
3 minute read
Airports
Finding Your Childhood Best Friend Again
By: Brian Kamimoto
What began as a night medevac exercise at Kalaupapa Airport with the U.S. Coast Guard, turned into a reunion of two best friends.
During the planning phase of the exercise, it was mentioned to USCG LCDR John Sauve, Air Station Barbers Point, that the squadron had a Maui boy flying with them.
LCDR Sauve somehow managed to schedule the Maui boy for the exercise and the reunion was up and running.
When you’re a kid, your friendships are one of the most important parts of growing up.
Because they have no other real responsibilities, kids have time to cultivate their friendship. As a kid, friends come and go for various reasons.
But the childhood friends who stay, the ones we choose to keep around, are the most special. And if you manage to keep those friends through the trials of adolescence and into adulthood, cherish them.
What most people didn’t know was, Molokai ARFF Captain Mathew Pires, who served as an observer/evaluator for the exercise and USCG pilot, LT Wade Myers are best friends who lived up country Maui, where they literally lived a 100 yards from each other when they were kids.

Molokai ARFF Captain, Matthew Pires and USCG Lieutenant Wade Myers.
After high school, both took different career paths, but always with the purpose of helping others.
Matt has been employed with the State for the past 11 years, which included stints with the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.
Lieutenant Wade Myers and Lieutenant Joshua Smith conduct an orientation about the Dolphin helicopter. Wade spent 11 years as an Army medevac pilot before transferring to the Coast Guard for the last four years.
He lives in Kapolei with wife Krystal, son Carsen (11), and daughters Mackenzie (7), and Rylee (5).
Airports
BEST FRIEND continued from page 6
After not seeing each other for several years,
Wade and his family moved back to Hawaii and this exercise provided both Wade and Matt the opportunity to work side by side as best friends in a professional capacity.
Both experienced a real-life training scenario with their best friend in their chosen careers.

Patient Captain Pires being loaded by Department of Health and National Park Service employees. Matt finds comfort that Wade is now home, helping the community where he grew up.
Matt and Wade may not live 100 yards from each other anymore, but their friendship is as strong as ever.
Join Us for General Ethics Training Class
The Hawai’i State Ethics Commission is offering a General Ethics Training class on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. online via Zoom.
The ethics training class will provide an overview of the state ethics laws that apply to all state employees.
Topics will include conflicts of interests; gifts and the reporting of gifts; confidential information; misuse of official position; and post-employment restrictions.
You can register for the course online here or call the Commission’s office at (808) 587-0460. Additionally, the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission’s on-line training system is available here.
This 30-minute, interactive training provides basic information for state employees subject to the Ethics Code, including all executive and legislative branch employees, judiciary employees (other than judges and justices), and volunteer board/commission members.
Individuals who complete the training can obtain a certificate of completion. An online training specifically for volunteer board/ commission members is also available at the forementioned link.

Space is limited, so we encourage early registration.