Several events offer opportunity to honor fallen
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i residents will have several opportunities to honor Americans who gave their lives for their country during Memorial Day events this weekend.
Sunday
Here's what's open and closed on Monday, Memorial Day: • Federal, state and county offices: Closed. • Mail: All post offices closed; no regular residential or business delivery or pickup; no pickup from (blue) collection boxes; Express Mail delivered. • Libraries: Most closed. • TheBus: Operating on a Sunday schedule. Call: 848-5555. • On-street parking: Free, except for metered stalls on Kalakaua Avenue along Kapi'olani Park; holiday tow-away zone parking as permitted by sign; meters in municipal lots must be fed. • Traffic: No coning. • Trash: Regular rubbish pickup. • Landfills/refuse transfer stations: Open. • Open Markets: Closed.
• The Pacific American Foundation will honor Pacific-American veterans and active-duty service members at 10 a.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka will be the keynote speaker.
Memorial Day
• Friends of the Natatorium will host its annual Memorial Day service at 10 a.m. at the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. Mayor Jeremy Harris will be the keynote speaker.
• Waialua Lions Club Memorial Day Service, 10 a.m. at Hale'iwa Beach Park.
• The 20th annual Sunset Memorial Service will be at 6 p.m. at the state armed forces' eternal flame, mauka of the State Capitol. The service, which is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fort Shafter Post 10276, will recognize six Medal of Honor recipients. Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general, is scheduled to speak.
• A Memorial Day Eve candlelight ceremony is scheduled at 6 p.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans Post 10583, is sponsoring the service, which will feature Brig. Gen. Ly Tong and retired Gen. Fred Weyand.
Music will be provided by the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific Band. A helicopter flyover will be performed by Hilo's B Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment of the Hawai'i Army National Guard.
Monday
• The 53rd Mayor's Memorial Day Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. at Punchbowl. Mayor Jeremy Harris will deliver the keynote address. He will be joined by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, and Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, in laying a wreath at the cemetery's Dedicatory Stone.
Four F-15 Eagles from the 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Wing, Hawai'i Air National Guard, will perform a missing-man formation flyover during the ceremony.
The public is encouraged to use special shuttles.
Buses will operate round-trip every 15 minutes from the Alapa'i express bus terminal at South King and Alapa'i streets between 7:15 and 8 a.m.
Parking will be free in the Civic Center parking lot next to the Honolulu Municipal building.
The buses will have signs, "Special Punchbowl Cemetery," and rides will cost $2 for adults and $1 for children. Monthly bus passes and elderly and disabled passes will be honored.
Parking will be prohibited from today through Monday between 5 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Puowaina Drive between Ho'oku'i Street and the gates to Punchbowl, and on Ho'oku'i between Puowaina and 'Auwaiolimu Street.
Parking also will be prohibited from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow through Monday on:
• 'Aipo Lane
• Nu'uanu Avenue, 'ewa side, Robinson Lane to Judd Street.
• Robinson Lane.
• 22nd Avenue, 'ewa side, 100 feet in both directions from the driveway of Diamond Head Memorial Park.
• East Manoa Road, kokohead side, from the makai apex of the triangle to the gates of the Chinese Cemetery.
• Craigside Place, mauka side, from Nu'uanu Avenue to the driveway into Nu'uanu Memorial Park.
• The governor's annual Memorial Day ceremony is set for 1 p.m. at the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery in Kane'ohe. Gov. Linda Lingle will speak and lay a wreath with the adjutant general.
A helicopter flyover will be presented by the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 from Marine Corps Base Hawai'i.
