KEKAHA – Almost 300 people filled and surrounded the Kekaha Neighborhood Center last night to tell U.S. Navy officials that they are the Pacific Missile Range Facility’s best security personnel. Surfers, fishermen and other beachgoers said having hundreds of friendly
KEKAHA – Almost 300 people filled and surrounded the Kekaha Neighborhood Center last night to tell U.S. Navy officials that they are the Pacific Missile Range Facility’s best security personnel.
Surfers, fishermen and other beachgoers said having hundreds of friendly eyes and ears along the coast at the base would improve security.
Most of those in attendance said they are willing to make nearly any sacrifice or compromise, pay a fee to get federal background checks, maybe even walk over hot coals, in order to get back to their beloved surf breaks that have been off limits since the terrorist attacks of September 11.
“I worry that you will never let us back on the base,” said surfer and fisherman Greg Holzman.
“We can have a secure base and beach access; I’m sure of it,” said Andy Johnston, who showed pictures of four PMRF surf breaks and explained that there are between six and eight other “world-class surf spots” now off-limits to the general public.
Dellick Numazawa, a firefighter out of the Waimea station, wondered why he is allowed to pass into the base unchecked when in his fire truck responding to an emergency, yet he can’t enter when off-duty in his personal truck to catch some waves.
He’s the same person whether he’s on duty or not, he said. “We are locked out. We are not the enemy,” said Numazawa, a Vietnam veteran. He said he and other surfers would gladly pay to have background security checks performed.
But the access issue, unfortunately, isn’t as simple as that.
“We are at war here,” said Capt. Don Wilson, a former Secret Service agent and Navy reservist called up to active duty after the terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
And because the United States is at war against terrorism, commanders including those at PMRF, Pearl Harbor and other places, have to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of military and civilian personnel and facilities, said Wilson.
Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Navy’s Pearl Harbor public affairs office said people will be disappointed if they are seeking a rapid, win-win solution to the beach-access problem.
The gravity of the current world situation wasn’t lost on anyone in the audience, but Wilson still felt compelled to explain that, before the September 11 attacks, you had to go back to one of the bloodiest Civil War battles to find more loss of American lives in a single-day event.
“We are at high risk in these Pacific islands, and particularly here, because we have a base,” said Mayor Maryanne Kusaka, who further cited “valid national security issues” surrounding the decision to close PMRF to all but military and civilian employees and others with official base business.
A terrorist incident at PMRF, Kusaka added, would have a detrimental impact on tourism. She and others referred to PMRF as a “good neighbor.”
Wilson explained that Rear Adm. Robert T. Conway of Pearl Harbor, the commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, and others will be involved in any decision-making regarding PMRF beach access, and that the current total ban and an all-visitors-welcomed, no-questions-asked policy are both not good.
The current base security procedures won’t be around forever, Wilson added.
“No commanding officer wants to exclude the local community,” Wilson said. Wilson, Campbell, and two civilian employees will brief Conway within 48 hours regarding the outcome of yesterday’s meeting, Campbell promised.
Some speakers favored the continued strict security procedures, with others willing to find a common ground allowing beach access as long as security isn’t compromised.
The continued closure is necessary, said Judy Naumu Stewart, saying the freedoms enjoyed on the Mainland, in Hawai’i and on Kaua’i are enjoyed because of the presence and sacrifices of the military.
There are other places to surf, she added.
Some of those speaking for beach access were adamant.
“Shutting down the base totally is unacceptable,” said County Councilmember Randal Valenciano.
Beach access and use are fundamental rights of Hawai’i residents, said Council Chair Ron Kouchi, adding that agreements between the state and federal government giving development rights to the land where PMRF is situated contain provisions for public beach access.
Bruce Pleas suggested three possible pedestrian access ways to beach sites.
“We don’t want your base,” just beach access, said Holzman.
Some speakers said current security isn’t tight enough, and that with the Navy’s high-tech surveillance capabilities security shouldn’t even be an issue that prevents recreational access.
“We need access to that beach, and something can be worked out,” said one speaker. Another spoke of the social benefits of congregating at Major’s Bay and other beach spots on the base, and that President Bush encouraged a return to normal behaviors (travel, business, etc.) the day after the attacks.
People in the room are willing to compromise and cooperate, “and now it’s your turn,” one speaker told the Navy panel.
Access to the beach doesn’t necessarily mean access to the base, said Ray Mierta, adding that a win-win situation exists.
Traditional users of the base, including a member of a model-airplane club that had used the runway to launch, crash and otherwise land their craft, asked that the Navy remember them when security procedures change. A Native Hawaiian gatherer and others suggested bringing back the annual pass program.
Ross Barker, operator of a small surf shop in Hanapepe, said since the closure his and other Westside businesses have suffered because people aren’t traveling west to surf as often as before September 11.
