Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 6, 1 June 2006 — Land vs. Iife [ARTICLE]

Land vs. Iife

Copies of Trustee Cataluna's 'Apelila 2006 eolumn were distributed to Hawai'i delegates of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at a recent meeting. The message was a disappointment because its underlying message was that land is more valuable than life. This idea angers families of soldiers who will be deploying soon for combat. Iudge Mollway's statement that the Army's warnings were "vehement pronouncements and

speculation," is in fact without basis. Our state VFW commander stated, "we who have 'heen there and done that' ean attest to the accuracy of the warnings." Further, our soldiers are here where the supplies, equipment, support units, etc. are. And Mākua is best suited for eompany commanders to experience coordinating ground, artillery, air operations and skills needed in combat. Training off island or on the mainland would incur serious problems in logistics, scheduling, costs and unnecessary separation from families. The Army being "stellar stewards of the environment at Mākua Valley" is indisputable. No other valley gets the care and maintenance Mākua gets daily. Furthermore, consider that McCandless Ranch, who operated in Mākua in the early 1900s, couldn't have cared less about cultural sites. In addition, rock piles (rock wall remnants), rock platforms and holes are claimed to be of cultural value, even though Bishop Museum has no criteria or standard that ean determine cultural legitimacy. Plants burned in a mishap

fire are growing again. Wai'anae fires purposely set by others get little attention, so are expressed cultural concerns sincere? 8/7/ Punini Prescott Nānākuli, O'ahu