Consul General Misawa offers remarks at Wolfhounds’ Welcome Reception for the children visiting from the Holy Family Home of Osaka, Japan

July 21, 2015

Consul General Misawa attended and offered remarks at a Welcome Reception held at the Honolulu International Airport for the three children visiting from the Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan.

In what has become a yearly summer tradition, the host family program is sponsored by the 27th Infantry Regiment (a.k.a. Wolfhounds) and Peace Bridge, Inc., which started from the goodwill of Sgt. Maj. Hugh F. O’Reilly who was with the Army’s 27th Infantry Regiment stationed in Osaka. In 1949, O’Reilly witnessed the poor living conditions of the children at the orphanage and started collecting donations.

In addition, the Wolfhounds soldiers would visit the Holy Family Home every Christmas to give presents to the children (The Japan Self-Defense Force has joined the event from last year). The event is made possible by people and organizations such as Yuko O’Reilly (wife of late Sgt. Maj. O’Reilly), the O’Reilly Family, United Japanese Society of Hawaii, Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. It is one of the important grass-roots exchanges that connect Japan and Hawaii.   

CG Misawa offering his welcome remarks to the three children (left) of the Holy Family Home