Nicholas Kau'ilokoikaika Franklin Guard's Obituary
Sergeant First Class Guard, Nicholas K.F., age 34, was born on November 23, 1987 in Honolulu, Hawai‘i; he passed on June 20, 2022 in Puyallup, Washington. Nick served as Weapons Sergeant and was assigned to SFOD-A 1325, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis McCord, Tacoma, Washington.
Nick was an exceptional husband and father, son, grandson, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was not only a brother to his siblings, but also a brother-in-arms to his teammates, first in the Marines and then as a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces, and a brother bonded through friendships made at school.
Nick graduated from Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu in 2005. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves shortly after high school. Even after suffering a leg fracture in boot camp and having to join up with another squad after healing, Nick ended up as the Company Honorman and Iron Man. “One marine out of the 450-550 in the company is named the company honor man.” In Infantry School at Pendleton, California, he received the Private Paul Ison Warrior Award, “given to the Marine chosen by his fellow students as the one Marine they would most like to serve with in combat. In 2007, he was selected for the Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance and deployed to Iraq with his team in 2008.
In 2015, Nick transferred to the Army and completed the Special Forces Qualifications course, becoming a Green Beret in 2016. In 2017, Nick was awarded Silent Eagle “Modern NINJA” Distinguished Operator when training with the Special Operations Group in Japan. In 2018, Nick deployed with his team to Afghanistan. Never being one to miss an opportunity to improve, Nick then completed Ranger School in June 2019.
When serving our country, he was focused, committed and tough as nails. When home, he was a loving and deeply caring husband and father. He has been a rock, role model and mentor for many – respected and trusted as a leader. He was the best in class. Fast, strong as an ox, strictly fit for business. He had a strangely funny sense of humor, and he was comically, and seriously, artistic in many ways from a young age. He was the first son and the first grandson of his Hawai‘i ‘ohana (family). He was a raging bull as a baby with such a strong and masculine name and the personality to go with it – the family called him “baby Hulk.” But he was always polite, a gentleman at heart. He helped shape his brothers to be strong, kind, and caring, to push themselves to their limits and to never back down.
SFC Nicholas Guard is survived by his wife, Cydney; son, Mattix; daughter, Leilani; mother Robbie Ann Kane, her significant other Marc Witter; father, Bruce Guard; brothers, Kevin Guard and Dylan Blane; grandparents, Robert and Lilian Kane; grandmother, Marjorie Guard; and many uncles, aunts, cousins, step-sisters, and friends.
A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, July 6, Nick and Cyd’s wedding anniversary, beginning at 1600 at Solo Point Beach in Tacoma, Washington, a spot where Nick spent many hours training. The Unit Memorial is scheduled for Friday, July 8, starting at 1300 at North Fort Chapel, JBLM. A Hawai‘i celebration will take place at a later date.
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