On and Off Base: PMRF’s Autumn Activities

 

Having a Ball on the Navy’s 250th

On Oct. 11, PMRF personnel joined community partners and friends in celebrating the Navy Ball and the 250th birthday of the U.S. Navy. The event honored the service’s proud history, traditions, and achievements, while recognizing the dedication and service of all Sailors past and present.

 

Command leadership, Sailors, civilian staff, Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami, and many community leaders came together for an evening of camaraderie, reflection, and celebration – in addition to dancing and cake!

 

PMRF thanks everyone who helped make the ball possible. Happy 250th Birthday to the Navy!

 

Laulima Navy Campaign Exceeds Goals

In October, the Navy concluded its year-long Laulima Navy 250 initiative, an effort to reinforce the service’s longstanding and unwavering commitment to Hawai‘i. With 292 acts of volunteerism by Sailors and civilians on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i – often working alongside community members – the Laulima Navy campaign, which means “many hands working together,” more than lived up to its name.

 

Some notable efforts included:

• PMRF volunteers joined Mālama Hulēʻia at the 600-year-old Alakoko Fishpond near Līhue for a community workday to re-establish native wetland ecosystems.
• PMRF personnel helped with highway and beach cleanups near/on the base.
• Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam personnel and family members helped the Salt Lake community make 1,000 microbial Genki mud balls to help remove bacteria and pollutants from the Salt Lake Waterway without negatively impacting or altering the natural ecosystem.
• A small team of Navy personnel joined community volunteers at Haiku Valley on O‘ahu for cultural and ecological service work, including removing invasive species, planting native plants, and learning about Native Hawaiian culture and practices.

 

We are excited to announce that Laulima Navy will continue beyond 2025. Click here to learn more.

 

100th Battalion Memorial Ceremony

On Sept. 28, PMRF leadership had the great honor of joining descendants and extended family at Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery for a ceremony honoring the men who served in the 100th Army Infantry Battalion during the Second World War.

 

Young men from Kaua‘i volunteered for the the battalion, which was the first Japanese-American formation to fight on the Western Front in 1943 and eventually became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The unit is recognized as being among the most awarded group of soldiers in U.S. history, with three Presidential Unit Citations, one Medal of Honor, 24 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 147 Silver Stars, among other awards. Their unwavering fighting spirit and great losses led to them being referred to as the “Purple Heart Battalion” (1,703 awarded).

 

The PMRF team thanks them for their service and honors their sacrifice.

 

Sept. 11 Remembrance Event

On Sept. 25, PMRF Senior Enlisted Leader Senior Chief Eddie Ko attended and presented a wreath at the annual Day of Service and Remembrance hosted by the Kaua‘i Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at the Kukui Grove Center. The community event, which included the Waimea High School Junior ROTC Color Guard, was held in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and to celebrate first responders, military, and the civil service.

 

PMRF Hosts Aide to Senator Hirono

Adam Yost, National Security Adviser to Senator Mazie Hirono, visited for a tour of PMRF. This included briefings on the current state of operations, which highlighted activities within the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility, services PMRF provides to our local community, and our expansive natural and cultural resource management programs. During the tour, Yost visited testing and training grounds, leased land areas, and learned more about historical and Native Hawaiian preservation sites. Staff shared information about PMRF's mission and the importance of natural and cultural preservation practices upheld by the installation.

 

These connections reinforced PMRF's commitment to its community, promoted mutual understanding and respect, and strengthened relationships between military and local officials and organizations.