Memorial Day

-

 

Happy Memorial Day St. Louis!!

Memorial day marks the beginning of summer when the pools open, family vacations are on the horizon, and outdoor BBQ season is in full force. In St. Louis, it's a day when we break free of the constraints of winter and really begin to live outdoors.

But, hold on a second. What is Memorial Day actually about? 
It's about honoring, or remembering, the 100's of thousands of men and women who have given their life during war. Unlike Veteran's day that honors all people who have served in the military whether they faced death or not (like myself), Memorial day is to honor those who literally gave their life in defense of our nation. This is a big deal. Other people, we do not know, gave their lives so we are free to splash in our pools, grill our hotdogs, and play in complete peace that we are a free nation without threat to our lives. This people gave their lives for us.

Another aspect of this conversation is who were, and are, these people? Where did they come from? What religions did they practice? What is their genealogy backgrounds? The answers to these questions is eye opening, and in my opinion reason for us to take pause. Why is there so much division in our nation when we the people ban together and fight side by side, to the death for one another. And yet, during times of calm we forget we are one in our nation and freedom.

One might have an image of a US soldier as a Caucasian male dressed in a sharp military uniform. The demographics of the US military show otherwise. Historically the make up of the US Military is quite eye opening with large numbers of the fallen being Black, Asian, Hispanic, Muslim, Jewish, and non denominational. The vast majority are from small towns. Another shocking fact is that many fighting for our freedom are not even US citizens. That's correct. We have service members from every war who have given their lives in combat, who were not citizens. We have citizen who won't bother to serve in defense of our nation.
 
It's fascinating to learn how blacks took up arms during the civil war, that Japanese, Chinese and Filipino Americans fought and died in WWII while their families in back in America were being rounded up and placed in camps. 
 
Can you imagine yourself giving your life for a country who is actively striping your family of their freedom, property and dignity. That is true dedication to our country. For this, and so many other stories, we owe those who have given their lives for us a great deal of honor. This is what memorial day is truly about. 
 
In St. Louis we have the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. JB Cemetery is one of the oldest military interment sites in the US. My grandfather, several uncles and close family members are buried there. In Hawaii, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific was established in 1949. Punchbowl, as it is known, was first used to bury hundreds of unidentified remains from the attack on Pearl Harbor.
 
Overlooking Honolulu, and nestled at the base of the Ko'olau mountains, Punchbowl is a volcanic crater that raises 461 feet above sea level. Oahu has three such small craters that include Diamondhead and Kokohead.

Unlike most US Military cemeteries, Punchbowl does not have the sterling white vertical grave markers. All markers lay flat to the earth. I am not sure why this is, but I can take a few guesses. 

In contrast to visiting Pearl Harbor, that is sad with memories and visions of devastation, Punchbowl is more reverent. With a gorgeous view of Pearl Harbor to the west and Diamondhead to the east, all of Honolulu and Waikiki lay below you. The trade winds blow the flags as birds chirp. If you are standing at the rim of Punchbowl you can take in a deep breath and be thankful that our lives are good. If you visit Oahu, Punchbowl is a drive worth making. Say Mahalo from the deepest part of our hearts for those who deserve to be honored and remembered.

 

 
 


Location: Nuuanu - Punchbowl, Honolulu, HI, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Becoming a Hawaiian Style Cafe

-
Image
In January 2022 Buzz's Hawaiian Grill took possession of 3457 Magnolia Ave. for the future Buzz's brick-n-mortar. For several years prior the space was a well loved hot dog joint that had decided to move to a new location. Buzz's had been looking for a space that shared our chill vibe and this space checked all the boxes. The challenge was, how to convert the space from ketchup red to an island style cafe with a plantation era look. A place people from Hawai'i could relate to.  The other challenge was to upgrade the kitchen from dysfunctional and partially operational, to a fully operational kitchen capable of handling the complex menu we envisioned offering. It was going to require time and money, but we had a vision we felt was achievable.     The Front End One of the main goals was to remove the barn style false ceiling in order to open the space up visually allowing more light in. After all, Hawaiian restaurants are often op
Read more

8/08 is National Musubi Day

-
Image
The area code in Hawaii is 808, so it was only fitting for August 8th to become National Musubi Day.  Let's give credit where credit is due.   Inspired by  Hawai‘i's passionate SPAM® Musubi enthusiasts, in 2021, the L&L  franchises   (a local restaurant chain) recognized the need to honor this flavorful hand-held snack with its own special day. In an effort to do our part in sharing Hawaiian culture we celebrate 8/08 each year as well. The origin of Musubi is in question, but I consider  Barbara Funamura  of Kauai as the person who created this yummy treat. One thing that is 100% certain is that Musubis were created in Hawaii. It's not Japanese, although it is similar to a Maki sushi roll, and based on Barbara's last name I'd guess Barbara is of Japanese descent, or her husband may be. In Korea similar food is referred to as Kimbop. Spam Musubi are commonly found at the cash registers in  convenience stores , or snack food shops all over the islands. One o
Read more

The Hawaiian Plate Lunch

-
Image
During the plantation era of Hawai'i's history, workers brought to the fields their leftovers from home for lunch. The vast majority of these workers were initially from China then Japan, Okinawa, Philippines, Korean. Their "brown bag lunch" was in the form of a Bento Box . If you think Bento Boxes are a thing of the past you only need to search Amazon to find modern versions still in use today. A typical Bento Box contains rice, pickled or cooked vegetables and a protein such as fish or meat. Traditional Bentos had two or three layers of containers stacked high separating the various food types. This made it easy to pass around as the workers shared their food with one another. As the world modernized and less people brought lunch to work, the plate lunch was created by food wagons and establishments supplying lunch plates to field workers similar in fashion to the Bento box. In Hawaii the common understanding of a plate lunch is two scoops of
Read more