Marines' jungle training plan blasted

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Before it conducts an environmental assessment for possible jungle training in Waikane Valley or on Kualoa Ranch land, the Marine Corps last night held a public meeting so citizens could air their concerns.

The Marines got an earful.

More than 150 people attended the meeting at Windward Community College and almost all of the speakers were against the training proposal, which does not include a provision for the cleanup of old unexploded ordnance that is still in Waikane Valley.

Marine Corps officials said at the meeting that any removal would have to be done through the federal Super Fund cleanup process.

"Before we can even get into introducing more (training), I think we need to clean up what we've already put in there" said Kala Hoe of Hakipu'u.

Robin Makapagal, a Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board member, said the land is sacred to the Hawaiian people.

"Kualoa and jungle war (training) cannot go in the same sentence," she said.

Makapagal said the government would never consider training on ground where U.S. war heroes are buried. "We're more than just the stuff on the land; we're the people in the land," she said.

The Marines used Waikane Valley for live fire practice between 1944 and 1976.

Marine Maj. Rob Rouse, director of environmental management for Marine Corps Base Hawai'i, said the deployment of Marines to the Philippines last year showed their jungle skills to be inadequate.

It's the responsibility of the Corps' base at Kane'ohe Bay "to make sure that Marines who get deployed to different corners of the world have the best training and the best equipment," he said.

The Marines are looking to a return to training for that purpose on 187 acres of Waikane Valley land or on Kualoa Ranch land offered by owner John Morgan. However, there would be no live-fire training.

"We're keeping all options open," said Maj. Kathy Close, base spokeswoman.

Close said the next step will be to have cultural experts study the sites.