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SSG Uilisone Tua receives top honors
(Written by MAJ Laupola)

SSG Uilisone Tua receives honor graduate during his graduation from the Army's Legal Specialist course (27D)at Ft Jackson, South Carolina, Friday 7 Aug 09. SSG Tua was selected for this honor because of his highest academic achievements on all tasks; written, oral, hands-on and leadership examinations during this 10-week course.

As a paralegal specialist, SSG Tua will be an integral part of the Army's legal system. He will assist judges, Army lawyers and unit commanders on all legal and judicial matters. He will also provide legal and administrative support in areas such as criminal law, family law, international law, contract law, and fiscal law. SSG Tua will also be involved in defense and judicial legal services as well as operational and foreign law.

SSG Tua hails from the village of Fagasa, Amerika Samoa. He is the son of the late Tua Falemanu and Pisao Pakisa Tausaga. Receiving top honors for his academic achievements is not new to SSG Tua. He was the Valedictorian for the Samoana High School class of 2000 and a recipient of the ASG off-island scholarship. SSG Tua is currently a 3rd year student at the William Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii and is assigned to the 3304 MSB, USAR, Ft Shafter, Hawaii. In 2004-2005, he deployed to Iraq with the 793rd Engineer Detachment from American Samoa.

Immediately after the graduation, SSG Tua was guest of honor at a farewell get together hosted by SFC Pele Hunkin-Tajalle, SSG Wilson and Mesepa Tagovailoa and SSG Sivailoa Uso. Before SSG Tua departed for Hawaii, he thanked his Samoan family at Ft Jackson for setting a great example and always there to support Samoan service members that are trained at Ft Jackson, SC. He also thanked his families in Fagasa for their continued support and especially Reverend Falelua Lafitaga of the Kanana Fou CCCAS, Hawaii and the Congregation for their prayers.

Send congratulatory message to SSG Uilisone Tua at uilisone@hawaii.edu

Response to Advertiser story - "Wounded Hawaii warrior seizes new mission with Army support"

Talofa. God is good, all the time! His will be done through men and women of faith no matter the cost, the burden or thoughts of this world. "stand up against.. and having done all (the crisis demand), to stand (firmly in your place)." Eph. 6:13 AMP. To resist and to stand; not to battle, not to fight- that has already been done, in Him we win. It does however say to resist, so there is something that WILL come against and rise or TRY to rise against what we stand for. It's a fixed race, we win. But in order for victory we must stay the course and enforce what is already ours, already done. Victory through Him.

I want to thank you for your blessings, your prayers and love through your responses. The amount or offering of any kind whether of labor or spiritual gratitude is more than I can ask or request of anyone or group. I thank you as a Soldier, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, and a friend. Know that this shall come to pass as I stay on duty to God and this country I love. My apologies for not returning any phone calls or answering any emails. I have been working to straighten details out since the release of the story. I was caught off guard by the dramatic passion the newspaper staff poured into the article once they agreed to bring awareness to the public of my situation. The very reason the military has procedures and protocols in place to counter or assist in such stories or events before posting to the public. It was to be a specific 'asking for help' call in the paper, just that, short and simple and certainly not front page material. I read a lot of self pity and that which is not of me or my character in this story and was very embarrassed by it. After struggling to finish reading I feel that my name and condition was used to speak on other things as well, like the WTU (Warrior Transition Unit), mentioning of classified locations (which is no secret) and making it sound pitiful that the Army, (my unit), Special Operations Command, the organizations with it as well as the ones who profit nothing, and that the men and women in my outfit did nothing for me. Quite the opposite and very untrue.

Yes, I do need help with payment for my home modifications and that the VA is... special. I did break my neck in that fall but am grateful to God I was able to recover and push out. I continued on in the following weeks with an on and off sharp pain in my neck while still fully able, until later disconnecting an already fractured vertebrae pinching off my spinal cord resulting my current condition. I do talk with soldiers coping with this evil called depression, bringing hope and direction through prayer. I am recovering far beyond what I am supposed to be knowing that this shall come to pass and a testimony will be preached. What is done to embarrass and shut me up has brought me out, not by flesh but of this world.

And now, regardless of all that has been said and done, I want to thank you the people of Hawai'i both locally and outskirts for the outpouring of your love to this story. Our wounded, both active and retired across the nation do or could use our help, to ask or find out is one way. There are many wounded soldiers amongst us. There are those with injuries that is visual and in plain sight like mine, and then there are those whose injuries are within and not in plain view at all.

Sualauvi M. Tuimaleali'ifano III

Source: Honoluluadvertiser.com

Wounded Hawaii warrior seizes new mission with Army support

Soldier on track with new job but faces challenge with home

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the spring of 2007, Sgt. 1st Class Sualauvi "Sua" Tuimalealiifano of Kalihi, with the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) — an elite special operations team — was fighting with Green Berets at a location outside firebase Cobra in southern Afghanistan when the team was ambushed by Taliban fighters.

Tuimalealiifano was left paralyzed from the neck down from injuries suffered when he was hurled from his gun truck in that firefight.

Around that same time the U.S. Army had begun installing what it termed Warrior transition units at three dozen military installations around the U.S., including Hawai'i. The units were designed to provide critically needed support for wounded soldiers returning from conflicts in the Middle East.

The units had become necessary because advances in body armor and medical treatment techniques meant injured service members, such as Tuimalealiifano, were surviving in far greater numbers than at any time in recorded modern combat.

A soldier wounded in World War II had a 67.8 percent chance of survival, according to Department of Defense statistics. By the time of the Vietnam War, those chances had climbed to 86.5 percent.

Today, with 120,000 soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the survival rate has soared to 97 percent, said Bob Moore, chief of the Strategic Communications Division of the Warrior Transition Command in Virginia.

The Warrior transition units are part of the new military order, which strives to keep injured soldiers in the service whenever possible, Moore said.

"At least 16,000 soldier have been through the units since we began this process in the middle of 2007," said Moore, who stressed that 52 percent of those soldiers have returned to active duty.

"There's a very strong emphasis to retain soldiers wherever we can. The Warrior Care and Transition program runs the entire continuum of retaining them in the service to transitioning them to civilian life." Huge progress

Many who leave the program and return to active duty have fully recovered.

Tuimalealiifano, 30, represents a rare case — the severely injured warrior who returns to active duty despite overwhelming disabilities, Moore said.

During Tuimalealiifano's months of treatment at hospitals from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the Tampa, Fla., VA hospital for spinal injuries, he was told he would never move his arms or legs again. His weight dropped from 240 pounds to 167 in little more than 60 days.

"The doctors told him to pretty much lay down and die — these are your injuries, this is what you'll never do," recalled his wife, Shannon. "Before the end of the year he was moving himself in his own wheelchair, when they said he would need a breathing machine and a power wheelchair for life."

Though he remains a quadriplegic, Tuimalealiifano had regained some use of his arms and hands by the end of the year. He credits his exceptional progress to his special operations training.

On Dec. 8, 2007, Tuimalealiifano re-enlisted at a ceremony in the Tampa VA hospital. Among those in attendance was Lt. Col. Leo Ruth, commander of the 96th CAB — Tuimalealiifano's special ops unit in Afghanistan.

"It's an honor standing in today to witness the re-enlistment of a great American paratrooper who has sacrificed a lot for this great nation," Ruth said.

All that was before Tuimalealiifano returned to Hawai'i in January 2009 and was introduced to Tripler Army Medical Center's Warrior transition unit, which consists of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, case managers, specialty care providers and occupational therapists.

Today, he is one of 256 "Warriors in transition" assigned to the unit. He is also part of the battalion's "wounded warriors" program, which is made up of a cadre of 120 specialized personnel who assist with the rehabilitative requirements for Tuimalealiifano and others with severe injuries. 'brand new world'

Tuimalealiifano still considers himself a warrior. But the battleground for him has changed. One foe he had to conquer was his own pride. That was especially tough in the beginning, he says. But he got the hang of it in part by devoting his free time to talking with returning soldiers who have been wounded in action. That has become his personal mission.

"That's exactly my assignment," he said.

He has recently been assigned to a work program at U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith. It will be a desk job — placid terrain for a highly trained special operations combat warrior. But he says he's lucky to have been given the opportunity.

"It's a brand new world, because there is such an emphasis on helping these soldiers," said Fred Browning, Tuimalealiifano's Wounded Warrior advocate, a former Green Beret who was himself twice wounded in combat in Vietnam.

"They needed a civil affairs intelligence type person at Camp Smith," said Browning. "So he's going to go up there and work for them initially a couple of days a week in the special operations office."

Another uphill battle is the fight to gain independence in his home. The Army offered to provide ADA-compliant quarters at Schofield Barracks for Tuimalealiifano, his wife and three children — but not his extended family.

For a Samoan such as Tuimalealiifano, the extended family is too important to exclude. So, he bought a home in Kapolei big enough to accommodate himself, his wife and kids, as well as his parents and siblings.

To make the place handicapped accessible will cost $178,000. The Veterans Administration has committed to providing $60,000 to that end. The catch is that the VA money won't arrive until after Tuimalealiifano has secured the rest of the money. Tuimalealiifano hasn't yet been able to raise or borrow his share in part because of the recession and credit crunch.

Meanwhile, Tuimalealiifano makes do. He showers in the backyard in a makeshift plywood and garden hose set-up built by a friend. He relies on family to assist him around the house. He never gives up.

"I sincerely believe everything will work out," he said. "I joined the Army, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have no regrets."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.

SGT Lafoga Leama Dedicates Green Beret to Grandmother
Written by MAJ Tauapai Laupola

SGT Lafoga, Leama dedicates the donning of his “Green Beret” to his grandmother, Fenumia’i Vagatai of Ofu, Manu'a who passed in December 29, 2008. The newest Samoan Green Beret graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course on 10 July 2009, and is now part of the Army's Special Forces (SF)'— the Army's most specialized experts in Unconventional Warfare. SGT Leama will be assigned to the First Special Forces Group, Ft Lewis, Washington.

SGT Leama hails from the village of Ofu, Manu’a. He is the son of Vaouli Leama and Afioga Leama. He is a member of the Poly Tech’s 2003 graduating class. Before he joined the regular Army, he was a member of the USAR, Tafuna, AS. He is married to Anja A. Leama of Germany and they have a son, Leonidas Leama.

When asked about his accomplishments, SGT Leama replied, it's an honor to be able to complete the SF Qualification course and am humbled to don the Green Beret. This has been a long and grueling journey that started in August 2007. To don the Green Beret and be considered a member of the SF is a dream come true. I could not have made it without the prayers and support of my parents, families and especially my church, Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano Amerika Samoa Ft Bragg & Fayetteville. This Green Beret is dedicated to my parents and especially my grandmother, Fenumia'i Vagatai. "I love you grandma, it's your son, Lafoga."

The Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano Amerika Samoa Ft Bragg & Fayetteville congratulates SGT Lafoga Leama and his family for this great accomplishment and wish them well in their future endeavors.

Send congratulatory messages to lafoga.leama@us.army.mil

18th Annual Conference of F.A.G.A.S.A. Incorporated Society
Tauapai Laupola

Faalapotopotoga Mo Le Aoaoina o le Gagana Samoa i Aoteroa (FAGASA), held its 18th Annual Conference at Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill, New Zealand 13-16 April 2009. The theme of the conference: "E pala le ma'a ae le pala le tala-Rocks do erode but not language". FAGASA is an incorporated organization that promotes the Samoan language and culture in New Zealand.

An ava ceremony kick-off this 4-day conference hosted by the Invercargill branch of FAGASA. Interesting enough, the preparation of the ava ceremony was performed by the Invercargill combined youth groups, the majority of them were born and raised in New Zealand. The Invercargill branch consists of the Methodist Church, the Congregation Christian Church of Samoa and the Assembly of God Church.

FAGASA President, Mr Faatili Iosua Esera, welcomed the participants of the 18th Annual Conference of FAGASA and introduced the High Commissioner of Samoa to New Zealand, Honorable Asi Tuiataga Faafili Blakelock who officially opened the conference. Honorable Blakelock emphasized the importance of the conference's theme "rocks erode but not language" and thanked FAGASA for its role in the preservation of the Samoan language and culture.

The keynote speaker was Fepuleai Lasei Dr John Mayer. Dr Mayer is the Associate Professor of Samoan language and Chairperson of the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dr Mayer acknowledged FAGASA's lead role in promoting the Samoan language and culture and providing opportunities for educators to come together and discuss important issues and common concerns in the teaching of the language and culture and in sharing accomplishments.

Dr Mayer elaborated on the close relationship between New Zealand and Hawaii their common desire for the preservation and the cultivation of the Samoan language and culture for the children and to enable them to pass it on to their own children. One of FAGASA's greatest contributions is its ability to reach out to other Samoan communities abroad and build an awareness that we all have the same problems and the same goals for the future. This international focus and cooperation of FAGASA contributed to the establishment of the Faleula o Fatuaiupu o le Gagana Samoa, the International Samoan Language Commission in 2000. In the last nine years, FAGASA has been a leader in the Faleula, not only in issues of the Samoan language, but also in providing an example of how the faaSamoa can remain strong in communities outside of Samoa.

Dr Mayer concluded by describing some of the common concerns that all Samoan communities abroad share in trying to teach Samoan language and culture. These include understanding the differences in how our children learn the Samoan language in Samoa and how they learn the Samoan language in communities abroad; finding additional means of teaching the faasamoa-especially in the classroom; finding new ways to disseminate Samoan teaching materials, perhaps on the internet; working to involve the churches in the education of our children; introducing Samoan language and culture into the public school systems as a subject to be studied by both Samoans and non-Samoan children; training and certifying teachers to teach Samoan language in school; and using the internet to reach distant Samoan communities.

Papers and presentations delivered during this conference included "Le Afi Tunu a Salelesi", "Using of the Samoan Speech Format to Teach Samoan Language", "Reading Assessments for Pre-school", "Teaching Samoan Language in High School at Christchurch", "First Samoan Language School in Honolulu, Hawaii", "Frequently Used Words and Techniques to Teach Them", "Pre-school in Wellington", "Sulaga o Toga" and "Contribution of Samoan Service Members to the Preservation of the Samoan Language and Culture".

Special thanks goes to the Invercargill branch of FAGASA for hosting the 18th annual conference and especially to the outgoing board, President, Faatili Iosua Esera and Secretary/Treasurer, Ms Ester Jane Temukisa Laban for a successful conference. Best wishes to the incoming board, President, Galumalemana Alfred Hunkin, Secretary, Ester Jane Temukisa Laban, and Treasurer, Mele Ah Sam. The FAGASA's 19th annual conference will be held April 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand. "E Pala le Ma'a ae le Pala le Tala-Rocks Erode but not Language".