On Wednesday, Vietnam Veterans Day, as America recognized the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, a group of dedicated veterans unveiled a new Vietnam War Memorial at the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery.
Representatives from veterans organizations, elected officials and community leaders were on hand for the dedication ceremony that included the tolling of the bell recognizing West Hawaii’s Vietnam War Killed in Action and their Gold Star families, remarks by Mayor Mitch Roth, Association Chairman Mel Behasa, Councilman Holeka Inaba, Angel Pilago and guest speaker James Hussey.
Hussey recounted the state of the country at the end of the war.
“There were no welcome home parades,” he said. “It was an unpopular war.”
He said those who served and survived brought home with them the scars of war, both physical and mental and continue to cary those scars today.
“To correct this shortcoming, veterans in Kona got together to form the association, raise funds and build the memorial,” he said. “You served and you made a difference.”
Kumu Keala Ching then blessed the memorial and his students from Konawaena Middle School performed a moving hula, concluding with the dedication and unveiling of the War Memorial.
In late 2021, a few Vietnam war veterans formed what is now the West Hawaii Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Association chaired by Mel Behasa to build a memorial in West Hawaii to stand as a symbol of honor the ultimate sacrifice and service to our county of the men and women who lost their lives and to promote healing and dignity to the surviving veterans of the Vietnam war. In 17 months, the association raised $75,000 and built the memorial.
The memorial’s highest honor focuses on the fifteen West Hawaii service members who were killed in action during the war, one of whom was Sergeant First Class Rodney Yano, the only Medal of Honor recipient from West Hawaii to have received this honor. The others include Herman Ban, John Cabrera, Joseph Gaa, Wayne Hedemann, Steve Johnson, Momi Kane, John Kauhaihao, Edward Loo, Randy Paro, Keith Puhi, Ernest Sakai, Thomas Salvatore, Glen Shibata and Samuel Solomon.
Behasa said the Association dedicates this new memorial to the devotion of duty of all those who answered the call to arms to serve during one of the most divisive wars in the United States history.
“After many Honor Guard Ceremonies at the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, it seemed like more and more Vietnam Veterans were passing away. We always assumed there must be plans to build a Vietnam Veteran War Memorial by the government,” said Behasa. “We later learned that it would take this dedicated group and the help of the community to make it happen. We hope that this memorial will inspire others to continue to build memorials at the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery.”
The memorial stands 6 feet high and 7 feet long and was constructed by noted cultural practitioner, master mason Billy Fields who served as a Marine in the Vietnam War.
The stonework is crafted from basalt rock. The memorial facial is constructed with a marbled green hued granite reminiscent to the group of how Vietnam looked from the air.
A brass plaque set on the memorial is a silhouette design in black of soldiers and helicopters in a tropical setting with a gold background.
Between the dates of the conflict, 1959 and 1975, are the Hawaiian words “Ku koa i ka makani makaha,” meaning to stand bravely in the fierce winds. The memorial plaque continues to describe the bravery, soldiers equipment and includes a map of Vietnam.
Mounted on the base of the Vietnam War Memorial are all the symbols of the US Military Armed Forces. Future plans include engraving the names, ranks, Date of Birth and Date of Death and hometowns of the 15 West Hawaii Vietnam War soldiers killed in action.