Waikiki, Honolulu, HI

Chapter president, COL (R) Garry D. Patterson and his wife, Sharon, attended the AUSA Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium & Exposition at the Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, HI hotel. COL (R) Patterson was honored as a guest of AUSA as a result of the Texas Capital Area Chapter awarded "Best Chapter" for 2023.

The AUSA LANPAC Symposium is a world-class international event that highlights the role of land forces in the Indo-Pacific Theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and war. This year's event focused on the theme "Campaigning with Landpower". The following key topics were discussed during various panels: Creating and Maintaining Joint Interior Lines, Defending Against the Sea and Air from Land: (Japanese Perspective), The Joint Force and Multi-Domain Operations, and Army Acquisitions in support of Multi-Domain Operations. GEN (Ret) Robert "Bob: Brown, AUSA President/Executive Director provided the opening comments and was followed by GEN Charles Flint, Commander, US Army Pacific welcome and comments to the attendees. The symposium was well attended with representatives from various US Army and International military forces, defense industry exhibitors and senior leaders from the Association of the US Army.

In addition, to the formal presentations at LANPAC those attending were able to visit important sites on the Island of Oahu. They toured Pearl Harbor and the battleship USS Arizona Memorial as well as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. While visiting the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Garry also attended the AUSA Center for Leadership program to honor the sacrifices of those who had fallen in combat. Most memorable was a presentation by SGT Allen Hoe, a Vietnam veteran and Gold Star father who had lost his son, 1LT Nainoa Hoe in combat operations in Iraq. SGT Hoe spoke of his journey through grief and search for peace after his son's death. He is now inspired for a lifelong commitment to healing the wounds of war by supporting those touched by it effects. His story was also told on the recent PBS broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington D.C. SGT Hoe is a most humble and inspiring person who is really making a difference in the lives of veterans and their families