Posted on: Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Private money aided in war remembrances

Associated Press

The weekend activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War were aided in part by $33,000 in private donations found by the administration of Gov. Linda Lingle that negated the need to use state money that was subject to a veto and a subsequent override.

The Republican governor's veto of the $30,000 "rainy day" appropriation for the Korean War commemoration was a lightning rod in the Legislature's recent special session to override that and six other vetoed measures.

Democratic lawmakers scolded her for denying money for the aging veterans of America's "Forgotten War."

Lingle and state Adjutant General Robert Lee, in the company of more than a dozen Korean War veterans on Friday, announced that private donors had given $33,000 for events, including Sunday's commemoration parade through Waikiki and services at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

Lingle said she vetoed the state financing because of the state's revenue shortfall, and that the private donations show that state government isn't always the last resort for worthwhile programs.

Initially, Lee proposed shifting $18,000 from his department's budget to help pay for the events and seeking the balance in private donations.