View Point
View Point
WHILE the Barbers Point Naval Air Station Redevelopment Commission intends to rename the streets of a former military base in accordance with a 1979 law that requires public streets to have Hawaiian names, I disagree with the need. Street names at Barbers
should not be changedThe commission should retain the current street names at Kalaealoa, formerly known as Barbers Point. These are not new streets; they have been carrying these names for more than 50 years.
I disagree with the notion that the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu require discarding these historic street names. I would be happy to work with the commission to draft a bill for either the state Legislature or the City Council to exempt these streets from any such interpretation.
The commission has a limited staff and budget, and not enough of either to do its existing job. Expending time to rename existing streets, and money to replace perfectly good street signs, does not make sense.
Each year the commission gets less federal funding, and must seek additional money from the Hawaii Legislature. It will be very difficult to convince lawmakers to spend limited state funds in these tough economic times for new names for streets that already have names.
Renaming the streets will confuse the public, the police and the fire department for some period of time. Maps, stationery and other records will have to be changed. These safety risks and added costs weigh heavily against renaming the streets.
The street names at Barbers Point commemorated the battles, ships and people of our history. Discarding these names insults the memory of those who served.The names can be divided into two categories: U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and U.S. Marine Corps aviation heroes.
Aircraft carriers are named after historic American ships, battles and leaders, from the Revolution through World War II.
THE Marine Corps aviation heroes whose names are commemorated include posthumous Medal of Honor winners and aces -- pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft.
I served for 25 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, most of that time as a naval flight officer in EA-6A and B electronic warfare aircraft. My inclination is to respect the memory of those who served before me.
A lot of history is reflected in the naming of the streets at Barbers Point. Are the sacrifices of our veterans so meaningless that the commission must discard these historic names and search for new ones?
The motto of the Marine Corps is "semper fidelis" or "always faithful." I ask the members of the commission to be faithful to the memory of our veterans and their families by leaving the street names at Kalaealoa as they are.
State Rep. Mark Moses (R) represents the 42nd District
(Makakilo, Kapolei, Ewa, Honouliuli, Village Park,
Royal Kunia and Kunia).