Showing posts with label Medal of Honor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medal of Honor. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Navy Renamed MCAS Ewa Roads From Marine Heroes To Navy Ships

Changing the Name of Roosevelt Ave

The City council voted to change the name of Roosevelt Ave to  ???

A really DIRTY DEAL by Tupola. Just because a few people in Wakea Apts complained the name was to long to receive their mail. Everyone also uses FDR and FD Roosevelt which are on the street signs.

I think Tupola was paid off by Hunt because they are constantly smashing and tearing down historic buildings and sites for their real estate developments.

They are also targeting the Hawaiian Railway and scheming how to get HRS
removed to build a major highway through the rail yard.

Tupola's reasons very bogus. You will likely find a "donation" by Hunt to
Tupola. This was passed by the City Council in just one meeting. No consulting the Ewa Community! It is all very shady. Hunt benefits by renaming streets, like also knocking down the NASBP memorial, etc. It's all about their development schemes.

In 1944 during the visit of FDR, MacArthur and Nimitz I was 6 years old going on 7.  Without warning sirens blared and along came a large open topped limo with the three wartime chiefs.  A friend hoisted me on his shoulders so I could get a better view.  Due to wartime conditions the route was unannounced as was the time when they came passing by.  Memories of my past.  Bob Paoa

I called the City DPP guy in charge of this and he said that the Police and Fire Departments do not see any good reason to change the name of the avenue named for the US Wartime Commander in Chief. Especially because it is associated directly with his very historic visit to MCAS Ewa in 1944 with Gen. MacArthur and Adm. Nimitz. The local street signs already are named "Roosevelt Ave." and "FD Roosevelt Ave." And anyone can use this abbreviation in their USPS address.
They are also checking with the USPS which will most likely concur. John Bond

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Road names now in Kalaeloa were RENAMED in the 1960's after the Navy took over former MCAS Ewa. The roads were built by US Marines in WW-II and named for US Marine pilots killed in action and awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

Ceremonies were held at MCAS Ewa dedicating these roads during WW-II to forever honor and remember the pilots who gave their lives and awarded the nation’s highest military honor- the Medal of Honor.

These roadway names were discarded after the 1952 closure of MCAS Ewa when the Navy assumed control of the former Marine base. NAS Barbers Point was eventually returned back to state use in 1999 and the Navy names retained by default.

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Original US Marine Corps WW-II base road name: Fleming Road,
named for Richard E. Fleming, killed in action, Battle of Midway 1942, from Ewa Field, awarded Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt to his mother.

Name today: Philippine Sea - A large WW-II Navy Battle but no direct connection with Hawaii history or local military history.

TheBus still uses the Fleming Road in their route maps.

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Original US Marine Corps WW-II base road name: Bauer Road,
named for Harold W. Bauer, killed in action, Battle of Midway 1942, from Ewa Field, awarded Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

Name today: Vinson Road - Carl Vinson a United States Representative from Georgia who obtained a lot of congressional funds to build Navy ships. No direct connection with Hawaii history or local military history.

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Original US Marine Corps WW-II base road name: Elrod Road
named for Henry T. Elrod, killed in action, in the defense of Wake Island 1941, from Ewa Field, awarded Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

Name today: Bismarck Sea - A large WW-II Navy Battle but no direct connection With Hawaii history or local military history.

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Original US Marine Corps WW-II base road name: Hanson Road,
named for Robert M. Hanson, a top air ace, killed in action, 1944, from Ewa Field, awarded Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

Name today: Essex Road - A popular Navy ship name which goes back Essex County, Massachusetts named for sailing frigate launched in 1799. No direct connection with Hawaii history or local military history.


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Since 1954, city law has established four criteria for naming NEW streets:

1. The Hawaiian names, words or phrases must be 'appropriate' to cultural, scenic, and topographic features
2. There must be no duplication in spelling, or similarity in sound from existing street names
3. Street names cannot exceed 18 characters (in order to fit on the street sign)
4. Street names must be spelled with diacritical markings

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Controversy about renaming streets in Kalaeloa in 2000

Wednesday, February 16, 2000, Star-Bulletin

Nine weeks ago, the city said state law doesn't require street names at Kalaeloa to be changed into Hawaiian words. City ordinance requires only new or streets to have Hawaiian names.

"Are the sacrifices of our veterans so meaningless, so trivial, so unimportant, that we should discard these historic names and search for new ones?" Mark Moses, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer.

This is not an issue of who arrived first, but an obligation to the memory of those who gave so much," Santos said. James Santos, senior vice commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Hawaii.

In 2000, Senate Bill 3118, which required the use of Hawaiian names, terms and phrases in the Kalaeloa Community Development District, the old Barbers Point Naval Air Base did NOT pass.

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Recognizing and Honoring Eleven U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Medal of Honor Recipients During The 2012 Medal of Honor Society Convention Week

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor that can be bestowed upon a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. The award was created on July 14, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Medal of Honor award. Since then, more than half of those who have received the Medal of Honor did not survive the action for which it was awarded.

Each year, the Medal of Honor Society gathers to reunite living members, as they continue their legacy of inspiring our youth, honoring patriots and memorializing those recipients who have passed. And so, this year the gathering is in Honolulu, Oahuwhere still living Medal of Honor recipients are with us to remind all of us that freedom is not free and great sacrifices have been made in wartime by those in uniform.

The Medal of Honor sets specific provisions for recipients where at least two eyewitnesses must provide “incontestable evidence” to a deed that proves to “be so outstanding, that it clearly distinguishes gallantry beyond the call of duty from lesser forms of bravery, involve the risk of life, and be the type of deed, which, if not done, would not subject the recipient to any unjustified criticism.”

We stand today on the site of historic MCAS Ewa Field, which was the birthplace of United States Marine Corps aviation in the Pacific when it was Ewa Mooring Mast Field, and subsequently attacked on December 7, 1941, during the Pearl Harbor air raid by Imperial Japanese naval air forces. Four US Marines were killed defending the airfield and it is sacred, hallowed ground, where bullet strafing marks in this concrete ramp still give testimony to that early morning air attack and the deaths of those Marine Corps defenders.

2012 is the year of the United States Marine Corps Aviation Centennial, recognizing 100 years of US Marine aviation, and so along with 2012 Medal of Honor Society Convention Week, it is especially fitting that we recognize the special contributions made by the eleven Medal of Honor awarded US Marine Corps pilots from MCAS Ewa Field during WW-II.

Today called Kalaeloa, during WW-II the still existing streets of former MCAS Ewa, built by US Marines and US Navy SeaBee Construction Battalions, were later given the names of naval sea battle as a result of the Ewa marine air base closing in 1952 and being incorporated into Naval Air Station Barbers Point. In 1999 the base lands were processed into various land holders, which is still on-going.

Today called Bismarck Sea Road, the original MCAS Ewa street name is Elrod Road for Henry T. Elrod, the first USMC aviator to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II, for his heroism in the defense of Wake Island, who died in combat on December 23, 1941. His heroism was un-documented until the end of Pacific War by returning Prisoners of War from Wake Island. President Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor.

Today called Philippine Sea Road, the original MCAS Ewa street name is Fleming Road for USMC pilot Richard E. Fleming. On June 5, 1942, during the Battle of Midway, Fleming led a dive-bombing assault on the Japanese fleet. His plane, hit by anti-aircraft fire, caught fire and flew on to crash into an enemy cruiser and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Today called Vinson Road, Lieutenant Colonel Harold William Bauer, commonly referred to as "Joe" Bauer, was a United States Marine Corps air group commander and fighter pilot ace credited with destroying 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a fighter squadron commander during the Battle of Guadalcanal which was credited with downing 92 Japanese planes and helping to sink two destroyers.

Today called Essex Road, the original MCAS Ewa street name is Hanson Road for Robert M. Hanson a USMC aviator of VMF-215 from MCAS Ewa who shot down 25 Japanese planes before being killed and posthumously received the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Roosevelt. Hanson was the third and last Marine Corsair pilot to receive the Medal of Honor and also the youngest.

We also wish to honor and remember the names of these courageous Medal of Honor winning US Marine Corps aviators and survivors of World War II from MCAS Ewa whose names include the legendary ace pilot Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Marine Corps aces Joseph "Joe" Foss, John Lucian Smith, Kenneth A. Walsh, James Swett, Jefferson DeBlanc, and Robert Edward Galer.

In 2012, the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program has now recognized the historic significance of MCAS Ewa and provided a $54,000 grant to begin a process of historic identification and cultural documentation of MCAS Ewa Field and the nearby related WW-II era Ewa Village plantation community, which could lead to an Ewa heritage museum and a future National Park Service recognized visitor attraction.

We are truly humbled and proud to stand with our nation's most revered heroes and profoundly grateful to those who are making it possible to create a once-in-a-lifetime tribute befitting these great men and their families. These are humble men of incredible character. They embody the true meaning of heroism, and reinforce the values of courage, sacrifice and freedom.

This honorary certificate and ceremony today on the MCAS Ewa December 7th battlefield site presents an appropriate and significant occasion to honor and respect these visiting Medal of Honor recipients by the Honolulu City Council and the City and County of Honolulu and remember those brave US Marine Corps pilots who sacrificed themselves so that our land can remain free.

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Honolulu has been selected to be the proud host for the 2012 Medal of Honor Society Convention during October 2 – 6, 2012 with an expected 54 Medal of Honor recipients, their guests and local military and veteran community also attending.

Based upon our historic research, Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Field, Hawaii appears to have produced the greatest number of Medal of Honor winners from one single base of operations during the Pacific War era of WW-II. MCAS Ewa was also the birthplace of US Marine Corps aviation in the Pacific, beginning in early 1941 with the establishment of Ewa Mooring Mast Field. Ewa Field was attacked early in the morning of December 7, 1941, by the advanced air units of Imperial Japanese naval air forces on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor.

Veterans had been planning a special ceremony in December to remember and commemorate the four killed in action US Marine Corps Medal of Honor pilots by asking the city and state to rename still existing roadways on the former base back to their original names that honored these four pilots killed at Wake Island, Midway and in the South Pacific. These pilots were Henry T. Elrod, Richard E. Fleming, Harold W. Bauer and Robert M. Hanson, all United States Marine Corps aviators. These roadway names were discarded after the 1952 closure of MCAS Ewa when it was eventually returned back to city and state use.

In addition, plans are to honor and remember the names of these additional courageous Medal of Honor winning US Marine Corps aviators from MCAS Ewa whose names include the legendary ace pilot Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Marine Corps aces Joseph "Joe" Foss, John Lucian Smith, Kenneth A. Walsh, James Swett, Jefferson DeBlanc, and Robert Edward Galer

It is also especially appropriate that we hold a special ceremony this year as this is the 100th Anniversary of Marine Corps aviation and nothing could be more fitting than to remember MCAS Ewa’s heroic ace pilots and Medal of Honor winners this year.


The National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program has also now recognized the historic significance of MCAS Ewa and provided a $54,000 grant in 2012 to begin a major process of historic identification and cultural documentation of MCAS Ewa Field and the nearby related WW-II era Ewa Village plantation community, which could lead to an Ewa Field heritage museum and a future National Park Service recognized visitor attraction.