Isle role in nation's wars honored in Kane'ohe
| • | Flags flutter over graves of U.S. patriots at Punchbowl |
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
Some call it Little Punchbowl.
And for about 500 of the thousands of citizens observing Memorial Day at ceremonies across Hawai'i yesterday, the governor's service at the Hawai'i State Cemetery in Kane'ohe was a muted version of the much larger traditional event at the National Cemetery of the Pacific.
"It's not as formal, there's a little island flavor to it," said U. S. Sen. Dan Akaka, nodding toward the hula halau that — as the ceremonies unfolded — performed a dance about going from Honolulu to Kona.
Retired Army Gen. Fred C. Weyand, 84, the keynote speaker, kidded about seeing fellow World War II veteran Bill Paty again. With men of their generation now dying at the rate of 1,100 a day, Weyand said, "Bill is kind of my yardstick. If I don't see him at these things, I start getting worried."
Survivors such as himself and Paty, Weyand said, "have to represent those who didn't make it," and remind the nation that so many died needlessly because the United States has been repeatedly unprepared for and surprised by war, just as much in Korea as at Pearl Harbor.
People saluted both the American and Hawaiian flags when the color guard passed. Gov. Ben Cayetano told a story of how Queen Lili'uokalani — after her kingdom was overthrown and Hawai'i was annexed to the United States — decided to fly the American as well as Hawaiian flag at her home when she learned Hawaiians had been killed in World War I.
Howitzers shook the ground at Punchbowl. In Kane'ohe, it was rifles.
At Punchbowl, roaring jets fly the "missing man" salute. The Windward version was six heavy Marine Corps helicopters chugging over the distant horizon from Kahalu'u. The murmur of their motors grew to a rhythmic shudder, resembling the identifying sound of the Vietnam War.
The sound of bugles echoing taps died away, and one chopper slowly but surely banked left and disappeared over a nearby ridge toward the ocean.
With only 4,100 graves provided since its opening 10 years ago, compared with more than 32,000 at Punchbowl, the cemetery between the Ko'olau mountains and Kane'ohe Bay is a small town resting place mostly for people who have lived much of their lives in Hawai'i, Korean War veteran James Ward of Makiki said.
He and Disabled American Veterans leader Bob Freitas and other vets gathered for a little pau hana tailgating after furling their banners.
Around them, some families stopped for ching ming-style picnics among graves decked with flags and flowers.
Despite the differences, Ward said, the Punchbowl and Kane'ohe ceremonies are very much alike.
"They both hit on the same line," he said, "and that is the sacrifice that these boys made for our freedom today. That's what ties them together."
