Firefighter III Clement Enomoto, lead recruit trainer, presents the 35th Recruit Class at its graduation ceremony Friday at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului.

The graduating class included 10 state Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting firefighters and 17 Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety firefighters.

The county firefighters will be assigned to stations on Maui and Molokai; the state firefighters will be assigned to airport fire stations on Maui, Kauai and Kona and Hilo on Hawaii island.

The 27 graduates, who completed 22 weeks of training in 17 disciplines, included recruits from other Neighbor Islands, as well as from California and Homer, Alaska.

“What made this class so special was that we had recruits from all over the country,” Enomoto said. “It was really a privilege to be put in a position where we can train and educate and give these recruits what other firefighters gave us, in terms of skills and lessons. That was the part I’ll take home with me and I’ll remember for the rest of my career — to be a part of the birth of 27 firefighters.”

SECOND PHOTO: New firefighter Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes poses with Firefighter III Clement Enomoto after the graduation ceremony Friday at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului.

THIRD PHOTO: New Maui County firefighter Alakai Akana has his badge pinned on by his father, Alika, at the graduation ceremony Friday while Fire Chief David Thyne looks on.

The other graduates, who will be assigned to stations on Maui and Molokai, are Eleazer Bartolome, Tre’ Evans-Dumaran, Ethan Frederick, Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes, Marcus Kuhns, Dustin Lau, Tanner Mosher, Micah Notestone, Luke Padgett, Bryan Pali, Jarrett Sakamoto, Avinash Singh, Chayce Tancayo, Chad Tokunaga, Kiel White and Kendall Willing.

The state Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting graduates are Briggs Agu, Charles Akao, Keoki Lovato, Justin Manglallan, Keoni Rosete, Kahone Speed, Travis Voeller, Dane Walin, Dennis Walsh and Shaun Walsh.

Pali won the award for most outstanding overall recruit, Tokunaga for most outstanding academically, Walin for most outstanding in functional skills, and Frederick and Willing for outstanding team. Singh received the Houlu Award, Firefighter Spirit, named in honor of the late fire Capt. Charles Iwata.

The Maui News / LILA FUJIMOTO photos