KANE'OHE — When nearly 1,000 Marines gather in a hangar on the flight line here this morning to honor their fallen comrades, there will be some special guests beyond the usual top-ranking officers and government officials.

More than 120 family members of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Marines killed in Iraq since last September also will take part in the ceremony, officials said.

For many of them, it will be their first time in Hawai'i and, more importantly, the first chance to meet the fellow warriors who fought alongside their sons, grandsons, brothers and sisters in one of the war's hotbeds of insurgency, Hadigha in Anbar province.

In all, 23 battalion members were killed in the latest seven-month deployment, which saw the last of the troops return home last week.

"It will be a chance for the Marines and families to meet face-to-face for the first time," said Lt. Tin Nguyen, the battalion's training officer who has been working since January to coordinate this morning's event. "They'll get to see the people, hear about the places they were, get a taste of how they train and how they live day to day."

The 900 battalion members who left home in September faced regular sniper fire, rocket grenade launchings and roadside bomb attacks during their mission and never had time to fully grieve as a group for their comrades who died. In one stretch in October, four Marines from the battalion were killed in one week.

"In country, they had small, private ceremonies, but this will be the first time that they are all able to come together," Nguyen said. "This is the formal grieving process for our Marines."

For the family members who have been flown to Hawai'i from across the country, it's a chance to get away from their concerns back home and seek a bit of closure, Nguyen said.

Some of the family members began arriving last week and have been accompanied by members of the 2nd Battalion as they toured the sites of O'ahu and get to hear about the operations in Iraq.

"They're grateful for the opportunity to be here and to meet those who knew their loved ones," Nguyen said.

The Marines take as much away from the exchange as the family members, he said. "For everyone, it's a chance to finalize a chapter in their lives," he said.

After today's ceremony, which is not open to the public, family members will gather for a private luncheon on base.

Donations to host the families in Hawai'i were provided by the Navy Marine Corps Relief Fund, the Armed Services YMCA, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and the Outrigger Ohana Hotels, Nguyen said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.