Video Documentary at historic Ewa Field 75th Anniversary and Commemoration of Battle of Midway

Ewa Field History Project   P.O. Box 75578   Kapolei, Hawaii 96707

By John Bond, Ewa historian

  

Many people do not know that NAS Barbers Point became operational through it's junior brother Naval Air Station Ewa while the larger NAS Barbers Point was being built in 1942.

While it may never have become an official name, it and "NAS Barbers Point" were widely used for Ewa Field in early 1942, mainly because of the large presence of two Navy aircraft carrier air groups during the critical early 1942 Pacific war period.This caused a great deal of later incorrect histories attributed to Barbers Point which in fact weren't true.

The history of Marine Corps Air Station Ewa officially began in September 1942, however it was a very busy and rapidly expanding joint Navy-Marine air base shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. Virtually all of the construction material, manpower and money for NAS Barbers Point was redirected to Ewa Field while NAS Barbers Point was put on hold until the very crucial June 1942 Battle of Midway victory helped the Navy reassign construction priority to Barbers Point.

75th Anniversary and Commemoration at historic Ewa Field. Also history of the Battle of Midway where many Navy and Marine planes trained and operated from in early 1942. Ewa Field help support major US Navy aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific including the Doolittle Raid and Coral Sea battles. MCAS Ewa also supported the major Pacific battle for Guadalcanal.

75th Anniversary Battle of Midway Commemoration - Ewa Field

 

https://youtu.be/NivMSt-8a-o

 Historic Ewa Field Concrete Warm-Up Parking Ramp

 Remains of Ewa Field planes destroyed on December 7, 1941 buried by main runway

 

 Marine R4D (C-47) ready to carry supplies, ground crew, ammunition to Midway Atoll

 When the Ewa Field ramp was constructed a worker left this note in the concrete

 Every R4D available rushed supplies and ammunition to Midway Atoll for the big buildup

Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez

 

Midway historian and chairman of the International Midway Memorial Foundation 

James D'Angelo

 Small but dedicated veterans and community turned out for the low key commemoration

 The always excellent and highly professional Hickam AFB Honor Guard 

 The most visible remains of the 1941-1945 airfield. 

However many other undocumented historic archeological sites remain

2016 Ewa Battlefield Commemoration - 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

2016 Ewa Battlefield Commemoration - 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

This was the 9th annual Ewa Field commemoration which goes back to 2008

Ewa Battlefield Commemoration director-historian John Bond, ewabond@gmail.com

https://www.nps.gov/places/ewa-plain-battlefield.htm

 

We're on the way to Ewa Field

 

Ewa Field, a rural airfield defended by US Marines on Dec. 7, 1941

Japanese 7.7 mm strafing marks are still found on the concrete ramp

Marines died in combat in 1941 defending the current annual commemoration site

Historic planes from the aviation community fly over in respect

 

T-6 in Navy SNJ markings  https://pearlharborwarbirds.com/

 

 

Ewa Battlefield was placed on the National Historic Register in May, 2016

 

Hawaiian blessing by Ewa kumu Michael Kumukauoha Lee

 

Every year residents and visitors turn out to experience history in Ewa-Kapolei

 

 

In 1969 Ewa Field played a large movie location role in "Tora, Tora, Tora"

 

The commemoration parking lot is the site of the Ewa Field hangar building

 Police security was provided in 2016 because of big tours and many attending VIP's

 

Ewa Field veteran John Hughes was later an SBD combat pilot and Korean War pilot

 

Major John Hughes, USMC (Ret.) is an annual Guest of Honor

 

Ewa Villages December 7 veteran Simon Nasario recently passed in 2017

 

 

NPS WW-II Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez provides historic insights

 

Col. Jason Seal, USMC (Ret.) leader of the Kapolei HS MC JROTC program

 

Classic cars remind attendees that Ewa Field's naval aviation history goes back to 1925

The Hickam AFB Honor Guard provide Ewa Commemoration annual rifle salute

 

 

 

Kapolei High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp flag detail 

 

 

 

 

 

Veterans, Kapolei MC JROTC and First Lady Dawn Ige (from Ewa Villages)

 

Another great annual Ewa Battlefield Commemoration ends in photos and reflections

 

 

 Thanks to those who every year turn out to keep the commemoration area cleaned up

US Marine Corps Pilots Sacrificed: Ewa Field Was America's Front Lines In Early Pacific War

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2016/07/us-marine-corps-pilots-sacrificed-ewa.html

75th Anniversary Ewa Battlefield Nomination And Photo Archive Available

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2014/08/

One'ula Beach: The Ewa Location Of Historic December 7, 1941 Air Photos By Lee Embree From Army Boeing B-17

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2013/

75th Anniversary of December 7, 1941 - Ewa Battlefield still has many undocumented historic sites

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2016/07/

Famous 369th Regiment Provided WW-II Anti-Aircraft Defense For MCAS Ewa

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2016/06/

Hawaii’s Top Secret Japanese Prisoner of War Camp – Camp Iroquois, Ewa Beach

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2016/02/

 

Tour of December 7, 1941 Ewa Field, US Navy SBD And Japanese Aichi Val Crash Sites

 http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2014/