Yeoman Petty Officer Third Class Abigail Theresa Durante Robello

Early Life

Abigail Theresa Durante Robello was born on August 29, 1933, in Halawa, Hawaiʻi. Her father, Napoleon Apolino Durante, Sr., worked as a laborer and later became an electrical engineer for the U.S. Army. Her mother, Mary Emma Keanu, originally born as Emma Holokahiki, was raised in the Kapiʻolani Home for daughters of leprosy patients. Mary Emma later worked for 33 years at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

Kalaupapa

Both of Durante’s Hawaiian grandparents and Filipino grandfather had profound ties to Hawaiʻi’s history. Three of them passed away in Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi, at the settlement for those afflicted with Hansen’s disease, reflecting the lasting impacts of leprosy policies on her family.

Growing Up in Honolulu

Abigail Durante grew up with three siblings: Napoleon Jr., Anita, and Joseph, all born in Honolulu. The Durante family lived on Konia Street in Honolulu, during a period of significant upheaval, including the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and subsequent martial law in Hawaiʻi.

At age eight, Durante survived being struck by a truck while on her way to St. Theresa School. She healed from the incident and played basketball on a stand-out youth team during her school years. She later attended Farrington High School, graduating in 1951.

Homefront

Hawaiʻi’s Ethnic Diversity

Abigail Durante’s hometown of Honolulu was a culturally rich and historically significant location in the United States. Following World War II, Hawaiʻi became a social and political melting pot, with its population forming a “minority-majority” of Asian, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander residents outnumbering Caucasians by two-to-one.

Hawaiʻi Soldiers Fighting in the Korean War

During the Korean War, Honolulu and nearby military bases, such as Schofield Barracks, Kaneohe Naval Air Station, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, and Hickam Air Force Base, played a critical role in military operations. These bases supported troop rotations, training, and medical care for the waves of casualties. The U.S. Army’s 25^th Infantry Division, known as “Tropic Lightning,” and the 5^th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), nicknamed the “Hawaiian Regiment,” consisted of many local soldiers and were integral to the Korean conflict. Hawaiʻi lost more soldiers in the Korean War than any other state per capita.

New Transportation Infrastructure

In the 1950s, Honolulu International Airport and the island’s interstate system were expanded. The airport became a vital hub during the Korean War, accommodating U.N. servicemen, casualties, and evacuees from Japan. Civilian airlift aircraft were serviced at the airport, while military planes taxied to Hickam Air Force Base. New interstate highways connected Pearl Harbor and the airport to major military bases.

Military Experience

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) in Action

The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1948, allowed women to serve as permanent members of the military in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. During the Korean War, the U.S. Navy aimed to recruit 11,000 active-duty members; 9,000 joined by the war’s end in 1953. Despite this, the number of women serving nearly tripled between 1950 and 1953. Abigail Durante’s mother Mary Keanu pushed her to enlist at age 18 following her high school graduation.

Treasure Island Naval Base

After World War II, the U.S. Navy continued operations on Treasure Island, utilizing it as a hub for training, distribution, and administrative activities for nearly five decades. The Naval Station housed various training schools, including the U.S. Naval Schools Command and Naval School of Electronics. It also served as a key administrative center for the Regional Command and Reserve Readiness Command.

During the Korean War, the island provided critical support as a U.S. Navy training and education center. It was also a major point of embarkation and debarkation for sailors and Marines heading across the Pacific. Durante served on Treasure Island Naval Base from 1950 to 1956.

Processing Sailors and Marines for Overseas Service 

On Treasure Island, Durante helped to process the service members shipping out to serve in Korea. On average, staff processed around 12,000 men daily for service overseas and upon their return to California.

Veteran Experience

On August 5, 1955, while in California, Abigail Durante married George Robello, a U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant. They had four children: Mary, Keith, Katherine, and Kim Robello, and together, the family moved between Hawaiʻi and the mainland during George’s military career.

The family returned to Hawaiʻi in 1968 and settled in Ewa Beach. Robello’s husband served in Korea, and three tours in Vietnam. Their son Kim reported, “If you asked him what he did during those tours, he would only say that he was glad to be home knowing his family and fellow Americans were safe.” While her husband served overseas, Abigail Robello took care of their children and worked as a teacher.

Robello transitioned into teaching after her time in the Navy, dedicating 15 years to helping children, especially those who were struggling or at risk for dropping out. She was known for her generosity, often using her own money to ensure her students had what they needed to succeed.

Embracing Life and Culture in Hawaiʻi

Abigail Robello’s family remembers her as a vibrant, empathetic, and loving woman. Her daughter Katherine described her as a “Hawaiian with a heart of gold” who believed in treating everyone with kindness, regardless of their background. Robello loved music—she was an exceptional ukulele player—and enjoyed camping, fishing, and spending time with her family. Her spirit of aloha, combined with her love of life and people, made her a cherished member of her community.

Commemoration

Abigail T. Robello passed away on January 27, 2005, in her home. “‘My mother was a very proud, but generous and gracious Hawaiian,” said Kim Robello. “My father always said my mother made no money teaching because she spent so much of what she earned on her students, who didn’t have much.” She was buried next to her husband George at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Abigail Robello left behind a legacy of resilience, love, and service to her family, students, and country. Her memory continues to inspire those who knew her to live with compassion and aloha.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

A C Durante. United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949. https://familysearch.org/. 

Abigail Robello, DD-214, Department of the Navy. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Abigail T. Robello. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Abigail T. Durante. Photograph. Honolulu Star-Advertiser [Honolulu, HI], December 30, 1953. Newspapers.com (259799490) 

“Abigail Theresa Durante Holiday Visitor 1955.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin [Honolulu, HI], April 18, 1955. Newspapers.com (156774263).

Apolonio Crisostomo Durante. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. Digital Image. https://familysearch.org/. 

California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1949-1959. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

“Christmas Return.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin [Honolulu, HI], December 25, 1953. Newspapers.com (49971924).

Farrington High School Yearbook. Honolulu: Honolulu Public Schools, 1950. https://ancestry.com. 

“George Robello.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin  [Honolulu, HI], September 7, 1988. Newspapers.com (156769177).

“Girl Hit by Truck.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin [Honolulu, HI], May 29, 1941. Newspapers.com (156774322).

“Girl’s Cage League to Open Monday.” Honolulu Star-Advertiser [Honolulu, HI], November 9, 1947. Newspapers.com (259249018). 

Hansen’s Disease Records, Kaluapapa. Digital images. https://familysearch.org/. 

“Hawaii As ‘Racial Paradise’? Bid for Obama Library Invokes A Complex Past.” Code Switch, National Public Radio. January 15, 2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/01/15/377197729/hawaii-as-racial-paradise-bid-for-obama-library-invokes-a-complex-past. 

Hawaii Territory. Honolulu County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Hawaii Territory. Honolulu County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Hawaii Territory. Honolulu County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

“Mary Durante.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin [Honolulu, HI], November 26, 1986. Newspapers.com (274492580).

Mary Keanu. Hawaii, U.S., Birth Certificates and Indexes, 1841-1944. Digital images. https://ancestry.com. 

Hawaii Territory. Honolulu County. 1920 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://familysearch.org/.

Maria Cope and other Sisters of Saint Francis . . . Photograph. Utah State Historical Society. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gibson_and_Mother_Marianne_Cope.jpg. 

Mary Keanu Emma Holokahiki. Hawaii Births and Christenings, 1852-1933. Digital images. https://familysearch.org/. 

Molokai – Kalawao – Leper Settlement. Photograph. Digital Archives of Hawaiʻi (PP-57-5-015). https://digitalarchives.hawaii.gov/item/ark:70111/08pH. 

Napoleon Durante. Hawaii, Marriages, 1826-1954. Digital images. https://familysearch.org/. 

“Napoleon Durante.” Honolulu Star-Advertiser [Honolulu, HI], February 12, 1983. Newspapers.com (156762848).

Naval Station Treasure Island, California. Photograph. c.1942. Naval History and Heritage Command (L39-04.08.01). https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/naval-subjects-collection/l39-places–us/l39-04-08-01-naval-station-treasure-island–california.html. 

Reeves, Emily. “Courageous Convenience.” People of Saltchuk. Last modified June 20, 2016. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://peopleofsaltchuk.com/courageous-convenience/. 

Welcome to Ewa Beach. Photograph. Honolulu Star-Advertiser [Honolulu, HI], August 28, 1964. Newspapers.com (14790920).

Secondary Sources

“Abigail Theresa Robello.” Veterans Legacy Memorial. Accessed January 29, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ABIGAILTHERESAROBELLO/DC9F974.

“Abigail Theresa Durante Robello.” Find a Grave. Updated March 9, 2015. Accessed January 29, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ABIGAILTHERESAROBELLO/DC9F974.

“December 7, 1971.” Densho Encyclopedia. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/December_7,_1941. 

“HNL 1950s.” Hawaii Aviation: An Archive of Historic Photos and Facts. Accessed January 23, 2025. https://aviation.hawaii.gov/airfields-airports/oahu/honolulu-international-airport/hnl-1950s/. 

“The History of Hansen’s Disease in Hawaii.” National Park Service. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://home.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/hansensdisease.htm. 

“Martial law in Hawaii.” Densho Encyclopedia. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Martial_law_in_Hawaii/#Civilians_under_Military_Rule. 

Slater, Michael P. Hills of Sacrifice : the 5th RCT in Korea. Turner Publishing Company, 2000.

Young, Peter T. “Kapiʻolani Home.” Images of Old Hawaiʻi. Last modified June 2016. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/kapiolani-home/. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.