Army strong: Windward soldier earns high honor through hard work on and off base

HONOLULU—Carrying a gallon of water in each hand and a backpack full of textbooks to college everyday not only helped Kaanoipono Cabrinha to prepare for the Hawaii Army National Guard competition, but it also helped him to win the competition and be recognized as the “2009 Soldier of the Year.”

“I didn’t expect to win,” Cabrinha says. “I’d only been in the Guard for 18 months and I was balancing school, work, and training. Winning this competition is of high-prestige in the Army. This is up there on my list of accomplishments.”

Winning the competition is no easy task. Selected representatives from different Army units have to go through a series of tests and are “challenged in all areas: physically, emotionally and mentally.” 

First, each soldier is put through a physical fitness test where they carry out timed push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run. Next, soldiers are graded on their rifle marksmanship. From there, each representative is put through an “Army Warrior Task”—all together testing their land navigation, first aid application, and reaction to nuclear and chemical warfare. After that, soldiers must complete an eight-mile road march with full combat gear. Lastly, all participants must appear in front of a board of high-ranking non-commisioned officers and answer challenging questions.

But coming out on top is nothing new for Cabrinha. In his basic training class, Cabrinha had the highest GPA and was deemed a “distinguished honor graduate” (which is the equivalent of valedictorian). Following graduation from basic training, he was invited to both airborne school and air assault school, where he learned to parachute out of an Air Force jet and rappel from a Blackhawk. This schooling carried over into Cabrinha’s current Army job, or military operation specialty (MOS), and he is now a Blackhawk repair mechanic.

And despite these accomplishments, Cabrinha maintains a humble and unassuming demeanor. “I really enjoy the National Guard and have had a lot of opportunities,” he says. “I want to serve in the National Guard for as long as they’ll let me. I hope I can get a full-time job in the Guard and retire there.”

Physically, Cabrinha is of modest stature.  At 29 years old, he is 5’9 and only weighs 135 lbs. He jokes that he has weighed the same since high school and that his highest-measured body fat is 6 percent—not bad, considering that Cabrinha admits to having a diet that consists mostly of junk food: soda, candy and his favorite, twinkies.

Either way, Cabrinha is always active. When not busy serving in the National Guard, Cabrinha works with his father in retrieving and purchasing props for movies and television shows. Among the projects he has worked on are Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 5-0, and Along Came Polly. Also, Cabrinha likes to play indoor soccer and ultimate Frisbee.

Recently, Cabrinha proposed to his girlfriend, Becca Mahlum. They are planning to get married this August. Although Mahlum says that she can’t wait to get married and start a family, she is a little apprehensive about the possibility of deployment with Cabrinha’s military job. She says about this: “I knew from the beginning that he was in the Guard, but you never know. Sometimes a unit gets put on the list and sometimes it gets taken off. Kaanoi’s a hard worker and good at what he does, so I’m always planning on him going. I’m pretty sure I can manage if he is deployed.”

Cabrinha’s father, Alvin, shares the same sentiments about Kaanoi’s hard work. “Kaanoi is very focused when he enjoys something, and the military is something he enjoys. He’s worked hard to achieve his goals,” Alvin says about his son. “His name, Kaanoipono, means ‘an overwhelming desire to do what is right.’ That’s the way he’s lived life—doing what is right and what is expected of him.”

Cabrinha shares a story about working with George Clooney in Hawaii, on the set of The Descendents. “That was probably the best experience I’ve had, as far as working on a production,” he says. “If you think of the caliber of actor Clooney is, and when you meet him, he’s so down to earth. Everyday, I talked to him and shook his hand. He doesn’t put himself on a pedestal. Even if he deserves everything he has, he doesn’t let everybody know this.”

Clooney and Cabrinha share quite a few things in common.