Veterans Corner

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha all my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. A few weeks ago, I began thinking about the new service organizations that we have here on Molokai, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans (MVCV) and how they are being run. Last year, after the passing of Commander Larry Helm, Dr. Hafermann took over as commander and he had the organization running great. He started having monthly meetings, we had good turnouts and everyone was informed about everything that was being done.  Everyone had the opportunity to ask questions, we were told that the meetings would be every month, and the doctor did a great job. But Dr. Hafermann didn’t want the job because he had other things he wanted to do, which is understandable.

At the regular monthly meeting last November, an election was held for all MVCV and Sam Makaiwi Jr. was elected commander. Things have gone downhill. We haven’t had a monthly meeting since, and after Commander Makaiwi was elected commander of the VFW, things are no better with that group. In July, I went to the monthly meeting at the state building, but nobody was there. The next day I was told the meeting had been changed to the Veterans Center. I went to the meeting last month and again, nobody was there. On my way home, I ran into Commander Makaiwi and he said he just came from the meeting but nobody was there. He said David Nanod, the quartermaster, couldn’t make the meeting so he must have cancelled it. What’s wrong with this picture? If the commander didn’t know the meeting was cancelled, then who is running the VFW?

Things in both organizations must change. All our veterans must know what’s going on, and be able to ask questions. Now, the answer you get is, “I don’t know” or “ask someone else.” So come on, let’s get things organized. We need to have monthly meetings for MVCV, and we need to have our veterans informed on all issues, and once our veterans are informed, they will want to be involved.

I hope that everyone did well with the last question, which was, when did Hawaii’s elaborate kapu system come to an end and who ended it? After the death of Kamehameha I in 1819, his son and successor Kamehameha II ended the kapu system, which was a code that strictly governed behavior in Hawaii. Kapu had been the guiding force in Hawaiian society for centuries. The new question is, Lei Day, a traditional local holiday celebrating the spirit of the islands, is on what date?

To all our active duty troops, our veterans, and the people of Molokai who support them, I send you a big mahalo. If anybody has any questions, suggestions, or news, please give old Jesse a call at 553-3323. I continue to depend on the information you give me. Have a wonderful week, and remember that old Jesse loves you all, so until next week, aloha.