Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 6, 1 June 1993 — Admiral's justification for keeping Bellows falls short of reality [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Admiral's justification for keeping Bellows falls short of reality

by Rowena Akana T rustee-at-large The Commander in Chief for the U.S. Pacific. Command recently broke decades of military silence to elaim the land at Bellows Air Force Station is so vital to the Marines at Kāne'ohe MCAS that without it, he'd recommend they move to Califomia. Adm. Charles

Larson says this and more to counter claims made by Rep. Abercrombie, myself and others that Bellows belongs, and should return to, the Hawaiian eommunity. That kind of

talk, he impltes, might trigger decisions that would damage the islands' eeonomy. "Frankly, without an amphihious training site, the Marines (and I) would be hard-pressed to justify their continued presence at Kāne'ohe-especially since other states that do offer adequate training are [eager] to beef up and protect their own bases," the admiral writes.

He meant Camp Pendleton, where the land, resources and residents presumably are more accommodating. The 8,900member lst Marine Expeditionary Brigade could go there for its amphibious assaults and inland maneuvers, but then the Marines couldn't rest and recreate all over Windward O'ahu. Larson rationalizes the Bellows station "helps satisfy a major —3 morale and welfare

requirement." Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) at Kāne'ohe MCAS already provides the Marines with barbers, BayFests, bowling, child care, dining, disco,

golf, karaoke, pool tables, private surfing, sailing, scuba diving, shopping, swimming, tailors, a theatre and weight rooms to name a few subsidized perks. Does it also really need a l,500-acre, $88 million playground? Yes, the admiral says, and don't you forget the Marines contribute substantially to the loeal economy. His assumption, the media's foregone conclusion,

should be scrutinized. Since the armed services pay almost no property taxes for bases here, contributing to the loeal economy means leaving base and paying loeal prices. To avoid this "severe financial hardship" (the admiral's words), MWR strives to provide all the on-base eating, shopping and playing the military community will ever

m i 1 i t a r y chews out of the loeal economy in natural resources (aquifer stores, energy consumption and prime ceded soil), federal taxes (22.5 percent COLAs, subsidized off-base housing and commissary and exchange privileges) and loeal headaches (traffic eongestion, school overcrowding, environmental pollution and crime rate increases). It is at our own expense that Hawai'i residents subsidize the military industry's occupation of Hawaiian lands. If Bellows returned to a sovereign Hawaiian

nation, native Hawaiians could build a land base for a self-suffi-cient economy. The state has already zoned the land for 5,000 single-family units and an equal number of agricultural plots. A masterplanned community could also include cottage industries that would soften the blow the military threatens to deliver.

Hawaiians supporting themselves would relieve a tremendous burden on social service programs whieh cost us all iyThe admiral says the Marines might ship out if we don't shape up. Frankly, without enough affordable housing sites, Hawaiians would be hardpressed to tolerate the Marines' continued presence at Kāne'ohe-especialIy since native Hawaiians are eager to beef up and protect their own causes.

"I ean assure you that your military cherishes our special relationship with the people of Hawai'i," Larson wrote. "In the past 20 years at least nine military sites have been conveyed to the state or sold." Perhaps. But admiral, do you know of the military's special relationship with the indigenous people of Hawai'i? Hawaiians never asked you to eome, yet you eame. Hawaiians never gave you Bellows, yet you took it. Hawaiians never wanted you to dominate the economy, yet now you threaten to cripple it. Do us all a favor, give back Bellows. It's not yours and you

need |"lf Bellows returned to a sovereign one " ever Hawaiian nation, native Hawaiians bothered to could bui d a land base for a selfestimate the suffjcjent economy." s i z a b 1 e J ehunk the