They were few — just three, to be exact — and they had cause to be proud as the first to be commissioned as Marine Corps officers via the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s nascent Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

On May 22, 2nd Lt. Abraham Palacios, 2nd Lt. Anthony Tirao, 2nd Lt. Kealoha Yamaguchi and Ensign Robert Nelson received their gold bars, symbolizing their new ranks as U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy officers, respectively, at a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. The three earlier received their bachelor’s degrees at UHM’s spring commencement.

“This has been a historic year at University of Hawaii NROTC, and we couldn’t be prouder of each of our midshipmen,” said Commanding Officer Capt. Paul “Veg” Bandini.

The NROTC program was established at UHM in 2022 by Marine officer instructor Capt. Grace Chow. Starting with just eight students, the program now includes 11 Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program active-duty Marines and 20 midshipmen.

“What has made this unit a success is the Marine Corps family on the island,” Chow said. “There is no camaraderie like the Marine Corps, and that is why I love what I do. I’m excited to see these new officers join the fleet and hope to serve alongside them in the future.”

The program is the only NROTC in the state and the fastest-growing of some 63 NROTC units in the country. It receives support from Honolulu Navy League, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Marine Forces Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and individual sponsors.

“We used to get lost around campus together just a few years ago,” Tirao said. “But now we have the honor of joining our Navy peers as the first Marine graduates from this university — ever.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.