Request for heart-to-heart talk ohana-style with Pohakuloa Commander
Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action
Loreto V. Borce, Jr.
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Commander
United States Army Garrison, Pohakuloa Training Area
P.O. Box 4607
Hilo, Hawaii 96720-0607 Feb. 12, 2020
Aloha Commander Borce,
We first met you in front of the PTA main gate when we demonstrated against RIMPAC on June 30, 2018. You introduced us to your wife and agreed to a meeting at a later date.
The three of us had a meeting with you on September 22, 2018 between 11 a.m. to noon on the PTA base. At the meeting you emphasized the local roots of both yourself and your wife. You said that you were born on Oahu in Kalihi. Because you are local you wanted our relationship to be transparent and ohana-style. At that meeting we requested four things that we felt were doable:
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You as commander would provide our organization a tour of PTA similar to that provided the Chamber of Commerce..
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As discussed with your predecessor, Commander Marquez, you would produce a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for annual Makahiki opening and closing ceremonies and visits to cultural and religious sites on PTA.
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As a show of good faith you as Commander would NOT have school children visit PTA for Earth day events until there is comprehensive independent testing and monitoring for DU oxide. And
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You as Commander would have community meetings with the public to share what you are able to do and not do.
In the year and a half since that meeting not one of these four doable points have been accomplished.
We ask for a heart-to-heart talk ohana-style to be held with the public on Coconut Island in Hilo (previously a Pu`uhonua) on Saturday, April 25, 2020. (Saturday closest to the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day) [It will have been 22 months since you first met us and emphasized doing things ohana-style!]
Mahalo.
Jim Albertini,
Ronald Fujiyoshi
Danny Li
P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760
Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
