 Think Tech Hawaii. Civil engagement lives here. And Aloha, welcome to another edition of Hawaii in Uniform. I'm your host Calvin Griffin. And those of you who've seen the program before, you know, we mainly concentrate on veterans and military issues and those who help to support, those who are supporting our country. Today I have a very special guest, Mr. Bob McDermott, who is State Representative of the 4th District. 40th District, yeah. Zero, you know. No, there you go. Yeah, want to thank you for coming on the program. Yes, sir. Yeah, I know that the reason why I asked you down, you know, for the program originally was, I know that here in the program we've been talking about Branch 46 and their efforts to keep the property they have down there for their members and also the vets. And you were instrumental or helping out. Helped out, yeah. So the Branch 46 is a, so it's a veterans program. So I want to tell your viewers out there that I was a Marine. I guess I still am, right? But it was 100 pounds ago, right? So a Marine veteran and did the first Gulf War. I was enlisted and an officer, got out after four years, came back in with a college degree, became a 90-day wonder, right? A second lieutenant. But then I ran the Navy League for 12 years and that's where I got to know the Fleet Reserve because the Navy League and the Fleet kind of have similar missions not exactly and they're very close to each other but they're both Navy centric if you will, although they support all the sea services, the Coast Guard, the Merchant Marine, the Marine Corps and the Navy. Most people don't think about all those groups when we talk about the sea services, right? Fleet Reserve supports all of them, so does the Navy League. And of course being at the Navy League influenced my sons because I have two that joined the Navy. One's a boatsman's mate, one is a seabee and I had a boy who was in the Marine Corps, he's out now. So when you think about 1% of Americans today joined the military and our family because of the influence of the Navy League and myself and my wife, we've steered all our boys to go in there because we think it's such a great opportunity for young men and women to get a start. And the Marine Corps was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, both enlisted as an officer. I wouldn't want to do it again, I'm too old, but at the time it was great. And great training, leadership, particularly OCS and the basic school, you learn how to be a leader. Not everyone's a born leader, some people are. You learn leadership and it was just a great place to start. So, Tugtail and the Branch 46, and I'll let you expound upon the challenges that you've had in fundraising, but the state gave them a grant of $300,000, which was extraordinary, I can tell you. Romy Cacholla, Representative Cacholla from Kalihi, got that grant. I was shocked that they gave it to you because it was such a large amount of money. They usually don't give that out unless to groups like the Aviation Museum or Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. So the fleet reserve to get that was really wonderful in a testament to Cacholla and the folks at the fleet who lobbied to get that. I think a lot of people, it's been there for quite some time, many hours. You want to explain the financial situation and where they're at and how they got there so the folks at home know what we're talking about? Basically what it is, the only reason why I like to have not actually a member, as far as what's called lounge lizard, the group anyhow, but just being a concerned veteran. But as far as speaking to the specifics of what they're dealing with right now, I can just tell you what's been released to the public that they want. But yeah, it's been an ongoing battle for them to go ahead and try to raise the money to keep the place going anyhow. A lot of people are not even aware of its existence, even those in the military. But even with the lack of public awareness of the organization anyhow, the number of people that go through there, the important thing about this organization and this location is that we have a lot of individuals who serve fire and there's a lot of good people that go through there that do a lot of good things in the community. So that's part of what's going on. But as far as the effort to go ahead and for the finances, there are starting to generate as far as the interest, especially with the influx of the $300,000 that has been allocated anyhow. So there's still about $150,000, $200,000 short. But again, this is a real shot in the arm, like I said, to motivate the community and also the members. So the issue is they're on Navy land, it's excess Navy land, and Navy said, okay, you've got to buy this piece of land at fair market value. You have three years to do it and the price was $800,000 or something like that. So through their own fundraising efforts and through the grant and they're about $150,000, $200,000 short. They got another year extension to get that. That should be doable. But the Fleet Reserve's profile, their membership, right, are more enlisted, retired enlisted guys or enlisted guys. The Fleet Reserve is more officer, retired officers. That's the one thing I noticed, right? So the Fleet Reserve has a bar and a lounge, so they do have a profit center. You were indicating, and they didn't, because they were a nonprofit, they weren't real strict in how they ran it. I'm not saying there's any theft or anything, it's just a little sloppy, ordering too much inventory. Yeah, that was a question. How did the organization get into that position in the first place? Again, I'm not of any authority right now to speak on behalf or for or against what was happening, but a lot of people are hoping, like I say, with the way things, with the changes that could possibly come about, that whatever led up to the situation right now where they need the influx or the capital to save the place, that it would not happen again. Well, they paid the building their own outright, which was probably a million and a half dollars, I would guess, to build that today. It's huge. Well, to build it would be cheaper, it's value. If you're on the open market, that lot and the building would be at least 1.5 million, if not more. So, yeah. And they own the building and you just have to buy the land because it was excess of land and the Navy wants to get rid of it. The Navy doesn't want to be liable for anything, right? So this is where they have to raise money and there wasn't a real sense of urgency and when I pointed out the guys who were tired and enlisted, they were not wealthy guys. They have a pension and they provide for their family but they don't have a whole lot of... They're not going to make a $5,000 donation because they don't have it. And so they have to get into fundraising which they've never had to do before because the bar kind of raised enough money to keep them afloat, pay their bills, pay the electricity, you know, right? And since they didn't have to pay any rent because they were a dollar a year less E to the Navy, right? They were fine. Yeah, I think, you know, sometimes it's just... Well, I'm trying to think of that term proper but anyhow, a lot of people assumed that someone else was going to step up to the plate. Yes, a lot of the way it always is. Somebody else taking the other guy. Yeah, somebody's going to write a big check and I'm not going to have to get involved but now with the situation, again, I think people are starting to motivate and when they fully realize the impact that this place goes away how it's going to impact the community because again, it's a gathering place in some cases for all the different branches because even though it's a Navy operation, you know, as far as the charter and everything else, you have all the different branches of service that go in there, mainly as associate members, you know, they come in and have... Promotions there, they hold events, their recognition events for Sailor of the Year lunches and things of that nature. They have a nice big buffet area or room of dining room that they rent out now and you're going to get more aggressive in that because the rentals for rooms for high school graduations and parties is very competitive. I mean, there's not a lot of places you can rent for 500 bucks for an evening, for your high school graduation, for your kids' graduation. They have plenty of parking. It's conveniently located right in the corner of Valkenburg and Nimitz, right? So it's right next to Holy Family School for those folks across from Navy Marine Golf Course. It's one of the main drags. It's a very, very valuable piece of property. Yeah, right now, because they have the rail that's going to be running past there and you know, the operation anyhow. But yeah, you know, not to... What you call it? How close is it going to run? How close? 50 feet or less. So they can hop off the rail and come out and, you know... I'll tell you a funny story about the Fleet Reserve. So my father, who's dead now, he lived with us in the 90s. And he was just a handful. And of course, he was a drunk. So what I would do in the afternoon is take him over to Fleet about one o'clock and drop him off. Because their bar is like any town, USA. You could be in Milwaukee, Cleveland. You don't know where the heck you are. You go in his 25-cent draft at the time. So I just sit him at the bar, give him 10 bucks and come back in five hours. He's making friends and having a good time. Yeah, the one thing about there and the police, you know, it's just like... I know with the MWR and some of the facilities closing down the different bars that's on the clubs. You know, you have a lot of people who still like to drink. They drink responsibly, hopefully. But instead of going all the way down to Waikiki, you know, they can get, you know, the central locators close to the base and all that good stuff. And on top of that, again, the knowledge that you learned, I mean, since I've been a member there, people that you run into from World War II, Vietnam, the whole nine yards of history, you know. And so it's not always about drinking and, you know, getting, as I say, lit up, but it's about sharing. And also it helps with those individuals, the ambiance, you know, of the military, you know, and there's very few places here on the island where you can go to except on base where you can feel like, say, you're part of a group that understands where you're coming from, you know. And it becomes, in a way, you know, a little cathartic or, you know, kind of common bond, you know. And, like I say, that's the important thing about the place where you're able to go ahead and share. And even for young people, I think there's certain groups, boy scouts, girl scouts, maybe meet there, I'm not sure. But we do have, I know that they do have family-oriented operations, you know, the parties and things of that nature. But hopefully in the future, if they decide to do so, you know, cultivating the community spirit, you know, with the family type of thing, where they're able to come in and share and do things within the community. Because we have a lot of people there that, on their own, I mean, they're not even part of any organization for the most part, except being a member of the lounge for the most part if they're not qualified to be a full-fledged member. But we have a lot of unsung heroes out there, you know, in the veterans community that people rarely hear about because, you know, the spirit of giving, you know, that most veterans have. You get in, you get involved, you know. And, you know, I'm quite sure you're familiar with that and your efforts with the veterans and the military. Yeah. Well, I was blessed because I got to run the Navy League for 12 years. So I got to meet heroes. You know, I'm getting goosebumps, as I said, heroes that I would not normally meet. And I got to become friends, literally friends with folks that have an extraordinary life story that you would never know that lived in our community. Oh, yeah. I'll give you an example. Jim and Carol Hickerson. You ever heard of him? Yes, I have. Okay. Jim was a Vietnam POW for five and a half years. Aviator shot down. When he got shot down, he was married. By the way, this is a story that Hollywood couldn't make up, folks. It's unbelievable. So he got shot down, he was married. Jim Hickerson. Carol Hansen was married to a Marine helicopter pilot who got shot down around the same time. And he was last seen reaching into his helicopter for his pistol. Yeah. He's going to be overrun by BC. But he was MIA, Missing in Action. So he goes to the Hanoi Hilton for five and a half years. She starts the League of Families with Sybil Stockdale. Her husband's MIA. Stockdale was MIA. He ended up at the Hanoi Hilton. And she begins meeting with the president, Henry Kissinger, the Pope. You know, President Nixon on and on trying to get in from Governor Reagan at the time. Trying to get information on where her husband is. He's MIA. Where is he? Where is he? Because all they say is he's MIA. And Hickerson comes home and his wife didn't wait for him. It's a sad story. But he's not bitter. She didn't wait for him. She moved on. And so he comes home and while you're in prison, what are you thinking about? Where do I get home to my wife? And all that, he put his hopes in he comes home and she's gone. Yeah. Carol Hickerson was finally told when the war ended, we've changed your husband's designation. We've debriefed some guys. He actually was overrun by the VC. He's KIA. So, they meet at Ross Perot's you got to do a commercial? Do a commercial. So we're going to do a meeting part when we come back. Hold that thought, we'll be right back. But we'll be back with Hawaii in uniform and Representative Bobby Durant. Welcome to Sister Power. I'm your host Sharon Thomas Yarbrough where we motivate, educate, empower and inspire all women. We are live here every other Thursday at 4pm and we welcome you to join us here at Sister Power. Aloha and thank you. Aloha. My name is Mark Shklav. I am the host of Think Tech Hawaii's Law Across the Sea. Law Across the Sea comes on every other Monday at 11am. Please join us. I like to bring in guests that talk about all types of things that come across the sea to Hawaii. Not just law, love, people, ideas, history. Please join us for Law Across the Sea. Aloha. Okay, you're back with Hawaii in uniform and again I'm your host Calvin Griffin and my special guest today is Representative Bob McDermott and Bob to continue your story. So, okay, our story. So we're right where the Hickerson. So Jim came back and his wife moved on. Carol who was headed the National League of Families was finally told her husband was KIA. By the way, Carol was pregnant when he left. So she had a son who never met her father, her biological father, his biological father. While she was doing this by the way, John Wayne took an interest in Carol and wore her husband's braces, Steve Hansen. And you can see it in some of those movies in the early 70s. He's got the metal bracelet on, POW bracelet. John Wayne sent Christmas gifts to her son every year even after the war was over up till his death. So Carol and Jim Hickerson had met once before. Now their second meeting was at Rose in the Cotton Bowl. He welcomed all the POWs home and played Tony Orlando sang Tyler Yellow Ribbon around the old old tree which was a major hit at the time. Carol started crying. Jim was next to her. He lean over, gave her a kiss. He says, don't worry, little lady, I'll be okay. He says, that's the most expensive kiss he's ever made because eventually they got married and started a family of their own and adopted a couple of children. And so I say you wouldn't write a script like that. It would be too unbelievable. Right. But it's a love story that still exists to this day. They're still alive. They live here in Honolulu and they're wonderful patriots. They both bleed red, white and blue. Speaking of which, and I don't want to get too much into this but what I plan to do is in the future, we have a couple of authorities on POWs that came up with, of course it's nothing that's new as when the Vietnam War ended of course they wanted to end it as soon as possible anyhow, and we had like 500 and some odd POWs that were released. Right. Okay. What some of the claims are is that the possibility that there were more POWs that were in. It always intrigued me. Yeah, because one of the things is that from the information I'm getting is that the United States through Kissinger or whoever our representatives were had promised the Vietnamese government billions of dollars in reparations. Right. And they held the POWs back as, you know, a bargaining ship anyhow. When the United States reneged on that promise to the Vietnamese government then the POWs no longer became considered an asset, you know, and as far as some of the reports possible executions and even the possibility of still live POWs. What we got, like say sometime in the future if you'd like to be part of that program we'll discuss it with us. We'd be more than happy to. You know that always intrigued me and you remember 1980 Lieutenant Colonel Bo Gritz founded a, he was going to mount an expedition to go over and look for those guys. That's the premise of the Rambo movies, right? Yeah. And so that always intrigued me because there was still 1500 unaccounted for or something like that. I mean quite a few guys unaccounted for. Did some of them, and we don't even hear reports of some of them who voluntarily stayed. Now we know that happened in the Korean War with cases of a couple guys who walked over the, they just went AWOL and ended up living in Korea and then Japan that's one guy just passed away couldn't really speak English anymore as a matter of fact. So we know there's cases of guys in the previous wars who deserted and lived lives in those countries. We never hear that about the Vietnam War where guys who deserted the Americans and lived in North Vietnam. Well, to be honest with you, I'm pleasantly surprised that you're open to discussing or talking about it because most people especially in the political arena would shy away from this but again you get into history and that always fascinates me and like the one World War II the reports that there were hundreds of thousands of British, French and American POWs that were never repatriated that were sent to different parts of the world, Russia, whatever it was. The gulags. Yeah, you know, again because of certain things that happened when they had the conference in Yolta of certain things that were promised to the Russians. Again we, and I say we are representatives we need on that promise and therefore, you know, it helped with the fascinated the Cold War attitude you know, the mistrust, you know. Well in World War II how many sit, I don't know, over a million people died so the number of people was staggering, yeah. Vietnam was 50,000, 55,000 so could there have been guys kept behind 10, 12, 15 guys, 30 guys just as a barging chip, certainly that's a possibility. Kept in those jungles triple canopy jungle kept in a rat cage yeah, I don't know if they'd still be alive today because the treatment was so bad they didn't get, if you talk to guys who were there like Jerry Coffey they would get fed a bowl of soup with a fish headed right, that was their dinner you know, with some rice and basically broth they all lost tons of weight so they didn't feed them very well and of course the medical treatment was almost non-existent so would any still be alive today is possible? well, with me personally even if there's one that's still alive we still need to do everything possible it'd be quite a story but I think you mentioned before the gentleman that came back claimed to be a soldier and basically the government basically wanted him to go away don't bring it up we don't want to talk about it leave country, get out of here so to me whether it's our POWs or their memories whatever there still has to be concerted effort like say to close the books and find out what's going on for the families and also I think for future generations because for those who out there who do hear the story and have legitimate information like say that leads to that you want to make sure that when you do put on the uniform that you're going to be taken care of and I believe for the most part that happens that weren't addressed where people were incidences like say where we didn't come through for our people that's interesting I've talked to people and then other guys say look Bob, triple canopy jungle plane crashes you're never going to find it there's no way now with today's technology with the satellites and the optics they have I mean you can baseball from 500,000 feet so I doubt if they're still out there today if they are their camouflage pretty darn well and I think the guys at this point you have to think about their age they're all in their 80s though if they were alive they'd be in their 80s but even if there was one like say that's still waiting for rescue or like say to be repatriated they'd probably be a slave at this point and moral obligation and I know it's one of those things where you know why bring it up or why talk about it and brainwashed being on belief and the soul beating down their soul just whatever the invitation like we can talk about it I'd like to hear what some of these guys have to say I definitely want to do that because I do believe it's an important story they believe that there's still something there yes and like say what I you got any evidence of it? yes there's some very heavy evidence on that I love it but as soon as we do that cause like say we're not here on the pro and think that you don't bring anything to the public attention if it's not substantiated from a number of different sources so I want to make sure especially on my program whenever I present you know anybody out there that has any information who wants to share it or even questions when we do do the program anyhow but yeah I'd love to have you know tell me what's going on and come on and you know join the discussion anyhow but to me again if there's even one left out there that individual needs to be brought home at the ledge every year I've honored Vietnam veterans this year I'm making an exception I'm honoring a triple amputee from Kamaukeek High School Ryan Colflage he got his triple amputee got his legs and arm blown off in I think it was Iraq so he's a local boy never been honored here so we're going to honor him in the state house March 16th you come by we're going to have lunch and everything else so it's two Fridays from today we're getting down to the wire but I want to give you a chance is there anything else that you'd like to discuss to make the public aware that we need to get involved in because again what we try to stress here is community involvement even though you don't have same sometimes well I'm happy that you continue to do what you do on the radio and on ThinkTact and you bring veterans issues to light you're one of the unsung heroes who's always behind the scenes pushing veterans issues and making guys like me aware of what's going on so thank you Cal well I appreciate it anyhow you know but thank you for what you're doing here okay I'll take you up on that lunch two Fridays from today so what else is going on that's immediate the public may need to be aware there's a lot going on down this square building we'll run out of time I see it's 11.30 and the red light just came on so the puzzle ballads today okay I'll tell you what in a minute and a half or less okay tell us what's happening it's a slow session mostly housekeeping issues mostly non-controversial issues we do have the assistant suicide which is going to pass it's a major plank of the democratic party I'll tell you the testimony was 50-54 it's not really against but the public polling shows that 80% support it I don't think they fully grasp what that means with the societal impact however it is what it is I voted no and I don't make any judgments on any way they voted because I've used this as a conscience issue between you and your God pretty much and that's how I voted well that's the bad thing because we know people do not agree on certain things but the thing is the involvement getting out there in the community to sit back and complain about how bad the situation is you want to go up and either testify some people think it's an exercise of futility but the thing is you have to do it it often is unless it's an issue that's hotly contested your opinion can sway one person particularly if you live in his neighborhood so if I four or five people live in my neighborhood I'm sure as hell going to listen to them because they're going to talk to everybody on their street and I want their support got to create a coconut grapevine over here like say word of mouth it could be more instrumental like say getting it out there even sometime with the media whatever there's a lot of people that mistrust people will trust their neighbor or their friends more sometime than they do like say watching that face on the tube or whatever okay we're getting it out to the wire representative like say really appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule come down to talking like say we'll keep in touch and like say the other issue again if anybody out there has any thing they would like to interject we'll make an announcement when we're going to do that program which will probably be in the next two weeks or so but get involved and like say find out what's going on and don't complain you know don't complain take action take action I like that don't complain take action call your legislators phone numbers in the book most of them are unlisted but anyhow no they're office numbers in the book but get involved and we keep saying that over and over again but thank you very much and we're going to take corrective action get ready for our next program thank you God bless until that time see you later