HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.445 2024-2026From:
Kristen Young
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Sent:
Monday, August 18, 2025 7:06 AM
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To:
Council Testimony
Cc:
Kristen Young
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Subject:
Support Res. 234-25
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Aloha Committee Members,
I am an O'ahu resident and have had the privilege of growing up in Hawaii where one of the most
important values and ways of life is malama'aina—to care for, preserve, protect that which feeds us
(whether physically or spiritually). My faith calls me to pursue "peace, justice, and the renewal of all
creation." For these simple reasons, I strongly support Res. 234-25 to protect Pohakuloa.
US Military training at Pohakuloa has already caused serious harm —burning nearly 20,000 acres,
contaminating the land, and threatening endangered species. Beneath this area lies a major aquifer that
supplies fresh water to Hawai'i Island, and the military's track record shows they are not equipped to
protect it. There is also serious concern about depleted uranium left in the soil, which can become
airborne during exercises and has known health risks.
In a video byAJ+, "How the Army Got to Bomb Hawaii for $1" (available on YouTube, https:/LyQutu.be/-
nsn4Sxy8r8?si=5M82TaOhR1 xn-ahS&t=156), the interviewer comments to Lt. Col. Kevin Cronin,
commander of the P6hakuloa Training Area (PTA), "It must be a big task to go in and clean all that up,"
referring to the bombs set off for practice. It is appropriate to assume that any good tenant, any decent
person, would clean up a mess they made. The commander stutters a bit when responding that they
don't in fact clean anything up, but rather they let it be for "safety reasons". We must question whose
safety is the priority because it's clearly not the land or its people.
Military training activities of this scale are simply not compatible with conservation, cultural integrity, or
aloha %ina. Enough is enough.
More than just a piece of land, Pohakuloa is a wahi pana, a sacred and storied place, home to
irreplaceable Native Hawaiian cultural sites and some of Hawai'i's most endangered species. The
Army has not demonstrated the capacity or will to serve as a proper steward of this land.
After generations of desecration, we have areal opportunity for healing —not only of these sacred lands,
but also people. Your decision could impact generations to come and can forge a path toward
restoration and write a better chapter following decades of destruction. Please fulfill your kuleana to
protect Hawaii and its people.
Mahalo nui,
Kristen Young
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
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