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| During dedication ceremonies at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Sen. Dan Inouye said, "We must be vigilant in setting aside that which must be protected." Photos from The Ka`u Calendar film Saving Ka`u's Coast by Danny Miller and Julia Neal |
“At the age of 11, in between Disneyland and a trip to Yellowstone – I might never have considered a career in public service. I might not be standing here today. I think it is fair to say that Danny Inouye was perhaps my earliest political inspiration. And then for me to have the privilege of serving with him - to be elected to the United States Senate and arrive and one of my first visits is to go to his office, and for him to greet me as a colleague and treat me with the same respect that he treated everybody he met, and to sit me down and give me advice about how the Ssenate worked and then regale me with some stories about wartime and his recovery, stories full of humor, never bitterness, never boastfulness, just matter of fact. Some of them I must admit a little off-color. I couldn’t probably repeat them in the cathedral. There’s a side of Danny that…ah well.
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| Kekuhi Kanahele chants during ceremonies after Inouye helped fund expansion of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at Kahuku. |
“Danny once told his son that his service to this country had been for the children…. For all the sons and daughters who deserve to grow up in a nation that never questioned their patriotism. ‘This is my country,’ he said. Many of us have fought hard for the right to say that.
"And obviously, Rick Shinseki, (Secretary of Veteran Affairs, who also grew up in Hawai`i) described (during the National Cathedral Service) what it meant for Japanese-Americans, but my point is that when he referred to our sons and daughters, he wasn’t just talking about Japanese-Americans. He was talking about all of us. He was talking about those who serve today who might have been excluded in the past. He’s talking about me. And that’s who Danny was.
“For him, freedom and dignity were not abstractions. They were values he had bled for, ideals he had sacrificed for. Rights that he understood as only someone can who has had them threatened, had them taken away. The valor that had earned him our nation’s highest military decoration, a story so incredible that when you actually read the accounts, you think this, you couldn’t make this up. It’s like out of an action movie. That valor was so rooted in a deep and abiding love for this country. And he believed, as we say in Hawai`i, that we’re a single `ohana, that we’re one family, and he devoted his life to making that family strong.
“And after experiencing the horror of war itself, Danny also felt a profound connection to those who followed. It wasn’t unusual for him to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with a fellow veteran or fellow amputee trading stories, telling jokes, two heroes generations apart sharing an unspoken bond that was forged in battle and tempered in peace. In no small measure, because of Danny’s service, our military is and will always remain the best in the world, and we recognize our sacred obligation to give our veterans the care they deserve.
"And obviously, Rick Shinseki, (Secretary of Veteran Affairs, who also grew up in Hawai`i) described (during the National Cathedral Service) what it meant for Japanese-Americans, but my point is that when he referred to our sons and daughters, he wasn’t just talking about Japanese-Americans. He was talking about all of us. He was talking about those who serve today who might have been excluded in the past. He’s talking about me. And that’s who Danny was.
“For him, freedom and dignity were not abstractions. They were values he had bled for, ideals he had sacrificed for. Rights that he understood as only someone can who has had them threatened, had them taken away. The valor that had earned him our nation’s highest military decoration, a story so incredible that when you actually read the accounts, you think this, you couldn’t make this up. It’s like out of an action movie. That valor was so rooted in a deep and abiding love for this country. And he believed, as we say in Hawai`i, that we’re a single `ohana, that we’re one family, and he devoted his life to making that family strong.
“And after experiencing the horror of war itself, Danny also felt a profound connection to those who followed. It wasn’t unusual for him to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with a fellow veteran or fellow amputee trading stories, telling jokes, two heroes generations apart sharing an unspoken bond that was forged in battle and tempered in peace. In no small measure, because of Danny’s service, our military is and will always remain the best in the world, and we recognize our sacred obligation to give our veterans the care they deserve.
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| Greg Herbst blows the conch shell during ceremonies with Inouye at Kahuku. |
“Of course Danny didn’t always take credit for the difference he made. Ever humble, one of the only landmarks that bear his name is a marine corps mess hall in Hawai`i. And when someone asked him how he wanted to be remembered, he said, ‘I represented the people of Hawai`i and this nation honestly and to the best of my ability. I think I did OK.’
“Danny, you were more than OK. You were extraordinary. It’s been mentioned that Danny ended his convention speech in Chicago in 1968 with the word aloha. To some of you who visit us, it may have meant hello, he said, but to others it may have meant goodbye.
“Those of us who have been privileged to live in Hawai`i understand that aloha means 'I love you.' And as someone who has been privileged to live in Hawai`i, I know that he embodied the very best of that spirit, the very best of aloha. It’s fitting that it was the last word that Danny spoke on this earth. He may have been saying 'Goodbye' to us. Maybe he was saying 'Hello' to someone waiting on the other side, but it was a final expression, most of all of his love for the family and the friends that he cared so much about, for the men and women he was honored to serve with, for the country that held such a special place in his heart.
“So we remember a man who inspired all of us with his courage and moved all of us with his compassion that inspired us with his integrity, and who taught so many of us including a young boy growing up in Hawai`i – that America has a place for everyone.
“May God bless Daniel Inouye, and may God grant us more souls like his,” Obama said, concluding the eulogy.
“Danny, you were more than OK. You were extraordinary. It’s been mentioned that Danny ended his convention speech in Chicago in 1968 with the word aloha. To some of you who visit us, it may have meant hello, he said, but to others it may have meant goodbye.
“Those of us who have been privileged to live in Hawai`i understand that aloha means 'I love you.' And as someone who has been privileged to live in Hawai`i, I know that he embodied the very best of that spirit, the very best of aloha. It’s fitting that it was the last word that Danny spoke on this earth. He may have been saying 'Goodbye' to us. Maybe he was saying 'Hello' to someone waiting on the other side, but it was a final expression, most of all of his love for the family and the friends that he cared so much about, for the men and women he was honored to serve with, for the country that held such a special place in his heart.
“So we remember a man who inspired all of us with his courage and moved all of us with his compassion that inspired us with his integrity, and who taught so many of us including a young boy growing up in Hawai`i – that America has a place for everyone.
“May God bless Daniel Inouye, and may God grant us more souls like his,” Obama said, concluding the eulogy.
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| Inouye at Kuhuku dedication with park superintendent Cindy Orlando. |
INOUYE WAS A PROTECTOR of the Ka`u wilderness, helping with federal funding that doubled the size of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with 117,000 acres, mostly in Ka`u. He also assisted with funding that helped with county acquisition of Honu`apo, lands between Punalu`u and Kawa, and thousands of acres along Road to the Sea. During dedication of the Kahuku Unit of the national park, he traveled to Ka`u to be the keynote speaker and said, “As the urban sprawl continues to spread beyond O`ahu and into our Neighbor Islands, I think all of us will agree that we must be very vigilant in setting aside that which must be protected.”
THE HAWAI`I CAPITOL will be the place where Sen. Dan Inouye will lie in state in Hawai`i tomorrow from 5 p.m. to midnight. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Daniel K. Inouye Fund, care of Hawai`i Community Foundation. The program will be streamed live at www.olelo.org. A final public ceremony will take place on Sunday at Punchbowl.
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| Sen. Dan Inouye will lie in state at Hawai`i State Capitol tomorrow evening. |
On this island, the public is welcome to sign and share memories of Inouye in memorial books in the Mayor’s Offices at Hawai`i County Building in Hilo and West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona through Friday, Dec. 28 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Christmas day. The books will be sent to the Inouye family.
THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR is soliciting applications for Hawai`i County Cultural Resources Commission. Nine members will be appointed by the mayor and approved by County Council. Representation may include professionals and persons with special interest in architecture, history, archaeology, planning, architectural history, Hawaiian culture, ethnic history and culture of Hawai`i County.
THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR is soliciting applications for Hawai`i County Cultural Resources Commission. Nine members will be appointed by the mayor and approved by County Council. Representation may include professionals and persons with special interest in architecture, history, archaeology, planning, architectural history, Hawaiian culture, ethnic history and culture of Hawai`i County.
The intent of the commission is to provide for:
STATE IDs WILL BE ISSUED TO HAWAI`I COUNTY residents at driver license offices in Hilo and Kona beginning Jan. 1. Responsibility for state IDs transferred from the Attorney General’s office to Department of Transportation to meet federal requirements under the REAL ID act of 2005 to have driver licenses and state ID cards issued by the same government office.
Documents required for state IDs are the same as those required for driver licenses. See hawaiicounty.gov/finance-dl-hi-legal-presence.
For questions regarding state IDs through Dec. 31, call 974-6265. After Jan. 1, call 961-2222.
- Protecting and preserving historic properties and artifacts in the county and encourage, where appropriate, their adoption for appropriate and feasible use;
- Encouraging the restoration, rehabilitation and continued functional use of historic properties;
- Encouraging identification, preservation, promotion and enhancement of those historic properties which represent or reflect distinctive elements of cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history, and to encourage the designation of historic properties, thereby ensuring that our cultural and historic heritage will be imparted to present and future generations of residents and visitors; and
- Formulating countywide comprehensive, historic preservation policies, programs and plans.
STATE IDs WILL BE ISSUED TO HAWAI`I COUNTY residents at driver license offices in Hilo and Kona beginning Jan. 1. Responsibility for state IDs transferred from the Attorney General’s office to Department of Transportation to meet federal requirements under the REAL ID act of 2005 to have driver licenses and state ID cards issued by the same government office.
Documents required for state IDs are the same as those required for driver licenses. See hawaiicounty.gov/finance-dl-hi-legal-presence.
For questions regarding state IDs through Dec. 31, call 974-6265. After Jan. 1, call 961-2222.
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| Na`ohulelua historical church is the site of a Christmas eve candlelight ceremony. |
KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS’ HOLIDAY CONCERTS are tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at 7 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center, with Ka`u `Ohana Band, Ka`u Community Chorus and Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Hula Halau.
CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE begins at 6:30 p.m. at Na`ohulelua Historical Garden on Kama`oa Road on the grounds of the historic Catholic Church from the mid-1800s. Everyone is welcome at this non-denominational Christian celebration, including children in pajamas. Bring a chair and flashlight to walk the path to the ceremony. Space is limited. RSVP to 345-9374.
NA`ALEHU METHODIST CHURCH also offers Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 7:30 p.m., with lessons and carols that retell the Christmas story in word and song. For more, call Julie White at 503-756-8035.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.
FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.
FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.
