Happy 106th Birthday, Boy Scouts of America!

On this day in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America incorporated in Washington, DC.  One hundred and six years later, 2 million youth and one million adults are registered members.  The 101,161 units include Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venture Crews.  The BSA has weathered controversy as society confronted pacifism in WWI to diverse membership for the 21st century.  On a local level, Scouts have benefited my family through our frequent military moves.  I share some of my favorite pictures from Scouting ...

Above is a vintage photo (link) of scouts placing lei and flags on the graves at Punchbowl - The National Cemetery of the Pacific.  Below is the Scout Take Over Day (link) on Hickam Air Force Base.

My Scouts have stayed aboard the USS Missouri (link) in Pearl Harbor.  Next week, they stay overnight on her sister Iowa class battleship, the USS New Jersey.

We hiked around Hilo (link) ...

... and camped among the volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii (link).

The Aloha Council hosts Mahahiki (link, link, and link) - a celebration of Scouting every year in Honolulu.

When we visited my husband in Korea, they hiked with the troop from Osan AB on the Task Force Smith Heritage Trail (link)

When we moved to Maryland, we jumped right into local activities, such as the Independence Day Parade (link) ... 

... and the Antietam National Battlefield (link).

Do you have any Scouts in your family?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's posts wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 13, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 14.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Below is a canoe trip from Kualoa Beach Park (background) to Chinaman's Hat (foreground) ....

Aloha to Punchbowl - National Cemetery of the Pacific

On Sunday, May 26, my family is flying to Seoul ... and we arrive on Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day.  I share my recent photos from the National Cemetery of the Pacific.

From its website (at this link),

Few national cemeteries can compete with the dramatic natural setting of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The “Punchbowl” was formed some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago during the Honolulu period of secondary volcanic activity. A crater resulted from the ejection of hot lava through cracks in the old coral reefs which, at the time, extended to the foot of the Koolau Mountain Range.

Although there are various translations of the Punchbowl’s Hawaiian name, “Puowaina,” the most common is “Hill of Sacrifice.”

During the late 1890s, a committee recommended that the Punchbowl become the site for a new cemetery to accommodate the growing population of Honolulu. The idea was rejected for fear of polluting the water supply and the emotional aversion to creating a city of the dead above a city of the living.

Fifty years later, Congress authorized a small appropriation to establish a national cemetery in Honolulu with two provisions: that the location be acceptable to the War Department, and that the site would be donated rather than purchased. In 1943, the governor of Hawaii offered the Punchbowl for this purpose. 

Punchbowl offers a serene setting above busy Honolulu.



I walked up the crater wall to a series of memorials.

The trees give shade to the Tin Can Sailors.

This memorial reminded me that we find peace through reconciliation. 

Hit My Smoke refers to the Forward Air Controllers from the Vietnam War.

The 24th Infantry served in WWII, Korean War, and the Gulf War.

This plaque is made from the stone from the Philippines to remember General MacArthur's return to defend the island nation.  

This brought tears to  my eyes, 

This is not a bivouac of the dead.  It is a colony of Heaven, and some part of us all is buried here.

  
The top of the crater walls gives an excellent view of Honolulu ...

... and Diamond Head!

I was curious about this stone ... 

  
... what does it look like to you?

We should all embrace Hiroshi's attitude!   Do you have a veterans' cemetery in your area?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a Korean souvenir!  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 2, at the  Reading Reviewer (at this link).

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Beauty to remember the sacrifice.