First Draft on KC3 (Conflicts Between the Military & Land Use)

Since the end of World War II, Hawaii has been a big part of the United States military's Pacific Command. The military controls Hawaii over any other state, including 25 percent of Oahu, sacred lands, & just recently, the island of Kaho'olawe. The US military controls 200,000 acres of Hawaii, with over 100 military sites and maybe at least about 150,000 personnel. Among the largest sites is the Pohakuloa Training Area located in the Big Island between the sacred mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. About seven million rounds of ammunition are fired every year. The military hopes to expand the base by 23,000 acres under the Military Transformation Proposal. Under the expansion plans, the endangered species & archeological sites will face danger.

Most Native Hawaiians welcome statehood in 1959. They saw it as a way to gain equal treatment w/ other Americans. Yet 'Native Hawaiians' & 'Hawaiians' had disadvantages economically & socially. Land Trusts were established during the period of direct US control & were later transferred to the Hawaiian state government. This was to benefit the Hawaiians, but sadly, only a small amount of this land was given back. Majority of this land got leased to industry, agriculture, & the US military.In the 1970s, a protest was brought about dealing w/ many issues & one of those issues included land rights. In 1976, religion claims were first brought against the federal government for respect for Hawaiian sacred sites, including burial areas. There have been so many campaigning about the protection of land, especially w/ sacred sites, from the way the military has been abusing the land itself.

Recently, the United States have been using Kaho'olawe as a place to test their bombs & ammunition. in 1920, the Hawaiians were angered & so they protested. The military was bombing a place known for its many sacred places. Sadly, the Native Hawaiians, by force, had to evacuate their own homes because the island was being taken over by the Territorial Government of the Hawaiian Islands. Despite the fact that Hawaiians were able to resolve the issue & restore their land back, their environment, especially their waters have been contaminated by leftover ordinance, leaving it toxic & dangerous for the people. The US Navy and Marines are on the verge of trying to clean it up, but the outcome wasn't very successful. The Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana is an organization to stop the US & other military forces from blasting the sacred island in military exercises.

Since World War II, Makua is now owned by the Army. Today, it is called the Army's Makua Military Reservation. For the past 69 years, the army has been using this piece of land for live fire training exercises. They believe this is the only location on Oahu where they can have fire training using helicopter gunships and caliber weapons. Although used as a place for the military to practice, it is not open to the public. The range is basically 4,190 acres of a combination of ceded and leased lands. This land extends from the Waianae Ride line to Kaena point.

Angered, the Hawaiians knew they had to step in. Makua is sacred land that means so much to them especially to the Waianae community. It symbolizes their relationship w/ their gods of ao & po. The dunes symbolize burials. But most importantly, it represents their own life & death.

Despite everything the military is doing for us, there are its disadvantages. Since then, our military have been growing & was beginning to become widespread, so of course, they're going to find free land and mark it as their territory. Lately, this has been an issue and a problem to not only our Hawaiian community, but to even our environment. After World War II, as taken by the US military for target practice, they agreed that once they've finished using it for navy purposes, the land will be protested. Because of the military, there are many issues going on due to our environment. It's hurting the Hawaiian community, but also endangering living things. Lately, government has been working to try to preserve Hawaiian land. This will help natural & cultural resources by helping local government agencies buy private property. As a growing community, we need to work together to preserve our land that we call important to us.