During WWII 200,000 soldiers, marines and sailors participated in various training exercises on Maui before heading into combat in the Pacific. At the time they outnumbered Maui residents 4:1 and were an impactful presence on the island.
One of the main exercises was rehearsing amphibious assaults. In this photo from that era the Wailea and Makena coastline can be seen in the background. Look at the number of ships and amphibious track vehicles participating in these exercises! It is truly hard to imagine a sight like this.
For any of the boat crew and passengers leaving out of Maalaea and Kihei today we have a much different view. Because of the sacrifices of so many, we get to appreciate this beautiful, peaceful view of the same section of coastline every day we are out on the water.
Some of the men who trained on Maui never made it home alive. We feel deep gratitude to them and to all who have lost their lives in service to us, our country, and to the residents of other countries as well. When compared to this historic photo, our view is a daily reminder of the sacrifices made by members of our US military.
Written by Pauline Fiene
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Bartholomew, Gail and Bren Bailey, 1994. Maui Remembers. Honolulu, Hawai‘i: Mutual Publishing.
Comments 1
Best of all, they left a landing vehicle behind under the water for an unintended but very beautiful artificial reef!