Dr. Fred Dodge, Malama Makua sent an invitation to two activities at Makua on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
…At 1:30 PM we’ll have an adopt a hwy litter pick-up. We should have enough help, but if anyone wants to help, feel free to join (can get a free T-shirt).
Next, we’ll enjoy a potluck @ about 3:15 PM. All are welcome.
Finally we’ll have our 15th Annual Makua Vigil for Peace starting promptly at 4 PM. It shouldn”t take long. For all events, we’ll meet at the main gate of Makua…
100 attend hearing on Army’s Makua use
By Leila Fujimori
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 07, 2008
Thirteen-year-old Kauhi Maunakea-Forth says the Army’s live-fire
training is “kind of like sad that they’re doing that to our land”
because of cultural sites at Makua Valley.
MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS
Other public meetings on the Army’s supplemental environmental impact
statement for continued use of Makua Valley for training:
» Today: Wahiawa District Park Recreation Center, 2219 Kilani Ave.,
Wahiawa
» Tomorrow: Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale, 799 Piilani St., Hilo
» Thursday: Waimea Community Center, 65-1260 Kawaihae Road, Kamuela
“It’s sort of like a link that connects us and the people of Hawaii
to our ancestors that came before us. … If they keep doing that to
Makua … how are they going to enjoy the beauty?” the Waianae girl
told the Army.
The Army is taking comments from the public until Nov. 3 on the
proposed use of Makua Military Reservation for live-fire exercise by
the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Schofield Barracks. The teen
was one of about 100 who attended the first public meeting, which was
held last night at Nanakuli High School.
Because of opposition to its use of Makua, the Army is now looking at
Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island as a viable alternative.
The first environmental impact statement was published in 2005, but a
supplemental draft EIS was published in September because of the
addition of Pohakuloa as an alternative. Pohakuloa had been screened
out before the first EIS in 2005 because of the added cost and the
additional three weeks for training and transporting Schofield
soldiers and equipment there.
Other changes that caused the Army to prepare a supplemental EIS was
that a Stryker Brigade, which could do limited training in Makua, was
permanently stationed on Oahu earlier this year.
Opponent Pat Patterson said: “You haven’t cleaned it up and you want
to drop more. … You promised the Strykers would not be involved in
Makua, that the EIS would not include anything about the Strykers.
Now you’re saying the Strykers are coming down our one road, past our
churches, schools and houses?
“Makua is not the place. I am for Makua to be returned to the native
Hawaiian community, and that is the Waianae Coast,” Patterson said.
The Army would like to replicate conditions similar to Iraq. That
includes attack aviation using 2.75-inch inert rockets, indirect fire
using 155 mm Howitzers, 82 mm mortars and direct fire up to .50-
caliber machine guns.
The area remains littered with ordnance.
Henry Ahlo, a former soldier, supported the use of Makua by the Army,
saying, “Training is essential. If you don’t have proper training,
you can show your backside to the enemy.”
Bill Hambaro said there are other places for the Army to go. “We’re
right at the tipping point. Despite being bombed, burned, most of it
is still good. Now is the time to stop it. Now is the time to heal.”
Public comments to the supplemental draft EIS may be submitted online
at www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil/makuaeis; by fax to 656-3162; e-mail
to usaghipaomakuaeis@hawaii. army.mil; or by postal mail to Attn:
Makua SDEIS Public Comments, USAG-HI Public Affairs Office, 742
Santos Dumont, WAAF, Schofield Barracks, HI 96857.
Thirteen-year-old Kauhi Maunakea-Forth says the Army’s live-fire
training is “kind of like sad that they’re doing that to our land”
because of cultural sites at Makua Valley.
MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS
Other public meetings on the Army’s supplemental environmental impact
statement for continued use of Makua Valley for training:
» Today: Wahiawa District Park Recreation Center, 2219 Kilani Ave.,
Wahiawa
» Tomorrow: Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale, 799 Piilani St., Hilo
» Thursday: Waimea Community Center, 65-1260 Kawaihae Road, Kamuela
“It’s sort of like a link that connects us and the people of Hawaii
to our ancestors that came before us. … If they keep doing that to
Makua … how are they going to enjoy the beauty?” the Waianae girl
told the Army.
The Army is taking comments from the public until Nov. 3 on the
proposed use of Makua Military Reservation for live-fire exercise by
the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Schofield Barracks. The teen
was one of about 100 who attended the first public meeting, which was
held last night at Nanakuli High School.
Because of opposition to its use of Makua, the Army is now looking at
Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island as a viable alternative.
The first environmental impact statement was published in 2005, but a
supplemental draft EIS was published in September because of the
addition of Pohakuloa as an alternative. Pohakuloa had been screened
out before the first EIS in 2005 because of the added cost and the
additional three weeks for training and transporting Schofield
soldiers and equipment there.
Other changes that caused the Army to prepare a supplemental EIS was
that a Stryker Brigade, which could do limited training in Makua, was
permanently stationed on Oahu earlier this year.
Opponent Pat Patterson said: “You haven’t cleaned it up and you want
to drop more. … You promised the Strykers would not be involved in
Makua, that the EIS would not include anything about the Strykers.
Now you’re saying the Strykers are coming down our one road, past our
churches, schools and houses?
“Makua is not the place. I am for Makua to be returned to the native
Hawaiian community, and that is the Waianae Coast,” Patterson said.
The Army would like to replicate conditions similar to Iraq. That
includes attack aviation using 2.75-inch inert rockets, indirect fire
using 155 mm Howitzers, 82 mm mortars and direct fire up to .50-
caliber machine guns.
The area remains littered with ordnance.
Henry Ahlo, a former soldier, supported the use of Makua by the Army,
saying, “Training is essential. If you don’t have proper training,
you can show your backside to the enemy.”
Bill Hambaro said there are other places for the Army to go. “We’re
right at the tipping point. Despite being bombed, burned, most of it
is still good. Now is the time to stop it. Now is the time to heal.”
Public comments to the supplemental draft EIS may be submitted online
at www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil/makuaeis; by fax to 656-3162; e-mail
to usaghipaomakuaeis@hawaii. army.mil; or by postal mail to Attn:
Makua SDEIS Public Comments, USAG-HI Public Affairs Office, 742
Santos Dumont, WAAF, Schofield Barracks, HI 96857.
Source:
www.starbulletin.com
By Lisa Asato
Publications Editor
Twenty-first century makahiki festivals encounter modern-day challenges, such as coordinating with the military for access and trying to stay true to tradition, but festival organizers at a recent panel discussion said they are undeterred and continue to learn as they go.
“The difficulty organizing our makahiki with the Navy is simply one of ship movements, and given the extreme difficulty of moving the submarines we have to pretty much plan ahead,” said Shad Kane, who has helped coordinate the Moku‘ume‘ume(Ford Island) and Kapuaikaula (Hickam
Air Force Base) festival for about seven years. “There’s been some years where we actually had to slow up, pull alongside and let the sub pass.”
Speaking to a group of about 75 people at the Kamakaküokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies on Oct. 9, Kane and five other panelists covered everything from the relevance of makahiki in modern times to what they envision for future festivals. Scenarios included an island-wide event with shared opening and closing ceremonies and games among the winners of each ahupua‘a.
But a recurring theme was one of challenges and deciding how true to stay to tradition. “Can you have a makahiki with the food you grow in your ahupua‘a, or do you have to go to Costco and buy sweet potatoes?” asked Kaio Camvel, whose wife’s uncle, Sam Lono, revived makahiki at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i in the late ’70s on the basis of freedom of religion.
The Hawaiian culture is a “living culture,” Camvel said, so it’s OK to reinvent at times. What’s important for the Mökapu festival, he said, is ceremony, welcoming diverse groups and sharing food and mana‘o.
Makahiki, traditionally a four-month-long season of peace, sport and honoring the Hawaiian fertility god,
Lono, starts with the rising at sunset of Makali‘i, or the Pleiades constellation. This year the season begins Nov. 17.
William Ailä of Hui Malama o Mäkua, said the challenges of holding a makahiki in Mäkua center around destruction of the valley, which is an Army training ground, as well as more fundamental questions such as: Am I good enough? Is my ho‘okupu good enough? Is my oli in the correct form?
“The answer to those challenges are found in the wind,” he said. At times, he said, 40 mph winds in the valley have stopped for half an hour while an oli was being chanted, and at other times the breeze will surge and “all of a sudden you get that cool wind pushing from behind.
That’s the demonstration that what you’re doing may not be completely right, but your efforts are being appreciated.”
Moku‘ume‘ume (Ford Island) and Kapuaikaula(Hickam Air Force Base)
Sat., Nov. 10
At 7:30 a.m. Lono enters harbor in a procession including canoe clubs, with 8:30 a.m.
landing at Moku‘ume‘ume and 11 a.m. landing at Hickam Harbor beach, followed by festivities and games. Access is limited and participants must RSVP in advance to Shad Kane at kiha@hawaii.rr.com
Kualoa Regional
Sat., Nov. 17; setup,
Nov. 16 after 12 p.m.
Sunrise procession followed by games and potluck at 9 a.m. Games are limited to men, and
competitors must provide their own game implements. Attendees must provide their own food and drink and RSVP in advance by email to Umi Kai at ulupono1@gmail.com
Makua Military Reservation
Fri.-Sat., Nov. 16-17
Community access at 9 a.m. Saturday. To participate in the entire ceremony, call William
Ailä at 330-0376 for a training schedule or email ailaw001@hawaii.rr.com. RSVP is required.
Mokapu (Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i)
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 23-25
Processions, games and cabanas to accommodate about 200. Access is limited and participants must RSVP to Kaio Camvel at iolekaa@hawaii.rr.com
Kaho‘olawe
Thurs.-Sun., Nov. 15-18
Open to Kaho‘olawe returnees and cultural practitioners, the 2007 event is now closed as it requires paperwork and orientation to be completed a month in advance. For information on next year’s event, contact Kim Ku‘ulei Birnie of Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana at kkb@kahoolawe.org,808-383-1651 or visit www.kahoolawe.org/home/?page_id=7
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
KANE’OHE BAY – Less than four months ago, Lt. Col. Norm Cooling and his 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines were getting ready to leave Afghanistan after a seven-month deployment.
Many of the 1,000 Hawai’i Marines humped heavy loads through remote mountain valleys, camping for days on patrols.
Parts of Paktia Province fell to 20 below zero, and one 3/3 company operated practically in arctic conditions at 11,000 feet.
Their reward should have been seven months’ “stabilization” in Hawai’i. Instead, they’re on a hectic and compressed training schedule for a return late this winter or early spring to combat – this time in Iraq.
It’s the same tempo for some other units at Kane’ohe Bay, and the same story across the Corps – Marines preparing for repeat deployments with minimal breaks in between, and families fretting anew at home.
Cooling, 41, will be on his third war deployment in three years – Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraq.
The 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, which fought house-to-house through Fallujah last November and lost 46 Marines and sailors to the Iraq deployment, is in California receiving mountain warfare training for a deployment to Afghanistan in January or February.
The CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter community, meanwhile, is preparing for squadron-sized rotations to Iraq, although a deployment order has not been received.
Sgt. Ted Ramos, 28, a 3/3 Marine, has a training schedule for Iraq that includes several days a week spent in the field; “fire and movement” range practice; road marches; trips to Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, and a full month to be spent on desert training at Twentynine Palms in California between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Then the Afghanistan veteran goes to Iraq.
“At times it is stressful, and you almost want things to slow down to where you can catch your breath,” said Ramos, of San Antonio.
But the India Company Marine also says the high tempo is necessary to be prepared.
“It’s not just me that I’m worrying about. I have my Marines underneath me that I have to keep at the same pace,” Ramos said. “If we were to start to slack off, and slow the tempo down to where we’re not getting as much as we should out of training, I think it would really affect us when we got on the ground over there.”
In some respects, the Iraq deployment has been easier to prepare for than Afghanistan, Cooling said. Then, the battalion had only 3 1/2 months notice before heading to Afghanistan.
Still, Cooling describes the training regimen as “fast and furious.”
All companies stay in the field Tuesday through Thursday in the Kahuku training area, at the Kane’ohe Bay Marine Corps base, at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, or at Dillingham Airfield.
The Marines practice live fire at Ulupau crater at the Marine Corps base, at Pu’uloa near ‘Ewa Beach, at the Army’s Schofield Barracks and, last year, at Makua Military Reservation – a use they hope to repeat.
There’s a lot of cooperation with Schofield – and some training schedule juggling. Because of Stryker Brigade projects at Schofield, some ranges are closed until 4:30 p.m., and the Army is using Marine Corps ranges, officials said.
Dan Geltmacher, the Marine Corps Base Hawai’i training area manager, said the Marines “are doing an awful lot of training in a short period of time.”
“There are challenges, just like any place,” he said. “But they are getting it done. They are doing their weapons qualifications here and they do maneuver training here. They do their basic annual qualifications that are required, combat or no, and then they go to California and get the final touches.”
Cooling said going to Twentynine Palms gives his battalion the opportunity to spend a full month in a desert training environment. There’s also a Military Operations on Urban Terrain site.
“The disadvantage is that’s another month of deployment away from our families,” he said. “It’s very hard on the families, but we’ve got to strike a balance between the training that’s necessary to get their husbands and fathers prepared for a combat zone and the time that they rightfully need to prepare their families (for a deployment).”
Approximately half the battalion that was in Afghanistan moved to different duty stations, 124 Marines extended to go to Iraq, and as much as 35 percent are new recruits.
Better training could come to O’ahu in the form of an “urban terrain” facility that would have mockups of European, Middle Eastern and Asian city blocks, an elevator shaft, a sewer system that could be navigated, and a prison.
A Military Operations on Urban Terrain site, planned for nearly 40 acres at Bellows, could cost up to $35 million but hasn’t been funded. It remains the Marines’ No. 1 priority for a training area improvement on O’ahu.
Ramos, who has a girlfriend in Texas who’s not at all happy he’s going on a second combat deployment, joined the Marines in 1996, got out in 2000, and re-enlisted in 2004 because he felt “it was a duty of mine to come back to the Marine Corps and do my part” for the country.
The two combat deployments and the intensive training in between haven’t been much of a problem for Ramos, but he isn’t pledging any longer term commitment to the Corps beyond this enlistment – at least for now.
“I look at it this way,” he said. “It all depends on how things are when I come back from Iraq. With the blessing of God I’ll come back with a good straight head and everything I left with, and then I’ll determine (my future) from that.”
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Sep/25/ln/FP509250341.html
http://rense.com/general56/homesles.htm
From Indian Country Today and Rense.com:
Homeless In Hawaii
Part One of Two
By Winona LaDuke, Guest Columnist
August 3, 2004
It’s summer in Hawaii, the state is considering another generous land donation to the military and has made homelessness a crime. Under the cover of the term “Military Transformation” and with the blanket of 9/11, the military is taking a wide berth in land stealing. And, recently enacted Act 50 makes criminals out of people who have been displaced by the military itself, many of them Native Hawaiian.
“They bombed the houses in the l940s and took over the entire valley,” explained Sparky Rodrigues, one of many Makua residents still waiting to move home. “The government moved all of the residents out and said after the war, you can move back – and then they used the houses for target practice. The families tell stories that the military came with guns and said, ‘Here’s $300, thank you,’ and ‘You’ve got to move.’ Those people remain without their houses, and for years, many lived on the beaches in beautiful Makua Valley, watching the bombing of their land.
“Tomorrow morning they’re going to detonate a 1,000 pounder, a 500 pounder and a 100 pound bomb,” Rodriques mused. Such detonations are part of the military cleanup of the site before, apparently, any new maneuvers. “We’ve gone in and observed them detonate those bombs,” said Rodriques. More than once, live ammunition has washed up on the beaches at Makua.
Malu Aina, a military watchdog group from Hawaii reported:
“Live military ordnance in large quantities has been found off Hapuna Beach and in Hilo Bay. Additional ordnance, including grenades, artillery shells, rockets, mortars, armor piercing ordnance, bazooka rounds, napalm bombs, and hedgehog missiles have been found at Hilo airport in Waimea town, Waikoloa Village, in North and South Kohala at Puako and Mahukona, in Kea’au and Maku ‘u farm lots in Puna, at South Point in Ka’u, and on residential and school grounds. At least nine people have been killed or injured by exploding ordnance. Some unexploded ordnance can be set off even by cell phones.”
Since the end of World War II, Hawaii has been the center of the United States military’s Pacific Command (PACOM), from which all U.S. forces in the region are directed. Hawaii serves as an outpost for Pacific expansionism, along with Guam, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and the Philippines. PACOM is the center of U.S. military activities over more than half the earth, from the west coast of the U.S. to Africa’s east coast, from the Arctic to Antarctica, covering 70 percent of the world’s oceans.
The military controls more of Hawaii than any other state, including some 25 percent of Oahu, valuable “submerged lands” (i.e. estuaries and bays), and until relatively recently, the island of Kaho’olawe. The island was the only National Historic Site also used as a bombing range. Finally, after years of litigation and negotiations, Congress placed a moratorium on the bombing, but after $400 million already spent in cleanup money, much remains to be completed.
The U.S. military controls 200,000 acres of Hawaii, with over 100 military installations and at least 150,000 personnel. Among the largest sites is the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), a 108,793-acre bombing range between the sacred mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in the center of the big island, Hawaii. At least seven million rounds of ammunition are fired annually at that base alone. The military proposes to expand the base by 23,000-acres under the “Military Transformation Proposal” and plans to bring in Stryker brigades to the area. The military is hoping for up to 79,000 additional acres in new land acquisition. Pohakuloa has the “highest concentration of endangered species of any Army installation in the world,” according to its former commander Lt. Col. Dennis Owen, with over 250 ancient Hawaiian archeological sites. Those species and archeological sites are pretty much “toast” under the expansion plans.
Hawaiian military bucks and the homeless
There are some benefits to being a senior senator like Daniel Inouye. The $l.5 billion dollar pork-barrel proposal to expand Hawaii’s military bases would include more than 400 Stryker vehicles (eight-wheeled, 19-ton, armored infantry carriers), new C-l7 transport planes and additional arsenal expansions.
Adding more military personnel and bases is always a good way to boost a state’s economy. After all, a recent Hawaii Advertiser article featured Pearl Harbor businessmen lamenting the number of troops “sent out” to Iraq, and the downswing in business at the barbershops and elsewhere. The message: “New troops needed to fill up those businesses!”
Inouye, who is the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Committee has been a strong advocate for more military in Hawaii. Yet, in his vice chairmanship of the Indian Affairs Committee, he has been a stronger advocate for diminishing Native Hawaiian sovereignty, rights and land title. New proposals (the so-called Akaka Bill) would strip Hawaiians of long-term access to land, and follow the suit of the infamous Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act, barring future recourse for justice.
In the meantime, the 2 million acres of land originally earmarked for Native Hawaiians (under Hawaii’s statehood act) are being transferred to private interests and to the military. Some 22,000 Native Hawaiians remain on waiting lists for their homestead awards, and an estimated 30,000 have died while on the list awaiting their homesteads. The Hawaiian lands end up with the military or developers. “We can barely pay house rent, and they build apartments,” said one Hawaiian from the Wai’anae coast. “With inflation now, its hard to buy tomatoes, carrots … You cannot eat ’em, those buildings.”
Hawaii has now adopted one of the nation’s severest penalties to discourage individuals from living on public property. Act 50, a recently passed law, bans individuals for an entire year from the public areas where they are given a citation. The act stipulates that people found illegally occupying public property such as beaches and parks are subject to ejection, and if they return within a year they face arrest, a possible $1,000 fine and/or 30 days in jail. Many Hawaiian families live on the beaches and in public parks. The Beltran family, among others, has lived on the beach at Mokule’ia for 12 years, claiming the right to live there as ancestral, but each week they must get a permit to camp. “We have a right to be here, because our ancestors were from here,” Beltran explained to a reporter. “I cannot go to the mainland and say that’s my home. I cannot go to Japan and call that my home. This is my home, right here. I will never give this place up.”
+++
Posted: August 03, 2004 – 8:24am EST by: Winona LaDuke / Guest Columnist
Special to Indian Country Today (Part Two of Two)
“Except as required for defense purposes in a time of national emergency, the government shall not deliberately destroy any object of antiquity, prehistoric ruin or monument …”
– Makua lease provision held by the U.S. Military
The new Stryker/Military Transformation proposal by Senator Inouye will exacerbate the already desperate situation of many Hawaiians, who comprise a good portion of those without permanent housing and at least half of the present prison population.
“All of the Hawaiian poor come to Wainaie, all of the homeless come to Waianae,” said Sparky Rodrigues. “If the military comes in here with their cost of living allowance with the Strykers’ new expansion, then rent will go up, and they’ll bring in 30,000 people. Property values will go up. More Hawaiians will be forced onto the beach as homeless, and they are going to be criminalized.”
The system is already poised to worsen the problem and serve as a drain on the state’s social services Rodrigues explained. “Child Protection Services is looking at homelessness as child abuse. So they’re not going to build schools, and there is an oppressive environment, they can’t get jobs, can’t pay for the house.”
Rodrigues and his wife, Leandra Wai Rodrigues, were arrested in l996 on Father’s Day at Makua. Their family and others were all evicted. “Everything that was left behind was bulldozed and destroyed. Actually they took all our good stuff, and gave it to other people,” Leandra lamented.
“It was a huge community of homeless, about 60 families and we ended up creating our own self governance,” explained Sparky. “The welfare office was sending families that couldn’t afford rent to Makua because it was a safe place. Our goal was to look for long-term solutions to homelessness. Our goal was to go there, and then go back into society. They [social service agencies] aren’t interested in a long term solution, their solution is to pass laws and arrest people.” He added, “calling the folks on the beach ‘squatters’ changes the whole way of looking at it. If they are traditional practitioners or want to live a traditional lifestyle, they are Hawaiians. The use of the word ‘squatters’ makes it okay for the government to bring in the bulldozers and arrest them.”
Clean up and the Range Readiness Proposal
Clean up is not the military’s strongest suit. Of the whopping federal defense budget of $265 billion, only a fraction will be spent on cleaning up exploded ordnance at test sites, let alone sites in the process of decommissioning, like Wisconsin’s Badger Munitions Plant, in which the Ho-Chunk Nation seeks some part in its recovery. An Associated Press news story of Jan. 16 stated that according to congressional auditors “removing unexploded munitions and hazardous waste found so far on 15 million acres of shutdown U.S. military ranges could take more than 300 years.” The clean up cost is now estimated at $35 billion and climbing rapidly from an estimate of $20 billion a year ago.
In the present environment and with leadership like Senator Inouye, it looks like the reverse: Build up, not clean up, is on the horizon. Under a bill called the “Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative”, the Department of Defense is pushing Congress to give more waivers to the military for clean up. Last year, the Defense Department succeeded in gaining exemptions for the U.S. military to the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act. The Defense Department now wants exemptions from the Clean Air Act, Superfund Laws and others, all under the premise of national security.
At hearings this spring on the Range Readiness proposals, U.S. Representative Edward Markey, D-Mass., said, “There is no reason to incur ‘collateral damage’ to our public health while meeting our military needs,” referring to the present problems with military contamination.
All told, the Department of Defense is the nation’s largest toxic polluter with over 11,000 toxic “hot spots” on 1,855 military facilities nationwide. If we are to look at Hawaii’s prospects as to what is in the pipeline, there may be some cause for concern. Sparky Rodrigues noted the irony. “They spend billions making Weapons of Mass Destruction but pennies on clean up.” In short, being homeless in Hawaii isn’t as glamorous as being sleepless in Seattle, and by the next millennium, and the next conflict, there may be more Hawaiians in prison than on the beaches.
Winona LaDuke, Ojibwe from the White Earth reservation, is program director of Honor the Earth, a national Native American environmental justice program. She served as the Green Party vice presidential candidate in the 1996 and 2000 elections. She can be reached at wlhonorearth@earthlink.net.
February 10, 1998
Honolulu Star Bulletin
A contingent of California Marines will skip a planned visit to the islands this month on its way to the Persian Gulf.
Some 2,000 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., were supposed to train in Hawaii from Feb. 19-22 en route to a six-month deployment in the Western Pacific.
The Marines were not planning to conduct amphibious training at Makua Beach, where thousands of Leeward Oahu residents demonstrated last year. The protest led to a meeting with military officials and a shift in the landing site from Makua to Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo.
Training decisions during a mission are what determine whether or not to land from the water, said Lt. William Mitchell of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“Public protest did not influence our decision,” Mitchell said.
Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/98/02/10/news/briefs.html
The exercise spares Makua Beach, but protesters rally to oppose live ammunition in Makua Valley
By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin
Hundreds of Marines hit the beach at Bellows Air Force Station shortly after 6 a.m. today, and joined convoys headed for exercises at Kahuku and Schofield Barracks.
About 250 other Marines were ferried from their ships by helicopter to Makua Valley for live firing exercises.
Almost 900 Marines participated in today’s exercises.
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton in California, is here for training as part of a six-month Western Pacific, Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean deployment.
The Marines were originally supposed to land at Makua beach for the exercises.
But Makua Valley area residents and Hawaiian activists spoke out against the use of the beach.
Last night, activists joined in a torchlight and candlelight march to Makua Military Reservation.
The blowing of conch shells, carrying of ti leaves and wearing of yellow ribbons to symbolize Makua Valley accompanied the procession. Prayers and chants were offered both before and after the march. Ceremonies at the gate included songs, closing with the singing of Hawaii Aloha.
Michael Motas of Makaha Valley said last night’s march was to give awareness to everyone on Oahu that in the eyes of native Hawaiians, the continued use of Makua Valley for live-firing exercises is a desecration of a sacred place.
“We know they’re not going to use the beach, but they are going to use Makaha Valley,” said Virginia Johnson of Makaha. “We’re protesting because of the sacredness of the valley. It should not be used any more for military maneuvers. In fact, there are three known heiau in the valley.”
“My feeling is the Marines acted in good faith, and I want to honor that good faith,” said Roger Furrer of Makaha, a farmer. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re doing this tonight, so that we can make our point without coming into conflict with the Marines.”
The long-term goal is to end the live firing at Makua and to restore the entire valley, Furrer said.
“Get the military out of Makua, get it cleaned up and returned to a cultural and traditional use,” Sparky Rodrigues of Waianae said.
“It’s to stop the continued desecration of the aina here by the military war machine,” said Gwen Kim, a social worker from Kaaawa.”
Kim said she is affiliated with a group called Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific.
Signs carried on the march read “Sacred Iz Makua” and “Love is the Answer.”
Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/09/04/news/index.html
About 70 people, many of whom oppose the exercise, meet with Admiral Prueher, who will decide whether to cancel
By Kulani Mahikoa
Star-Bulletin
A decision on whether to cancel the military’s plans for a Sept. 4 amphibious landing exercise at Makua Beach will be made in a few days, according to Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command.
Prueher invited Waianae Board members, Waianae citizens and members of the Hawaiian community, many of whom oppose the landing, to Camp Smith yesterday to air their views. About 70 attended, along with Gov. Ben Cayetano.
“I don’t think anyone was unhappy with the meeting,” said Alvin Awo, Waianae Neighborhood Board member.
Awo said the admiral “made people feel comfortable. He asked the right questions. He was a professional.”
Frenchy DeSoto, a trustee with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said, “Residents did make an impression.”
If the military decides to go ahead with the Makua landing, DeSoto said, “we’ll do what we have to do – they’ll do what they have to do.
“There is no compromise.”
“This was like a town meeting,” Waianae farmer Eric Enos said. “It was the first time that the Hawaiian community has met with a man of the admiral’s stature.”
But might doesn’t make right, Enos said. If the military uses Makua as a landing base, he said, there could be civil disobedience.
A spokesman for the military, Colonel Thomas J. Boyd, chief of public affairs, Pacific Command, described the meeting as “free and informative.”
He said the military offered a 30-minute visual presentation of the proposed exercises, with the remainder of the two-hour meeting devoted to hearing citizens’ views.
The military plans to land 450 to 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Makua Beach in amphibious vehicles.
The vehicles would cross the beach and Farrington Highway into Makua Valley.
Farrington Highway would be closed for eight hours, but it probably would only take about four hours for the Marines to complete the highway crossing, Boyd said.
He said the military has not had an operation of this size in Hawaii in 20 years.
Boyd said that Makua Valley would be used for training exercises regardless of whether Makua Beach is used as a landing site.
Bellows was looked at as an alternative site, but it’s too small for the operation planned, said Lt. Colonel Kevin Krejcarek, chief of media operations, U.S. Pacific Command.
About a dozen protesters carrying signs stood outside the gates at Camp Smith while the meeting was held.
Protester Lynette Cruz represented the Ahupua’a Action Alliance, a Hawaiian environmental group.
“The bottom line is that we want the military out,” Cruz said.
Another protester, Dr. Kit Glover of the American Friends Service Committee said, “An amphibious landing anywhere is the same outdated theory that problems can be solved by killing people.”
Gov. Cayetano, who left the meeting early, could not be reached for comment.
Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/08/28/news/index.html
Residents speak out against a military exercise at that beach
By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin
After hearing emotional discussion, the Waianae Neighborhood Board voted 13-0 last night to oppose an amphibious landing of Marines at Makua Beach.
The landing, involving about 590 California Marines, would take place as part of a Makua Valley training exercise Sept. 4 through 8, said Capt. John Milliman, public affairs officer, Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe.
Plans are to have five large air cushion landing craft land Marines and vehicles, he said. Vehicles that would cross the beach include 17 light amphibious types, 12 five-ton trucks, 35 Humvees and 12 amphibious assault vehicles, he said.
Many people at the meeting said Makua is special, sacred and spiritual to Hawaiians, and while they acknowledged the need for military training, they also asked for respect for Hawaiian sensitivities regarding Makua.
“Do I run over your church for expediency’s sake?” asked Frenchy DeSoto.
Board member Kennard Hicks criticized the state for permitting the military to remain in the valley, where a firing range is operated by the Army.
“I object to the military using Makua,” he said.
“It’s morally wrong for the military to bomb the sacred place of Makua,” said Board member Glen Kila. “There are alternatives, viable alternatives to Makua.”
Charles Herrman of Nanakuli agreed.
“I see no way possible that we should allow this to happen on our Makua Beach. Makua is too sacred.”
“When is it going to end?” asked Gary Velleses of Waianae. “I don’t speak against the military. I just speak for the Hawaiians.”
But Duke Hamilton of Maili played down the spiritual argument about Makua, saying the service members need training.
“What’s spiritual is to look into their eyes when they’re dying,” Hamilton said. “I’ve trained all over the world. I’ve carried my Hawaiian flag all over the world. I like to believe that I come from a line of warriors from Hawaii.”
Milliman said the September exercise would sharpen the Marines’ edge for possible peacekeeping and humanitarian relief efforts at points west of Hawaii.
The Makua area, he said, provides an opportunity for training in terrain that differs from California’s Camp Pendleton. Midway is inappropriate for training because it’s a wildlife sanctuary, and Guam does not have a training area appropriate for the type of training needed, he said.
Milliman said he was at the meeting so he could relay community concerns back to the Marine Corps. “No final decision has been made.”
He said alternatives are unfavorable, such as landing at Bellows Beach and convoying all the Marines and vehicles across Oahu.
Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/08/06/news/index.html
Hawai’i mourned the death of Bruddah Iz, the beloved and gifted musician and supporter of Hawaiian sovereignty. Iz had spent many years living at Makua beach. On July 12, 1997, his ashes were scattered from the Hokule’a into the warm blue waters of Makua, with ten thousand on the beach and in the water to send him off. Three days later, the Marines announced plans to conduct amphibious assault training on Makua beach. But the community would not allow it.
*****
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
The revered isle singer, beset with respiratory and other medical problems, dies at 38
By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto and Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and his brother Skippy are together in a better place today, a family member said.
Kamakawiwo’ole, the singer and musician who was known as “Iz” and who drew the respect of music lovers and the Hawaiian community, died at 12:18 a.m. today at Queen’s Medical Center. The 38-year-old performer had had problems with his weight and related illnesses and had been under care at the hospital for respiratory ailments.
He is survived by his wife, Marlene, and daughter, Ceslieanne “Wehi,” 14.
Leialoha Lim Amina, the widow of Skippy, who died at age 28 in 1982, and who is now married to his cousin, Melvin Amina, said this morning that the two brothers have been reunited.
“Oh, we know that. We definitely know that,” Amina said. “We (family members) are laughing, ‘Oh gosh, the two brothers — that is a dangerous combination,'” she said of the members of the seminal musical group, Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau.
“We all know that he’s in a better place, he is,” said Amina.”He’s resting and he went in a very nice way; for us that’s really positive.”
Amina said Marlene was at the hospital until 4 or 5 a.m. today and was too exhausted to comment this morning. “Marlene has been with him, I don’t know for how many days, over a month, in and out (of the hospital), and lately by his side.”
“That sister-in-law (of mine) is such a tower of strength. I know she loved her husband.”
Cousin Mel Amina said, “One of the biggest things that we’d like to share on behalf of the family is: Thank you so much for the prayers that were needed and that were sent for Israel and for the family.
‘We all know that he’s in a better place’
Leialoha Lim Amina
family member
“It was his wife who had many decisions that had to be made right there. Prayers came in to help her make the decision and she kept strong until today, this morning. And that is the biggest thing we thank them for — the prayers,” he said.
Jon de Mello, Kamakawiwo’ole’s manager, through The Mountain Apple Co., is in New York on business and as of late this morning still had not learned of Kamakawiwo’ole’s death.
But other members of the music community remembered Iz as a sharing person.
Lea Uehara, Tropical Music/Poki Records producer said, “We want to send our aloha out to his family. He was an incredible talent and wonderful, giving person.
“He really shared his love of his music and he was a joy to be around, people gravitated toward him and they will perpetuate his music. That will be his legacy,” Uehara said
Hawaii promoter Tom Moffatt remembered him not only as a “true professional” but “a man who was very genuine, and always positive.”
“His whole life was music, and love for the people of Hawaii,” said Moffatt who promoted numerous Kamakawiwo’ole concerts. “There was nothing phony about Iz. Sure he may have been feeling sick at some performances and had to use his oxygen but he always performed well and never made any excuses.”
On a more personal level, Moffatt remembered Kamakawiwo’ole’s fondness for seeing mega-concerts passing through Hawaii.
“Iz wasn’t able to sit in the seats at either the Blaisdell Arena or Aloha Stadium so I would explain to the superstar acts performing just how important Iz was to Hawaii so they would allow (for special arrangements) to accommodate him back stage,” Moffatt said. “At Aloha Stadium for the Michael Jackson concert, the last concert he was able to attend, Iz had his truck parked back stage and watched and listened to the entire show.
“It sounds corny, but Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s music will live on for a very, very long time,” Moffatt said.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole performs at last year’s Na Hoku Hanohano Awards ceremony.
Gov. Ben Cayetano is in Washington, D.C. on state business and this morning also had not been notified of Kamakawiwo’ole’s passing.
However, Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono this morning, after receiving numerous requests from the public for official recognition of Kamakawiwoole’s death, announced that Hawaii flags would be flown at half mast the day of his funeral, which has yet to be determined.
This year Kamakawiwo’ole and his CD “n Dis Life” won three awards during the Na Hoku Hanohano presentation. The entertainer watched the June 5 ceremonies from his bed at Queen’s, where he was being treated.
He won honors for album of the year, island contemporary album of the year and male vocalist of the year. He also was named favorite entertainer of the year by popular vote.
Kamakawiwo’ole sang with the Makaha Sons of Niihau before setting out on his own in 1993.
He had traveled many roads — singing, composing, instrumentalizing, producing albums and winning other Na Hoku Hanohano awards. In 1994 he was chosen entertainer of the year.
In May 1996 after a show-stopping reunion performance with his three partners from the Makaha Sons — John Koko, Jerome Koko and Moon Kauakahi — Iz said, “I’ve seen it all, done it all, known it all.”
That was a reference to drugs, a habit that he said he had since kicked.
“It ruins you. It’s not Hawaiian. It’s not about malama-ing (taking care of) those you love,” he told the Star-Bulletin in a May 17, 1996, interview.
His plans then called for a stronger weight-control program: less salt, no fat, lots of water, walking, swimming and other exercises.
The Waianae High School dropout planned to get a tutor to earn his GED.
Throughout his career, Iz also had a weight problem that plagued his 6-foot-2-inch frame. At one time he tipped the scales at 757 pounds, and vowed in 1995 to shed 360 pounds.
At one point during his career, he required a forklift to get on stage. Even walking was a chore, and he had to rely on an auxiliary oxygen tank to help him breathe.
Last summer, Kamakawiwo’ole was hospitalized briefly.
Israel’s older sister and only surviving sibling, Lydia, is married to Kauakahi. She drove the Makaha Sons to the airport last night to depart for a mainland gig, Amina said.
“Lydia is so broken up right now. She’s very, very emotional.”
But Iz and Skippy are reunited, Amina said.
“They love each other, of course. And they argue, but when push comes to shove, they always stand together as one — as any other brothers would,” she said.
Funeral services are pending.
Key points in the life of ‘Iz’
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole is born on May 20, 1959.
Although Iz has been most closely associated with Makaha and Niihau, his roots are in Kaimuki, where his parents met and married, settling at 9th and Kalua streets. He grew up playing in Palolo River and going to Kaimuki Theater. He was in his early teens when the family moved to Makaha and entered the world of music. Israel and his brother Skippy formed the Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau with Louis “Moon” Kauakahi, Sam Gray and Jerome Koko. The best known line-up was Kauakahi, Izzy, John and Jerome Koko.
Izzy’s brother Skippy Kamakawiwo’ole dies of a heart attack at age 28 in 1982.
Izzy marries his childhood sweetheart Marlene. They soon have a daughter, Ceslieanne “Wehi.”
1985 — The Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau won Best Traditional Hawaiian Album and Group of the Year at the annual Hoku Awards ceremony.
1987 — The Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau album “Hoala” won Haku Mele, Traditional Hawaiian Album and Group of the Year Hoku awards.
1991 — Israel’s first solo album “Ka ‘Ano’i” won Hoku awards for Contemporary Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.
1992 — The Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau’s “Makaha Bash 3,” on which Israel is included, won Group of the Year and Engineering Hokus. Israel also joined Roland Cazimero, Henry Kapono and Cyril Pahinui in recording the song “Broken Promise,” which won Single of the Year.
1993 — “Ho’oluana,” by the Makaha Sons won Hoku Awards for Engineering, Haku Mele, Traditional Hawaiian Album of the Year, Group of the Year and Album of the Year. This was the last album Israel recorded with the Sons. Iz had a history of health problems and hospitalizations because of his weight, at times more than 757 pounds, which had made it difficult to tour and perform with the Sons.
1993 — “Facing Future” is recorded by a solo Iz, after 17 years performing with the Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau. The album contains less Jawaiian and more traditional Hawaiian music. However, the album is overshadowed by Hapa’s strong debut.
1994 — Voted favorite entertainer of the year by HARA and the public. Krash Kealoha suggested the public vote category.
On Iz’s 1995’s album “E Ala E,” Iz is reunited through studio magic with his late brother Skippy on the title song. Iz’s EKG reading forms part of the album art.
1996 — At the Hoku Awards ceremony, Izzy was singing on stage when he was joined by his ex-bandmates, the Makaha Sons.
1997 — Iz’s album “n Dis Life” won Album of the Year, Male Vocalist, Island Contemporary Album and Graphics awards. He was also voted Favorite Hawaiian Entertainer by the public. Mountain Apple Co. president John de Mello and Co-producer Ho’omalia accepted the awards for the ailing, hospitalized Iz.
A list of his recordings
WITH MAKAHA SONS
“No Kristo” 1976
“Kahea o Keale” 1977
“Keala” 1978
“Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau” 1979
“Mahalo Ke Akua” 1981
“Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha” 1984
“Ho’ola” 1986
“Makaha Bash 3 Live” 1991
“Ho’oluana” 1992
SOLO
“Ka’ano’i” 1990
“Facing Future” 1993
“E Ala E” 1995
“n Dis Life” 1996
Israel “Bruddah Iz” Kamakawiwo?ole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997)
Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/06/26/news/index.html
