Rev. Tomo Hojo, of the West Kaua‘i Hongwanji, said he felt very comfortable on Friday as he watched volunteers from the Lonesome Grave Project and the group from the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa toil in the rapidly-warming morning to prepare Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery for the Kaua‘i Veterans Council annual Veterans Day ceremonies.
“Having the lei on the grave definitely helps,” said a Lonesome Grave Project volunteer, who worked a bouquet alongside the lei placed by Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i. “They came here a lot earlier than us. The lei they placed definitely makes the grave look a lot better.”
A group of about 15 to 20 individuals from the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i arrived at Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery at sunrise to place lei salutations on as many graves and crypts as possible. This tradition has been carried on yearly for an unknown number of years.
On Friday, Mikayla Galan, a daughter of a Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i employee and a fourth grade student at Koloa Elementary School, took the group’s original gesture a step further as she scooped up an armful of lei and sought out volunteers from the project.
“Thank you for your work in decorating the graves,” said Galan as she presented lei to as many of the Lonesome Grave volunteers as she could find.
Her final lei before being driven off by her mother went to the cemetery caretaker Jason Silva of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
“I used to take care of athletic fields before getting this responsibility,” Silva said. “This is a very good place to work and take care of. In fact, it’s an honor to care for this place.”
The Lonesome Grave Project celebrated its 25th anniversary with the outing on Friday. It was started because one member of the Kaua‘i United Hongwanji Buddhist Women’s Association, Barbara Funamura, who is considered the mother of the Spam musubi, was concerned about graves whose relatives and families could not tend ahead of prestigious ceremonies like the Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances.
“We place flowers and greens at each grave site, especially those that have not been visited,” said Roberta Yanagawa of the Kapa‘a Hongwanji Mission. “This is our way of expressing our gratitude for all the sacrifices the veterans made to ensure the safety and freedom for all.”
Because the Friday turnout celebrated 25 years of preparing graves, the group enjoyed a short prayer and a song, “Where have all the Flowers Gone,” by Dan Funamura.
The aspiration led by Rev. Tomo Hojo, of West Kaua‘i Hongwanji, summarized the day’s experience.
“Through the Lonesome Grave Project, may we experience a spiritual insight into our American way of life which the deceased has shown us to follow,” Hojo said. “As we stand here before this pole, which reminds us of their valiant action that meant sacrificing of their very lives, may we express our deep appreciation to the veterans and hundreds and thousands of others like them who saved democracy for us to enjoy freedom and equality.
“May we strive to live harmoniously in this troubled world, and enjoy our rights by recognizing and fulfilling our responsibilities by following the path left for us by the veterans.”
The public is invited to the Kaua‘i Veterans Council annual Veterans Day Ceremonies, which start at 11 a.m. at Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery.
