By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Walter Ozawa, Director of the Office of Veterans Services
for the state, talks about the false reports of vandalism to
the veterans memorial yesterday. Artist Jan-Michelle
Sawyer continues work on the restoration.

WWII Memorial
desecration was
false alarm

The black paint was part
of the work involved in
cleaning and restoration

By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

When sculptor Jan-Michelle Sawyer showed up for work at the World War II monument in downtown Honolulu at 7 a.m. yesterday, she found two bouquets of orchids waiting on the steps.

As she went about her work, Sawyer said at least 20 people approached her, some with hostility, some with gratitude.

Most came in response to police and media reports that vandals had spray-painted the names of all the Hawaii soldiers who had died in the war.

Actually, the paint was part of a restoration project contracted by the state. Sawyer and another contractor have been cleaning and repainting the memorial, at the corner of King and Punchbowl streets, since Tuesday.

On Saturday, Sawyer painted the panels black so the recessed lettering, carved into the monument, would stand out. But it began raining before she could repaint the surface white.

"If I had stayed around, maybe the story wouldn't have happened," she said.

Later that afternoon, an anonymous caller notified Honolulu police that a vandal had painted on the monument. The police reported it to the state Protective Services division.

Normally, state officers would have known about the restoration. But, perhaps because of the holiday weekend, the permit didn't make it over to them, officials said. Although it took only about 15 minutes to clear up the misunderstanding, reports of vandalism had already made the news.

But Sawyer hadn't heard the reports and was surprised when people, thinking she was the vandal, came up to her asking, "What are you doing, lady?" Others thanked her for cleaning up what they thought was the vandalism.

Sawyer, who also carved sculptures for the monument, said that while this was a "cute misunderstanding," she has painted over graffiti there twice in the past. "It's already been tagged by some gangs," she said. "It's upsetting that people would do that."

The monument, right behind a busy bus stop on King Street, is seen by hundreds of people every day. It is also a stop for tour companies. "Sometimes, we think that people don't notice memorials," Sawyer said. This incident proved otherwise.

The restoration should be completed by the end of the week.