Friday, October 25, 2013

75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor: Important Pioneer US Military Aviators Part Of Ewa Field

75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor:

Important Pioneer US Military Aviators 

Part Of Ewa Field History

By John Bond,  Ewa Historian
The very first Pacific CINCPAC commander, Admiral John Towers was personally involved in Ewa Mooring Mast decisions in early 1941 when the Ewa airship mooring mast (seen in photo with Navy Sec. James Forrestal and Col. Merritt, CO, Ewa Field,1941) was converted into an air traffic control tower. The Ewa Mooring Mast was originally built for the US Navy in 1925.

Left, Sec Navy Forrestal, (USS Forrestal), Col. Lewie Merritt and
Admiral John Towers, right.
Do the many Department of Defense workers at the PACOM command (US Pacific Command), know why PACOM's address (700 Elrod, Camp H.M. Smith) is on a street named Elrod Road?

Capt. Hank Elrod knew he wasn't likely going to make it out alive...
Capt. Hank Elrod, the first Pacific War Medal of Honor recipient, USMC aviator and infantry officer died in hand to hand combat on Wake island. Elrod's F4F Wildcats were delivered directly from Ewa Field to Wake Island by the USS Enterprise, (under command of Admiral Halsey) which sailed back  en route to Pearl Harbor where four Navy Enterprise SBD's were shot down by Japanese Zero's near Ewa Field on Dec. 7, 1941. Several other SBD's later made emergency landings at Ewa Field for gas and 500 pound bombs.
 

Admiral "Bull" Halsey meets with Col. Lewie Merritt in 1941 at Ewa Field.
Does anyone in the Navy or Marines know (or even care?) that it was Admiral Nimitz who directed Ewa Field to become a Marine Corps Air Station, rather than being absorbed into NAS Barbers Point?
This created the largest US Marine Corps aviation center and operations hub in the Pacific during WW-II. Few aviation Marines today even know or care about the history MCAS Ewa. Their minds are usually blank when the subject of MCAS Ewa comes up...Because it has been largely ERASED.

FMFPac was established by General 'Howling Mad' Smith in 1944 to assume command of USMC forces in the Pacific. Smith is seen here shaking hands with General Geiger at his FMFPac office at MCAS Ewa. Camp H.M. Smith is named for him. General Roy Geiger, a Marine aviation pioneer and only Marine to ever command a US Army, has a road in Ewa named for him.
Do the Marines at MARFORPAC, (US Marine Forces Pacific)  know that FMFPac staff was originally based at MCAS Ewa under US Marine pioneer aviator General Roy Geiger where the location of his HQ is still preserved today as part of the INTELLIGENT DESIGN of the Barbers Point Golf Course?
The layout of the Barbers Point Golf Course was designed by Lt.Cmdr. Wynn Junk, decorated Navy combat pilot, who knew exactly what he was doing when he preserved the ENTIRE 1941 Ewa Field as part of the Barbers Point Golf Course. This from a WW-II generation aviator who believed that the future US Navy and US Marines would remember this great historic site and the people associated with it.


The Barbers Point Golf Course was designed around the original 1941 Ewa Field and battlefield site using portions of the 1943-45 expansion of the base for the golf course links. Care was taken to protect key historic sites including the original MCAS Ewa officers club and FMFPac HQ of General Roy Geiger. Later Navy real estate operators ERASED all of the Ewa Field history to aid in the transfer to their Navy insider friends and created a fake memorial battlefield site.

The history of MCAS Ewa and the people associated with it was all ERASED for a real estate transaction deal arranged by Navy real estate insiders which will ultimately turn the entire base eventually over to Asian investors. Hunt Corp, the Navy insider recipient that makes $500 million in annual profits, seeks only MAXIMUM PROFIT and has already turned over part of the 1941-45 MCAS Ewa to a Korean-mainland China operation.

This is US tax-payer, American battlefield lands where Hunt Corp makes a massive corporate profit. Certain Hawaii politicians have benefitted greatly being the arrangers of this insider deal...

Also named by Lt.Cmdr. Wynn Junk (buried at Punchbowl National Cemetery) is the MCAS Ewa baseball field (Pride Field) in honor of Admiral Alfred Pride, US Navy pioneer of aircraft carrier operations and first WW-II commander of the Belleau Wood.
There is a reason for historic preservation and why American history belongs to the American people and public lands should not be just handed over to greedy corporate land developers who will ultimately sell their US Tax-Payer owned land to the highest bidder, most likely in today's market the mainland Chinese.

This means mainland china and communist military buyers will own an American battlefield next to historic Pearl Harbor naval base. This is the ultimate greedy sell-out of the United States and the cultural history that belongs to the American people- who get NOTHING in return for this sell-out! 
This in itself is one of the greatest scams ever perpetrated against the American people- that past important cultural history is being trashed by careless US Navy and US Marines approving the land sales to their future enemy. Corporate profiteers only care about money in their pockets, and this has been repeated many times in Hawaii- now with vast lands handed over to a single Texas corporation.
John Bond
Ewa Historian

Highways planned through the middle of the 1941 Ewa Battlefield, originally intended to be preserved by the navy designers decades ago. But today its part of a big land sell-out to benefit only a very small insider group of US tax-payer own public land profiteers!

****************************************************

"We were surprised when we heard about this because the Marines, we're deep, deep in the history of our Corps, and we'd never heard of this air station," said Richard Pittman, 67, visitor to Ewa Field and US Marine Medal of Honor recipient.

"This is history, and you are not going to find a site like this that is isolated like this," "I'm standing on history right now." - Jay Vargas, another Medal of Honor recipient.



According to Ewa Field historical research, at least 11 Medals of Honor were awarded to Marine pilots who trained at the combat airfield, home to many famous squadrons.



'Forgotten' Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu




 

Medal of Honor Recipients at former MCAS Ewa - KHON TV News


http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013/05/medal-of-honor-recipients-at-former.html



Island Images: Medal of Honor - MCAS Ewa Field Medal of Honor Photos


http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013/04/island-images-medal-of-honor-mcas-ewa.html



Gathering of the brave - US Marines Medal of Honor visit MCAS Ewa Field to pay respects to fallen Marine aviation heroes


http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013/04/gathering-of-brave-us-marines-medal-of.html



Heroes at Hawaii's Ewa Field defended against Japan attack


Daniel Martinez, chief historian of the USS Arizona Memorial, told the crowd that 'Ewa Field was the birth of Marine aviation in the Pacific "and that is why this place is important." …Ewa Field is "Sacred Ground."

http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013/07/Japanese-Attack-Ewa-Field.html



MCAS Ewa Field - home base for eleven Medal of Honor recipient pilots


http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013/07/MCAS-Ewa-Medal-Of-Honor-Pilots.html



Developers have WWII airfield in their sights


http://www.stripes.com/developers-have-wwii-airfield-in-their-sights-1.230136



Roadways which will FOREVER LIVE IN INFAMY?


http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html











More Links:


 










Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Ewa, Ewa Beach, HI, USA

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor: The Unknown Ewa Battlefield, December 7, 1941

75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor:




The Unknown Ewa Battlefield, December 7, 1941

Nearly everyone today knows the story of "Pearl Harbor" and what happened.
But that story largely neglects what happened in West Oahu- not just at Ewa Field and Ewa Plantation Village, where 40 planes were destroyed- four Marines and two civilians killed, and 65 reported wounded at local hospitals. Fort Barrette was also attacked by Japanese planes, killing one soldier and wounding others.

Or the air combat that saw five Japanese planes shot down- and the still largely unknown story of 8 Navy SBD's from the USS Enterprise that were also shot down in West Oahu, killing 11 officers and crewmen, as well as the two private planes shot down by Japanese Zero's carrying three West Oahu Army soldiers.

The Ewa West Oahu Battlefield (approximate) total is:
11 Navy pilots and crewmen killed (SBD's and Wildcats)
4 Marines killed (Ground) and many combat wounded
4 Army soldiers killed (3 Air, 1 Ground by strafing)
2 Civilians killed (Ground) and many dozens wounded...
22 U.S combat deaths.
Including the Japanese air crews- around 10
Overall total: 32 killed in Ewa-West Oahu on December 7, 1941.

There is also the very real possibility that the first ground combat of the Pacific War was fought right on the Ewa coastline- a Japanese pilot who held out for two days before finally being killed because he wouldn't surrender.

People know today how bad the Pearl Harbor attack was- but it could have been far worse. The USS Enterprise (CV-6) had gone to Wake Island to drop off Ewa Field Marine Fighter Squadron 211 (VMF-211), and was due back at Pearl on 6 December, but a storm slowed her progress back. If the Enterprise had been sunk at Pearl Harbor, this would have been a very great victory for Japan, and could have significantly altered the Battle of Midway, where the Enterprise aircraft helped sink many of the Japanese carriers and aircraft that had attacked Pearl Harbor.

While the Enterprise did not make it Pearl on December 6, Admiral Halsey decided to send ahead Scouting Squadron 6, nine pairs of SBD-2 dive bombers, mostly from Scout Squadron Six, but including a few planes from Bomb Squadron Six. The planes were to maintain radio silence, search for enemy ships and then land at Ford Island. These planes began arriving along the Ewa coastline at the exact same time that waves of Japanese planes were flying down the same Ewa coastline. The result was one of the least known stories of December 7, 1941.

Coincidently, also arriving from the opposite direction- all unknown to each of the other parties, were a large flight of B-17's from California. And once the attack started, P-40's from Haleiwa Airfield arrived in the same Ewa area as Japanese planes were attacking Ewa Field. The result was one of the most bizarre air combat events of the Pacific War, and it all happened over Ewa, West Oahu.

Meanwhile Japanese began attacking Ewa Marines flown to Wake Island...






'Forgotten' Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Ewa, Ewa Beach, HI, USA

Thursday, August 8, 2013



Preserving 'Ewa Marine Corps field

an uphill struggle


By William Cole Advertiser Columnist   June 30, 2008

'Forgotten' Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu




 



'Ewa Beach resident John Bond hasn't given up on his struggle to gain preservation of Marine Corps Air Corps Station 'Ewa, one of the first battlefields of U.S. involvement in World War II on Dec. 7, 1941, but he knows he's up against some powerful players with other ideas.

"Despite the recommendations that the 'Ewa Marine Corps Air Field qualifies for the National Historic Register, qualifies for national monument status, qualifies for national battlefield status and the National Battlefield Protection Program," Bond said, the Navy has other plans.

Japanese Zero fighters strafed the nearly 50 Marine aircraft at 'Ewa Field before the first raid on Pearl Harbor minutes later. Four Marines were killed during three waves of attacks.

Joel Fujita, who's now 88, remembers being on the roof of his parents' 'Ewa Plantation home about 50 yards from the base front gate. He and three brothers climbed up on the roof to see what they initially thought was a training exercise.

"A Zero fighter came over. You could see the canopy open," Fujita said. "He was waving to us, so we waved back, and about five minutes later, a plane came back and started to strafe in front of our house."

Bond, an amateur historian who has done a lot of research into 'Ewa Field, said he's pursuing a suggestion from Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Emory, who was onboard the USS Honolulu, for 'Ewa Field to become a new national veterans cemetery.

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl has no more space for in-ground burials.

Bond is trying to rally last-minute support as the Navy, which owns the 'Ewa Field land, finalizes plans to lease to Ford Island Properties 499 acres for 40 years with an option to take title to the property.

A chunk of that land includes the old 'Ewa Field runways.

The Navy said the lease still is being negotiated, with an agreement expected by the end of August. Ford Island Properties is part of the Hunt Development Group.

Steve Colon, president of the Hawai'i division of the Hunt Development Group, previously said in a statement that the Kalaeloa land "offers an opportunity to create needed jobs near the urban center of Kapolei," but added that specific plans had not been made for its use.

Bond believes Hunt will build shopping centers and expensive homes on the land, which abuts Barbers Point Golf Course.

The Navy had said 4 to 5 acres at the center of the old runways are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, but Bond wants a bigger chunk of the old base preserved.

There's not much left to see of the airfield, with only foundation outlines, a Quonset hut and concrete building or two standing, but the original runways are still there. Dozens of arched concrete aircraft revetments remain on a separate portion of the base.

Bond's development concerns for the area are evident in plans like the final lease agreement that recently was signed to bring as a neighbor to 'Ewa Field a big shopping center.

The agreement was announced by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Tampa, Fla.-based Hawai'i DeBartolo LLC. The center, called Ka Makana Ali'i, will have 1.6 million square feet of commercial space.

Fujita recalls a very different time, when Marines in 1941 used to walk over and wait in the family's front yard for the bus to town.

"We had four good friends, Marine pilots, and we used to do their laundry," Fujita said.

He also remembers during the Dec. 7 attack a Marine wounded and in bandages coming into the street with a rifle looking for Japanese infiltrators.

Larry Galola wrote in to say photos of the concrete aircraft revetments brought back memories of when they were used as bomb shelters for elementary students during the early 1950s.

"I attended Barbers Point Elementary School back then and it was located on the edge of the airfield. During the Cold War bomb drills we walked to those revetments and took shelter there," he said. "I also recall exploring all the old abandoned WWII bunkers as a kid living on base."




 













  

Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA




 ENDANGERED LIST INCLUDES HICKAM AREA, 

KALAELOA'S 'EWA FIELD


Group fights to preserve historic military sites


By William Cole Advertiser Military Writer November 5, 2008

Two military properties are included on the Historic Hawai'i Foundation's annual list of most endangered historic places in the state, a concern that the organization said can be overcome by preservation and re-use.

The Fort Kamehameha Historic District of 33 early-1900s homes, a general store house, battery Hawkins annex, bandstand, chapel and flagpole at Hickam Air Force Base are being examined by the service for demolition or lease, or movement of the structures elsewhere.

At Kalaeloa, meanwhile, large portions of the former Marine Corps Air Station 'Ewa, hit by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, are being transferred by the Navy to Texas-based developer Hunt Companies, earning a second spot on the Historic Hawai'i Foundation list for the military because of demolition concerns.

Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of the foundation, said there are ready-made answers to the preservation issues.

The State Historic Preservation Division would like to take over the Fort Kamehameha Historic District, using several of the homes for offices and the others for the storage of iwi, or bones, and other items, officials said.

In the case of 'Ewa Field, historically significant areas can be incorporated into future development plans, Faulkner said.

"Those are fairly straightforward and easy solutions," Faulkner said.

The last Shinto Shrine on Maui and the oldest buildings at the century-old University of Hawai'i campus also are on the foundation's list of the state's most endangered historic sites for 2008.

"The nine sites vary by historic era, architectural style and original purpose," Faulkner said. "But they all contribute to our understanding of Hawai'i's history. The historic places we preserve, and the people whose stories they tell, make Hawai'i what it is."

Faulkner said the list is intended to draw attention to threats to historic places from neglect, natural disaster or deliberate demolition, and to encourage community action to reverse those threats.

The 2008 list includes six locations on O'ahu, and one each on Moloka'i, Kaua'i and Maui.

Faulkner said military bases are under orders from the Defense Department to reduce their inventory and footprint of property deemed "excess."

"All of the military is under tremendous pressure to reduce their inventory and their maintenance costs because all of the money is going to the wars," Faulkner said.

"The military owns and manages and is steward of some of the most important historic resources in Hawai'i, and they do not have the money to take care of them."

In the case of the Fort Kamehameha Historic District, the Air Force is putting together an environmental impact statement to examine the ramifications of demolishing, leasing or moving the homes.

According to the Air Force, the Defense Department in 1984 determined that the housing and associated structures in Fort Kamehameha were eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Air Force said all of the homes were constructed in about 1916, and that "the handmade appearance of the homes in the shoreline setting manifests the rural lifestyle of the era."

The homes were vacated by August, Faulkner said, after the Air Force determined that living in the homes was a safety hazard because of their proximity to runways at Honolulu International Airport.

The Air Force said the majority of the Fort Kamehameha housing is within a mile to a mile and a half of the runways, which places it in an "Accident Potential Zone 1" safety zone.

Faulkner said several of the homes are outside the accident zone, and the State Historic Preservation Division wants to use those as offices. Nancy McMahon, the state's deputy historic preservation officer, said most of the buildings would be used as "curation facilities."

At Kalaeloa, the Navy plans to transfer 499 acres to Ford Island Properties, including a large portion of 'Ewa Field, one of the first U.S. bases to be attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.

Ford Island Properties is part of the Texas-based Hunt Companies.

The State Historic Preservation Division, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Historic Hawai'i Foundation all have raised red flags over the land transfer, saying more needs to be done to preserve the history of the military land.

'Ewa Beach historian John Bond wants to preserve portions of the Marine Corps air station, but Ford Island Properties' plans for the land remain unclear.

Japanese fighters attacked 'Ewa Field minutes before Pearl Harbor, and four Marines were killed.

Bond is trying to line up support for a preservation plan.

"I'd say we're making a lot of unofficial, good progress," Bond said. "We haven't yet made the
official progress."













 


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA


Group wants to save WWII history from demolition
By Zahid Arab Jun 08, 2008





EWA BEACH (KHNL) - Many here in Hawaii and around the country can never forget the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That deadly ambush, killed thousands and has been immortalized in pictures and film. But now a local group says an important area involved in the attack is in danger of being destroyed. 

It's a place where many marines lost their lives after a steady Japanese attack.

The Ewa Marine Corps Air Field has been untouched since the war and while some consider it forgotten, others call it a fixture in American history.

  "They basically shot up all of the planes that were right here. Destroyed most of them and then continued onto Pearl Harbor," said John Bond.

Historian John Bond says the old Ewa Field is often confused with Barbers Point Naval Air Station.

  "As the planes kept coming in and bombing different fields and everything they would come back to this area rotate and then keep shooting everything that moved," Bond said.

Once a target of fire, Ewa Field is now the target of demolition. A private commercial development company takes over the land's lease in July.

  "That group can basically come out here and bulldoze this field completely because they don't have to abide by anything in their lease other than the fact that they can do whatever they want out here," Bond said.
Nearly 70-years after the attack, this building that was said to be used for Ammunition storage is virtually the only building that remains here at Ewa Field. A piece of history that may soon fade fast.

" There really is a very short clock running on this place right now. If it's not saved this place could be lost in a matter of weeks," Bond said.

  The last time anyone's used the field was back in the late 40's, but Bond says the memories here are not forgotten.

" Those guys that served and died out here deserve some recognition they shouldn't be swept under the rug because literally that's what's happened here," Bond said.  For this historian it's a hope to create a path to protect this piece of American history.

  President Bush ordered an investigation into designating Pearl Harbor and other historic World War II sites a national monument. Bond says he's asking everyone to contact their Congressman and urge them to protect Ewa Field.

Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA

 Most Endangered Historic Sites in Hawaii

This annual list, compiled by the Historic Hawaii Foundation, in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Division, selects some of Hawaii’s most endangered historic places.


HONOLULU MAGAZINE / NOVEMBER 2008 / 9 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC SITES IN HAWAII

MICHAEL KEANY

 
Ewa Field

(Ewa, Oahu)

• What is it?

Originally established in 1925 as a Navy field for airships—yes, dirigibles—this military site was used only sporadically until early 1941, when the Marine Corps converted it into an active airfield as World War II heated up around the world. When the Japanese fighter pilots buzzed in close on Dec. 7, they were able to destroy or badly damage almost 50 aircraft, and kill four Marines. The field itself was left relatively unscathed, and continued to play an important role in training and deploying Marines during the war. "There’s a cultural history here that’s hugely important," says historian John Bond. "Ewa Field is directly tied into the key battles of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to Wake Island to Midway." Ewa Field was officially decommissioned in 1952. Today, the airfield sits empty, overgrown with grass and kiawe trees.

 

• What threatens it?

As we went to press, the Navy, which had owned the property, transferred 499 acres of Kalaeloa land, including parcels containing the former Marine Corps Air Station, to private developer Ford Island Properties, a subsidiary of

Texas-based Hunt Companies. The transfer went through without the historic resource inventory analysis requested by the state Historic Preservation Division, a survey that would have cataloged the historically significant architectural, archaeological and cultural elements of the property. Ford Island Properties hasn’t made public its intentions for the land, but given its prime location near the Barbers Point Golf Course and the 67-acre shopping center being planned by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, it’s safe to say it will make an attractive site for development.

• What can be done?

It’s not too late for an inventory of Ewa Field’s historic elements. Ideally, Ford Island Properties and the HCDA will work together with the community on development plans for the area to include the preservation of Ewa Field. Says Bond, "I’m not against Hunt or anyone developing here, I just want to protect what historically we think is important here."


 















Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Major Dishonor: Honolulu City Council Bill 65 Will Forever Live In INFAMY

Honolulu City Council Bill 65 Will DESTROY

Historic Dec 7 Ewa Battlefield, Hawaiian Railway Yard

and 1942 Aircraft Revetments

Does the Honolulu City Council REALLY want these roadways which will
FOREVER LIVE IN INFAMY?

Dear Councilmembers,

I oppose Bill 65 putting into law road plans that will allow Hunt Development Corp to run roads through the historic Ewa Field December 7, 1941 battlefield. There are well documented and previously advised alternative road routes that will meet all traffic needs for this area well into the future. This bill isn't for "guidance"- this is a legal transfer of road right-of-ways to land developers anxious to destroy these historic sites using Bill 65.

This roadway plan is purely for land developer speculation purposes and the intent is to destroy the historic integrity of this December 7, 1941 battlefield, the adjacent 1890's Hawaiian narrow gauge railway yard and museum, and the 1942 fighter aircraft revetments. These NEW roads are not needed at all and existing historic roads can be expanded to meet all future traffic needs in the decades ahead.

This is a travesty to the US Marines who died in battle at this location and I object to this US government property, leased to Hunt Corporation, being used for these land speculation schemes. This area needs to be preserved as an open space historic site and memorial to the Marines killed there on December 7, 1941. Three neighborhood boards and the Hawaii State legislature passed resolutions supporting full preservation of MCAS Ewa.

National Park Service Pearl Harbor Historian Daniel Martinez calls the December 7, 1941 Ewa Field "Sacred Ground." The National Park Service has publically stated that Ewa Battlefield has historic battlefield integrity in a 2011 battlefield survey.


The Ewa Neighborhood Board in 2008 passed unanimously a resolution advocating for the preservation of MCAS Ewa Air Field and making it an Historic Landmark and National American Battlefield. This was followed by a very similar preservation resolution also being passed by the Waipahu Neighborhood Board and the Kailua Neighborhood Board.
In 2009 the Hawaii State Legislature (House and Senate) passed HCR-49, calling for the full preservation of MCAS Ewa as a National Monument, Museum and Restored Park and nomination to the State and Federal Historic Registers.
There have been annual Ewa Field battlefield commemoration ceremonies every year at this very same site that Bill 65 intends to destroy, including in October 2012 honoring the 12 MCAS Ewa Field combat pilots awarded the Medal of Honor. This Ewa Field event was attended by 8 living US Marine Medal of Honor recipients. Honorary Certificate presentations from the Honolulu City Council were made and there was an official proclamation dedicating the week to the Medal of Honor recipients on behalf of the City Council.
It seems now the Honolulu City Council is highly influenced by developer money and wants to go down in American history for their dishonor and defilement of this sacred battlefield.


SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MORE ABOUT THIS AND
 SEE OUR OTHER BLOG POSTS

These roads are NOT NEEDED! Existing historic roads- Roosevelt Avenue can be expanded to four lanes and Coral Sea Road can also be expanded to four lanes, providing all of the East-West and North-South access needed in future decades for the Ewa Community. These NEW roads are purely for land speculation and these are federally owned, US tax-payer lands, not private property.
There is almost NO HISTORIC PROTECTION in Hawaii as the State has the absolute WORST (and very well documented) historic preservation "SHPO" office which has been threatened with closure for years because extremely bad mismanagement and lack of preservation integrity. The SHPD administrator recently resigned after widespread calls for her to leave. But the State of Hawaii is run by politicians that are only interested developer kickbacks, not public interest and land preservation- even for an American battlefield.

Former MCAS Ewa is located by historic Ewa Village Plantation, on the State Historic Register, with the nearby Oahu Railway and Museum, on the National Historic Register, and with a likely future National WW-II Battlefield designation.


1925 Ewa Mooring Mast Field (later MCAS Ewa Field) is one of the very oldest historic aviation sites and airfields in the State of Hawaii.

 
National Park Historian Daniel Martinez calls the December 7, 1941
Ewa Field Battlefield "Sacred Ground."

 
Significant oral history testimony has been collected from Ewa Village residents, many of whom are still alive, detailing the extensive air and ground battle over and around Ewa Field and Ewa Village on December 7, 1941.

 














In 1944 FDR toured MCAS Ewa Field in a convertible sedan, also carrying General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.


MCAS Ewa is famous as the home of many famous WW-II Corsair Squadrons


12 Medal of Honor winning combat pilots came out of MCAS Ewa Field


"Pappy" Boyington is one of MCAS Ewa's famous pilot alumni, which also includes aviation legend Charles Lindbergh who trained at MCAS Ewa in 1944. Others include baseball legend Ted Williams, a US Marine Corsair pilot.

 
National Register EWA FIELD (1925-1942)

        o        (Includes Approximately 2/3 of the FAA Site)
        o        Perimeter Property Line / Former Fence Line (1925 -1942)
        o        Southwest Extension to Main Ewa Field Runway (1941)
        o        Former Main Hangar 123 Bldg. Platform (1941)
        o        Hawaiian Habitation Complex (State No. 3721) (Just inside Perimeter Line)
        o        Sisal Walls Remnant (State No. 3722) (Just outside the Perimeter Line)

National Register MCAS EWA (1942-1952)

        o        (Includes Approx. 1/3 of the FAA Site)
        o        Perimeter Property Line / Former Fence Line
        o        Bldg. 137, Former Communications Splinter-proof Structure (ca. 1943)
        o        Bldg. 1146 Hangar (1944)
        o        Bldg. 1546 Operational Storage & Electrical Shop, Quonset hut) (ca 1943)
        o        Anti-Aircraft Battery WWII (State No. 5096)
        o        Anti-Aircraft Complex Remnants (State No. 5097)
        o        WWII Housing Complex Remnants (State No. 5099)
        o        Potential Former 5" Anti-Aircraft Gun Site, (Location South of Runway)
        o        Sinkhole Complex, near and along Coral Rd. (State No. 5094)
        o        Sinkhole Complex (State No. 5198)

--    MCAS Ewa Cold War Era Structures (1962-1999)
--    Pride baseball Field – MCAS Ewa and later NASBP  (1941-1999)


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)