JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –
U.S. Army personnel assigned to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency celebrated their branch’s 250th birthday at the DPAA Daniel K. Inouye Center for Excellence in Hawaii, June 13, 2025.
Soldiers gathered in the atrium of the building for a cake cutting ceremony led by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Taylor Sautter, DPAA mountaineer. Sautter remarked on the Army’s rich history and dedication to the nation.
“Today's celebration marks a date in history in 1775, when the Continental Army was formed by the Second Continental Congress and commanded under General George Washington to fight against Britain,” said Sautter. “The original army was formed from volunteer soldiers, amateur troops, and men, who just had the passion and dedication to defend their land.”
A cake cutting ceremony took place following the speech. The ceremony is a time-honored tradition where the soldier with the shortest time in service, Sgt. Annabelle Hall, DPAA mortuary affairs specialist, and a soldier with the highest time in service, Lt. Col. Sean Ontiveros, DPAA director of expeditionary support, come together to make the first cut of a cake using a ceremonial military saber. This act is seen as a symbol that links the past and future together.
The event concluded with a singing of the U.S. Army song.