U.S. MILITARY IN HAWAI'I STILL SEEN AS OCCUPYING FORCE
By Tomas Alex Tizon - Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
KANEOHE, Hawai'i - The deaths of 27 Hawai'i-based troops last week in a helicopter crash in Iraq united many Hawaiians in grief.
Almost in unison, U.S. flags throughout the islands were lowered to half-staff, churches held memorial services, politicians and pundits spoke of the
state as a grieving family.
But for William Aila, a native Hawaiian, and untold others here, the tragedy evoked more complicated emotions.
"Sorrow, yes, for the soldiers and their families, and the way it happened," said Aila, referring to Wednesday's helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq, which killed 30 Marines and one sailor.
But the shared grief, he said, didn't put to rest a century of conflict and mistrust between the U.S. military and many local residents.
For some, the animosity traces back to 1893, when U.S. Marines helped overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. It has been a tense, fitful coexistence ever since.
Here's The Link To Read The Entire Story...
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hawaii31jan31,1,2603314.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
