NPS To Bulldoze USMC National Memorial - May, 2007

[SLippe]

May , 2007, the National Park Service Will Bulldoze an United States Marine Corps National Memorial


- The USS ARIZONA MARINE REMEMBRANCE, on Halawa Landing, Pearl Harbor, was dedicated in 2005 by Gen Michael Hagee, then Commandant of the Marine Corps, along with Col Jack Earle, the senior surviving Marine of the USS ARIZONA Marine Detachment. Then Capt Earle, had just taken command of the MarDet on 6 December 1941, only hours before that infamous attack. Gen Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff is a strong advocate of keeping it in place. Gen James T. Conway, current Commandant of the Marine Corps made a special trip to come visit and support the Marine Remembrance just last Tuesday, 22 Feb 2007.

- This seven ton commerative flag base and display had the names of all 88 Marines that served then, of which 73 are still eternally entombed aboard the USS ARIZONA. It is very professionally done and I will supply photos on request should you desire them.

- The US Navy has amended the property lease to allow the Natl Park Service (NPS) who administers the USS ARIZONA Memorial to renovate as the old structure is sinking. A necessary project.

- The Natl Park Service, Jon Jarvis, Director Pacific Region NPS, by name, has decided that honoring the Marines is not important and will not fit into his artist concept of what the water front should look like. Jon Jarvis, incidently, has never served a day in America's military. He doesn't/couldn't understand the passion of Marines taking care of Marines.

- The NPS (Jon Jarvis presiding) held a press confrence last Friday morning at the USS ARIZONA Memorial and made some very disturbing statements. Of which, he claimed that inspite of the huge support of all Marines from the CJCS down to the young enlisted Marines for the Marine Remembrance, because the NPS will have the lease as of 1 May 2007, he wants the entire acreage turned over as an empty parking lot. He kept refering to the Marine Remembrance as "that flagpole" and obviously has no respect whatsoever for those that Marines that gave their lives for their Country that day.

- He has caused such a huge outcry, far beyond that of just the USMC, that this is about to become national news. And that is why I'm giving you first right of refusal for this story. There is a ground-swell building that will demand his immediate dismissal as he has shown he is not fit to represent the public and their desires. I've been in contact with Mary Bomar's office, director of the NPS in Washinton D.C., who says all decisions regarding the Marine Remembrance are defered to Jon Jarvis for action. It seems that by all counts, he is the one responsible.

If you are interested, I can be reached at 808-546-1942 as well as my email address.
Thanks for your time.

Semper Fidelis,

Colonel John R. Bates USMC (ret) jrbatesusmc@aol.com
7 Arizona Memorial Way
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818

Below is a copy of the email I sent to Jon Jarvis yesterday.

----- Original Message -----
From: jrbatesusmc@aol.com
To: jon_jarvis@nps.gov
Cc: mary_bomar@nps.gov ; Sue_Masica@nps.gov ; Doug_Lentz@nps.gov ; lkmach@earthlink.net ; alan@graphicbikeart.com
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 2:03 PM

Mr. Jon Jarvis, Pacific Region, Director for the National Park Service (NPS)


Jon, jon_jarvis@nps.gov

That was very rude of you and the NPS to not invite PHVC to the news conference at the USS ARIZONA yesterday. So, when we heard about it, we invited ourselves.

With the exception of one radio show, PHVC has invited NPS to every one of our interviews in order to provide a balanced view. (one show was short notice and I couldn't reach Doug) I see that such a courtesy is not reciprocal. I asked Doug if the two of you would join us for lunch for some face to face discussion following the press conference - obviously that offer was declined.

I find it disturbing that you, a man that is charged with representing the public, would have the gall to say that the USS ARIZONA MARINE REMEMBRANCE is not a fitting tribute to our Marines. The Commandant of the Marine Corps and the senior surviving member of the Marine Detachment, USS ARIZONA, Colonel John Earle, USMC (ret) certainly thought so when they dedicated it in November 2005. General Peter Pace, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff certainly thought it was important when he sent his strong letter of support. General James T. Conway, present Commandant of the Marine Corps who made a special visit to the USS ARIZONA MARINE REMEMBRANCE just four days ago to show his support and stated that it is exactly where it is suppose to be will certainly take issue with your decision to move it. Are you saying that these, the most senior of military leaders are wrong?

And incidentally, we made a very special effort to have a representative of the NPS come meet the Commandant personally last Tuesday. By NPS refusal to meet him does NOT SET WELL with Marines or the general public.

Your insistence on referring to the Marine Remembrance as "THAT flagpole" is a discredit to all Marines, past and present. You stated that it should be removed because it is an inadequate memorial to them. Do we take that to remark to mean that "nothing is better than something" or do you have plans to build an even larger, more impressive memorial to those Marines? If the answer is the latter, NPS won't have to pay one dime. We, the Marines support that proposal fully and are anxious to start construction immediately.

A final point I need to clarify. I've been told by others that you have never served a day of active duty in any of our military services. Correct me if I'm wrong. If that is the case, it is understandable (but not forgivable) that you have such little appreciation of our countries warriors.

Please respond and I will ensure that your comments will be passed via several websites that are read by the Marines you care so little for.

Semper Fidelis to our Country and Corps,

Colonel John R. Bates USMC (ret) jrbatesusmc@aol.com



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


USS ARIZONA PICTURES
http://www.capveterans.com/help_save...arbor/id9.html












1941
Of the 88 Marines assigned to the battleship, only 15 Marines survived.





The pictures and articles about the USS ARIZONA have been taken from the book:

PRESS FOR A LARGER COPY TO READ


PRESS FOR A LARGER COPY TO READ

http://www.ZENITHPRESS.com




THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (NPS) WANTS THIS MARINE CORPS REMEMBRANCE AT PEARL HARBOR REMOVED BY MAY 1, 2007.


The United States Marine Corps wants it to stay. Do you believe the National Park Service has a right to remove a national veterans memorial?





Please pass this around to your friends on message boards, email groups, email lists; and off the internet. Hopefully, it will get to the right person. Department of the Interior:

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne http://www.whitehouse.gov/government...horne-bio.html dirk_kempthorne@doi.gov





CALL SECRETARY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DIRK KEMPTHORNE AT HIS WORK NUMBER: 202-208-7351



Tell Secretary Kempthorne that you demand that Mr. Jon Jarvis, Pacific Region, Director for the National Park Service (NPS) be FIRED!! IMMEDIATELY!!!



Mailing Address:
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Phone: 202-208-3100
E-Mail: webteam@ios.doi.gov




SOME EMAIL ADDRESSES TO USE: vice_president@whitehouse.gov ; comments@whitehouse.gov;

dirk_kempthorne@doi.gov; mary_bomar@nps.gov; jon_jarvis@nps.gov; doug_lentz@nps.com







WHERE DOES YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS STAND ON THIS ISSUE? CALL HIM OR HER AND FIND OUT...



Click here to: EMAIL YOUR CONGRESSMEN http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Click here to: EMAIL YOUR SENATORS http://www.senate.gov/general/contac...nators_cfm.cfm



TO HELP WITH THIS PROJECT, PLEASE EMAIL: Colonel John Bates jrbatesusmc@aol.com




READ SOME COMMENTS OF PETITION SIGNERS AT: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_pe...cgi?usmarine&1


PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION AFTER YOU MAKE YOUR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR / NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE:
http://www.petitiononline.com/usmarine/petition.html


CONTACT: Colonel John Bates jrbatesusmc@aol.com



PLEASE VISIT THE PEARL HARBOR VISITOR CENTER AT: http://www.pearlharborvisitorcenter.com/index.htm



PICTURES: Commandant Jim Conway visits his Marine Remembrance at Pearl Harbor
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Acs2bJq1cNFE44

[SLippe]

No comments? No one cares? Figures...

[grey_1]

Just got to it SLippe, been busy.

This jarvis is obviously one of those people who has absolutely no friggen clue why he has the freedom he does, but will scream and whimper as soon as someone "tramples his rights".

I'll bet he can't pull it off.

But I'm copying that info and passing it on here.

Thanks for posting this.

[SLippe]

Thanks, grey_1. I was just surprised nobody had responded to it and also I was in bit of a mood this evening.

[ViN86]

Originally Posted by SLippe

Thanks, grey_1. I was just surprised nobody had responded to it and also I was in bit of a mood this evening.

im in shock just over the title. ill read through it later and let you know more. but before i even read it, im disgusted.

[wildman92]

I care very much! That guy needs to be In the arizona memorial if he does not replace the existing one! Hey Slippe if you watch the History Channel check out the "Okinawa Shootout" program, Lenard "laz" Lazarick is my Father in Law!

[CaptNKILL]

Hopefully they plan on building a new one. It seems completely absurd to get rid of a war memorial "just because".

[grey_1]

Petition signed and emails fired off.

[retsam]

Originally Posted by SLippe

No comments? No one cares? Figures...

this boils my blood to no end...
e-mail sent ...****ing hippies in our government...