WWII memorial to be installed at veterans cemetery

The World War II Veterans Memorial will soon sit in between the Korean War Memorial (left) and the World War I Memorial at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao. The dedication of the World War II Veterans Memorial will be held at 8:30 a.m. May 29.
Maui veterans are hoping the World War II Veterans Memorial will be up at the Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao by next week.
The 4 1/2-foot-tall marble piece with gold inscriptions and a replica of the World War II Victory Medal at the top will be the third memorial at the cemetery, placed between the World War I and the Korean War memorials.
“It’s about time. It’s something we, the Maui Sons and Daughters of Nisei Veterans . . . should have taken upon ourselves a long time ago,” said Leonard Oka, president of the nonprofit group that honors the many nisei, or second-generation Japanese-Americans, who fought in the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team/100th Infantry Battalion and other units.
Oka served on a special World War II monument committee led by the Maui County Veterans Council and Royal Vida, an 87-year-old Korean War veteran. The memorial honors veterans who fought in the Pacific and European theaters and residents and “transplants from the Mainland,” said Oka and Vida on Monday.
Vida expects to place the memorial on its marble slab May 24.

An replica of the World War II Victory Medal will be featured on the World War II Veterans Memorial to be dedicated May 29 at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao.
Its official unveiling is set for 8:30 a.m. May 29, prior to the annual Memorial Day service at the cemetery. The Baldwin High School Band will offer a prelude to the unveiling ceremony at 8 a.m.
Elena Walker, events coordinator for the Maui County Veterans Council, is searching for World War II veterans and their families.
“It’s such a beautiful thing. We really want to get the community involved,” she said.
World War II veterans will likely be in their 90s, Walker said. Even someone who enlisted at age 18 when the war began in 1941 would be 94.
If needed, Walker will try to arrange transportation for World War II veterans to the ceremony. Call her at 357-0274.
The annual Memorial Day ceremony will follow at 9 a.m. There will be music, a floral tribute, guest speakers, a 10,000 flower drop, color guard, a gun salute and the playing of taps. The ceremony also will mark a 50-year Vietnam War anniversary associated with the American troop buildup in Southeast Asia.
The United States officially entered World War II by declaring war on Japan the day after the Axis power attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Days later, the other Axis countries, Germany and Italy, declared war on the U.S. Italy surrendered unconditionally on Sept. 8, 1943; Germany on May 7, 1945; and Japan on Sept. 2, 1945, ending the war.
The World War II Memorial was made possible by a $5,000 grant from Maui County, said Vida. Although he is a Korean War veteran, he was asked to lead the World War II Memorial committee because he was involved in the Korean War Memorial in the cemetery.
“We veterans, so we got to help each other,” Vida said.
Korean War veterans on Maui created their monument marking their service to the country in 2007, Vida said. Korean War veterans spearheaded the World War I memorial at the cemetery dedicated in 2010.
For the Korean War Memorial, Vida said some of their members found a large rock at the old plantation camp called Camp 1 in Sprecklesville.
“(It) was laying on the road. Just what we wanted,” Vida said of the rock that looked like a mountain. “That reminded us of Korea, all the mountains.”
The World War I Memorial also has a large rock and a plaque.
Vida and other veterans envision a line of memorials commemorating each war at the cemetery. A Vietnam War memorial is in the works, officials with veterans groups said.
The memorials are not only meant for the veterans and those who have died but also for future generations. Instead of just reading a book, the memorials at the cemetery offer a reminder of history.
“It’s not only for us (but) the next generation coming up,” Vida said.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
- An replica of the World War II Victory Medal will be featured on the World War II Veterans Memorial to be dedicated May 29 at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao.