Spirit of Aloha | Message of Aloha | March/April 2003

Message of Aloha

Volunteer Veterans

Rich Horan, manager of Aloha's aircraft maintenance operations, joins fellow members of Post 970 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in their numerous community projects

When newspaper articles last year reported on the high level of philanthropy in Hawai'i, many of us were touched by the upbeat revelations: 92 percent of all Hawai'i households made a charitable contribution in 2001, including giving of their time. This is a testament to the generosity that begins with an individual and then snowballs when organizations get involved.

Rich Horan, manager of the Aloha Airlines Heavy Check Overhaul Department, tells what happened when one man's idea became a project for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 970, one of 29 such posts in Hawai'i.

"When I got into the post, there were talks about doing a community project," he explains. "The commander of the post, Ralph Moore, knew of a World War II veteran, Lionel Ikiebe of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who had passed away a couple of years earlier. The commander had kept in touch with the veteran's wife, Jean, and had noticed that the paint on her house was peeling and that, being elderly, she was limited in what she could do. Our group said, OK, let's tackle this project."

Rich Horan became chairman of the project and assessed what they would need. Home Depot donated the paints and other provisions, and in July 2001, the volunteer veterans went to work on the three-bedroom Kane'ohe home. "We pressure-washed the exterior of the house, resealed some of her windows, sanded, stripped the paint, replaced the screens, repaired some of the termite damage, and primed and painted the house," Rich recalls. "I'd say it was 85 percent refurbished."

The volunteer veterans averaged eight to 11 hours a day, working weekends for a month-and-a-half. When the work was done, says Rich, Jean Ikiebe "was very, very happy that we were able to do this for her. Her words couldn't express her thanks."

Rich is 40 years old, a former Marine, and active in an organization that has a wider reach in the community than most people realize. With more than 460 members, Post 970 is the largest of the Hawai'i posts and has received many honors, including, this year, being named All-American Distinguished Post (the only one in Hawai'i) for the services it provides.

"There's a lot more to it than veterans getting together and talking story," continues Rich. The organization lobbies the Legislature for improved veterans' benefits, and offers scholarships to teachers and students. A relief fund helps veterans in need, and individual members participate in their own chosen projects.

A yearly lu'au and ongoing charity and sales efforts, such as the poppies created by disabled veterans on Veterans Day, are among VFW's ongoing fund-raising drives.

But Rich has a day job, too, in the large hangar of Aloha Airlines, where he and his staff of 32 mechanics, 27 sheet-metal mechanics and others maintain rigorous and vigilant maintenance of our aircraft. In their regularly scheduled cycles of inspections and heavy maintenance, the 26 737-200s and 737-700s in the Aloha fleet undergo cabin refurbishment in addition to the mechanical work.

"Within the last year, we've also been taking everything out of the passenger cabins, repainting the interiors, changing the light fixtures, detailing the leather covers, replacing carpets and the entry flooring," he explains. "This is the part that deals with customer comfort as well as safety. One by one, we're working on 100 percent makeover on the interiors."

This, he says, is his favorite part of the job: "Knowing that we are turning out a product for our customers to appreciate and enjoy, as well as serving their safety and travel needs."

Glenn R. Zander
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aloha Airlines

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