CONGRATULATIONS KALEIALOHA ARNETT-COOK, 1ST PLACE HAWAIʻI VFW
Representing the VFW Auxiliary Ft. Shafter Post 10267, "Beauty in Patriotism", Kaleialoha won 1st place for Hawaii in the 2D category and competed in the national competition for 2025-2026.
Here is his artist’s statement:Often, when we think about the ultimate sacrifice of veterans, our first feelings may be of loss, sorrow, and anger. However, their sacrifice can also be inspirational, powerful, and even beautiful. My brother sent me profound photos from his trip last year to Arlington National Cemetery that made me think about how memorials to our veterans can be a physical example of this idea. For this competition, I searched online for images of memorials and coincidentally came across a photo of Arlington that immediately spoke to the feelings that were sparked by my brother’s trip.