Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, May 30, 2022

Congressman and Air National Guardsman Kai Kahele visited a Veterans Cemetery in Hawai'i
on Monday morning and said he is drawn to hallowed grounds. Photo from Kai Kahele

VISITING MEMORIALS TO THOSE WHO HAVE "SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES, while serving a grateful nation," is a passion of Congressman Kai Kahele. During a Memorial Day Veterans Cemetery speech on Monday morning, he said that he's made it a point "to visit these hallowed grounds so I can see and feel for myself what those brave men and women must have felt or saw themselves." Kahele said he's been to the Ardennes Forest of Germany, walked the Band of Brothers streets of Bastogne and Luxembourg, and stood at the site of the Malmedy Massacre in Belgium. "I have traveled to the Great Pacific Battle Ground of Wake Island, Guam, Kwajalein and Okinawa and like many of you I have been to the hallowed tomb of the USS Arizona where 1,177 sailors lost their lives on that day of infamy, Dec. 7, 1941."
    The Congressman and Air National Guardsman asked, "Why would anyone go out of their way to visit museums, battlefields, and cemeteries of wars from years gone past? Why are they drawn to the National Mall in Washington, where the names of 58,000 Americans are etched into black granite at the Viet Nam
Hawaiian and U.S. flags fly half staff on Memorial Day. Photo from Kai Kahele
Veterans Memorial? For many, they come to mourn the loss of a family member, a friend, a fellow soldier, airman, sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman or Merchant Marine. For others like myself, they visit these historic sites so as to gain a deeper connection to historical events that move a nation and help shape our world. ...when they visit these great memorials they are often humbled by the presence of those who are forever represented here.
    "For those that have walked somber grounds of Arlington or Punchbowl, you will quickly gain a sense of the magnitude of our nation's loss while realizing the true commitment on the part of those who have served and died in our nation's conflicts. Throughout the course of our nation's history our sons and daughters have donned the uniform. They have taken up arms and fought and died to preserve our rights and our freedoms... We can not help but mourn their passing as we celebrate their victories."
    Kahele noted that he is in his 22nd year as commissioned officer in U.S. Air Force Hawai'i Air National Guard. During his Air Force pilot training in Mississippi, the tragedy of 9/11 occurred and Kahele was assigned to fly combat missions in the mountains of Afghanistan, to transport patients from the Middle East to Germany and to bring home those who died to Dover Air Force Base in the U.S.

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THE NEW ORGANIZATION MALAMA PONO PUNALU'U released a statement on Sunday, inviting volunteers to join in. The paper describes The Situation: "Tourist numbers at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach have risen dramatically over the last year, especially during the later hours of the day when tourists are
either retuning to Kona after a day at Volcano National Park or waiting for dark to see the lava at night."
     It describes The Problem: "When lifeguards go off-duty at 4:30 p.m., there is no protection from visitors encroaching upon basking Sea Turtles (Honu). Especially the time before dark, you will often have visitors using cell phone flashlights to take pictures at arms length distance."
     The statement expresses The Need: "Reaching out for volunteers to take one shift a month to monitor basking turtles between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and dark. Depending on the time of the year, a shift can last between an hour and 30 minutes to two and a half hours. The more volunteers the more we can accomplish with less effort."
     Under the headline Basking Honu Need You, the statement says that "Punalu'u is one of the most accessible, untouched and naturally beautiful beaches remaining on the Big Island. Though it is our home many of us haven't spent the time sitting on the beach, experiencing the essence of Punalu'u and our honu. Volunteer to be a part of Malama Pono Punalu'u, reconnect with Punalu'u and be a small part of keeping our hons habitat safe and our beautiful beach as natural as can be."
    Guy Enriques, organizer of Malama Pono Punalu'u, said he is looking for volunteers to sign up by June 18 and plans to conduct an orientation before volunteers begin their shifts. Eail enriques@haawaii.rr.com
    
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