Samantha Salvador, 23, of Killeen, became visibly emotional as she played taps at the grave site of her former mentor, Edwin Maunakea Jr., at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery Monday. Maunakea was the former president of MecaTX, the Multi-Educational Cross Cultural Arts of Central Texas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and spreading awareness for cultural music and dance. Maunakea had the distinct honor, and misfortune, of being a prisoner-of-war in not one, but two wars â Korea and Vietnam. He passed away in 2015. âIâm Hispanic and Hawaiian; he was the one who showed me more of my Hawaiian roots,â Salvador said. âI remember growing up, he lost part of his thumb, and heâd always laugh about it. He played the most beautiful ukulele.â