Category Archives: War & Peace

Memorial Day 1971

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A bit of history.

It was Sunday, May 30, 1971. It was the last Memorial Day observed on May 30, which Congress then moved to the final Monday of May.

We were among those taking part in a peaceful demonstration against what was then the continuing war in Vietnam. What was unusual was the location, the War Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, where we stood along the entry road as the public arrived for the annual Memorial Day observation.

As I recall, we had gathered first at Church of the Crossroads, where signs were being made and makeup applied, and then drove to Punchbowl, where our group of about 50-60 lined the road into the cemetery.

Here are some photos from my archives (just click on the photo to see the rest).

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After getting them ready to share, I went looking for more information about the event.

I thought it might have been sponsored by the Hawaii People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice, which had been formed in March 1971.

In March of 1971 over a score of community, peace, student, military, low-income and other groups and individuals formed the Hawaii People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice–reflecting the joining of concerns for an end to the war, racism, exploitation, repression and poverty, and for a society based on human equality and respect for the earth.

But my first look at the HPCPJ newsletters found lots of other protests and activities being held during the month of May, but the Memorial Day event wasn’t among them.

Then I finally spotted this brief announcement identifying the sponsor as Liberated Barracks, another group that had just been formed to operate a GI coffeehouse, among other activities.

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At the time, Honolulu had two competing daily newspapers, and both carried stories reporting on the Memorial Day observance and the protest outside.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin carried a story on page 2, with a photo of the demonstation, and another of the official action.

The caption noted: “Demonstrators lined the lawn-flanked drive up to the crater, chanting ‘How many more?'”

Lyle Nelson, who reported on military affairs for the Star-Bulletin, led his story by contrasting the message of the Pacific Fleet Commander, who decried “policymaking by protest in the streets,” to that of then-Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, a former Marine who served in the Pacific during WWII.

“We would have to be deaf and blind if we failed to recognize that across the nation a new wind is blowing, the Mayor said.

REPRESENTING the new wind at Punchbowl were about two dozen antiwar demonstrators who stood a grim vigil just outside the front gate.

Faces masked by black and white paint, they carried protest signs and chanted, “How many more?”

This kind of questioning of national purpose, domestic priorities and international motives is good, Fasi said.

William Helton, the Honolulu Advertiser’s military reporter, provided additional details.

“[Fasi] was dressed in a black suit, white shirt and a red, white and blue tie. The tie’s windsor knot showed white stars on a blue field,” Helton wrote.

“This is profound questioning in regard to the military establishment and its relationship to our national purpose,” Fasi said. “Thirty years of the draft, 30 years of cold and hot war, 30 years of constant alarms and excursions, 30 years of mounting casualties and cost have taken their toll.”

“Across this land of ours, a new generation is little by little causing us to examine our national purpose, our domestic priorities, and our international motives. And it is good.”

Helton continued:

The Mayor said that young people today are impatient.

If America has been wrong “as they say, then the cost has been ghastly,” he said.

This description of Liberated Barracks appears in the first issue of the group’s small underground newspaper published between 1971 and 1974. Copies can be viewed online in a collection of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Liberated Barracks grew out of a void in Hawaii. The void-the lack of a place where G.I.’s could get together and collectively work on solutions to problems that are a daily part of military life. It began with a group of concerned G.I.’s and civilians working together within the People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice and has since grown and expanded to the point of having a coffee house open on a daily basis. It offers military counseling and referral services including limited legal assistance (hopefully to be full time in the near future). The coffee house is openevery day with evening programs consisting of educational and entertainment events.

The weekly schedule is: Monday-the newspaper staff meets to work on the Liberated Barracks paper. Everyone is invited to help out, especially with articles that you would like to see printed; Tuesday-free nite; we eventually plan to have classes in the use of the UCMJ for the benefit of the G.l.; Wednesday-Movies on current and past political struggles in the world followed by an informal rap; Thursday-guest speakers and/or informal raps on topics relating to the G.J. struggle; Friday-Fun Nite usually we have movies such as classics like Buster Keaton or Adult cartoons. This is a time reserved for everybody to come together and enjoy themselves; Saturday-live entertainment such as folk singers, small groups, ete. You are weleome to bring in any musical instruments and play; Sunday-during the day the Steering Committee, which consists of the civilian staff and G.I.’a from each base, meets to plan events for each week and generally analyze the operation of the coffeehouse. This is followed by a general meeting of everyone participating in the coffeehouse to make plans for the future, such as fund raising, projects, etc.

Trump blythly advocates a war crime

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I asked Chatgpt this question: “Would the forcible expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza as proposed by President Trump be a war crime?”

It answered quickly.

“Yes, President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to forcibly relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighboring countries could be considered a war crime under international law. Such actions may violate prohibitions against forced displacement and collective punishment as outlined in the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Legal experts and human rights organizations have condemned the proposal, labeling it as a form of ethnic cleansing.”

Specifically:

1. Forced Transfer or Deportation – Under the Fourth Geneva convention (Article 49) and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 7 and 8), the forcible transfer or deportation of a civilian population from their homes during an armed conflict is prohibited and considered a war crime or crime against humanity.

2. Ethnic Cleansing – The forced removal of a population based on national, ethnic, or religious identity is widely considered a violation of international humanitarian law and has been prosecuted as a crime against humanity in past conflicts.

3. Collective Punishment – The mass expulsion of civilians as a means of retaliation or deterrence could also be considered collective punishment, which is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 33).

4. Occupation and International Law – If an occupying power were to forcibly remove civilians from their territory, it would be violating the principle of proportionality and distinction under the laws of war, which protect civilians from mass displacement unless required for their safety.

Legal scholars and human rights organizations would likely classify any such expulsion as a grave breach of international law, potentially leading to accountability under international criminal mechanisms.

A Christmas letter describes island life after 3 years of WWII

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This is a follow-up to my post on Sunday of a Christmas letter from December 1942 by UH Professor Carey D. Miller.

Two years later, in December 1944, Miller sent a similar letter updating friends on conditions in Hawaii after three years of war, most of that time spent under martial law.

This post first appeared here in 2008.

With so many jobs lost, dreams deferred, and savings evaporated by the financial meltdown, wars continuing on several fronts, and uncertainty so prevalent, it’s useful to look back for perspective.

In December 1944, University of Hawaii Professor Carey D. Miller sat down and wrote a Christmas letter to friends conveying thoughts for the Christmas season.

“That much hoped-for-end-of-the-war seems to be receeding, though the general situation is more favorable than last year,” she began.

The explained that after finding herself annoyed about several small things, “I tried to be a cheerful Job-ana and think of all the things I had to be thankful for.”

And this became the theme of her Christmas letter.

Among the things Miller expressed thanks for:

• “…a good job and sufficient health and energy to carry on.”

• “…a comfortable home of our own. The housing situation is so acute in Honolulu that we feel almost guilty to have a spare room, even though it is frequently used by newcomers and visitors.”

• “…space to raise most of our own fruits and vegetables which give us a better diet and means jut that much less food to be shipped in.”

• “…the (household) help that we have….A girl from one of the other Islands who is attending business school is with us for the second year. She prepares the evening meal and washes the dishes. Her repertoire is limited, but she really does very well.”

• “And we have a yard man!”

• “…it has not been necessary to restore the black out. We can now turn on any kind of lights anywhere, any time! (Except, of course, during an air raid alarm).”

• “…I am thankful for good musical programs whether from regular records or rebroadcasts of such programs as the N.B.C. symphony concerts.”

• “…the event which will evoke the greatest thankfulness will be the end of the war.”

A Christmas letter written in December 1944 by University of Hawaii Professor Carey D. Miller by Ian Lind on Scribd

Trying to understand the Gaza conflict

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I have long said that there are many just causes, but there are no just wars.

That’s why it is so very hard to watch as the war between Israel and Hamas causes untold civilian casualties, and is poised to escalate much further.

I’m taking the liberty of sharing a recent statement by the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee on the violence in Israel and Gaza. I was on the staff of AFSC in Hawaii for several years in the 1970s, and later served on regional and national AFSC committees until I began working as a reporter.

First, a little background. This Quaker organiation has a long history of working in the region, and in other parts of the world where war creates vast human suffering. In the 1930s, American Quakers worked hard on behalf of Jewish refugees, and provided relief services to the victims of war without regard for politics.

In 1948, “the organization was asked by the United Nations to respond to the needs of those displaced during the 1948 war. In those initial years AFSC set up the refugee camp system in Gaza and provided for the needs of displaced persons in the Haifa region.”

AFSC has maintained offices in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Gaza, where it has worked “to realize a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis while addressing urgent humanitarian needs on the ground.”

They have staff trapped in Gaza today.

The AFSC statement

We are heartbroken by the escalating violence in Palestine and Israel. We send our sympathies and solidarity to all who have lost loved ones. We mourn with you and hold all experiencing violence – and everyone waiting to hear if their loved ones are safe – in the Light.

More than 900 Israelis and 700 Palestinians have been killed over three days. Bombing of Gaza continues, and Israeli troops are being moved into position for a potential ground invasion. More than a hundred Israelis have been taken hostage. The borders of Gaza have been hermetically sealed and Israel is blocking the entry of fuel, electricity, water, food, and goods into Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

If attacks on Gaza continue and the borders remain sealed, a deepening humanitarian crisis is inevitable and thousands more will be killed.

U.S. and European governments have expressed support for Israeli military action. The U.S. is sending Israel weapons for the attacks on Gaza.

The Israeli escalation is being justified by explicitly racist rhetoric. When announcing the siege on Gaza, the Israeli Defense Minister referred to Palestinians as “animals.”

Israeli military action is not what is needed now; it will only inflict more suffering. Instead, we need leadership that demands an immediate end to all violence and seeks long-term solutions to end the injustice and inequality that led to these devastating events.

Addressing this violence at its roots requires a clear look at the situation as it has unfolded over time. AFSC began doing relief work in Gaza in 1949, and even then we spoke about the need for justice for Palestinians. Our staff have been present in Gaza throughout all the Israeli attacks over the last decades, and AFSC has long advocated for an end of the Gaza blockade. We have witnessed the destruction, death, and suffering wrought by Israel’s Apartheid policies and ongoing use of military violence – all with U.S. support.

Through this experience it has become clear to us that security cannot be created by systematic oppression. Palestinians suffer from daily violence and collective punishment, while much of the world does nothing. One need not dig deeply into the history of the 75 years of occupation to find the evidence to prove that point. Look at the conditions this year:

The people in Gaza are in the sixteenth year of a crippling blockade, with little access to electricity, medical care, jobs, education, or other essentials of a decent life. Even before the Palestinian attacks and Israeli military response on October 7, during 2023 more than 250 Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli military. More than 1,100 had been forced from their homes. More than 800 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers have resulted in injuries and property loss. All this persists under the watch of a far-right Israeli government who has functioned with total impunity.

This is apartheid. And it must end for lasting peace to flourish in the region.

We all deserve to live in peace, freedom, and safety. We call on the U.S. and other members of the international community to focus immediately on diplomacy to end this current crisis, to call for the honoring of UN resolutions and international humanitarian laws, to halt the flow of weapons which will further violence, and to change long-term policies that ignore the Apartheid realities and Israeli abuses of Palestinian rights. All of this is a central part of calling for peace.

As a Quaker organization, we believe peace is more than the mere absence of war. There is no true peace without justice and history shows us that people who are oppressed will continue to find ways to resist their oppression. The human costs of continuing along the current path are far too great. The only path to lasting peace for Palestine and Israel is by uprooting occupation and apartheid.

Resources:

“5 things you need to know about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza”

“How to talk with family and friends about the situation in Israel and Palestine”

“The Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza”

“The Hamas Attack Is Israel’s 9/11, Yet the Country Must Trace the Differences and Legal Pitfalls,” Lawfare Blog.