Six years after he graduated from Damien Memorial High in 2002, Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom found himself in an inhospitable place — pinned down by machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades in a remote village in eastern Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old could have kept his head down, but he decided to help reinforce a nearby observation post that was being hit especially hard. He and another soldier grabbed some medical supplies and possibly some ammo — the accounts aren't entirely clear.

Brostrom made it the 300 feet to help about half a dozen soldiers, but not much farther.

He and eight other soldiers died in the July 13, 2008, firefight in Wanat. On May 17, the University of Hawai'i ROTC graduate will be posthumously awarded a Silver Star, the third-highest military award for valor.

Yesterday, Brostrom's family — his father, David, a retired Army colonel; his mother, Mary Jo; and his brother, Blake — accepted the thanks of the state in the form of the Hawai'i Medal of Honor.

Since 2006, the Medal of Honor has been awarded at a joint session of the state Legislature to members of Hawai'i's military 'ohana who gave their lives in defense of the nation.

This year, 23 names were read aloud, each accompanied by two clangs of a ship's bell by a uniformed sailor. A color guard was present, and there was a rifle salute and taps.

Eighteen recipients were in the Army, and five from the Marines. Last year, there were 31 on the roster. The year before, 67. Though the tally of combat dead with Hawai'i ties has slowed, the loss for each family is no less painful.

"It's been very difficult. It never goes away. Time heals it a little bit, but it's still very tough for the whole family," David Brostrom, who lives in 'Aiea, said after the presentation.

Michele DeLay flew in from North Carolina to receive the koa-boxed Medal of Honor on behalf of her brother, Army Sgt. 1st Class David L. McDowell, 30, who was born in Honolulu.

McDowell, a married father of two, was killed April 29, 2008, in a firefight with Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. McDowell was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

Nobody else in the family could make the trip to Hawai'i, but DeLay said she felt it was important to be here for the recognition. She came with her two sons, ages 8 and 9.

"As the years go by, I think that there's going to become less and less of a remembrance of him — not for us, of course, but I don't think (other) people are going to remember that he's not here with us," DeLay said. "Only we're going to remember that."

Her brother left behind a wife and two children who are now 3 and 12.

"They seem to be doing all right," DeLay said. "They go to counseling and they are strong kids."

DeLay said she didn't realize until her brother died that more than 4,000 U.S. service members at the time had been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A total of 250 with Hawai'i ties have died as a result of service primarily in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

"The soldiers who are no longer with us represent a profound loss for their families, for our state and for our nation," Gov. Linda Lingle said at yesterday's ceremony. "However, I am grateful for this opportunity to recognize these soldiers who died for our freedom."

David Brostrom said his son's Silver Star will be awarded at the May 17 UH ROTC Army commissioning ceremony for another son, Blake.

1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom could have stayed hunkered down last July in  Afghanistan as bullets flew overhead, but he made the decision to help other soldiers pinned down on the nearby hill, his father said.

"Deep down inside, I wish he'd never gone up there," David Brostrom said. "But he did the right thing. We're just very proud of him."