Both national and international organizations are recognizing Coast Guard and civilian mariners who responded to the deadly 2023 Lahaina fire for heroism at sea.

The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency that regulates and oversees transportation on the sea, last month presented five Coast Guard responders and four good Samaritans with letters of commendation for bravery. One of them, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Marzilli, also was selected by the USO as its Service Member of the Year.

The awards were presented at an Oct. 18 ceremony at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku. During the ceremony the Coast Guard also honored 26 local boat captains and crew members who responded aboard the vessels Trilogy II, Marjorie Ann, Reef Explorer and Ali‘i Nui and an Expeditions dinghy with letters of appreciation. Coast Guard Lt. Dylan McCall received a commendation medal for his service during the incident.

Marzilli earlier this year received the Coast Guard Medal, the service’s highest award for peacetime bravery, for his actions on Aug. 8, 2023.

“For awhile it was kind of like a few people just getting the recognition,” Marzilli told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser. “But I’m glad that they’re finally getting more people the recognition that they deserve for their actions as well, not just mine.”

Among the other recipients of recognition were Crissy Lovitt and her wife Emma Nelson, who along with fellow Maui resident Lashawna Garnier commandeered the Expeditions dinghy to join other civilian crews assisting personnel from Coast Guard Station Maui to save Lahaina residents who fled into the water to escape the flames that engulfed the town.

“It’s a small-town community, and the odds were that we knew people in there — and we did know people in there,” Lovitt said. “So it felt good to just know that we stepped forward to help the people in our community.”

Intense winds on Aug. 8, 2023, not only spread the flames more quickly than normal, they also made it too dangerous for helicopters to fly.

As the blaze consumed Lahaina, the Coast Guard received requests for help. But as Coast Guard Sector Honolulu’s commanding officer Capt. Aja Kirksey rallied her team, she soon realized she wasn’t able to dispatch air support and most of her cutters were more than eight hours away from the unfolding disaster. Instead, the Coast Guard would have to rely on small Maui-based crews and the handful of small boats they had.

The service put out a call asking for any mariners who were able to assist. Those who answered the call joined Coast Guard personnel as they navigated heavy wind, thick smoke and floating debris in Lahaina Harbor, coordinated by radio to look for survivors and fish them out of the water, and rescued people who were stranded along the shore.

Marzilli and Travis DeWater, a rescue swimmer on board the Trilogy II, went into the water themselves with surfboards, paddling toward the harbor. In the announcement of the awards, the International Maritime Organization described how the pair, with the help of the Expeditions dinghy, “directly contributed to the safety and survival of more than 40 people trapped by the fire.”

Overall, the makeshift flotilla of rescuers saved 17 people in the harbor and rescued 40 survivors along the shore.

Kirksey wrote in her letter to Lovitt, “I cannot express the immense admiration and appreciation my team and I felt when you answered the call to help us save lives amidst treacherous conditions. You fearlessly navigated through dense smoke and intense flames to aid our response efforts … . The decision to put yourself in harm’s way, it was not just a contribution to our mission, it was a lifeline for those who had lost everything.”

Lovitt and Nelson, who were getting ready to start running whale-watching tours, were forced to commandeer the Expeditions vessel because their own boats had been destroyed.

“We basically had just started our business and lost it all,” Lovitt said.

But with the help of friends, family and donations from those who heard their story, they’ve gradually managed to buy new boats and rebuild their business.

“We’ve been able to use what equipment that we have been able to purchase, and we picked up a job in Lahaina where we cleaned up the shoreline,” she explained. “That was a really big job. And, you know, it’s kind of just full circle that we had nothing, we lost everything, and then we were able to acquire more equipment, which was in turn used to help clean up Lahaina.”

When the rescuers reunited last month in Wailuku to receive their awards and recognition, Marzilli said it was a strange experience. They knew one another mostly as voices over the radio or shouted between boats through the smoke and darkness. They knew names and they knew boats, but few of them knew the faces of the others who were there that day.

“We kind of bonded. Immediate bonds were made between people, but when we were done with the events, none of us recognized one another,” Marzilli said.“We were all in the room there … and none of us were speaking to one another until we all got called up … it was such a surreal moment. If we had passed on the street, we wouldn’t have recognized one another, even though we contributed to such an amazing event in history with these people.”

Marzilli is no longer assigned to Coast Guard Station Maui. He’s now assigned to the Harriet Lane, the Coast Guard’s new Honolulu-based “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” devoted to operations in Oceania. This summer he deployed with the Lane on an extended patrol around the region, working with authorities in island nations to combat illegal fishing.

He said he loves getting to learn about cultures across the islands, but added that “Maui has a special place in my heart. I really came to love that island and it’s a place I see as a home.”

Meanwhile, Lovitt and Nelson are gearing up for whale-watching season with their company, Maui Ocean Adventures, which is run entirely by fire survivors.

Lovitt said that being back on the water has been “healing.”

“I didn’t want to at first after going through that,” she said, “and then someone kind of forced me back out on a boat.”

For now, Lovitt said, “we’re just stoked to just get back to work and do what we love.”

KAPOLEI (HawaiiNewsNow) – The race for the White House is reaching local classrooms and one lesson has some parents raising their eyebrows.

The controversy is over a two page document that was handed out to classrooms at Kapolei Middle School.

It broke down where the U.S. presidential candidates — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump — stand on the issues.

The state Department of Education confirms the document was put together by a group of teachers at the school who simplified the information in a candidate comparison article in the New York Times.

The material given out to students lists six issues.

Examples:

Crime:

Harris: “Gives money to police”

Trump: “Sends soldiers to cities”

Democracy:

Harris: “Wants to keep our country a democracy”

Trump: “Tried to overturn the 2020 election

Immigration:

Harris: “Hires more people to watch the border”

“Limits how many people can move to the U.S.

Trump: “Finds and catches people in the U.S. illegally”

“Takes children away from their parents”

The lesson is upsetting some parents like Angel Morales, who felt it was biased against the former president.

“Very upset,” Morales said. “I think teachers should do their job as teachers stick to education and not politics.”

The Hawaii DOE said in a statement:

The Department aims to engage students in civic topics thoughtfully and impartially. Recently a Kapolei Middle sixth grade class used an exercise called “It’s a Match,” adapted from a New York Times article, to help students understand the candidates’ positions on key issues.

Teachers simplified this information to make it accessible for young students, striving to remain factual and unbiased. The intent was to encourage independent thinking and discussion among students, not to promote any particular view. We acknowledge that the interpretation and simplification of complex issues can sometimes result in perceived imbalances, particularly when presenting nuanced political topics to younger audiences, but we remain committed to maintaining a balanced learning environment.

Reactions from parents at other schools were mixed.

“It doesn’t bother me. I actually value that because its important to teach students, how do we make informed decisions when we go to the ballot box,” said Christine Russo, a parent at Ewa Elementary.

“I thought it was a little biased. I don’t think that it is right especially at that age level,” said Natasha Heffernan, another public school parent.

The teachers attempts to breakdown the complex issues are being defended by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

In a statement it said:

“Both the HSTA, Board of Education and the DOE support student discussion of issues that may generate opposing points of view as an important part of the learning process. Age-appropriate civic education helps students develop a meaningful awareness and respect for the U.S. Constitution and individual rights. It fosters students’ recognition of individual freedom and social responsibility to vote. Teachers create lessons to allow students to study, investigate, process, and develop their own opinions about the world and themselves.”

The DOE has not said if the teachers involved face any disciplinary action or if there would be any chances to policy but did forward us the current policy which said DOE staff are expected to teach on an “objective, and factual basis.”

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU — A huge season for the Hawaii soccer team produced a proportional amount of postseason honors for the Rainbow Wahine.

UH’s Michele Nagamine was named Big West Coach of the Year for the second time in her 14-year career and three Rainbow Wahine — goalkeeper Kennedy Justin, defender Jacey Jicha and midfielder Nalani Damacion — received Big West positional player of the year awards that had never gone to a UH player until Saturday.

Awards were voted on by the conference’s 11 coaches. UH (12-7-1, 8-1-1 BWC) won the Big West regular-season title for the first time and is the No. 1 seed in the Big West semifinals and final that it will host at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium on Thursday and Sunday.

[Note: See below for photos of UH’s seven All-Big West honorees.]

Justin, Jicha and Damacion were named to the Big West first team, defender Alice Davidson and forward Brynn Mitchell to the second team and forward Amber Gilbert and midfielder Cate Sheahan to the honorable mention list.

Nagamine, whose team surged after a 2-6 start in nonconference play, has the first season of double-digit wins in her 14-year career. UH was picked to finish seventh in the preseason and had never seriously threatened as a title contender in a dozen years in the conference.

“To say that I am thrilled for my players is an understatement,” Nagamine told Spectrum News in a message. “The amount of personal investment that was made in our spring season was unsurpassed!”

“This season is so special to me because of the people. I consider myself very lucky because some people coach their whole lives and never get to experience the kind of aloha and connection that I felt with my players and staff.”

Seven player conference honors tied a program high from the WAC championship team of 2007, the only year to date that UH has made the NCAA Tournament.

That’s what’s on the line this week. UH awaits the winner of Sunday’s first-round game between fourth-seeded UC Irvine and fifth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield.

Justin, Davidson and Damacion were named to the BWC All-Freshman team.

UC Davis’ Sam Tristan, who led the league in points (24) and was second in goals (10), was named Big West Offensive Player of the Year.

Damacion, of Rocklin, Calif., showed uncommon poise and command of the field for a first-year collegiate player. She was the first freshman to win BWC Midfielder of the Year in the award’s 20 years. She posted the most game-winners (seven) for a freshman in NCAA Division I since 2015 and tied the overall program record in game-winners with Natasha Kai and Tiana Fujimoto.

Damacion was passed over for Freshman of the Year in favor of UC Santa Barbara’s Devin Green, who scored six goals on the season. Damacion was Big West Freshman of the Week five times.

Justin, of Long Beach, Calif., was UH’s first BWC Goalkeeper of the Year since Alexis Mata in 2019. With length and explosiveness, she became the first freshman to win it in the Big West’s 22 seasons of the award. Justin stepped in for starter Brianna Chirpich in the final minute of the first game of the season when Chirpich went down with a season-ending injury.

She’s tied the school record for wins by a keeper (11) and set a program record with five consecutive shutouts.

Goalkeeper Kennedy Justin signed autographs for keiki after a win over UC Riverside. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Jicha, a Mililani native and Mililani High graduate, has been a mainstay at center back throughout her four-year career. She anchored a UH back line that yielded an average of 0.60 goals in conference matches. It is her third time receiving all-conference honors, but first time on the first team. She played 1,700 of a possible 1,800 minutes.

Center back Jacey Jicha on senior night against Long Beach State. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

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Mitchell, a Santa Cruz, Calif., native who transferred in from Saint Mary’s last year, tied for second on the team with four goals. She is the lone Wahine with a multi-goal game, against North Dakota State on Sept. 1.

Brynn Mitchell signed autographs for keiki after UH beat UC Riverside. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Davidson, of Scappoose, Ore., tied for the team lead with four assists. She’s one of four players in program history to make the Big West All-Freshman team and also make a the first or second team.

Alice Davidson made an immediate impact at defender and tied for the team lead with four assists. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Sheahan, of Highlands Ranch, Colo., was one of five BWC players with at least four goals and four assists. She started all 20 matches.

Cate Sheahan was always in the thick of the action with four goals and four assists. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Gilbert, of Mililani, was a first-teamer last year. She drew constant attention with her speed and attacking runs. Her lone goal was an important one: the winner against nemesis Cal State Fullerton in a 1-0 game on Oct. 6.

Amber Gilbert was frequently targeted by opposing defenses for her attacking runs. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.