Tag: Mokapu

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Man held on $1M bail in alleged assault of infant in Kailua

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported (“Man held on $1M bail in alleged assault of infant in Kailua”, February 16, 2013) that a 21-year-old man, a resident of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kāneʻohe Bay (probably the spouse of a Marine), was arrested and charged with the assault of a 3-month-old infant this past week:

Billy Groce was charged with first-degree assault and is being held at the police cellblock in lieu of $1 million bail.

Police said Groce allegedly caused serious bodily injury on the infant girl Tuesday and arrested him Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree assault.

[. . .]

A Police Department spokeswoman said Groce is not a Marine.

 

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Legislators step in on military aircraft noise

As the Marine Corps proposes to expand in Hawaiʻi, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that even the military communities in Kailua and Kāneʻohe are already complaining about aircraft noise and safety.  William Cole writes “Legislators step in on military noise” (August 12, 2012):

Resident complaints about noise from close-flying military planes and helicopters using the Kaneohe Marine base are being raised with federal lawmakers at a time when 53,000 flight operations annually are expected to soar to nearly 79,000 in coming years.

Four state legislators — Rep. Pono Chong, Rep. Cynthia Thielen, Rep. Ken Ito and Sen. Jill Tokuda — sent a letter last week to Hawaii’s congressional delegation asking that they conduct a public meeting over the aircraft noise.

“Our constituents have expressed concerns about noise from military aircraft flights, particularly noise that can be heard from schools, businesses and private residences,” the letter says. “Such noise is not solely caused by operations at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii-Kaneohe Bay. Aircraft from other branches of the military also use (the base).”

Ever since the Navy acquired 464 acres on Mokapu Peninsula in 1939 for a PBY Catalina seaplane base, aircraft have been flying overhead.

In the ongoing evolution of the air station, the latest concerns are over Marine Corps, Army and perhaps Navy helicopters overflying Aikahi Park houses — rattling jalousie windows as they go — before landing near the base’s helicopter hangars.

Another sore spot: Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo carriers practice touch-and-go landings, with flight routes taking the big jets near the Kaneohe Bay shoreline and, some residents say, over land and homes, drowning out televisions.

P-3 Orion propeller planes also stray too far and too low over Kaneohe Bay and Enchanted Lake neighborhoods, some say.

And that’s before 18 P-8A Poseidon jets, up to 24 MV-22 tilt-rotor Ospreys and the majority of 27 AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey helicopters arrive, along with 900 aviation personnel associated with the Ospreys and choppers.

The Marines say that they cannot move the flight path of helicopters over the sea because of the live fire training area at Ulupau crater.

In a July 24 letter to Thielen, Marine Corps Base Hawaii commander Col. Brian Annichiarico said the helicopter flight path was modified so aircraft use the path suggested by Vericker.

Vericker said he’s seen inconsistent Marine Corps efforts made in reducing the aircraft noise, and while Annichiarico, who took command in November, has been successful in reducing some of the racket, it’s “the loudest it’s been in the last couple of years in the 30 years that we’ve lived here.”

Thielen also noted Annichiarico’s involvement, saying he is making “every effort” to keep aircraft away from residential areas.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in an email that the departure route takes rotary wing aircraft on the base side of the center line of Nuu­pia Ponds at altitudes of 600 to 800 feet above the ground.

Officials said helicopters heading east from the base are unable to go around the peninsula, around Ulu­pau Crater and out to sea, due to the location of the live-fire range at Ulu­pau. A departure around the peninsula also would increase flight time to training areas and waste fuel, the Marines said.

Asked about P-3 Orions and C-17 cargo jets flying low over homes, the base said all aircraft fly in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration rules. For congested areas, the FAA says fixed-wing aircraft must be at least 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius.

“In addition to the FAA rules, (the base) has developed more restrictive course rules that keep the flight path of fixed-wing aviation over water as they approach the runway,” the Corps said in the statement. “Occasionally the aircraft may not be able to maintain their course over water and overfly land but do so in accordance with FAA regulations and safety of flight.”

Ulupau is also a bird sanctuary:


Could some aircraft may be reassigned to Washington State?

The Marine Corps air station was selected by the Navy for 18 P-8A Poseidon sub-hunting aircraft as a replacement for the aging P-3 Orion propellor aircraft, but the Navy reportedly is trying to shift the Hawaii jets to Whidbey Island in Washington state in a cost-saving move.

We shall see. . .

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Osprey crashes, Japanese city rejects Osprey, and Marines want to bring Osprey to Hawai’i?

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that”Marines’ copter plan raises fear of noise” (June 12, 2012):

The public has nearly a month to weigh in on Marine Corps plans to station MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey and H-1 Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, but any community opposition likely will boil down to a single topic, according to the secretary of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.

“In one word,” said Bill Sager, “it’s the noise.”

[. . .]

“Several people have expressed concerns to me,” he said.

While the Marines opened a 30-day comment period on their proposals last week, “People will have no way of evaluating the noise impact of an Osprey until they actually hear it,” Sager said.

It seems a  major concern for us in Hawai’i ought to be safety.   Today, an CV-22 Osprey crashed in Florida, injuring five: 

An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed Wednesday during a routine training mission north of Navarre, Florida, injuring five crew members aboard, a military official said.

In April two U.S. troops died in an Osprey crash in Morocco.   Last March, a Marine pilot died and radioactive strontium 90 was released into Kane’ohe Bay when helicopter crashed on Ahu o Laka sandbar in the bay.

Okinawans have been strongly opposing the stationing of Osprey aircraft.  The city of Iwakuni on the main island of Honshu was proposed as a temporary base for the Osprey until facilities were available in Okinawa.  However, Japan Today reports that “Iwakuni balks at U.S. deployment of Osprey aircraft” (June 13, 2012):

Safety concerns after a recent crash have put plans to briefly deploy the U.S. Osprey aircraft to a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture on hold, officials said Tuesday.

Opposition to the plan to temporarily base the helicopter-like planes in the city of Iwakuni has been rising since the fatal crash in April left two Marines dead in Morocco.

Japan’s defense minister said Tuesday he may go to the city of Iwakuni to persuade local officials to accept the temporary deployment. But after meeting with ministry officials on Monday Iwakuni’s mayor said he needs more assurances that the aircraft is safe.

The Marine Corps released a Final Environmental Impact Statement on its proposals on the basing and statewide training of Osprey tiltrotor and Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons.   The 30-day comment period began Friday June 8.  The proposal is to expand the Marine Corps in Hawai’i :

  • 24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft
  • 18 AH-1Z Viper Super Cobra helicopters
  • 9 UH-1Y Huey helicopters
  • 1,000 Military personnel
  • 1,106 Family members

The Marine Corps helicopter Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed at:

  • Written comments on the EIS must be postmarked or received online by July 11 to become part of the official rec ord.
  • Comments can be made online by selecting the “contact” tab at www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/ index.html or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100 Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134 Attn: EV21, MV-22/H-1 EIS Project Manager

 

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Send in the Choppers?

Here’s a report from recent hearings for proposed Marine Corps helicopter expansion plans that were held on Hawai’i island:

http://bigislandweekly.com/news/send-in-the-choppers.html

Send in the Choppers?

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Marines unveil EIS for more helicopters here.

By Alan D. McNarie

The Marines were back in town last week, holding meetings in Waimea and Hilo to get public input on a plan to base three more squadrons of attack aircraft in the islands and train them at areas including Hawai’i Island’s Pohakuloa Training Area. As usual, they got an earful from Native Hawaiians, peace activists and concerned citizens. But they also got support from a few parents of past and former military personnel, who wanted the Corps to provide its personnel with the best training possible.

The plan would bring up to two Marine Medium Tiltrotor (VMM) squadrons and one Marine Light Attack Helicopter (HMLA) squadron to the islands, where they would be based on O’ahu and train there and on other islands. The VMM squadrons would bring with them a total 24 MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which take off and land vertically like helicopters and fly like airplanes; a relatively recent and controversial addition to the Marine Corps Arsenal, they replace large troop-transport helicopters and have superior range and speed, but bring with them a troubled reputation for crashes, malfunctions, delays and cost overruns during their development. But when one resident brought up a troubling report about the aircraft’s performance, a Marine spokesman said those problems had largely been solved by improved parts and supply.

“Every mission that we’ve been asked to do with the V22, we have been able to do.”

The HMLA squadron is armed with 15 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and 12 UH-1 Huey utility choppers. Hueys and Cobras have been flying with the Marines since Vietnam, but the airframes have gone through a series of updates, and the Marines are planning to replace neither with a radically different vehicle in the near future. A helicopter pilot who accompanied the Marine Team at Hilo told Big Island Weekly that while the new AH-1Z version of the Cobra has better range, performance and electronics than the current choppers, its logistics and personnel needs would be about the same.

Coming along with the aircraft would be approximately 1,000 active-duty military personnel, 22 civilian personnel (contractors and government employees), and 1,106 civilian dependents, mostly stationed on O’ahu.

On the Big Island, most of the impacts of the new squadrons would be felt, literally, at Pohakuloa. The squadrons will be using the firing range and various landing sites there, and “New construction or improvements to existing landing zones and other facilities” are expected to occur. Marine officials assured BIW that the landing sites they had identified for use in training were within PTA itself. One map on exhibit at the meetings showed possible landing zones marked in red within the training area, but also showed five landing zones, including Mauna Kea State Park, marked in black outside the PTA boundaries. Marine officials told BIW that those sites were on the map for “reference” only.

[…]

Residents expressed concerns that powdered DU, which has been linked to cancer and other ailments, could be kicked up by continued use of the Pohakuloa firing range and drift to residential areas and Waikoloa Elementary School.

“Less than one percent of the base has been surveyed, so how do you know that you’re not going to be impacting DU?” pointed out Albertini. “To say that this is outside the scope of this EIS is bogus, because you don’t know where the DU is.”

One resident wondered if DU and other heavy metals from the firing range could also get into the local groundwater supply, and noted that that the possible effects of Pohakuloa activities on groundwater were not addressed in the EIS.

In response, a Marine official admitted that “”there has never been an investigation,” of the aquifer under Pohakuloa, though the Army has gotten funding to sink two test wells.

“Nobody knows where that water is,” he said. “We will, know, probably, by 2012.”

The EIS itself raised some concerns about impacts on historic and cultural sites, though most of the ones identified were on O’ahu. The document identified no pre-contact cultural sites on the Big Island and only two historic ones: the fence wall from ranching days and “the old Kona to Waimea Government Road.” PTA has an ongoing program to protect known cultural sites. But Native Hawaiians have long complained that most of the PTA firing range has never been surveyed. At the Hilo meeting, one resident cited the lament of a Native Hawaiian who complained that he’d repeatedly been denied permission to collect “the bones of his ancestors,” which were lying exposed on the range and had been broken into smaller and smaller pieces over the years.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Japanese military official fired for comparing base construction to ‘rape’ as Yanbaru forest comes under new attack

Ten Thousand Things blog just published an excellent update on the firing of a Japan Defense Ministry representative who compared the U.S. military construction in Okinawa to “rape.”  There is good background information links on the page for the tense situation in Takae, a forest area in northern Okinawa threatened with expansion of helicopter landing facilities.   Here’s an excerpt:

The head of the Okinawan branch of Japan’s Defense Ministry compared DC-Tokyo forced US military construction in Okinawa to “rape.” For his transparent comment about US-Tokyo strategy, Satoshi Tanaka was fired yesterday.

Japanese Defense Minister Ichikawa apologized to Okinawans for Tanaka’s remark.

In mid-November Tanaka moved ahead, despite local oppostion, with US military construction in biodiverse Yanbaru Forest, a subtropical rainforest in northern Okinawa. The U.S. Marines want to destroy one of Yanburu’s most well-preserved areas, a habitat for unique, indigenous species, to make way for military Osprey aircraft heliports.

The U.S. Marines, the manufacturer, and congressional representatives from the district in Texas in which the factory is located, have lobbied for years against the axing of the expensive, accident-prone military Osprey aircraft from the U.S. defense budget. This Iron Triangle even beat out former Vice President Dick Cheney who argued against the program. Despite extreme costs, accident risks, and no strategic value for the aircraft, US Marines have pushed to build heliports for the Osprey aircraft in Okinawa since they need someplace to put them, according to some U.S. foreign affairs analysts.

As a result, residents of Takae, an eco-village in Yanbaru Forest, have been in a cold war with the U.S. Marines for years. Residents report assaults by U.S. military helicopters against civilian protesters. Some fly low to the ground,terrorizing villagers destroying their property, and damaging forest trees. One villager reported that a U.S. soldier demanded food, at riflepoint, while laughing at her. These are just a few reports that reflect the tip of an iceberg of accounts of U.S. military injuries and intentional infliction of emotional distress upon local people.

GO TO THE WEBSITE

Meanwhile, Hawai’i (Mokapu and Pohakuloa) is threatened by a proposed increase in helicopter and Osprey training activities.  The Marine Corps is holding hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.   The schedule of hearings is here.

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Coming Soon? V-22 Osprey “extremely noisy with a horrific racket”

Coming soon to Mokapu and Pohakuloa?

Thanks to Satoko Norimatsu of the Peace Philosophy Centre for sharing these articles.

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V-22 Osprey “extremely noisy with a horrific racket”

Link:
http://peacephilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/01/v-22-osprey-extremely-noisy-with.html

Okinawan newspapers on January 27 reported that the residents of Brewton, Alabama complained about the noise caused by the V-22 Osprey used in the US Air Force training mission at their municipal airport, and the Air Force offered apology and told the local airport authority that the squadron will not come back. “Those aircraft are extremely noisy with an horrific racket,” the airport director is quoted in the local news (see below).

It is disturbing news for Okinawa, as USMC is planning to deploy Ospreys in Henoko and Takae, two places in Northern Okinawa where military expansion is planned despite the opposition from local residents. Okinawans are worried, not just about their noise, but about the reported risk of accidents by Ospreys. A recent Pentagon report (below) also indicated the continuing unreliability of the aircraft due to “cracking or prematurely failing hinges and access doors, engine and drive components within the nacelle structure, flight control system failures, wiring and swashplate actuators.” The aircraft killed thirty people during the course of development, and killed four in a crash in Afghanistan in April 2010.

In late December, a US helicopter hovered over and damaged the protesters’ tent in Takae, where US/Japan are planning to build six new helipads (Osprey-capable) surrounding a residential area, but the authorities have not even confirmed that it was a US Marine helicopter
that did it. It is unacceptable that a plan to use noisy and dangerous aircraft like V-22 Osprey is not properly disclosed to local residents and there has been no assessment of risks associated with Ospreys in the environmental assessments on both places.

Satoko Norimatsu
Peace Philosophy Centre, Vancouver http://peacephilosophy.com
Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus http://japanfocus.org
UBC Education/Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness http://www.cshc.ubc.ca/


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http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-12/textron-boeing-v-22-still-dogged-by-bad-parts-tester-says.html

Textron-Boeing V-22 Still Dogged By Bad Parts, Tester Says

January 12, 2011, 3:53 PM EST By Tony Capaccio

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) — The V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey, five years after it was cleared for full-production, remains dogged by unreliable parts that reduce its availability for missions, according to the Pentagon’s top tester.

The Textron Inc. and Boeing Co. V-22, in its most recent testing to evaluate upgrades, was available only 57 percent of the time it was required to fly, rather than the specification of 82 percent, according to a new report by Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation. The testing took place between May and July 2009.
“Major contributors to this low mission capable rate included cracking or prematurely failing hinges and access doors, engine and drive components within the nacelle structure, flight control system failures, wiring and swashplate actuators,” which help the main rotors turn, the report said.
“Mission-capable rate” is a standard standard metric for aircraft combat reliability.
Gilmore assessed that when the aircraft was flying it “met or exceeded” all but one reliability and maintenance requirement.
The aircraft “demonstrated effectiveness in a wide range of approved high-altitude scenarios reflecting current Marines Corps operations,” wrote Gilmore, in a section on the V-22 in the annual report from the testing unit issued today.
The Pentagon test office and U.S. Government Accountability Office have consistently highlighted problems with V-22 parts since 2000. The V-22 is a fixed-wing plane with rotors that tilt so it can take off and land like a helicopter.
Bell Helicopter Textron spokesman William Schroeder and Naval Air Systems Command spokesman Victor Chen had no immediate comment on the test report because they had not seen it.
Improvements
Gilmore recommended that the Marines and Air Force, which is buying a version for to fly U.S. commandos, “aggressively continue integrated development and testing” to improve the aircraft’s braking system, engine and drive-train reliability.
The V-22 has been deployed to Iraq and is in Afghanistan, where it transported Defense Secretary Robert Gates during a March 2010 trip.
Congress through fiscal 2010 has approved spending $32 billion on the $52.8 billion program. The Navy plans to spend $20 billion more on upgrades and the purchase of the remaining planes in the 458-aircraft program for the Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command.
The program was approved for full-production in September 2005 after four years of additional development to demonstrate it overcame a host of deficiencies, including problems with its design, safety and reliability uncovered after two crashes in 2000 killed 23 Marines.
Maintenance Problems
The GAO in a June 2009 report that evaluated the V-22’s initial Iraq deployment concluded that, while the aircraft flew its assigned missions successfully, maintenance problems left the planes available for flight at rates “significantly below minimum required levels.”
During three periods studied during the V-22’s deployment from October 2007 through April 2009, the planes were available for combat operations on average 68 percent, 57 percent and 61 percent of the time, “while the minimum requirement” is 82 percent, said the GAO.
These low rates “were not unique to the Iraq deployment” and were on par with other V-22 squadrons in the U.S., the GAO said.

–Editor: Terry Atlas, Steven Komarow

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net

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http://www.brewtonstandard.com/2011/01/22/military-plane-made-noise-over-brewton/

Military plane made noise over Brewton

Published 11:30am Saturday, January 22, 2011

The crew from “Unsolved Mysteries” won’t be coming to Brewton to investigate strange rumblings heard across the area Wednesday night.

Brewton Municipal Airport Director Earl Lambert said the noises heard throughout the area can be attributed to the massive V22 Osprey — a twin rotor helicopter/airplane owned by the military.

“After hearing the machinery, we began to investigate the source,” Lambert said. “Our investigation lead us to the special ops unit from Hurlburt Field.”

Hurlburt Field, located near Fort  Walton Beach, Fla., is home to the Airforce Special Operations Command.

“I spoke to the commander of the squadron and explained their training would not be good since we have so many citizens that live in the area around the airport,” Lambert said. “Those aircraft are extremely noisy with an horrific racket.”

The Brewton Municipal Airport serves as a training area for units from Whiting Field near Milton, Fla., during the day.

“We have a 50-year agreement with the Navy, and you just can’t mix the two,” Lambert said. “It would be prohibitive for them to use the area during the day when it’s being used by the Navy, and it’s just too noisy at night.”

Lambert said a gentlemen’s agreement was reached between himself and the commander Friday that would bring the training missions to a halt.

“The commander offered an apology for any inconvenience their training may have caused in the community,” Lambert said. “He assured me the squadron would not be back in the area to train.”

The Brewton Municipal Airport is a non-controlled facility, meaning there is no air traffic control tower and no after-hours communications system.

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Marines expansion threatens to “radically change” aircraft stationing and training in Hawai’i

The Marine Corps is threatening a major expansion in Hawai’i including basing of new aircraft, an increase in troops and dependents and expanded training.  The Navy/Marine Corps is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for this expansion.  There will be public scoping meetings held in Aug 24-30. From the project website  http://www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/:

Public Scoping Open Houses

Federal, state, and county agencies and interested parties are invited to attend any of these open houses and encouraged to provide comments. The Navy will consider these comments in determining the scope of the EIS. Five meetings, using an informal open-house format, will be held on the islands of Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, and Moloka‘i as follows:

Meeting Dates/Locations

August 24, 2010 | 5-8pm

Hilo High School Cafeteria

556 Waianuenue Avenue

Hilo, HI 96720

August 25, 2010 | 4-7pm

Waikoloa Elementary & Middle School Cafeteria

68-1730 Ho’oko Street

Waikoloa, HI 96738

August 26, 2010 | 5-8pm

King Intermediate School Cafeteria

46-155 Kamehameha Hwy.

Kāne‘ohe, HI 96744

August 28, 2010 | 1-4pm

Kaunakakai Elementary School Library

Ailoa Street

Kaunakakai, HI 96748

August 30, 2010 | 5-8pm

Waimānalo Elementary & Intermediate School Cafeteria

41-1330 Kalanianaole Hwy.

Waimānalo, HI 96795

Project Overview

The Department of the Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement MV-22 Aircraft (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kelsey J. Green (Released))(EIS) for the basing and operation of MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey aircraft and H-1 Cobra and Huey attack helicopters in support of III Marine Expeditionary Force elements stationed in Hawai’i. Because the squadrons would train on land owned or controlled by the Department of the Army, the Navy has requested that the Army be a cooperating agency for preparation of this EIS.

AH-1Z Aircraft (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher O'Quin (Released))The EIS will evaluate a proposal to introduce up to two Marine Medium Tiltrotor (VMM) squadrons with a total of 24 MV-22 aircraft, and one Marine Light Attack Helicopter (HMLA) squadron composed of 18 AH-1Z and 9 UH-1Y helicopters, construction of improvements to accommodate the new aviation squadrons, improvements to training facilities in Hawai’i used by the Marine Corps, and use of Department of Defense training areas statewide.

UH-1Y Aircraft (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher O'Quin (Released))This website provides information about the proposed action and alternatives, the EIS schedule, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and points of contact. Project documents will be posted here as they become available.

The Marine Corps requests your input to identify community concerns and issues to be addressed in the EIS. You can participate in a variety of ways:

  • Attend a public scoping open house.
  • Visit this website to learn more about the EIS throughout the process.
  • E-mail us at mv22h1eis@beltcollins.com to submit comments.
  • Mail written comments to Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Attn: EV21, MV-22/H-1 EIS Project Manager, 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134.

Written comments must be submitted no later than September 7, 2010. Thank you for your interest.

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Pearl Harbor submariner died in waters of Mokapu-Marine Base

The missing boater, whose body was found in waters off the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe was identified as a submariner based at Pearl Harbor.  He was found near Kuau, what the military calls Pyramid Rock.

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http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100308/BREAKING01/100308009/Boater+who+died+off+of+Marine+base+identified+as+Pearl+Harbor+sailor+

Updated at 1:24 p.m., Monday, March 8, 2010

Boater who died off of Marine base identified as Pearl Harbor sailor

Advertiser Staff and News Reports

A boater whose body was recovered in waters off of Pyramid Rock Beach near Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Saturday has been identified as a submariner assigned to the fast-attack submarine USS Olympia based at Pearl Harbor.

The Navy said Electricians Mate 1st Class Robert Lawrence Mudd, 29, of Fort Mitchell, Ky., joined the Navy in June 1998. He had been assigned to USS Olympia since May 30, 2007. He previously served at the Trident Training Facility in Kings Bay, Ga., and aboard USS Nebraska.

“Our sincerest condolences and prayers go out to the family and friends of Petty Officer Mudd,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force said.

A memorial service for the Olympia crew is being planned for later this week at the Submarine Memorial Chapel on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.

Mudd’s body was found and recovered from the water, about 60 feet from the shores of Pyramid Rock Beach at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, at approximately 1:40 p.m. Saturday, the Navy said.

Navy officials said first responders from the Marine Corps base were alerted to flares sighted in the air near Pyramid Rock Beach at approximately 6:20 p.m. Friday. Shortly after, Mudd was spotted in distress in a life raft.

Marine Corps rescue swimmers, rescue boats, and the Honolulu Fire Department responded, but reduced visibility and high surf conditions prevented rescuers from reaching Mudd, officials said.

The high surf had forced the cancellation of a surf contest earlier in the day. Rescuers lost sight of the man about 50 yards offshore around 7 p.m. Shortly afterward, military police recovered a life raft from the beach, along with a flare gun and a small, waterproof box.

Military police, a helicopter and fixed wing aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard District 14 and Honolulu Fire Department personnel continued to search throughout the night.

Mudd’s body was found Saturday by Marine Corps lifeguards. No wreckage of a boat has been found at this time, the Navy said.

Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the Navy said no further details of the incident are available at this time.

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Marine commander says U.S. troops are a benefit not a burden to Okinawa

The AP reported  (“US Marine general says Okinawa troops not a burden“) that the commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific  argued that the military presence in Okinawa was a blessing, not a burden to the Japanese. 

The U.S. troop presence on Okinawa should not be seen as a burden but as a benefit, a senior Marine Corps general said Friday, despite calls from some Japanese leaders to move a major American base off the crowded southern Japan island.

Lt. Gen. Keith Stalder, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said the more than 13,000 Marines on Okinawa play a key role in securing the region from threats such as North Korea, and said the presence should continue.

“I’m frequently concerned when I hear the word burden used as a description,” Stalder said. “I suggest that it is an obligation under the alliance to do the hosting and basing of U.S. forces. And for that, the government of Japan gets the services of one of the best and biggest militaries in the world.”

Tell that to the Okinawans.   It reveals the arrogance of power that governs US strategy and military policies in the region.   Stalder is based at Camp Smith.   Under his command it is not surprising that the Marines in Hawai’i are trying to redraw the boundaries of the Kanaka Maoli burial sites in Mokapu so that they can build a training facility. It may also explain why the Marines chose to take concrete slabs that contained crushed bone fragments from Kanaka Maoli iwi kupuna and use it as fill for construction projects. 

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Kaua’i: Burial council rejects treatment plan for Haena home built over iwi

The Kaua’i Burial council rejected the state’s burial treatment plan for iwi kupuna (Native Hawaiian burials) on a lot in Naue, where wealthy California developer Joseph Brescia is building a multimillion dollar home.  The burial treatment plan is supposed to be approved before permits are issued and construction can begin. But the Kaua’i county has issued a building permit without the treatment plan.  Kanaka Maoli protested the construction for years. The State Historic Preservation Division which is charged with protection of cultural resources and burials colluded in the development by minimizing the significance of the burials.   Kanaka Maoli have maintained that the site is a cemetery subject to greater protections than isolated burials, but the State’s head archaeologist Nancy McMahon overrode these concerns.  When activists blockaded the construction site, Joseph Brescia sued them for alleged losses he incurred.   The lawsuit lacked merit. It is actually a SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), used to incapacitate activists with crushing legal expenses.

While this is not directly a military issue, it  is an important case for protection of Hawaiian iwi kupuna in general. And it affects the many burial issues on military bases in Hawai’i, the biggest of which is in Mokapu (Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe), where more than 2000 iwi kupuna were evicted from their resting places to build a runway and where iwi kupuna were crushed and mixed with sand and concrete to pour the foundations for buildings on base.

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Updated at 6:20 a.m., Friday, February 12, 2010

Burial council rejects treatment plan for Haena home built over iwi

By Paul Curtis
The Garden Island

LIHUE — After hearing nearly four hours of emotional testimony, the Kaua’i/Niihau Island Burial Council yesterday unanimously rejected the 16th draft of the burial treatment for Naue landowner Joseph Brescia’s controversial single-family home.

Several graves were found on the property where an under-construction house is located, and many Native Hawaiians and others are continuing to call for the home to be torn down.

Under state law, when Native Hawaiian remains are discovered, construction is supposed to cease until a burial treatment plan has been approved by the island burial council.

Meeting in the Council Chambers of the Historic County Building during their first meeting of 2010, the members apparently shared the sentiment of most of the dozens of speakers, saying at the rejection point they still had concerns over cement caps placed over some of the known graves, proposed vertical buffers, portions of the home built over known burial sites, and the planned septic system and its impact on burial sites.

“Oh, man, we won one for a change,” Hawaiian cultural practitioner Puanani Rogers said after the unanimous vote.

The unanimous vote came after a lengthy executive session, wherein council members asked the state deputy attorney general about their legal options, said Clisson Kunane Aipoalani, council chair.

The proposed burial treatment plan doesn’t address long-range maintenance and access issues adequately enough, council members said.

Before the decision, voices of the Kauai public — Native Hawaiian and otherwise — were loud, clear and unanimous, as articulated by Nathan Kalama of Wailua Houselots: “You have no choice but to deny.”

Desecration of Hawaiian graves has been going on for 100 years, and there is mana in Hawaiian bones, which is why so many remains are hidden even from relatives, said Sharon Pomroy.

“I do not agree to any compromise,” said Pomroy, saying she has been asked to join the burial council on repeated occasions, and has always turned people down “because I won’t compromise.”

“This thing gotta stop,” said Pomroy. “You guys no like do ’em, I will. I’ll fight. I would bleed to make this thing happen,” she said.

John Zapala said he remembers when the U.S. flag on the wall of the council chambers signified “justice for all. As far as I can see, there has been no justice for Native Hawaiians since 1863.”

Kamoiokalani Sausen, who lives near the Brescia property in Haena, said the burial council should “bulldoze that house. You represent na iwi kupuna. You represent the Hawaiian people.”

“Stop the desecration of the burials,” Sausen said. “My heart is broken to feel and to see what has happened, is happening” across the street from where she lives.

“The bones have mana, and we are spiritually connected to them. They have the right to rest there,” she said. “They were there before you and I. Stop this desecration. Reject this burial treatment plan. Remove this hale from this cemetery,” and urge the county to revoke the building permit.”

“I personally believe that this house should be removed,” said Ken Taylor. But he said he is unsure whether the burial council has the power to do that.

The council does have the power to stop construction on the home until a burial treatment plan is approved, and that could set the stage for the removal of the home, he said. Anything short of that and council members aren’t doing their jobs, he said.

“What hurts me” is the lack of a strong voice in the process, said Rupert Rowe. “We have a process, but not a voice.” Brescia took a gamble putting up his house when warned by a state judge he was doing it at his own risk, said Rowe.

“What are we teaching our children when these things happen?” asked Leslie Lang of Wailua Homesteads. “I would like to see the bones rest in peace. It’s what’s right. It’s what’s pono,” she said.

“This is a house built on top of bones. It doesn’t belong there. The bones should be left alone, and respected,” said Lang.

Members of the burial council include Chair Clisson Kunane Aipoalani, Vice Chair Keith Yap, and members Dee M. Crowell, James W. Fujita, Michael Loo, Debra U. Ruiz, Sandra P. Quinsaat, Leiana P. Robinson and Barbara J. Say.

Absent yesterday were Crowell, Quinsaat and Robinson. Aipoalani was sick, but if he had missed the meeting there would not have been a quorum, so he attended and presided.

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The 70-plus-page, 16th draft of the Brescia burial treatment plan can be viewed at: www.state.hi.us/dlnr/hpd

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