Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Honolulu, Hawaii • 25

Thursday. December 5. 1991 B-7 Si mm 3 r-7 mssf fat iw Iff vv :4 rr 7 Presenting Tonight thru Sunday JOHN HENTON As Seen on THE TONIGHT SHOW Dec. 10-15 BRAD GARRETT TUESDAYS: Buy a T-shirt qet in FREE fr I. 1 Ll- i- Book Eorly For NEW YEARS EVE I Kapiolan! at Atkinson next to Local Motion 941-1313 I Don't Forget EVERY THURS I FRI 8 p.m.

Honolulu Comedy Club North TURTLE BAY HILTON 922-5998 ILIKAI 1 11 SASHIMI SUSHI SHRIMP TGETABLE TEMPURAS SUKIYAKI BEEF OR CHICKEN TERIYAKI SPECIALS FROM THE CHEF The buffet includes our famous Salad Bar, dessert table and "Make Your Own Sundae" Bar. 17.95 for all you can cat! Wednesday Thursday 5:30 pm to 9. 00 pm i From "Shuffleboard Pilots" WARDs plot craft positions during 0 joint Army-Navy in 1 943 or early '44. Signal. Corps plotters work on the wall's Situation board.

her husband, a' navy pilot aboard the USS Enterprise, and the experience of being told a month later that he'd been killed in action is strong stuff. Equally devastating is the story of "Fluff Ford who on her shift plotted the flight of her husband's bomber headed for Midway. The plane was lost. "There were bad times," Hedemann said, "but most of it was exciting. We felt a compelling need for what we were doing.

We were kids, really, but we were absolutely serious about our work." By the time the WARDs disbanded in 1945, more than 650 women had served in the organization. The reunions are getting smaller as most of the women are now in their 70s, but "Shuffle-board Pilots" will keep alive a largely overlooked women's wartime program and its contribution to victory in the Pacific. "COME AND JOIN i Peacock Room Garden Lanai Reservations Requested Phone 922-1941 or 922-0020 ISO Kapuhulu Avenue Ample Parking DEC. 7, 9AM TO 2PM WAHIAWA HONGWANJI 1067 California Avenue There will be many Ono-licious Foods and HAND-MADE CRAFTS Ornaments Hand-sewn Items Tee-shirts Cartooning Plants Foods More! All prices phis Hawaii Suit' Tax ell tem dial 521-9111 CLASSIFIED UUflflT AD These vomen vere WARDs of Oahu's defense By toll Taylor ITpHEY have gray hair and grandchildren now, most of 1 1 them, and their lives have moved in a variety of directions over the past 50 years. But in early 1942, they were in their early 20s, united by the U.S.

Army Signal Corps in a secret and responsible mission in the defense of Oahu. The 75 women attending the current reunion of the Women's Air Raid Defense (WARD) share a Jnemory of wartime service that Ctarted before the formation of Ihe WACs or WAVEs. They are the hly civilian women in U.S. history ejnployed by the military to replace men on active duty. WARD was organized in Honolulu in January 1942, about six weeks after the Harbor attack, rllts purpose was to release for fcombat duty the men who plotted tie -position of any aircraft that into the radar coverage of pie- islands.

The Signal Corps Air-jcraf Warning Company Hawaii, to hich they belonged, was stationed at Fort Shaf ter. It had its ierve center in a large room almost filled by a table displaying a hbge map of the Hawaiian Islands. The map was divided into num-bered grids, and the plotters, in fitrect communication with a radar operator, marked the distance and bearing of any aircraft passing through the radar screen. Radar was a very new and highly secret system, developed by the British in 1936, and it allowed Royal Air Force intercepter pilots tJ down two Nazi planes for every British 'plane lost. The 104 young women who were first recruited bjs'jnyjtation were between the agtw of 20 and 34, and childless.

college students, some were-niilitary wives, others were college graduates. 'Ttfey1noved into converted officers' quarters at Fort Shaf ter, and worked in shifts around the clock. TheyTvere enormously popular, wttn the young lieutenants WARDS were discouraged from dating enlisted men. Lt. Ardie Kojakefc1 one of their instructors, (Jojitpated the social atmosphere to a sorority house.

Betords were kept of the WARDs' contribution to the war effort and of their activities, but theytt'ere lost in a St. Louis ware-houefire in 1983. So all that retfuincd of those four years were thfjtiiaries and memories of the women involved. Two years ago, thejWARDs History Project Com- mittee- was formed to began research on the program, with the itia 'pt producing a book on the history of the WARDs. Most of the wOffcTwas done by former WARDs BotteBallentyne, Kathy Bruns Cooper, Nancy Oakley Hedemann amftfat Morgan Swenson.

Psing this research, Kam Napier andTCandace Chenowith have writ-teflghufrleboard Pilots: The His-tov-of the Women's Air Raid Dtijfense in Hawaii, 1941-1945." It hafbeen published by the USS Memorial Museum, and is available there for $8.95. The mag-azine-sized, 88-page paperback is illustrated with dozens of photographs taken on the job and around the base. For order information, call 422-5664 or 422-5095. Most of the narrative is based on personal experiences of the WARD, members in the early months of the war. Some are entertaining, some are trivial, some are Nancy West Wild's frank account of her last weekend with odoLuLu Cicy December 6-January 5 Downtown's Christmas Lighting Celebration Opening Night, Friday, December 6 Tree Lighting Ceremony, Parade and Concert 6 p.m., Honolulu Hale The celebration continues throughout the holiday season.

Enjoy the lights and the events planned by this year's Honolulu City Lights' participants. is Dec. 14: Reiki Rani Choir at Restaurant Row, 2 p.m., youngsters performing traditional Christmas tunes and a medley of rock and roll favorites. Free. Dec.

19: U.S. Navy Woodwind Quintet, presented by Grosvenor Properties, noon-1 p.m., Grosvenor Center. I 4 if Coors Light presents 4 Skiing and Snowboarding to the Free. Dec. 20: Na Reiki Manana at Honolulu Hale, 8 to 9 p.m., Christmas choral music.

Free. 4 Dec. 21: Jingle Bell Run, sponsored by the Honolulu Advertiser, 6 p.m., a two-mile run around Civic CenterState Capitol area concluding with Jingle Bell Run Finale at Restaurant Row. 33ROOVE Stump's latest film D6rTlmiss the ski film of the year Jfc Dec. 5: Bishop Square Christmas Tree Lighting Program, 5:30 p.m., Fleet Marine Force Pacific Showband and the Honolulu Symphony Chorus.

Free. Dec. 5 6: Festival of Angels Craft Fair and Silent Auction, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., presented by Richards Street YVVCA. Free.

Dec. 6: Honolulu City Lights, City's seventh annual Christmas tree lighting, parade and concert featuring Makaha Sons of Niihau, Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Maile Aloha Singers, Juggler Greg Gabaylo, Loretta Abies, Big City Productions and Taran Erickson, 6 p.m. Honolulu Hale. Free. Dec.

6: Points of Lights Night entertainment and refreshments, 7 to 8:30 p.m., presented by Richards Street YWCA. Donations required for entry. Dec. 9: Na Reiki Manana, presented by Bank of Hawaii, 11 to 11:30 a.m., Bank of Hawaii main branch lobby, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., corner of King and Bishop Streets.

Free. Dec. 11: Craft Fair and Concert featuring Hawaiian Electric Glee Club, Hawaiian Electric Industries and Hawaiian Electric Company Quartet and Touch of Gold" performing contemporary tunes and hits of the '50s and '60s, 4:30 p.m., HECO's Ward Plaza facilities. Free. Dec.

13: The Hoala Halau and Windward Aikanes, presented by GTE Hawaiian Tel, noon to 12:45 p.m., GTE Hawaiian Tel December 6th 7th 8, 10 pm HZZ Roosevelt Auditorium Jackets available at Sears Dec. 22: Santa Claus at Maunakea Marketplace, 10:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Christmas party for children, musical entertainment, martial arts demonstration, refreshments. Free. Dec. 26-29: Evening Tours at 'Iolani Palace featuring the newly refurbished Blue Room, lighting ambiance of the late 11 II 1880s and entertainment.

Free. Reservations recommended. Dec. 31: Queen Rapi'olani's Birthday Concert at 'Iolani Palace, 2 p.m., Royal Hawaiian Band and Ka Pa Hula Hawai'i led by Kumu Hula Kaha'i Topolinski. Free.

main lobby. Free. Parade Route December 6 Corridor of Lights December 6 January 5 4i Dec. 13: Sugar Cane Express, presented by Grosvenor YA Properties, Ltd. 4 to 5 p.m., Grosvenor Center.

Free, 1 fttlMSMVi Thursdays Sunday $day Saturday 930pm and Ilpm RESERVATIONS 922-6638 or 922-1941 ext. 7146 ma J- I Avenue Ample Parking 74 mr Yi 1991 Honolulu City Lights Route This year the Honolulu City Lights extends for two miles from downtown to Thomas Square and back. Parking will be available in government parking structures and some office buildings. This ad is a community service by First Hawaiian Bank The Answer is Ves. tote Presented by Frank F.

Fasi, Mayor, City and County of Honolulu Mutecti Jw.