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20 Army Hist. 1 (1991)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0020 and id is 1 raw text is: ARMY HISTORY T11E PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN OF ARMY HISTORY P11-20-91-4 (No. 20) Washington, D.C. Fall 1991 The United States Army in Hawaii Outpost Reinforcement in 1941 Charles R. Anderson Urnited States Amiy presence in the Hawaiian Islands dates from the aftermath of the Spanish- American War. Victory over Spain gave the United Stae s new te rnitorics in two oce ans, principally Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. and Guam and the Philippines in the Pacific. The mission of securing lines of communication to these terrtories across vast ocean distances naturaly fell to naval task forces, but it implied a companion mission tor the United States Army. While the naval technology of the period allowed ships to reach Carthbean ports without Tefuel- ing, the great distances to the new Paciic posses- ins-6600 miles from San Diego to Manila, for ump l-necessitated csabi boent of coaling sta a maintenance faciliths along the way. The H awaiian Islands offered a desirable location. consid- ering the range of warshlps: iie-1hird the distance bet ween the Amencan west coast and the Philippines. In I887 the Navy Department secured rights to estab- lish a coaling and repair staion on the island of Oahu. The mission of providing security for these facilities brmught the U.S. Army into an area 2,A00 miles from the continental United States. In the Hawaiian Islands, the U S. Navy found a large harbor formed by volcanic activity Keeping ly heacin name 'Vearl Waiers'-the Navy ul,ks. repair shops, offices ad barracks. While navai construction continued, the War Department buih up a garrison on two reservations established as Fort Shater in 1907 and Schofield Barracks in 1909. Durng the next few y ears the garrison went through an admnistrative evolution to emerge in 1913 as a major p1rate command, the Hawaiian Department. (I) The buildup of the Hawaitan Dpartment resumed after the World War The fIrst aviton units posted to 'Ie ild used Luke Field ot Ford sland In te mid o Pearl Habtor, and later two larger air bases: WIh Oer F ild, near Schofield fiatrrcks, and Hickam Field, on the cast side of the harbor. Four infantry, three artillery, and two coastal artillery regiments, with support units, filled out, and in 1921 these units were organized into the Hawaiian Div ision. Therea f- tcr. Hawaiian Department strength stabili ed at mr'ud 1 .0.t (2) As the Army established itself in the island, Hawaii became one of the most sought-after assign rments Soldiers of all ranks hoped for a tour in the Paradise of the Pacific. Acnd by all accounts, Hawaii was the closest thing to paradise the Army offered. Balmy weather year round, matchless scenery, exotic food and drink, and miles of spotless beaches com- bned to make duty with the Picapple Army unusu- ally pleasant. Senior offcers considered Hawaii the al place to serve tir ru,4et tours. Wih danger ecm ly so far away f rom the idyllic islands, cor - mande r sometimes added to the training routine malters m argial it not trivial. Maj. Gen Charles P. Summer all, departmen commander dunring 1921-1924. dis- liked the droppings of automobiles as much as those of horses as he watched the numberof pnvately owned vehicles increase on post To keep Army streets clean, he ordered vehicle ownerm to wash oil stains frm pavement in front of housing areas. (3) German rearmamet and .Japanese aggression began to disturb the languorous routine of Hawaii in the 1930s. The Franklin 1. Roosevelt administrati n Increased military spendmg aFter years of Republican parsimony toward the Army and Navy, but the new policy did not translate as c oordinated modcmiiation for both services. The Navy benefited first, with a new shipbuilding program in 1934. For the rest of the decade appropritions fthe Army remained bet ween 10 percent and 27 percent behind spending far the Navy. Nevertheless, with a 1939 budget of $531 million--twice as large as the 1914 budget the secre- tary of war and chief of staff could make significant

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