Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 11, 1 November 1989 — New veterans memorial park dedicated at Kaneohe [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New veterans memorial park dedicated at Kaneohe

A groundbreaking ceremony for a new Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery was held Sept. 25. The cemetery is off Kamehameha Highway, between the H-3 Freeway and the Hawaii Memorial Park Cemetery in Kaneohe, O'ahu. The new veterans cemetery is beingestablished because the Nahonal Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Puowaina (Punchbowl), according to recent projections, will run out of room for casket burials in about two years. When completed, the new cemetery at Kaneohe will cover 123 acres and include a visitors' and administration center, flag plaza, committal shelter, natural grass ampitheatre, columbaria and lookout area. It is expected that the cemetery will be ready for the first casket burial around July 1991, about the time the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl is expected to close for casket burials. At completion the new cemetery will be capable of providing a final resting plaee for over 75,000 honored veterans. Scheduled for eomplehon in approximately five years, the cemetery will be constructed in four phases for a total projected cost of $15 million with construction cost shared equally by the federal and state governments. The architectural and engineering firm of M&E Pacific, ine., is the master planning, design and construction management consultant for the project. Highway Construction Co. is the contractor for phase one. At the groundbreaking, Gov. John Waihee

addressea the audience and participated in the groundbreaking with David Peters the executive assistant to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Andrew Matsunaga the district director for Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga, Maj. Gen. Alexis T. Lum the state's adjutant general, Alfred Los Banos the chairman of the advisory board on veterans services, Eugene M. Ban the vice president of M&E Pacific ine, Larry Ching the president of Highway Construction Company, and Lawrence S.K. Lee, director of the Office of Veterans Services. The program opened with a musical prelude conducted by Warrant Officer Gerald Nichols, bandmaster of the lllth Army Band of the Hawaii National Guard. The weleome address wasgiven

by Lawrence S.K. Lee. The nahonal and state anthems were played by the band. The invocation was given by Rev. William Kaina, pastor of Kawaiaha'o Church. Introduction of several speakers was made by Lee and remarks followed by Hon. Emelio S. Aleon, vice-speaker of the House of Representatives, Andrew Matsunaga, and David M. Peters. Following the governor's address the ground blessing was eonducted by Rev. William Kaina. The benediction was given by Rev. Terrance Watanabe, rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peaee. A medley of service songs was played to end the program and Iight refreshments were served to those gathered for the ceremony.