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With a quarter of its force either killed, wounded or declared missing during the World War II battles of Saipan and Tinian, the men of the 4th Marine Division returned to Kahului Harbor on Aug. 14, 1944 a far more somber group than the one that left four months earlier.
A marine who landed that day told us he would never forget the response of Maui's people. While training on the island, many of the marines had made friends and taken strides toward becoming part of the community. He said both acquaintances and strangers lined the roads all the way from the harbor to Camp Maui in Haiku. Standing silently, many of them wiping away tears, the Maui folks paid solemn respect to the shaken survivors and their fallen brothers.
The 4th Marine Division had less than six months to recuperate and take on reinforcements before sailing once again, this time to play a vital role in the amphibious assault of Iwo Jima. After a relentless naval bombing campaign, the invasion of Iwo Jima started on Feb. 19, 1945. The battle cost the Fighting Fourth 40 percent of its force, including 1,731 killed in action. In victory, it helped secure a valuable air base for U.S. forces just 750 miles off the coast of Japan.
This Memorial Day weekend, we honor all 1.3 million United States soldiers who died in battle through the decades. The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, was started in 1869 as a way to pay respect to the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers. Late May was chosen for the holiday because it was considered a time when flowers would be plentiful across the nation. Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971.
This Monday morning at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao, the people of Maui will once again gather to pay respects to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. A floral presentation at the cemetery's monuments is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. and be followed by a helicopter flower drop and dove release. The formal program starts at 9 a.m.
In preparation, Maui volunteers have been donating ti leaves and making lei for weeks, determined to make sure all 4,002 of the cemetery's graves is decorated. Saturday will see Maui Boy Scouts placing U.S. flags by every grave, while Girl Scouts will set out the lei on Sunday.
To those who attend Monday's event, we suggest including a quiet stroll through the cemetery. Find the headstones of soldiers from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion who died in their teens and early 20s far from home. Pay your respects to the Maui kids who left for Vietnam and Korea and never returned. For those unable to attend, please take a moment to remember the brave Americans whose lives were cut short far before their time.