Community and stewardship of the land were as much topics of discussion as the training of soldiers Wednesday at the change of command ceremony at Pohakuloa Training Center.
During the event, Lt. Col. Timothy Alvarado assumed command of the Pacific’s premier military training installation, relieving Lt. Col. Kevin Cronin, who served in the post for two years.
And while the word “lease” wasn’t specifically mentioned during the ceremony itself, a 392-page draft environmental impact statement was released in April 2022 that will determine whether a significant part of PTA will remain under Army management. A lease with the state for 23,000 acres of the installation’s 132,000 acres is set to expire in 2029.
“From our perspective, it’s super important. It’s the top of our priorities,” Alvarado told the Tribune-Herald after the ceremony. “It’s important for us to stick with the process and to make sure the transparency is there — to ensure that everyone knows what everyone is doing during this whole process.”
The 41-year-old Alvarado has been in the Army 19 years. The Charleston, S.C., native has served in Hawaii before. His first assignment after basic training was with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. He also served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Shafter, Oahu.
“My wife and I were fortunate and blessed to have had Hawaii as the first duty station a long time ago, as a lieutenant. And here we are, back 15 years later, all in time to see the completion of the monorail over on Oahu,” Alvarado said during the ceremony, eliciting a belly laugh from those in attendance.
“This island holds a unique reverence through its astonishing landscapes and remarkable people. And I am truly humbled to be a part of it all.”
Alvarado, like Cronin, is an Army Ranger. He and his wife Pam, have two daughters. His preceding duty post was at the Army’s Special Operations Command Headquarters at Fort Liberty, N.C., the former Fort Bragg.
Col. Steve McGuneagle, U.S Army Garrison Hawaii’s commanding officer, said those who live and work at PTA “are a part of the community.”
“There may be a fence line in places, but in our opinion, there is no distinction between the people who live and work here in PTA and the community,” McGuneagle said.
McGuneagle, Alvarado’s boss, also emphasized “care for the ‘aina,” saying it’s the kuleana of the PTA commander to “understand that what it means to the Army is not what it means to everybody, but to understand those perspectives and balance those responsibilities to the community for the care of the land.”
Cronin recalled during the ceremony a call from Mayor Mitch Roth when Mauna Loa erupted in late 2022, “looking for ways to increase the safety of our community attempting to watch the lava flow.”
“And within 36 hours we were able to open up a lava-viewing route on Pohakuloa Training Area that nearly 90,000 people passed through over a two-week period,” Cronin said. “It goes … to the power of relationships and moving at the speed of trust.”
Cronin, his wife Anne, and their two children — both born on Hawaii Island — will leave for New Delhi, India. His next post is U.S. Special Operations Command liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy. Anne Cronin, a Foreign Service officer, will also be assigned to the embassy.
Cronin told Alvarado he’s “perfect for this position.”
“The Army got it right. Enjoy every minute. It goes by fast,” he said.
Alvarado said after the ceremony, the next big exercise at PTA will be the Joint Pacific Military Readiness Center, with exercises both at PTA and on Oahu that will include all branches of the service, as well as multinational troops from allied Pacific nations.
“It’s a big thing to centralize a lot of the joint and multinational partnerships here in Hawaii,” he said. “The readiness of our troops, to make sure they’re prepared through training, the stewardship of the lands, and being involved in the community as much as possible.
“We are stewards of the land, and we would not be here to train if it weren’t for the land itself.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.