For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Relatives can get passports
to visit graves abroadQuestion: My father served in World War II and is buried in France. How do I go about getting a passport to visit his grave?
Answer: "No-fee" passports are available for relatives visiting graves or memorialization sites at World War I and World War II cemeteries overseas. Those eligible for such passports include surviving spouses, parents, children, sisters, brothers and guardians of the deceased, who are buried or commemorated in American military cemeteries on foreign soil. For more information, write to the American Battle Monuments Commission; Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500; 2300 Clarendon Blvd.; Arlington, VA 22201; phone 703-696-6897; or visit www.abmc.gov.
Q: Does the Honolulu VA have a Web site?
A: It is www.va.gov/hawaii. Information includes services and physical location; specialty services; contact information such as releasable telephone numbers; what's new in services and benefits; patient education including class schedules and medical tidbits; frequently asked questions; VA new releases; and a calendar of events. Besides local information, the site also lists links to National VA, State Veterans Services Office, veteran service organizations, disabled veterans' resources, University of Hawaii, vet centers, Punchbowl, National Center for PTSD and the Oral History Project. It also offers application forms online. Just keep in mind that a signed copy of the form must be mailed or brought in to the facility before the registration process is considered to be completed.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran,
call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049
or visit the VA Web site at www.va.gov/hawaii
or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin,
can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.