My Kind of Town
>> Waikiki Aftershocks
Sirens wailed, women screamed, men wept, lights flashed across pavement that ran red. Honolulu was not so lucky with the second terrorist bombing of the day, and Achmed al-Hazir was not the only person who made the journey to eternity when the bomb he wore around his waist exploded in the intersection of Kuhio and Seaside.
Larry "Just Under A Ton" Underton, the jolly-faced actor best known for playing Santa at malls every Christmas, was also on the first boat out of life. Later, when witnesses had been interviewed by police and the FBI, everyone agreed that Underton saved many lives when he tackled the terrorist and pressed a stun gun to his neck -- preventing him from reaching the crowded trolley that was stopped at the red light. Then he'd fallen on top of the terrorist just as the bomb exploded. Underton, who actually tipped the scales closer to 350 pounds, and the pavement below absorbed much of the blast and many of the tacks and screws it unleashed.
But Underton did not fall directly on top of the terrorist, and the explosion launched thousands of other sharp metal pieces into the intersection. The first to be cut down, his jugular sliced, was rookie HPD officer Dale Kaneakua, who'd been about to shoot the terrorist when Underton appeared. He died bravely and honorably in the line of duty.
Two young honeymooners from Japan were also hit and bled to death, as did five people on the trolley. Many others were hit by shrapnel, but their injuries were not fatal.
The widow Rayna Chang had watched it all, screaming and pointing at her yardman -- who she knew as Paul Omandam -- as he ran toward the trolley, was tackled and then exploded. When the smoke cleared, she saw body parts, heard the anguished cries. And it was all her fault! She was the one who'd found the yardman through a Filipino employment service -- not sanctioned by the Filipino government, but considerably cheaper -- and unwittingly brought a terrorist to Hawaii. Overcome with guilt and horror, Rayna fainted into the arms of attorney David Fulton. Some first date.
At that moment, based on information provided by Lily Ah Sun, who'd heard about the employment service from her good friend Rayna, agents of the Philippine National Police were raiding the offices of Muhammed Resurreccion in Zamboanga and finding a computer list of 35 other Filipino Muslims who had been placed in American homes in seven states. A call was going out to the FBI, and each of the 35 would receive a visit in the next 12 hours.
This would be a huge victory in America's war on terror. But at the intersection of Kuhio and Seaside nobody was cheering.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com