[ WAR IN IRAQ ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
A candlelight peace march circled Waikiki last night along Kuhio Avenue. Jan Bappe, right, carried an American flag.
Returning sailors
grateful for local
wishes of mahalos
In the eight hours ashore from USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier that James Green had experienced by 7 p.m. yesterday, there was one moment that stood out.
"Me and three other guys from the ship were at the USS Arizona Memorial," Green said. "And some people asked us if we were from the ship (the Lincoln). When we said yes, they thanked us. People just don't realize how much a thank-you means to us."
Green was one of thousands of sailors from the ship who were spending some of their long-awaited shore leave in Waikiki last night. The ship has been at sea more than nine months. It survived three dangerous wartime operations: the war against Afghanistan, surveillance missions over Iraq before the war began there and 17 days of combat operations in the war.
The Lincoln, which is based at Everett Naval Air Station in Washington, had a 24-hour layover in Honolulu on its way home. The aircraft carrier and Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Paul Hamilton arrived in Honolulu yesterday morning -- the first time back on U.S. soil since the Iraq War.
Groups of sailors were strolling along Kalakaua Avenue last night. Most wore jeans and casual shirts and some carried a few souvenirs in a shopping bag. They seemed low-key, relaxed and happy to be there. Their reception in Honolulu has been warm, with shopkeepers and people on the street occasionally asking them if they were in the Armed Forces and being appreciative when they said yes, the sailors said.
But more than a few sailors were offended when a group of up to 500 peace marchers passed by between 7 and 8 p.m. on Kuhio, Seaside and Kalakaua avenues, chanting slogans such as "No justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East."
Many of the marchers carried candles, tiki torches or flags that showed the Earth from space.
"I've been fighting for nine months and I didn't come here to see this," said one sailor, who refused to give his name.
"They only hate us until something goes down. Then they need us," commented another. Others in their group counseled him to move on, away from the marchers, not to interact with them.
Kevin Benns, a petty officer first class, said it's "fine with me if they want to say it. That's what we were over there for -- to do our job" so people can have freedom of speech, he said.
"Everyone's got their opinion. We can't fault them for having their opinion," said Master Chief Elijio Curiel, a helicopter mechanic on the Lincoln and a 26-year Navy veteran.
One marcher, Jeff Gere, said he has empathy for the sailors, even those who were confrontational. "I say welcome home. I'm glad you're here. I'm trying to keep you out of another war."
Honolulu resident Fred Pashkow and his wife were strolling on Kalakaua with out-of-town guests when the peace march went by.
"I think it's kind of a sad thing that they come back after nine months and see this," Pashkow said of the sailors. "I think most of them realize that this (the march) is a minority opinion. But that's what they're out there defending."
As the march continued down Kalakaua to return to its zoo starting point, the hundreds of people on the sidewalk, civilian and military, returned to their evening stroll, their shopping, their companions.
A sidewalk musician played a gentle, jazzy rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" on his ukulele.
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