Veteran Story: Kekoa Rosehill

Kekoa Rosehill

Courtesy Kekoa Rosehill

Kekoa Rosehill joined the U.S. Marines on September 12, 2001. He volunteered “to defend my friends and family and protect the American ideal,” he said. Following his service in Okinawa and Operation Iraqi Freedom, he used the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill to go to college, where he studied history.

Kekoa’s first job with the National Park Service was working in the parking lot at Pearl Harbor, and within a year he got his first permanent job using the Pathways Recent Graduate hiring authority. Today, he is a supervisory park ranger at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Kekoa Rosehill

Courtesy Kekoa Rosehill

How has military service helped Kekoa succeed in the NPS? “I learned a lot about what it takes to lead,” he said. “If you can get someone to want to follow you in a combat zone, you can probably get them to want to work a half day at a busy visitor center!”

More importantly, he says his service taught him about how to treat people. “In the military, we treated each other like family, and now I get the privilege of being a part of one of the most wonderful work families ever. I love my Hawai’i Volcanoes ‘ohana!”

Hawai’i Volcanoes has long been special to Kekoa. He fondly recalls watching the lava flows with his grandparents when he was young. Today, he can tell you all about the volcanoes’ geology and lore at one of the park’s ranger programs. “Hawai’i Volcanoes is so special because it embodies so much of the spirit that makes these islands what they are,” he said.