Military facilities ease access

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Slowly, and without public fanfare, the layers of additional security put in place after Sept. 11 at military bases on O'ahu are being peeled back to match the threat — improving accessibility while maintaining a higher level of vigilance than before the terrorist attacks, officials say.

Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, military bases on O'ahu were placed on a heightened security status. Advertiser library photo

"Normal" is followed by Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Alpha represents a general or possible threat to personnel or installations.

The change has meant speedier entry onto most bases — in some cases with simply the recognition of a base sticker on an automobile — and a return to the type of civilian accessibility that marked pre-Sept. 11 days.

The U.S. Army in Hawai'i said it "continues to return the community to standardized operations."

At Marine Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe, officials are holding "Party Gras" Friday and Saturday — a music festival with four stages and 13 bands that could draw 3,000 to 4,000 civilian and military guests.

"This is really our first attempt since 9-11 to try to invite the community back on board," said Jim Bocci, of Marine Corps Community Services at Kane'ohe.

Events like Party Gras have the type of extra security that for the foreseeable future may be the norm — in this case a lane at the main gate diverting festival traffic to a parking lot where cars can be monitored to prevent access to other parts of the base.

For civilian employees and military personnel, the post Sept. 11 days of three- and four-hour waits to drive onto base are thankfully over — at least for now.

Wheeler Elementary School was closed and teachers and administrators were turned away at the gate following the terrorist attacks, recalled Principal Joe Lee.

After that, four buses that pick up students at Schofield Barracks and drop them off at Wheeler had to run the gantlet entering both bases. All buses ran 30 to 40 minutes late for the first couple of weeks.

"The last week or two it's really eased off a lot," Lee said

Greater efficiency has also been developed for getting school vendors with milk and food on base, he said.

A placard Friday morning outside Schofield Barracks said Force Protection Condition Alpha was in effect, and guards were waving in cars with base stickers without having them stop.

At Fort Shafter last week, cars also were being waved in with a sticker, and traffic was no longer being routed through a serpentine course. Until recently, all motorists had their IDs checked, and traffic came in through the main gate, and exited the back gate. Now, the main gate provides ingress and egress.

"We will maintain random inspection of vehicles and personnel on all Army installations," said Col. William R. Puttmann Jr., the U.S. Army Garrison, Hawai'i commander. "The community will see guards come off some of the housing areas, but there will be an increase in military police patrols."

At the Kane'ohe Marine base, 1st Lt. Kent Robbins, the base media officer, said, "We're checking vehicles for IDs and stickers when they come in."

Robbins said there is never universal agreement over the fluctuating levels of security.

"The popular opinion of salty old Marines is this (the heightened security) is the way it should always have been."

The military presence that gave Honolulu International Airport a well-protected look also could be gone as early as April, with the National Guard expected to pull out in conjunction with the federalization of security screeners.

"That's the target timeframe we're looking at," said Hawai'i National Guard spokesman Maj. Chuck Anthony. "Whether it's extended beyond that still has to be decided."

Initially, about 150 Guard personnel were on airport duty across the state. That number increased to 200 around the holidays, but has since dropped back down to about 150 again, Anthony said.

Federalized security screeners will take their place, but tests for hiring aren't expected to be ready until the end of the month, officials said.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.