Sgt Metodio Amboni Bandonill
Born: December 16, 1976 in Philippines
Died: April 24, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq
Staff Sgt. Metodio A. Bandonill of Honolulu, Hawaii grew up on a farm in the Philippines and graduated as salutatorian of Northern Luzon Adventist College Academy in the Philippines. He was a ham who enjoyed entertaining with speeches he was learning in school. A roadside bomb ended the life of Metodio, four months after he was married and looking toward a future he had only dreamed of. It was his second tour in Iraq, one his mother asked him not to take. But he saw the Army as an opportunity to better himself in a profession he could be proud of while serving his adopted country. He had been with the Army since 1997, two years after coming from the Philippines to live in Hawaii. His father was the first member in his immediate family to come to the Islands. Over about 15 years, the father brought his wife and five children here, one or two at a time. Virginia Bandonill was essentially a single mom for 11 years while waiting to come to Hawaii, operating a farm and raising her children. Metodio was a good boy who helped on the farm, never gave her trouble and when in high school worked in a restaurant to contribute to the family’s finances. Metodio met his wife on the Internet. Charmaine lived in Ireland and after he went there to meet her, they pledged to marry. With his family spread out, from the Mainland to the Philippines, the couple decided on a civil ceremony in the Philippines and later a wedding in the Islands. He received many awards during his military career, including the Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He’s survived by his wife, Charmaine, of Nenagh, Ireland; his parents, Virgilio and Virginia, of Kalihi; three brothers; and a sister. Metodio died at age 29 from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated.
Army
1st Squadron
75th Cavalry Regiment
2nd Brigade Combat Team
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Burial is at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe, Hawaii – Sec 200-E Site 8
The Sgt Metodio Amboni Bandonill by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
