Good morning, everyone.

Councilmember Wire, would you kindly lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Liberty and Justice.

Thank you.

Also, Councilmember Wire, could you also introduce our guests for the message of aloha?

Mahalo Chair.

I'm honored to introduce Danicole Ramos, who will be delivering our message of aloha today.

Danicole is an immigration attorney with the refugee and immigration law clinic, where he advocates for non-citizen veterans and service members by helping with naturalization, family reunification, humanitarian parole, and removal defense.

He also has deep roots in the North Shore, particularly Wailua, and has done so much to advocate for the community in both his professional and personal capacities.

His path has been shaped by a wide range of experiences.

Before going to law school, he was a policy analyst and lobbyist for Elemental Accelerator and an administrative coordinator for United We Dream, America's largest immigrant youth led network based in Washington, DC.

During law school, Danical served as a summer law clerk and extern for the legal clinic and is a clinical student with the refugee and immigration law clinic, represented an asylum asylum seeker and immigration court.

He has also worked as a legislative aide to State Representative Sean Quinlan and as a legal extern for our office.

Danicole is also a captain in the Hawaii Air National Guard, where he serves as a military equal opportunity advisor, and in his capacity supports service members by ensuring equal opportunity and treatment through training and prevention.

October allows us to celebrate so much in our community.

I think today with Danicle's work, I think it's a prime example of work that can be used to pave the path for greater allyship in our community and providing opportunities for our families.

So I wanted to welcome him if you'll join me in Mahalo and him for being here today.

Thank you, Councilmember Wire, and thank you for the opportunity for all of you to let me uh share the message of Aloha for this month.

He's known as an icon and a hero in Filipino history.

And he once said that he who does not look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.

As we start off the first day of October, we kick off a month full of celebrating the histories of so many cultures and communities.

From Honolulu Pride to Filipino American History Month to Family History, Family History Month, and wrapping up the end of Hispanic Heritage Month.

All these histories we celebrate in October has got me thinking a lot about stories, how we write our stories, and how we contribute to help to write the stories of others.

For better or for worse.

Many of the veterans that I helped have worked were immigrants from another country who, even though they weren't born in the United States, decided to swear an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and put their lives on on the line for this country, even though they weren't citizens of this country.

And some also seek help to apply for U.S.

citizenship.

Despite their past, my clients inspire me.

Their story of resilience inspired me to be better.

And reminds me, with the right mentality and support system, you can overcome anything.

So I want to share a story of one of my clients who I'll call Mike, whose story and my experience helping him has always put a smile to my heart.

So Mike was born in the locos Norte Philippines, and he always used to tell me how life was difficult there.

His family grew garlic to get by, but times were hard.

In 1996, when he was just eight years old, Mike moved to the United States.

His mother and brother had already gone to Hawaii, and slowly the rest of the siblings followed to Hawaii, where they all lived in Waipahu.

The plan was to reunite the entire family in Hawaii, little by little.

As a young man, Mike felt restless.

He was getting into trouble and wanted to escape the cycle he found himself in.

So he decided to join the army, and he seemed like it was a way and an opportunity to turn his life around, gain discipline, and pursue experiences that he had always dreamed about.

In 2010, he enlisted, inspired by a friend who had deployed and returned with stories and photographs that he said stirred something inside him.

So Mike went to basic training at Fort Betting, Georgia, and served as an infantryman in the Gopher Broke 442nd Infantry until 2015.

Though he was stationed in Hawaii for most of his service, Mike's time in the military was not without challenges.

Before enlisting, he had struggled with drug use and crime, working odd jobs as early as sixth grade just to buy luncheon clothes.

And during training, he initially felt he was changing for the better, but while he was serving, old habits kept creeping back in.

After he got gallbladder surgery during a training at Fort Sill, he slipped into drinking again.

The long hours in the stress of military life pulled him towards drugs.

After a failed random drug test brought him an Article 15 and a reduction in rank.

Instead of trying to find treatment, Mike just told himself he was just gonna push through with his job, and as he recounted, his focus was just to focus on the mission.

When Mike left the army, things got even harder.

He became homeless and fell deeper into the cycle of drugs and crime.

Yet through it all, there was always a part of him that wanted stability and a second chance.

But he lost his naturalization certificate while he was incarcerated.

Last year, once out of prison, Mike entered into a drug treatment program and he found himself in a frustrating cycle.

He couldn't work without a social security number, but he needed proof of citizenship to get one.

And he couldn't get a proof of citizenship if he couldn't know what his social security number was.

So while waiting at the DMV, he said he saw a flyer of my workplace providing assistance to community to people like him.

He called us, he met and he met with me to help get his replacement certificate so that he can start working again and getting back on his feet.

Now, Mike is like a true local brother, like super mote guy.

He's a buff guy, tatted up, really strong pigeon accent.

When I first met Mike, uh he was quite the character.