Kaua‘i takes time out to honor veterans

KEKAHA — The students need to know the reason we have a holiday, said St. Theresa School principal Mary Buza Sims, Friday while watching the field of students.

St. Theresa School welcomed guests from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana to help the students understand the role Veterans played to ensure the freedom they enjoy, including having Monday as a holiday from school.

Using an email she received from a friend’s father, Buza Sims said she started the assembly by reading from it.

“The first Veterans’ Day was set in place as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919 to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of World War I,” the email read. “As the years passed, we have traditionally recognized this day as a time to honor all of those brave men and women who seve and protect this great nation we call home.”

Buza-Sims said students need to know that when there is a holiday, it’s not just a break from school, and to this end, she had students working to create American flag replicas, some hand-drawn, others culled from the Internet and printed out, all of the flags being fastened to wooden pencils which the students carried about while visiting the PMRF displays and exhibits. Parents were also welcome to enjoy the event with their children.

“This Veterans’ Day celebration with our PMRF neighbors is great,” Buza-Sims said. “It’s the second time we’re having them come to visit with the students and today, they’re hosting the students to different displays, including the crime lab from the Police Department. I think this is the first time they’ve taken it out for students. They’ll be in the classroom talking to the students and launch a couple of rockets to end the celebration.”

Mathew Diendorf, the PMRF Public Affairs officer, said the base at Mana is also busy preparing for the weekend, including participating in the Veterans’ Day parade through Kapa‘a town starting at 10 a.m., and the annual Veterans’ Day service, Sunday at the Hanapepe Veterans Cemetary, hosted by the Kaua‘i Veterans Council starting at 11 a.m. The public is invited to both events honoring the veterans.

To accomodate the parade, the county issued special road closures, including the closing of Kuhio Highway from Kipuni Way to Lehua Street from 9:30 a.m. until the parade ends.

During the road closure, traffic will be diverted to the Kapa‘a Bypass Road, states a county release.

Normal contra-flow on Kuhio Highway will not be affected, but motorists should expect traffic delays. Police officers will be manning the road closures and directing traffic flow in the affected area.

“Veterans Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the heroes who have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our nation and promote democracy and freedom,” said Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, in a release. “The debt we owe our veterans and their families can never be fully repaid.”

Joining St. Theresa and other schools in observing Monday as a holiday, the County of Kaua‘i offices will be closed, along with the Puhi Metals Recycling Center.

The refuse transfer stations, Kekaha Landfill and the Kaua‘i Resource Center will be closed on Sunday in observance of the holiday, states a county release.

The Kaua‘i Bus will be operating on a modified schedule on Monday, and due to staggered scheduling and the fact that the Kapa‘a Swimming Pool is normally closed on Mondays, the Kapa‘a pool will be closed from Sunday through Tuesday, re-opening for service, Wednesday.

The Waimea Swimming Pool will be closed on Sunday in observance of the holiday and also on Monday, when it is normally closed.

All HI-5 bottle redemption centers will be open as scheduled and residential refuse pick-up will continue as scheduled.

Normal business hours for county offices and services will resume, Tuesday with the exception of the Kapa‘a pool.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.