On Feb. 10, Hilo native Chief Petty Officer Ivan Kealoha ended a 24-year with the U.S. Navy.
A 1987 Waiakea High School graduate, Kealoha was spending his days at the beach when he hungered for a change.
“Two weeks later, I was standing on the USS Arizona Memorial, raising my right hand and swearing in,” he said.
Kealoha’s Navy career began at Naval Station Great Lakes in February 1988, arriving in a snowstorm wearing a T-shirt and flip flops. The next 24 years took Kealoha to more than 30 countries and around the world several times.
While on a destroyer in the first Gulf War, Kealoha saw action, earning the combat action ribbon. He completed tours on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, followed by assignments in Japan, Spain, and Singapore.
Through it all, Kealoha has made frequent trips back to Hawaii, as most of his family and friends remain in Hilo. Kealoha’s father, Isiah, is a retired electrician; brother Glenn is a firefighter with Hilo Airport Fire Department, while brother Darryl works for the state; sister Yvonne is a registered nurse.
Kealoha has joined the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle.
On Feb. 10, Hilo native Chief Petty Officer Ivan Kealoha ended a 24-year with the U.S. Navy.
A 1987 Waiakea High School graduate, Kealoha was spending his days at the beach when he hungered for a change.
“Two weeks later, I was standing on the USS Arizona Memorial, raising my right hand and swearing in,” he said.
Kealoha’s Navy career began at Naval Station Great Lakes in February 1988, arriving in a snowstorm wearing a T-shirt and flip flops. The next 24 years took Kealoha to more than 30 countries and around the world several times.
While on a destroyer in the first Gulf War, Kealoha saw action, earning the combat action ribbon. He completed tours on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, followed by assignments in Japan, Spain, and Singapore.
Through it all, Kealoha has made frequent trips back to Hawaii, as most of his family and friends remain in Hilo. Kealoha’s father, Isiah, is a retired electrician; brother Glenn is a firefighter with Hilo Airport Fire Department, while brother Darryl works for the state; sister Yvonne is a registered nurse.
Kealoha has joined the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle.