The Great Hawaiian Live‑Fire Face‑Off: Bombs, Burials & Bureaucracy

-

HONOLULU — Nothing says “strategic readiness” quite like a battalion firing live munitions over ancient burial grounds—except, perhaps, fireworks on your great‑grandmother’s headstone. 

Welcome to Pōhakuloa, the only high‑altitude plateau in Hawaii hot enough for artillery drills yet sacred enough to give every kula (school) kid second thoughts. 

The U.S. military wants to keep this 17% slice of state land—its lease expires in 2029—to stay primed for a hypothetical showdown with Asia’s heavy hitters. 

But Native Hawaiians say enough is enough: “They have bombed and contaminated not just our land but our waters,” fumes Healani Sonoda‑Pale of Ka Lāhui Hawaii. “When does this end?”

Drama on the Range

Pōhakuloa Training Area sprawls across 200 square miles between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. 

It’s home to endangered catchfly shrubs, ancient kii statues discovered in lava tubes, and the Muʻumuʻu‑clad descendants of tool‑grinding Hawaiians. 

Yet the Army insists it’s the perfect spot to launch troops “into key terrain,” as Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees put it, “to deter adversaries like China—because nothing says ‘Back off!’ like a Howitzer salute.”

Past Misfires and Fuel Spills

Skeptics point to a checkered track record:

  • The Navy turned Kahoolawe into a post‑Pearl Harbor bombing buffet, leaving live grenades behind.

  • A 2021 jet‑fuel leak in Pearl Harbor forced 6,000 residents to treat rashes and poisoned aquifers, prompting a $1.2 billion lawsuit.

  • Makua Valley’s live‑fire drills sparked wildfires and incinerated sacred ‘ōhi‘a groves until 2004’s court‑ordered ceasefire.

With history like this, Native Hawaiians treat every briefing as an excuse to break out the sunscreen—because it’s going to get hot and messy.

Cultural Casualties

Pōhakuloa isn’t just target practice real‑estate; it’s a spiritual corridor where ancient quarries once supplied basalt for fishhooks and adzes. 

When Army crews stumbled upon wooden burial figures last year, state preservationists hailed them as “among Hawaii’s most significant archaeological finds.” 

Yet a May 9 land board meeting rejected the Army’s Environmental Impact Statement, citing “inadequate inventories” of unexploded ordnance and human remains—because nothing ruins a good day of target practice like accidentally tweezing for ancient ancestors.

Land‑Swap or Land‑Grab?

The Army’s next move could be an appeal or a land swap—if they can negotiate past Hawaii’s legislature (two‑thirds approval required!). 

Alice Roberts, Army Pacific’s land‑retention guru, admits buying the land is “a big hurdle.” 

Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Green floated the idea of eminent domain, though Rep. Jill Tokuda insists she’s heard no official drumroll on seizing sacred grounds. 

Instead, Tokuda urges the Army to double down on stewardship, using military muscle to build housing and bolster Oahu’s stressed water systems.

Aloha ʻĀina or Aloha Armor?

Kaialiʻi Kahele, chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and veteran Air Guard officer, sums it up: “We have to get to a point where you do training and then you clean up your mess.” 

He calls for community benefits—maybe a promise of new schools or a catchfly conservation fund—“a model that respects ʻāina, respects this place and its culture.”

The Battle Ahead

As lease negotiations heat up faster than a Howitzer blast, Pōhakuloa stands at a crossroads: sacrificial target range or shared sacred site? 

With 2029 looming and emotional testimony still echoing in board chambers, one thing’s certain: this showdown isn’t over until every last shell is counted—or every last elder is heard.


Please support my writing by donating $1 at https://buymeacoffee.com/doublejeopardynews


#PohakuloaStandoff
#SacredTargetPractice
#BombsVsBurials
#AlohaAinaFirst
#KaLahuiSaysNo
#ArmyLease2029
#LandSwapDrama
#FuelLeakFlashback
#KahoolaweLessons
#MakuaValleyMemories
#HONOLULUHeat
#StewardshipNotShells
#MajGenBartholomees
#HealaniSpeaks
#KaheleForCleanup

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Please Help Find These Forgotten Girls Held at Male Juvenile Prison for Over a Year!

-
Image
  MY MOST IMPORTANT STORY  Dozens of Forgotten Little Girls Held at Male Juvenile Prison for Over a Year! Welcome to the Sunshine State, where the palm trees sway, the alligators lurk, and the legislative process makes Kafka look like a life coach!  Florida House Bill HB21 . Not just a compensation bill but possibly a 20 million dollar "Stay out of Jail Free" card for some folks. This is a bill that does some good—but also trips over its own shoelaces, falls down a staircase, and lands on a historical oversight so big, it might as well have its own zip code! An oversight that overlooks what I consider to be its most vulnerable victims! The Setup: Justice with a Catch HB21 was enacted on July 1, 2024 to compensate victims of abuse from two male juvenile detention facilities located in Florida, Dozier and Okeechobee.  It says, “Hey, survivors of abuse between 1940 and 1975, here’s some compensation for the horrific things you endured!” Sounds good, right? Like a...
Read more

Here's A New HOA Rule Dictating What You Can Do Inside Your Home

-
Image
HOA Overreach: When Your Own Home Isn’t Really Your Own The joys of homeownership—the American dream!  That magical place where you can paint the walls any color you like, blast your music (within reason), and enjoy the simple pleasure of—wait, never mind..... Turns out, your HOA might have something to say about what you do inside your own four walls. Case in point: A longtime homeowner, who has peacefully lived in his residence for 25 years, was blindsided when his HOA suddenly banned smoking inside individual homes.  That’s right—after a quarter-century of no issues, he was informed that lighting up indoors was no longer an option.  The new rule, passed at the HOA’s annual meeting by a majority vote, now restricts smoking to a designated outdoor area. Now, while some might see this as a health-conscious decision, the homeowner—whose wife is a smoker—sees it as an unfair overreach.  In a letter to a local publication, he expressed frustration, writing, “I’ve live...
Read more

Postal Police Stuck Behind ‘Keep Out’ Signs While Mailmen Face Muggers: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!!

-
Image
As crime against letter carriers surges, one would think that America’s armed, uniformed Postal Police might be hitting the streets to protect our mail.  Instead, they’re still glued to their post office entrances like sentries guarding Fort Frownmore.  Why?  Because since 2020, the Postmaster General decreed they must “protect postal property” only—meaning, they currently serve as glorified lobby bouncers rather than actual roaming guardians of the mailstream. “ They’re robbing letter carriers, they’re sticking a gun in a letter carrier’s face and they’re demanding arrow keys, ” laments Frank Albergo , president of the National Postal Police Union and a Postal Police Officer himself.  An "arrow key" in the context of the Post Office is a specialized, universal key that postal workers use to access various locked mail receptacles, including collection boxes, apartment mailboxes, and cluster boxes. Albergo isn’t exaggerating—research shows over 100 physical assaul...
Read more