At the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery, 77-year-old Juliana Caneda remembered her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Jacinto S. Caneda, a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

In Iraq, Lt. Col. Norm Cooling reflected on the loss of two more of his young Marines to a roadside bomb.

On Memorial Day across the state, the nation's current war brought into greater focus those service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who served in past conflicts, and those who continue to serve.

"This has been a momentous year for Hawai'i's military," state adjutant general Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee said yesterday at the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery in Kane'ohe.

Hawai'i's own National Guard and Reserve troops recently returned from a year in Iraq, the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks is preparing for a summer deployment there and Marines from Kane'ohe Bay "have been engaged in some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan," Lee said.

"Too many Hawai'i-based Marines have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation this year," Lee said at the Governor's Memorial Day Ceremony.

The most recent of those were Lance Cpl. William J. "B. Jay" Leusink, 21, of Maurice, Iowa, and Sgt. David R. Christoff, 25, of Rossford, Ohio, who were killed May 22 while on foot patrol in Haqlaniyah, Iraq.

Cooling, their battalion commander, said the Marines were nearing the end of a five-hour patrol with three other Marines and six Iraqi soldiers when they were hit by a roadside bomb not far from their base.

Christoff, a squad leader, was an "exceptionally strong" leader with previous combat experience in Iraq, Cooling said by e-mail. Leusink was well-known for his reliability and dedication to duty.

Cooling said he hopes there is recognition "that we have accomplished far more here than lose Marines."

The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, assumed an area 35 percent larger than the battalion that preceded it had, and increased stability while the Iraqi army it is partnered with grows daily in proficiency, he said.

"The true memorial to the service of the Marines on the ground is to recognize what they are doing and what they have accomplished — not just what we have lost," Cooling said.

The Mayor's Memorial Day Service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, with wreath-laying, a rifle salute and "missing man" flyover by Hawai'i Air National Guard F-15 fighters, drew about 2,000 people — more than in previous years, officials said.

At the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery, meanwhile, service members from some of the more than 200 veterans organizations representing 116,000 veterans in Hawai'i presented lei and were recognized.

A rifle salute, taps, flyover by Hawai'i National Guard helicopters and release of white doves were planned.

Of all events honoring members of the armed forces, there is none more important than "taking the time to remember our fallen heroes," Lee, the head of the Hawai'i National Guard, told the audience at Kane'ohe.

Veterans from previous wars and service truly know what sacrifice and loss are about as they've seen friends and family in great numbers pass through World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Lee said.

"To the families of the fallen, there are no sufficient words of comfort," Lee said. "We are grateful for the time we had with them and celebrate who they were."

Caneda yesterday was placing heliconia, tuberose, red ginger and mums on her husband's grave in a cemetery that seemed as if it was blanketed in fresh flowers.

Sgt. 1st Class Caneda died in 1992 after spending more than 20 years in the Army. His wife visits his grave at least once a month.

Juliana Caneda said it's sad to see families lose loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"But it's for our country and to be safe," she said. Still, "losing all these boys, I think (people) should pay more attention to what's going on over there, and we can end it somehow."

At Ala Moana Beach Park yesterday, U.S. Vets-Hawai'i and AmeriCorps were reaching out to homeless veterans.

Under two broad banyan trees, a grill was going and staff with the assistance organizations planned to serve hamburgers and hot dogs.

Nationally and statewide, one-third of the homeless are veterans, a U.S. Vets representative said. Some have posttraumatic stress disorder and turn to drug abuse.

"We have a majority of Vietnam veterans, but we're starting to see guys from (the Iraq war) already. We have three," said Michelle Wilkins, site coordinator for AmeriCorps. "It's just so scary that it's happening so fast — PTSD and all kinds of mental health problems — and they are ending up at our door."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.