November 8, 2010
Contributed by Thomas Yoshida
Imagine living on a barren island with just canned goods, a few tents, and no fresh water. Life's necessities required the labor of your own two hands. In the mid 1930s to early 1940s, over 130 young men from Hawaii were sent to colonize a trio of remote islands in the Pacific. They endured the blazing sun, rats, sharks, and ultimately, enemy fire. Purposed to assert territorial jurisdiction and air supremacy, this secret federal mission was commissioned by the United States.
Producers Noelle Kahanu, Heather Giugni, and Lisa Altieri string together oral history interviews, photographs, and journal entries; bringing to light the long lost story of the Hawaiian occupation of Howard, Baker, and Jarvis Islands.
Listen to the stories, as told through the eyes of those who lived them.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
