TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS

HUMOR - HUMILITY - KINDNESS

Sergeant First Class Nicholas Guard 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 McChord, 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. 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 named a 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 was a rock, role model and mentor for many, and 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.

Character Strength Story:

HUMOR - He was always laughing and joking. He would wake up listening to comedy on his phone. I would be like, "Really? It is too early for that buggha." We would stay up late watching comedy skits from some of his favorite comedians. He was so lighthearted and found humor in everything. Our baby girl once threw a fork on the ground because she was mad she did not get the Minnie Mouse fork. I was about to scold her when I looked over at Nick and he could not contain himself. He was laughing and loving Leilani's attitude and the fact that this little girl would get so mad over the wrong fork.

HUMILITY - He was so humble about his efforts. I think he was good at anything he tried. He was one of the fastest on his team in running, rucking, WODs, or whatever else they did. He never acted like he was the best though. He didn't go shooting at the range except for when he was at work. Despite his lack of practice, he was still one of the top shooters and even earned that award amongst his teammates. He didn't brag about it, but he was proud of himself. He passed Dive school and became a dive supervisor the first time. He didn't have to repeat any of the phases in the Q course. He passed Ranger school without any repeats. He was naturally so good at everything.

KINDNESS - He was genuinely curious about everyone he met. I think he single-handedly made our awkward team more of a family, with his Hawaiian welcomeness and Aloha. We had several team parties at our house. He would BBQ and made sure everyone got enough to eat. Most of the husbands don't take the time to get to know the wives. Nick would go around talking to them and making them feel welcome. He genuinely cared about everyone and was often putting others' needs before his own.

—Submitted by Cydney, Surviving Wife