A joint session of the state House and Senate on Tuesday will recognize 28 military service members who lost their lives in the past year while serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Legislature created the Hawaii Medal of Honor in 2005 to honor Hawai'i residents who lost their lives in the line of duty.

This is the fifth year the award will be presented. From 2006 to 2009, lawmakers honored a total of 241 fallen service members.

Lawmakers will present the medals to relatives of the service members. People from across Hawai'i and from as far away as Palau and New York are expected to attend.

"The effort to identify those eligible for the medal has taken many months," Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Wai-au, Pearl City), said in a news release. "Working with all the branches of the military, we worked extremely hard to identify each service member who sacrificed their lives."

Recipients were Hawai'i residents, service members stationed in Hawai'i or who attended school here, Takai said.

"We are truly grateful for the sacrifices that these families have made," Takai said. "This medal is just a small token of our utmost appreciation of those service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It tells these families that we also grieve for their loss."

The event will be telecast on public access television.