It doesn’t have to be Memorial Day for someone to express appreciation to Ron Cole for being a military veteran.
It doesn’t have to be Memorial Day for someone to express appreciation to Ron Cole for being a military veteran.
“People now, they’ll stop you on the street, buy you a drink, say thanks for serving,” said the 76-year-old Kailua-Kona resident, who served in the Korean War.
He arrived in Korea during a cease fire, but that didn’t mean the fighting had ended.
“That’s when we lost a lot of our men, when they were having talks” to end the conflict, he added.
Still, Cole doesn’t consider himself a combat veteran.
With Americans taking time off work Monday to remember fallen servicemen and servicewomen, Cole said he always hopes the holiday does prompt people to think about war, especially how to prevent it.
“For them to remember so we don’t have to do it again, take the steps to prevent going into another war,” he said.
West Hawaii residents have several opportunities this weekend to honor those who served in the military, starting with a program Saturday morning at Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Members of the Marine Corps League, Camp Tarawa Detachment 1255 will present a program discussing the significance of Memorial Day, with a focus on the World War II history of Hawaii Island and the island’s role in America’s success in the Pacific Theater.
Community members with personal stories or information about Camp Tarawa are encouraged to attend. The public is invited to attend the free event from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the park’s visitor center.
At 9 a.m. Monday, the Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple will host its Memorial Day service. Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida is the guest speaker. Boy Scout Troop 59 is sponsoring the event.
At 11 a.m. Monday, veterans, families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen and the public will gather at the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, north of Kailua-Kona on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, for a Memorial Day ceremony. Disabled American Veterans Chapter 7 Cmdr. Richard Highley said the program will have two speakers this year, Gary Todd and Clayton Punahaole. Both are military veterans.
The event will have more of a musical focus this year than in past years, Highley said. It will feature Melemai Kapuuwaimai, an Oahu-based choir that contacted Highley and asked to perform at the ceremony.
A potluck lunch will follow the ceremony at the cemetery. Highley asked anyone planning to stay for lunch to bring a dish to share.