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Senator Daniel Inouye Participates in Ground Breaking of the Kauai Veterans Memorial and Missile Defense Viewing Site

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 April 2009, 13:55 CDT

WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, announced to the MDAA membership that ground was broken on Friday, April 10, 2009 to build the "Kauai Veterans Eternal Memorial and Missile Defense Viewing Site" at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The senior Senator from Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye participated in this ground breaking ceremony with MDAA. Here are excerpts of what transpired and they are posted on the MDAA web site at www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org.

"MDAA is proud to announce to you the 'Kauai Veteran's Eternal Memorial and Missile Defense Viewing Site' located at Barking Sands, Pacific Range Missile Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. A permanent tribute and memorial to those that have served and those that will continue to serve our Armed Forces and an embedment of missile defense to defend and protect our nation and armed forces."

"Senator Daniel Inouye, senior Senator from Hawaii participated in the ground breaking ceremony on Friday along with Rear Admiral Joe Horn, Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency, Captain Aaron Cudnohufsky, Commander of the Pacific Range Missile Facility, Turk Tokita, Kauai's oldest veteran and myself representing all of you and MDAA's membership throughout the United States."

"I wish to also commend the Department of Defense and the Navy and the personnel here for initiating the process to establish this extraordinary partnership that came forth with this eternal memorial. This is a great demonstration of what can happen with great leadership. We in Hawaii are most fortunate for having this leadership located at Barking Sands. This will stand here to remind us that working together everything is possible. So Captain, I thank you very much for your leadership in this venture. It will stand here in your legacy for eons to come." - Senator Daniel Inouye

"MDAA played a pivotal part in the creation, design and development of this historic memorial as this now represents our second missile defense memorial that provides permanent recognition and education of missile defense to the American Public. The first was the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Viewing Site located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California."

"Inspiration for this site revolves around Senator Inouye's service to our nation, his creation of PRMF and his unwavering support of missile defense. The Senator is a recipient of our nation's highest honor "The Congressional Medal of Honor" of which I had the honor of attending his recipient ceremony years ago. In addition, the Hawaiian culture weaved with the importance of both PRMF and missile defense to the local community of Kauai played a tremendous factor into the inspiration and creation of the memorial. The pahoku piko, a blessed four foot massive rock, hand selected by Hawaiian tradition from the island of Kauai centers the memorial. In Hawaiian Culture, the Hawaiian word pahoku means large rock and piko represents the umbilical cord, the life connection we have with the present."

Ellison closed his remarks by praising Senator Inouye for his unwavering support of our nation's missile defense program and the Pacific Missile Range Facility.

Note to Media: Excerpts of Ellison's speech are on the MDAA web site at www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org. Ellison is available for on-the-record interviews. Call Mike Terrill at 602 885-1955

SOURCE MDAA

Source: PR Newswire

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