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Saipan resident is now second lieutenant in US Army
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Posted on Jul 09 2021
From left, special assistant to the mayor Henry Hofschneider; Geesyu Hahn’s father, Ryu Shic Hahn; Geesyu Hahn; Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang; Geesyu Hahn’s mother, Mi Hwa Kim; and other members of Hahn’s family share a group photo after Hahn’s commissioning ceremony at the Saipan Mayor’s Office conference room yesterday. (JOSHUA SANTOS)
A commissioning ceremony was held at the Saipan Mayor’s Office yesterday Thursday morning for a Saipan resident who graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor of Science in Supply and Logistics and was involved with the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Formerly a cadet, he is now a U.S. Army officer with the rank of second lieutenant branched with the Chemical Corps in the Army National Guard.
Geesyu Hahn was surrounded by friends and family during his commissioning ceremony, an event that saw Hahn taking his oath of office with the help of University of Portland ROTC’s Maj. Kristy Harrison through video conference, the pinning of gold bars signifying Hahn’s new rank performed by his parents, and other proceedings.
Giving brief remarks after his commissioning, Hahn looked back at his life on Saipan and his experiences abroad, and looks forward to what the future has in store.
“Thank you everyone for coming to this ceremony today. All my life, all I’ve ever known was Saipan, so it was challenging for me to go to a different place to live and learn. It goes without saying that all that I’ve learned and experienced in Portland are invaluable to me. However, the past is not why we are here today. No, today we are here to celebrate what is to come. And like the past, there may be some bumps and turns, but with your continued support and with readiness and discipline, I will fearlessly move forward,” said Hahn.
In an interview after the ceremony, Hahn said that everything in the future will work out “as long as I get support from my friends and family and continue to maintain that military bearing.” He said he will soon be going back to Portland to start his job as a second lieutenant in the Oregon National Guard as a chemical officer, and will go through officer training sometime later.
