A Place to Remember: POW-MIA Memorial Garden at West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery

By Barbara Fahs

Every year we honor the men and women who have fought for our freedom on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Susan “Awapuhi” Graffe emphasizes we should honor them every day.

Awa, her husband Paul, along with generous volunteers have made it their mission to improve the West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery by creating a garden and comfortable space that encourages respect for prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action.

While visiting the cemetery in mid-2012, Awa and Paul discovered there was nowhere to place the flowers they had brought to remember Paul’s father, Paul Graffe Sr.

Paul Graffe Sr. was a pilot and army Captain in the Vietnam War. He was reported missing in action when his plane was shot down over South Vietnam on Oct. 30, 1969. He was only 24. Paul Jr. was two years old. Neither Paul Sr. nor his remains were ever found.

“We saw the need for a memorial garden project at that moment…because there was no place to put the flowers we brought to honor Paul’s dad,” Awa shares.

Breaking Ground

Awa and Paul partnered with Dr. Richard Stevens, who has worked on forest restoration at the cemetery and John Grogan, past President of the West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery Development and Expansion Association to initiate the POW/MIA garden project at the cemetery.

“We heartily approved moving forward with the plans,” Dr. Stevens says.

Awa is grateful for the support they received from the gentlemen. Dr. Stevens was integral to moving their idea forward.

“The Forest Restoration is a huge ongoing project that Dr. Stevens oversees and to which he has dedicated countless hours of his life at WHVC. Without he or his wife, Angelica’s embracing support and aloha, our project would have taken much longer [to move] forward.”

Awa then became the official fundraiser for the project. She knocked on doors and set up donation bowls at various community events for a year, sharing Paul’s and her vision vision of creating a memorial garden.

“Our island community donated $7,000, and the assistance of Tomoe Nimori and Angelica Stevens (as grant writers) added to the expanding funds. Councilwoman Karen Eoff was supportive and gave us some greatly appreciated contingency funds to get the project started,” she explains.

Karen was able to provide $15,000 from district 8 contingency funds for the garden.

She writes, “When I found out that the cemetery didn’t have a special place to honor prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, I wanted to help create the POW/MIA memorial garden. I was happy to [help].”

Supporters’ Impact

Support has also come from Hawai‘i Island Mayor Billy Kenoi and Hawai‘i State dignitaries, including Governor Abercrombie and Representative Tulsi Gabbard. On Veterans Day 2013, a ceremony was held at the cemetery to kick off the start of the POW/MIA garden project.

In a proclamation issued for the ceremony, the governor praised “the perseverance of Kona’s veterans, [which] brought to life the West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery.”

Representative Gabbard echoed those sentiments.

“This POW/MIA memorial honors the sacrifices of our nation’s military and Hawai‘i’s heroes…As long as our flag still flies, you are not and never will be forgotten,” Tulsi said.

Because of all the work and improvements, the West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery is one of only three in the nation that have earned “shrine status,” which the Veterans Administration grants.

“Elevating the appearance of the cemeteries to shrine status signals the commitment to maintain our Veterans’ cemeteries at the highest standards forever,” according to the VA website.

The Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion have also contributed, Awa says.

“Many former service people have made donations, and we are eternally grateful to them, not only for their service to our country, but also for their generosity,” she says.

Hoping to ease the pain of friends and family members, the restoration project includes several special objects, such as a pair of bronzed army boots mounted on a slab of marble. David Dukevares, a veteran of Afghanistan, donated them.

Richard Highley, Disabled American Veterans Kona Chapter 7 Adjutant, commented in an article published in West Hawai‘i Today in Nov. 2013, noting the important part cemeteries play in the grieving process.

“The families of those still missing from past American wars have wounds that are slow to heal. There have been no graves to visit and no peace from the gnawing questions that last a lifetime,” Richard says.

By planting native trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, as well as providing benches to allow visitors a comfortable spot to rest and reflect, this project will help to make the cemetery a more conducive place for visitors to linger and remember those individuals who served our country, yet never came home.

Landscaping

Reforestation Coordinator and Professor Dr. Richard Stevens teaches at the UH Center, West Hawai‘i. He was a Marine and served in Vietnam, where he was also a member of the U.S. Foreign Service.

He says 3,000 volunteers have planted over 90 species, or 12,000 plants, which include koai‘a, a dryland close relative of the koa tree; lama, or the Hawaiian persimmon; ‘a‘ali‘i, a member of the soapberry family; and hō‘awa, the Hawaiian magnolia, which is a favorite food of the endangered Hawaiian crow, the ‘alala. The native Hawaiian plants were chosen specifically to thrive in the arid area of the cemetery.

Dr. Stevens has high hopes for the future flora and fauna to bring a poetic harmony to the space.

“We would love to see the native birds return to the area, where every plant has been dedicated to someone beloved by the planter, creating a ‘Forest of Loved Souls.’”

Project Manager Kealaka‘i Knoche does much of the physical work involved in landscaping. He is an expert at installing dryland species, according to Angelica Stevens.

“I want to spread the news about dryland forests through the example of this project at the Veterans Cemetery,” Kealaka‘i explains. “We have lost about 90 percent of the dryland forests on the west side, and I encourage more restoration of this important ecosystem. The cemetery project bridges the gap between a lot of different communities and it’s helping to educate many people.”

Future Plans

A solar-powered water feature donated by P.A. Harris is underway as well as a plaque to honor POWs and MIAs. It reads, Not Forgotten. They’re hoping to find a mason to install the memorial plaque in time for Veterans Day this year.

The priority right now is to get more accessible restrooms built.

“The current restrooms are a short hike up a hill, which is difficult for people who have special needs and our growing elderly community.”

Awa says they are continuing to seek donations and grants for these and other future projects.

Contribute to the Garden

On Sept. 11, the National Day of Service, 20 Marines and approximately 60 students and volunteers gathered at the cemetery to plant additional trees, including ‘ōhi‘a and koai‘a.

The public is invited to attend a ceremony at the cemetery Veterans Day, Nov. 11, from 11am–noon. There will be a flag and a lei on every grave with a potluck lunch to follow. ❖

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Donations for the ongoing care of the garden and future expansion can be made to:

West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery Development and Expansion Association
Memo: POW/MIA Project
PO Box 1788
Kealakekua, HI 96750-1788

Visit the West Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery:
72-3245 Queen Ka‘ahumanu Hwy., Kailua-Kona, 8am–noon, M–F. No permanent staff at site.

Photos courtesy Nellie Medeiros

Contact writer Barbara Fahs: hiiakas@lava.net

Sources:
Cem.va.gov/cem/grants/overview.asp
BishopMuseum.org/greenwell/projects.html
KarenEoff.com/year-in-review