawaiʻi would not be at the fair.

“Especially with what's been happening in Hawaiʻi, participation in this national event would have been a great opportunity to formally and informally educate and share the history and Aloha of our people; to garner support/supporters from outside our state for the causes of the Hawaiian people and the legacy of its past monarchs,” the reader wrote.

Another ASD reader from Honolulu wrote, "

Wouldn't this have been a great opportunity for the state's Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA)? According to their annual budget, they expend [millions] of our taxpayers’ money annually on branding and marketing!"

At least 10 mostly Democratic-led states decided against sending official government delegations to the fair, which including Hawaiʻi are: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, according to 

“Most of the states that opted out are led by Democrats. But all cited financial considerations, saying they'd have to spend at least $100,000 (and in some cases up to half a million dollars) of their own money and preferred to prioritize celebrations at home,” 

, noting, organizers offered to help cover basic booth setup.

 that “the decision came down to resources”; Illinois sent representatives from the Peoria Riverfront Museum to run the state's booth instead; and Oregon Gov. Tina Koteck cited both cost and concerns that the event is "a more partisan affair than originally presented,” per the The New York Times; while Young of the Hawai‘i America250 Commission has shifted focus to local initiatives.

New Hampshire, which has a similar population size to the Aloha State at about 1.4 million, found a way to participate by having its Department of Natural and Cultural Resources staff an official booth showcasing “historic documents, a presentation and a video featuring state political figures reading the Declaration of Independence.” It is the only New England State with a presence from local government, per the 

 and photos over the weekend from the Great American State Fair, Alaska and Hawaiʻi both have empty booth displays boasting red, white and blue backdrops, though, Hawaiʻi’s included a couple of rocking chairs. 

Makes sense, since they chose to sit this one out.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Hawaii at Great American State Fair

<title>Hawaiʻi says ‘No can’ to Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.</title>

Hawaiʻi government officials will not be present at the Great American State Fair, put on by Freedom 250 now through July 10, along with at least 10 mostly Democratic-led states citing cost, staffing and for some, political reasons. Gov. Josh Green says no funds were earmarked for the fair by the state or Congress and instead, has thrown support behind local celebrations.

Hawaiʻi says ‘No can’ to Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

Government & Politics

A San Franciscan candidate for Honolulu Police Chief hopes to be “the last outside chief in Honolulu.”

Dave Lazar is one of three nominees for O‘ahu’s top cops selected by the Honolulu Police Commission. Formerly with the San Francisco Police Department for 33 years, Lazar is one of two candidates from the Mainland, the other being Georgia resident Scott Ebner.

But while Lazar told Aloha State Daily that his outside perspective is what the Honolulu Police Department needs right now, he added that his hope is to strengthen the department enough that it can shape the next generation of leaders without having to look farther afield.

“I want to get the culture in such shape where, in terms of succession planning, you bring that next generation of leadership in internally, and they’re part of the reform effort, they’re part of all the changes,” Lazar said.

Lazar’s highest priority changes, he said, will be to improve transparency and accountability within the department, something he said is sorely needed.

“The prior chief did not last his full term,” Lazar said. “There was an interim chief, and then the chief before that didn’t last her full term, and the chief before that was, you know, indicted and arrested for corruption. So this is a department that is in need of strong leadership, is in need of tremendous support and it needs a chief that has their backs.”

If selected, Lazar said he wants to modernize HPD, implementing technology and other best practices being adopted by other police agencies around the country. As an example, he addressed HPD’s clearance rate, the proportion of cases the department closes; the most recent data from the state Attorney General found that only about 20% of cases ended up closed in 2024.

“That’s the perfect example of why change is needed,” Lazar said. “Because if the most current data you have is 2024 and not the first quarter of 2026, that’s one thing that we need to fix.”

Lazar said that, in the SFPD, the homicide clearance rate was upwards of 80% — HPD’s homicide clearance in 2024 was 57% — thanks in part to better adoption of data integration technologies that allow officers to analyze relations between data points much more efficiently.

Of course, Lazar added, HPD also has a significant staffing shortage that stretches investigators thin. He echoed 

 by fellow chief candidate Mike Lambert that improving the working conditions of HPD officers is key to improving officer retention.

“When we talk about retention, it’s about wellness,” Lazar said. “Do they have wellness opportunities? Is there a path on career development? Do we really support them personally and professionally?”

Like Lambert, Lazar wants to invest into HPD’s infrastructure and resources, saying that “you feel good about where you work because things are modern. You feel like leadership cares about you because you’re being provided with the equipment you need to do your job effectively.”

However, unlike Lambert, Lazar took a hardline stance against HPD ever collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I come from a department where we don’t cooperate at all with ICE,” Lazar said. “That’s what I’m used to, that’s the right thing to do. If I’m selected as chief, we will not cooperate whatsoever with ICE. We will not participate in anything they have going on.

“We’re not going to transport for them, we’re not going to support them, we’re not going to respond to any of their calls, we’re not going to set up perimeters,” Lazar went on. “Those are the policy decisions that will be made on my watch.”

Lazar acknowledged that there may be incidents where a criminal investigation overlaps with an ICE operation, but he said that HPD’s actions would remain separate from ICE’s.

If selected, Lazar said he will work with the Honolulu community and the State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers to develop specific policies for how HPD handles immigration questions.

“I would work very hard to promote to the entire community that they need to report crime, that they can come to the HPD and report crime, that we want to help them regardless of their immigration status,” Lazar said. “We can’t let our officers be out in the community without any direction from leadership in order to make sure that they are covered in what they do.”

By the same token, Lazar said efforts to improve the transparency of HPD will help emphasize the diversity of the department: “If you look around at HPD, and they come from different backgrounds and different ethnicities … you build a tremendous amount of trust.”

While Lazar’s own background is largely separate from Hawai‘i, he has some family ties to the island. His wife of 32 years comes from a Hawaiian family and he has “plenty of aunties and uncles” across the island, he said.

Lazar, who is 55 years old, retired from SFPD in 2025, having never been permanent police chief there, although he had stints as acting chief between 2022 and 2024. He said that, by the time of his retirement, he no longer had interest in the top job, and much of the department’s leadership was also retiring amidst a mayoral transition.

Nonetheless, he said that he still has “so much energy,” and soon decided after retiring that he wanted to keep working. Lazar said SFPD was in a very different place when he began his career — “in need of reform, in need of technology” — in ways similar to how HPD is today.

“It’s almost like I get to repeat that experience [with SFPD],” Lazar said.

If selected, Lazar said he thinks he “probably has a good 10 years left” before leaving the job.

Whether Lazar gets the job will be determined on Wednesday. The Police Commission will conduct final interviews with all three candidates Tuesday, and make a final selection the following day.

Editor's note: ASD has also reached out to the third candidate, 

former Glynn County, Georgia, Police Chief Scott Ebner, but as of Tuesday night had not heard back.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Daily Smile: Sunday, July 5, 2026

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Daily Smile: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Authors

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