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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES for 2019-05-28 FINAL VETERANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Tuesday,May 28,2019, 1:30 p.m. Office of the Prosecuting Attorney (Hilo) and Kona Mayor's Office (Via Videoconferencing) Present Members Emile Wery Michael Doolittle George Sheridan Debra Lewis Isaac Nahakuelua Marcia Brinkley Kona Mayor's Office (Via Videoconferencing) Members Antonio Gaspar Minoru Hanato Carolle Brulee-Wilson (Via Phone conference) Guests (Kona) None Ex-Officio (Kona) None Ex-Officio (Hilo) Maurice Messina, Deputy Director P&R Roddy Sueoka, Office of Veterans Services Counselor Also Present(Hilo) Brittany Iyo, Secretary J Yoshimoto, Deputy Corporation Counsel Absent None Call to Order Chair Michael Doolittle called the meeting to order at 1:34 pm. Quorum met with seven members present, when meeting called to order. Total nine members present for majority of the meeting. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC None ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES Emile Wery made a motion to accept the minutes for February 26, 2019 meeting. George Sheridan seconded the motion. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 2 Nine ayes, minutes have been accepted. OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS Passing of Lt. Cmdr. Chet Woolley Chair Doolittle: I don't know if anyone knew him, but he was a good friend of a friend. On March 6th in a rather well-planned event, he hung himself. Commander Wooley was a Navy Seal Diver, DOD Ordinance Guy, 52 years old, married and had two small boys, 10 and seven. It absolutely floored me, stunned me. I can't imagine how his two young boys are going to survive. In a rather methodical thing, that he had planned. It devastates me to think that someone of that caliber, Annapolis graduate, I can't even imagine where that dark place is. But it is part of this dilemma that were all looking at with Veteran, 7.400 veterans do that every year. This one just came close to home, he lived in Volcano, he was active in a lot of things. Apparently a well-liked and well-cared about guy. Why would someone sink to that dark place to leave his two young boys who are going to ask themselves the rest of their lives, why did my daddy do that? Wery: That's a selfish act. Chair Doolittle: It's very selfish, but it's also a journey down a dark place that I can't even understand. Isaac you're dealing with mental health issues all the time. Isaac Nahakuelua: A lot of people [in general] commit suicide to escape the pain, emotional pain. They may withhold certain things that they don't want to talk about. There might be the idea where masculinity comes into play where if you talk about your emotions, you're a lesser of a man or a warrior. To hold all that in, think of it like an infected pimple, it festers and if it doesn't gete released something bad can hhappen. They teach us when you're addressing suicide you go up to the person and ask them "do you have thoughts of killing yourself?" It's kind of a taboo subhect but the best way to talk about it is to be blunt, straight about it. Do you have thoughts of killing yourself, here's a number to call. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to. Chair Doolittle: I know it's a difficult subject, I just started counseling at the Vets Center and dredging up a lot of the things in your past is difficult. But not dealing with them and looking at them face on... Nahakuelua: For mental health, it seems to be the human brain, it has an innate mechanism where if its alone, and it doesn't matter the perrsons age, but the more older person is the person with more life experience but when you're alone and at home the brain has a tendency to look back at its past and evaluate it's sense of self-worth. That's cross-cultural, people that are not veterans, people that are veterans. They say it's good to get out in the community so you are not stagnating, along in thoughts. Best thing to do is get involved in the community, hang out with a friend, go for a walk. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 3 Deputy Director Maurice Messina asked, what about these guys who never reach out? Nahakuelua: That's where friends or family can say, something's not right with this person. It's hard for a lot of them to go up to the person and says do you have thoughts of hurting yourself? We have to retrain ourselves or get word out there. Chair Doolittle: He had a therapist. A friend of mine reached out right when it happened, he said he had a therapist and that's the alarming part, even his therapist did not see any red flags. That's what's alarming, even a professional therapist... Sheridan: Sometimes when they're having problems and all of a sudden the clouds clear up, and they're fine, they've made the decision to kill themselves. Chair Doolittle: I've had three people that I was close to over the last 10 years who have committed suicide. I've passed through those dark places before where the thought is life would be better if I just weren't here. But that's about as far as that discussion goes. I find something worthwhile to get involved in. Nahakuelua: When assessing suicidality, and even homicidally, there's three stages, thoughts,plans, action. Many people are in the thoughts stage, they have thoughts of committing suicide. In training that is of concern but not enough to take action. But when they have a plan and the means to do it, then you have to alert people, the right authorities. I know it's best to talk person to person but I brought a phone number, you can pass it out, Crisis Line of Hawaii neighbor island 1-800-753-6879 and Oahu is 808- 832-3100. Then there's a state mental health eligibility screening for like Veterans who got a dishonorable discharge they can go through the state 808-643-2643. Wery: No matter how dark the night is, the sun always comes up in the morning. Roddy Sueoka: One of the hard parts, when I came out of the clinic side, one of the things we told our interns and graduate students, one of the reasons it's tough to talk about suicide and understand this subject is because you never met a person and was able to ask them after they committed suicide. Until we get that answer, because those that are not successful, those that do the plan and the attempt, we're hearing what it takes to get you to that point. But what we haven't heard is what it takes to be successful. We go back and forth with that in the clinical world. What was their final thought, why did you successfully do it? What we also see in the clinical world where those that made the plan and attempt, they specifically missed something, so it wasn't successful. We also ask that question; did they miss something on purpose? Those that failed the first time will usually make a second attempt or will be successful the second time around. Chair Doolittle: We're all missing something. I believe there are red flags flying, we don't see those red flags. The reason I wanted to talk about it, within ourselves and within professionals do we have anything that we can look at to maybe change that metrix where Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 4 we see or make it more known, even if its an anonymous thing, mentoring group or something like AA. Sueoka: Probably not, when they get to the point where they plan, a lot of it is self- planning. Like you said it's a selfish act. Chair Doolittle: So much of it is not a plan, so much of it is day after day you lose hope that tomorrow will be a better day. Somewhere down the line when you realize that maybe tomorrow is never going to be better, a spur of the moment incident arises where the means and availability is there and had you waited five seconds later you wouldn't have done it. Wery: A man by himself, no connection to anybody, he's not hurting anyone. But when a man has a family and friends, he's cursing them. Because that woman and those children need to live with that for the rest of their lives. He doesn't have the right to do that to them. Chair Doolittle: I understand that you don't believe they have that right, but they did it and I can't believe he didn't love his sons and didn't love his wife, so there's something else that we're missing. Wery: Obviously the love wasn't strong enough or he wouldn't have done it. Chair Doolittle: I'm not sure that I agree with that either. Debra Lewis: I do know that the suicide rate it's not just in veterans, it's double in the last decade in people under 19. It's increased 141%for other younger groups from 2011 to 2018. This is a crisis and my first job as a Second Lieutenant was investigating a suicide. Someone very close to us who we had identified needed help, went to help, but the thing is when they're in that thinking if you're not told to have someone with them all the time, which sometimes isn't possible, that's when they take that target of opportunity to talk them off the cliff when they're still very fragile and vulnerable. I think there's enough shame that happens in it that sometimes they don't think. My daughter had a young friend who came home got into an argument with her mother, got in her car jumped off a bridge in Seattle, killed herself. Gymnast, beautiful girl. Sometimes they're spur of the moment, sometimes they're well planned out. But the ideas of questions, like the blunt questions, I hadn't heard the blunt question like that. One of the questions we learned was how are you sleeping? What's happening? Are you sleep patterns interrupted? Those kinds of questions to find out what's going on with people. Others are very skilled with guarding themselves. It's a tragedy. I don't' know what we can do for this family. I don't know what's been done. Wery: There's nothing you can do. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 5 Chair Doolittle: Tom is peaking in on them every now and then because he's close with them. Wery: They're going to carry that guilt with them for the rest of their lives. It's like kids, when the parents get divorced, the kids blame themselves. Chair Doolittle: Oh yeah, well at 10 and seven they are at vulnerable ages. But in the Veeteran community the rate of suicide is 50%higher than in the general public. Wery: Schofield Barracks around Christmas time, I had one kid, he had all kinds of drugs problems,parents were all messed up„ he was a dud. I told the Platoon Sergent"I want a man with him over this weekend, 24 hours a day. This guy's at risk." Monday morning, we had one guy missing, I knew who it was. The Platoon Sergent had gone on leave that Saturday, so I told the Section Sergent, "Where were you Friday? (inaudible) Take the squad go up there and look at the range. They found him against a tree, blew his head off. I called them back,just stay there guard the place. I called the MPs. He came back, I said, "I told your Platoon Seregent I want somebody assigned to this guy 24 hours a day. Who was it?" The Platoon Sergent didn't tell him. I said ok, fine. I fired the guy. It was his fault, if he'd done what I told him, the kid wouldn't have hhad the chance to do what he did. Nahakuelua: I wanted to add to Maurice's query about why do Veterans go down that dark path, another speculative hypothesis is that veterans we came from a job where there was a sense of purpose, high adrenaline, comradery, everyone works as a team, Carolle Brulee-Wilson: Deb, I have to go now. (Carolle leaves phone conference). Lewis: Ok, thanks. Bye. Nahakuelua: And then we go into the civilian world and we deliver newspapers. Yeah, there's a sense of purpose, you're getting the newspaper out but there's no comradery, there's not that much of a sense of prupose, where's the adrenaline rush. It's kind of like a question of self worth. "Man, I did this, now I'm doing this." I talked with one of the VA Social Workers and we were talking about the scope or the common topic for veterans that trigger an aggressive response or trigger something where they get mad. What it is is,people not knowing their jobs. They end up working with people in the civilian world that are not efficient, they're not as quick and responsive as people in the military were. This triggers a response and they start to get annalitical and start to compare their life in the military, how more high speed it was and in the civilian world its not high speed and that's where the dark path can go down, a sense of self worth gets measured. Chair Doolittle: I'm confused by...anyway I just thought we needed to talk about it. Does anyone have anything lse to add? Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 6 Messina: I did want to add something Deb talked about. You guys are the Veterans Advisory Commiittee. I'm not sure if these guys did decide at this meeting or a future meeting to send a care package to the family. Is this something that would be ok to do, J. Deputy Corporation Counsel J Yoshimoto: Our duties are to advise the Mayor, so, it could make a suggestion to the Mayor. The Mayor's office has more discretion. Lewis: At least to reach out, a letter of condolence or something. They've got to be devastated. Wery: Sometimes things are so personal and so hurtful, you don't want anybody sticking their nose in your business. Lewis: That's true, you may not but it was published in the newspaper, not that he committed suicide but that they had the loss so that's public information. It wouldn't be beside being a fellow Veteran, family, because grief counseling and other things can be available to the family. Wery: I'm sure they've been notified of those things. Lewis: Yes, they may have but sometimes it takes more than one time to notify someone before they're ready to listen and enough time has passed, there's been a little bit of time, it might be nice. These are one of those things that you have to gently continue. Messina: You guys as Clinicians, what do you think? Nahakuelua: Well, I'm not a Clinician yet, I have maybe till August, I make my two years and then I get the credentials to take the State test to become a Clinician, but as one in training that would be awesome if the Mayor acknowledged condolences of a fellow Veteran. Lewis: Yeah, he doesn't have to go into details but here are the avenues or grief. Roddy Sueoka: I think that, and its probably just because the more you go through thi, my biggest thing with this one is, we would have to send every Veteran that passes away something. I don't want to say that suicide isn't a special thing, but it is. Not everyone passes away and even in the government side, we recognize it and we're trying to prevent it. It's just a hope and prevent kind of thing that we do, which is all we can do for suicide. But, it's not, if you pass away because of suicide and you're still active duty, they don't necessarily have the same, I know were trying to change it, but we don't have the same ceremonial going away party. Chair Doolittle: It's still almost a court martial offense. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 7 Sueoka: Yes. So, like I said, I don't want to say I disagree with what were saying but I do want to say 1) if we do for one, we have to do for all and if we look at it on the other side Wery: That's the family's responsibility. If his wife was Hawaiian, there's a family that will support her. That's their kuleana, their responsibility, not ours. We shouldn't be sticking our nose into it. Let the family do what they're supposed to. It always works out better. Chair Doolittle: I know she has a big family. Wery: They'll take care of her, they'll take care of the family. Chair Doolittle: I don't doubt that they have. But as just another veteran in a line who is highly educated, highly experienced, highly trained, very successful guy who did verey dangeroud things, it disturbs me that veterans don't find a way, the flashligjt to get out of that dark place. Marcia Brinkley: Is there something we can suggest to the Mayor about suicide prevention, that deserves more study, a priority action item, not that we can come up with a solution today, but something to acknowledge that it's a problem and that we need to look at. Wery: The VA has facilities, you have facilities all over. You have the Catholic church, the consulate, all these state and counties. There is a whole world out there to address that, but the individual has to want to address that first. Brinkley: But is there enough knowledge in the community. Wery: Yes, there is. But again, I have to go to you and say I need help. Otherwise I ain't going to get it. It's my responsibility to ask you, you can't read my mind, but that's why you're there, if somebody holds his hand out and you need help, all you have to do is grab his hand. The person holding their hand can't read Chair Doolittle: Well, his hand was out, he had a therapist and even the therapist didn't see the red flags. I guess that's part of the larger question, what in the professional community are they not doing or do't they understtan, or is it that shrouded in darkest that it's impossible to understand or predict. Sueoka: You're going to get the one or two. And this is just one of those. Chair Doolittle: Yeah, and he was a very intelligent,probably very analytical. You can't be a Navy Seal and Ordinance Disposal and that kind of black ops warfare and not be very diligent in planning. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 8 Sueoka: And they say when folks are successful at planning a suicide attempt, when they're successful its because it wasn't planned out as much as they were going to be successful at doing it. That type of person fits the rofile, he fits the profile for somebody that's going to accomplish the mission regardless of what people think, hear, say. Regardless of what he says, he may have been more guarded, it was easier for him to withhold that information so it seemed like to the general public there were no red flags but on the inside there were tons of them. That's why I say, once they commit suicide, we don't ever have he chance to ask them, "how did you hide that information? How did you hide your red flags?" That's why on the clinical side, with every suicide, it doesn't make it easier, it makes it harder because we come up with more guys get away with hiding their red flags. Right now, in the general public everybody hears the words "red flags" you odn't have to have a class on it. Fifteen, 20 years ago, we never used the words "red flag." It evolves and this guy was able to hide his red flags. You hear enough about it. Ythen you hear about the ones that attempted and you hear what everybody says after that, "you weren't successful." There're reasons for that. Messina: So as the Mayor's Veterans Advisory Committee, you were bringing this up a seconds ago, Marcia. And I also understand what Emile is saying too, there's a lot of information out there available to people. But is this something that the Veterans Advisory Committee would like to do, reminder for Veterans out there, this is the suicide rate for Veterans, this is where you can go for help, things like that. I hate to say press release, but something you could put in the paper. Wery: Public service announcement. Messina: Yeah, especially after Memorial Day. Sheridan: Is there a mental health week? Nahakuelua: There's a mental health month, that's May. Messina: I was just thinking something more specifically for Veterans because Veterans are the ones who still read the newspaper„ Veterans are the ones who still checks in and even thouh we may all know it. But this is coming from Veterans, advising the Mayor, maybe we just remind people that there's help out there. Brinkley: I have a friend who lost her husband o suicide who was in the care of the VA and Vets Center, saw these people frequently, still comitteed suicide. There was no waarnning to her, she had no idea that this was going to happen until he did it. I think a reminder is good. Encouraging people putting on programs for Veterans let's remember to ask or teach people, not only the people who are at risk but also the people around them, to ask the question or show some caring. Messina: That's a good point, the people around them. It's not just for the Veteran, maybe its for the family member or the daughter who are recognizing the red flags. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 9 Chair Doolittle: Is there anyone who would like to make a motion to pass this on to the Mayor? Lewis: I'd like to make a motion to pull together something that would, without ideation because I know sometime the documents the way you say it can cause ideation, the last thing we want is more ideation, is to be a reminder of where the help line is and for families as well as Veterans. It doesn't have to be huge. Nahakuelua: Seconded the motion Chair Doolittle: All in favor? Eight ayes. Motion passed. Chair Doolittle: We'll try to craft something. It's just something I thought needed to be talked about. Anyway, let's move on. Urn Vaults from Veterans Affairs Minoru Hanato: About a month ago, the County person over here asked me about the ground vaults for the urns. I said we used to have them, but don't have them now. In law concerning Veteran burial, every Veteran is supposed to get some kind of container. Like we have the plastic containers for the casket burials, we have the columbaria, the ground vaults supposed to have been put in also. We haven't had the ground vaults for quite a while. Messina: Excuse me, can I ask what a ground vault you're referring to is? Hanato: The last one we had over here went back to Hilo. Lewis: Minoru, can you answer, we're not familiar with differene between, we got the columbaria which we're very familiar with, but the ground vaults, what is that? Hanato: The ground vaults are the container you put in the ground then you put the urn in it an then you cover it. You can also put another spouse or another veteran in there. Just like th columbaria or the double ground burial. But the double ground burial usually has the plastic container on it. The ground vaults supposed to preserve the urns. Some of the urns are made out of wood and when the wood rots„ you have a sunken grave, even though it's a small area. When you have a second burial in the same hole sometimes they have to dig it with tools that's not supposed to be used and they hit the urn. Whereas the ground vaults you just put the urn inside the vault, cover it and then cover it with dirt and sod. Chair Doolittle: So this is different than the wall vaults? Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 10 Brittany Iyo: So he's saying, before, I'm not sure how long before, the VA used to provide urn vaults for any urns that were being buried in the ground. It's just an individual vault that you put in the ground and place the urn in, it has a plastic cover. Hanato: It's buried. Iyo: Right now, the VA provides casket vaults for all casket burials at Veterans Cemeteries. VA sends the vaults to us, whenever there's a casket burial, our staff installs it, lowers the casket into the vault, cover it with the vault covering and then they bury it. Minoru is saying, a long time ago the VA used to provide urn vaults for urn in-ground burials. I'm not sure when it stopped, when I started in 2015 we didn't have it. We're only given the caskets vaults. Chair Doolittle: Then he's saying they re-excavate those to put other urns in the same Iyo: So at WHVC and other Veterans Cemetery in the state the Veeteeran is allowed one plot and the spouse has to be interred in the same plot, unless the spouse is a Veteran then they get their own plot. If one person is buried in the plot, the Veteran or the Spouse, whoever passes away second, would be buried into that same plot. Our staff would have to dig a hole and put the remains into the same plot. Doolittle: Minoru, what are you asking us to do? Hanato: We have to let the Mayor know we need ground urn vaults because when they re-dig the same grave, urn grave, sometimes they damage the urn, whereas you have the vault, you take off the top sod and the cover for the vault. Also, the urn does not deteriorate. Sheridan: Is this something the VA provides? Iyo: He (Hanato) said the VA used to provide urn vaults. Hanato: The VA supposed to cover any container for the casket or urn whether it's columbaria or ground burial. Sueoka: You're saying that someone you know tried to order the urn vault and the VA didn't pay for it? Iyo: I think he's saying, how the VA provides casket vaults for every burial, so they just send us a bunch when we're running low they send us another bunch so that we always have it on hand whenever there's a new burial. They [VA] used to provide urn vaults but no longer do for whatever reason. Sueoka: Maybe we didn't put in another request for it. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 11 Iyo: I know every once in a while, Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery will ask how many we need. Sueoka: I will find out. Lewis: Do we have a need right this moment? Hanato: Well, this last burial the family had requested about the urn vaults, how come we didn't have any. They buried it directly in the ground. I'm pretty sure that's what's been happening in Hilo as well. Sueoka: I'll check on it. Chair Doolittle: Anything else on that side? Hanato: I want to thank Roddy for assisting me with my paperwork last week. It was less than an hour, so thank you, roddy. Sueoka: You're welcome. OVS Kona Representative Out of Office: Hanato: But I also have a request for you. Our OVS representative got into an accident, I'm sure you know about it. Sueoka: Yes. Hanato: I don't know if she's back to work but I tried to get a hold of her and I couldn't. I understand you have three staff in your department right now. Is there any way you can have one of them come over to Kona at least once a week that way they can help people on this say. I don't know if Diane is doing any work right now. Sueoka: Yes„ she works for me. She's going to come back in June, but she's going to be on light duty because she still has to go to physical therapy and things like that. She's going to work three days a week four hours a day. In the mean time I have the Vt Center folks and the folks that she sits with at Kealakekua, I have them relaying the messages to the folks over here. We've been working that side. If there's anybody that you come across that needs help, even whe she comes back, give them my phone number and we'll go ahead and take care of that. I have a diret line now, (808) 369-3536. If you call and you don't get in touch with me, call the front desk(808) 369-3538. Hanato: Thank you. Flag Pole on Hill at WHVC: Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 12 Hanato: I have another off the wall notification. We have boys scouts that assist at the cemetery. We have couple Eagle Scouts that did projects at the cemetery, there's another project that they want to do. They want to put a flag on top of the hill, which originally was supposed to have been put and then the one where it is now. The boys scouts have been putting in for a permit to put up a permanent flag pole on the top. It should withstand the heavy rains, etc. If anything that comes through for them to request any verbal assistance or paper assistance can you give us a hand on that? Iyo: I saw an email come through asking about that. I think they were notified to check with the VA. I'm not real familiar but there can only be a certain amount of flags at a certain location. They would also have to get a building permit, since it's going to be a structure larger than six feet. I'm not sure if there's going to get that approval though. Hanato: In the original map, there are two flag poles one on op of the hill and one down below where it is now. This is an Eagle Scout project ad they want to put one on the top so we don't have to have one guy go up on the top of the hill and hold the flag. That's what they've been doing for quite a while. Chair Doolittle: You're saying that there was a flag pole designated for that space in the original plan, but it's never been constructed. Maybe you already have the authority to put one there, and you don't need a permit. Hanato: Well, we just want to make sure everything is legal. Iyo: We'll have Maurice look into it. Chair Doolittle: Maurice will look into it. Hanato: Thank you. Thank You Letter Presentation Korean War Veterans &VFW Post 3875 for Cleaning of Headstones at Veterans I & II for Memorial Day: Chair Doolittle: Maurice was going to read thank you letters but he left. Iyo: J has those letters. Yoshimoto: Mr. Messina had to attend a meeting, he apologizes for leaving. I'd like to read these letters into the record. The first letter dated May 20th addressed to Mr. Emile Wery. Dear Mr. Wery: Please extend our department's sincere appreciation to all volunteers for the community service project you undertook and accomplished to clean all headstones at Veterans Cemetery I&II May 16 — 17, 2019. Your organization's efforts have helped to enhance the beauty, safety and cleanliness of this very sacred place. Thank you again for your coordinating this community service project. We look forward to continuing this partnership to improving the communities in which we all live. Sincerely, Roxcie L. Waltjen, Director Parks & Recreation. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 13 Wery: Thank you. All: Applause Chair Doolittle: I know they do this every year, so it's nice that they are being recognized. Yoshimoto: There's another letter to Rankin Gossert, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 387. I don't know who should Iyo: Emile Chair Doolittle: Yeah, Emile stays in contact with him. From all of us on the committee, thank you for what you've done and what you've always done. Wery: A few years ago, the Korean War Veterans, their time was 19950-1953 so those guys are basically, they replaced WWII guys. VFW Hilo chapter and the Korean War Veterans Hilo chapter are very close. They decided that they would come in and support the Korean War Veterans in our effort. Well, it shifted over the years. The Korean War Veterans are basically supporting the VFW because of the bodies, bottomline. This last one, one of the guys that were out there working, he's 92 years old. There's a lady that's in the VFW, she retired from the National Guard, she went and got seven volunetters from the National Guard to come over. She was there Thursday and Friday and she went with this guy. She took over the power washer, we finished about 11 o'clock. What we normally do is each team has an area that they have to work, when they get finished they go up to cemetery number two and get started. Also what happens is on Thursday, we send a team down to the Vietnam Memorial and they power wash the whole thing and they come back up. We have lunch up at cemetery number two because by then everyone is down at cemetery number one. Number two has 8,000 stones. Lewis: How many are in one? Wery: About half that, I think. When we start Friday morning, of cours we've already had a head start and we finish about 11 o'clock. But anyway, he came to me this one guy, when we first talked about going t VFW to support, he stood up and said that's our kuleana, that's our responsibility, we don't need nobody else helping up, hardcore. He came to me, I was watching him Thursday and he was having a hard time. So I went to talk to him, you have to understand, these guys are all alphas, very very proud, hardcore, they don't ask anybody for anything. All you have to do is go to the meetings. I've gone to those meetings, they fight with each other, guys in their 80's they want to fight. He came to me, he said, "Emile, I can not do this no more." I said, "I understand." I talk to Rankin, the Commandr for VFW and next year VFW Hilo will be doing it and the Korean War Veterans will support them. We don't have the bodies anymore. It's been a slow passing of the colors. It's brutal up there, when the sun is out up there. Not only the Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 14 son, but if there's moisture in the air it is hot! But they keep going. They laugh, they joke, they have a good time with it. Chair Doolittle: There's got to be 10,000 to 12,000 heasdstones up there. Wery: That's quite a lot of headstones up there. Cemetery two they told us there 8,000 up there. They do it because they want to, it's their way of giving back. Chair Doolittle: Well the recognition is well deserved. Report on Cemeteries Nothing to report. ANNOUNCEMENTS Wery: Korean War Veterans, 22nd of June were going to have a dedication of our memorial. It's been going on about 10 years. Finally got the thing just about finished. It's a 16 square foot slab, like a step pyramid, the second slab is a six square foot slab. In order to be compliant with ADA we had to keep the top of the thing no higher than six feet or else we got to put a fence around it and everything else. What they did with the second slab its all angled out, we didn't have to put the ramps. We had to build the platform up so that from the parking lot to the platform you didn't have a steep drop because of wheelchairs. On top of that we have a pedestal, the pedestal is about four feet high. There will be three plaques up there, the first plaque will face mauka, bronze plaques and it will have all the names of the K.I.A.s„ 52 KIAs. We found out through research that there aare five names at cemetery number one don't belong up there. They didn't die in Korea. One of them were from Massachusetts. He's logged in the national site as from Massachusetts and he's recognized in Massachusetts. We found other who had died and weren't even on there. There were five that were non-hostile action, one was accidental discharge of a weapon, one was accidental discharge of a grnade, it could be anything, so we made a small plaque on one side to recognize the non-hostiles. We made another small plaque on the other side to recognize the contributors. The Hakalau Lions Club provided all the ground labor. The guy that was leading it, was a former contractor, Bob, he basically ran it. Then Isemoto came in and laid all the forms and then came back the next week and poured it. The guy that was running it went down to Home Depot to get all the materials to build the form and while he was there, the guy that was helping him, asked what it was for, he said were building a memorial for the Korean War Veterans. He was the District Manager from the mainland, he said they'll donate all the material to them. We decided to face it with, if you take the lava rock and you slice it, like a facia, like tile but thicker, you use it like you would tile,just use cement. We had, selling candy, acquired about$55,000 over the years to pay for this, assuming it would cost a tremendous amount of money and it hasn't. So far, we spent about $7,000. We got a lot of free labor, free things. We went through Dodo Mortuary to find a company to make the plaques but they would not do it through a private organization, they would only do it through Dodo. They know they're all going to see us at some point in time, so they did it no cost to us. Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 15 Chair Doolittle: So on 6/22 you're going to have a dedication ceremony? Wery: Dedication of the memorial as well as a commemoration for the 69th Anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Normally we do it on the 25th. The 25th of June was the start of the Korean War. We're doing it on the 22nd because were combining it with the dedication. It starts at 10 o'clock. It'll be the parking lot next to the Vietnam Memorial. Chair Doolittle: But you're also going to do something up at Veterans number 2. Wery: No,just on the 22nd. Lunchh and Refreshments there. From now on when we do our Anniversary for the start of the war, we'll do it over there. We won't use cemetery number one. Because that would be appropriate. Chair Doolittle: Well your organization, not only pressure washing the headstones but, that doing that is certainly to be commended by the community and especially by the committee. Wery: They do it for love. Antonio Gaspar: Emile, Antonio Gaspar. The one you are talking about os that the one on Kamehameha Avenue. Wery: Yes, the one behind the Kamehameha Statue. 10 o'clock on Saturday, 22 June. Gaspar: Thank you. At one time the Hilo American Legion told me, they wanted to hold a memorial ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial they were asking or wondering about portable toilets, they have to run to the building, and it is too far. Can they put a portable toilet over there? Chair Doolittle: This is where, in Hilo? Wery: Yes, at the Vietnam Memorial. Gaspar: They were saying that if they have to use the restroom, the building is too far, can not go. Wery: Sgt. Gaspar, we're doing the same thing for ours. You have to get a special use permit from the State. Its got to be 45 days prior and there's all kinds of requiremments for that. You have to provide the porta-potties, they won't. Gaspar: First Sgt. Since you are there, Amereican Legion in Hilo they struggle all the time with getting liability insurance which DLNR told the to buy in order to have a ceremony there. Can the County provide the insurance so the Amereican Legion in Hilo does not need to pay or get insurance? Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 16 Wery: I can't speak for the County but I don't think they're going to pay for it. I know when they have the parade, they have to get insurance to use the stage area which is State property. To get the special use permit that's all through DLNR, State, you have to go through all of thoe requirements. You can't stake anything in the ground, there's allk kinds of requirements. If you give me your email address I'll email it to you. Gaspar: Ok. Chair Doolittle: Any other anouncements we need to make? Gaspar: Sure, I got one in Kona. June 14, Friday at 1700 hours the American Legion in Kona will have Flag Day Ceremony, Flag Day Disposal at Pirates Community Outreach Center located at 75-170 Hualalai Road across Kona Community Credit Union. Everybody is invited. The last time we did this was three years ago at Immaculate Concetion Church in Holualoa. That's all I got. Chair Doolittle: Deb yyou got an announcement? Lewis: Yes, there were two things just to bring to everyone's attention. It conflicts with the 22nd, the 21st and 22nd they have the 2019 Veterans Summit. It's interesting how difficult it was to find information on it but they do have it posted on Hawaii VeteransFoundation.org. They actually have he events that start on the 21st the first session starts at 8:00 am and ends with the recpeetion at 8:30. Also again on June 22n1starting at 8:00 they've got differene sessions. Then there's a luncheon ceremony closing 12 o'clock to 2. But that's over on Oahu. I don't know what location its at. Brinkley: I think it's at the convention center. Lewis: The convention center, ok. They've got booths and exhibitors on both days. I don't know whether I'm going or not. Or if anyone else is able to go but that's happening. If you're going to be able to, we'd love for each of your groups to join us at the 5k run/walk on July 4th. If yyou want to guarantee your shirt size yyou want to get your registration in. There are two ways to do it salute-r-veterans.com or salutetoourveterans.org. It's a 5k run/walk at Queen Liliuokalani Gardens on July 4th Hanato: I just want too thank the County for the use of the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery for the Memorial Day Ceremony. The Countyy workers came and put up the tents for the County band Lewis: Thank you, we want to echo that on this side. They did a great job along with cleaning the headstones. The County's been doing great. Brinkley: Hilo Hospice which is now Hawaii Care Choices has been to a lot of the groups and talked about their Veteran to Veteran program that theyy're starting up. They are Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 17 now looking for volunteers to train to do this. It is a national program that hasn't been offered here. It's a great program that matches up veterans so if there's someone that wants to talk to somebody that has experience in the military, they have training to teach you how to talk to people. Thhey're going to do a day of training on June 14th from 8 to 5 in Hilo at their main training center down the hill from hospital. you first need to fill out an online application and do a quick interview, they have some online training also. If you know anybody interested in help getting this off the ground. I'll be volunteering as well. The other thing is there's one person who does survivor outreach in the whole state for gold star families and she's on Oahu and she's going to come over hopefully, sometime in the next month or so. When I get a date, I will share that with everyone. Chair Doolittle: Anything further? Next meeting is August 27th same time, same place. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for August 27, 2019 at 1:30 pm. Wery motioned to adjourn the meeting. Lewis seconded the motion. Chair Doolittle confirmed meeting adjourned at 2:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, BrilCct41y rya- Secretary