Today is Memorial Day, set aside as a day to honor and remember those who died while in military service. As such, it has a solemn purpose, as we are called upon to think of those who have offered up the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, to defend our nation and to uphold our national ideals.
Democracy and human rights are among these ideals. Hold up these values as points of pride for the nation. In that spirit, salute and honor the soldiers in Ukraine who have lost their lives during Ukraine’s fierce resistance to invasion by Russia.
The bravery and strength shown by Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, who fought back against Russia’s destructive forces though outgunned and outnumbered, spark our recognition, and cause us to remember that democracy is worth fighting for.
Americans have responded to the Ukrainian resistance with a sense of common feeling. That war has also driven rise to a sense of solidarity among democratic nations who are linked to the U.S. through NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed after World War II.
The legacy fought for by U.S. soldiers who died in battle during the Second World War was hard-won. It has not been forgotten, or lost its influence.
We now see previously neutral countries Finland and Sweden seeking allegiance with NATO, as Ukraine professes its ultimate desire to belong to the alliance, and much of the world recoils from Russia’s brutal attacks and lack of regard for democratic ideals.
Memorial Day has its roots in loss and ceremonies of remembrance that reach back to the Civil War. While we honor all who have served in our military branches on Veterans Day, on Memorial Day we remember those who lost their lives, particularly in the course of conflict.
The Civil War was a battle between halves of a broken nation, “a house divided,” fueled in large part by conflict over the right to enslave and own other humans. It’s worth remembering that enmity, grudges and racist beliefs persist, still, in this country, a century-and-a-half later, as do lingering memories of loss.
The aftermath of war brings its own set of tests, when Americans must continue to prove that we hold dear the values we claim.
Hawaii has been marked and shaped by military conflict in its history as a U.S. territory and state. Hawaii served as a training and staging ground for U.S. military deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in the Vietnam and Korean wars. The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked U.S. involvement in World War II — and the USS Arizona Memorial, which honors the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed aboard that battleship, is a poignant reminder of their sacrifice.
Hawaii’s strategic utility as a military jumping-off point precedes statehood, even territorial times. Pearl Harbor became valuable as a naval base during the Spanish-American War, when the U.S. invaded the Philippines. In the same year, 1898, Congress approved Hawaii’s annexation, and two years later, it became a formal U.S. territory.
This state now hosts every branch of the military — even Space Force, which operates the Kaena Point satellite facility. Military operations are entwined with our economy and way of life. At the National Cemetery of the Pacific-Punchbowl, Pearl Harbor and in the Capitol District, where sites honor those who fought in the Korean and Vietnam wars, memorials to the fallen take their place in our state’s consciousness.
From all over the islands, plumeria flowers and sewn lei have been collected, to be distributed at the graves and memorials for those who died while in service. On Sunday, the Scouts of Hawaii placed lei and American flags on graves at Punchbowl. Today, all are welcome at the Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, set for 8:30 a.m.
Today, take the time to honor and reflect on those who died while serving our country.
