Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest.
The military has a huge presence here in Hawaii, with nearly 100-thousand soldiers, civilians and family members stationed on Oahu and the Big Island. This week, the U-S Secretary of the Army flew here to meet with officials.
Oahu Water Protectors attend the military town hall on Schofield Barracks.
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS-- Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormouth, told a town hall she wasn't impressed with military housing at Schofield barracks.
"You all have had power outages. There's no doubt that the underground water system here is aging considerably. There's no doubt that the electric grid has issues out here in Hawaii," Wormouth said.
The Secretary acknowledges those issues need to be addressed. Meanwhile, activists with Oahu Water Protectors weighed in on the Red Hill fuel spill at the townhall, as well as expiring military leases which they argue should not be renewed.
"Just in the Pearl Harbor area, they are bearing toxic waste, they are throwing toxic waste in the ocean," Healani Sonoda-Pale told KITV4, "What is the value? That is the question I think a lot of us have, not just Kanaka Maoli, but people who live here and want to raise their kids here. What is the value of having the US military here in Hawaii?"
In her answer the secretary characterizes Hawaii's role in the Indo-Pacific as an essential strategic position, should hostility's rise globally.
"But also to present a strong deterrent posture, which I think today, this is the most challenging security environment I've seen in 30 years. There are real security problems that we need to be worried about," Wormouth said.
The Secretary characterizes Pohakuloa Training Area as vital.
"Because of the large amount of land, the rugged terrain, the diversity of elevations that are available, The Army can do live fire training there. We can do combined arms training there, and that is what we need to do maintain our war fighting proficiency," Wormouth said.
When asked about the land's cultural significance, Wormoth replied, "I respect those views and part of the reason that I met with some of the leaders from the Native Hawaiian community is to hear those views myself."
Oahu Water Protectors activist Ann Wright told KITV 4, "We're talking about it in terms of 'land back', that the 65 year lease that was held on 27,000 acres of land both in Pohakuloa and then here on the island of Oahu: Those lands need to be coming back to the Native Hawaiians, to the State of Hawaii."
"The Red Hill issues changed the minds of not just people who live here, but other people as well, even military families who are just here for a time. And they see the danger of having the military holding these places," Healani Sonoda-Pale said.
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Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest.
