Three members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation are proposing a bill to establish a new national veterans cemetery in Hawaii as the state’s only national cemetery is nearing capacity, they announced Friday.

The “Hawaii National Cemetery Act” would require the secretary of Veterans Affairs to initiate the construction of a new national cemetery in Hawaii.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Ed Case and Rep. Jill Tokuda are leading the push because the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl has been closed for in-ground burials since 1991 and is expected to stop accepting cremated remains by 2036 for inurnment in its columbarium, according to a news release from the legislators’ office.

The cemetery at Punchbowl is the burial site for approximately 53,000 veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

“Those who have served our country, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their life to defend our nation, deserve to have the option to be buried in a national cemetery in their home state,” Hirono said in a written statement.

“With less and less space remaining at the only national cemetery in Hawaii, I am proud to introduce this legislation to establish another national cemetery that will serve as a fitting final resting site for veterans in our state.”

Donovan Lazarus, state commander for AmVets Hawaii, a congressionally chartered veteran service organization, said, “Our veterans community is in full support. We’re really thankful to the senator and the representatives for proposing the bill. That is beautiful.”

The 25-year Army veteran said: “Per capita, we have quite a few (veterans) who stay in Hawaii, besides our native guys.”

Building a new national cemetery “means a lot to our service members, family members,and next of kin. They know the passion their loved ones had (for the military),” he said.

For many veterans, “It’s Arlington National Cemetery, if not Punchbowl,” Lazarus said.

“We hear it from next of kin all the time,” Lazarus said. “They feel disappointed that their loved ones will not be able to be buried at Punchbowl. Loved ones want to make sure their mom or dad received everything they earned with dignity and respect.”

He said, it’s “sort of dying wish.”

Case said because of the lack of space at Punchbowl, it is a serious concern for roughly 115,000 veterans in Hawaii, some 11% of the state’s population.

He said developing a national cemetery involves many phases and could take more than eight years to complete, so “the work should start immediately.”

But the proposed legislation would require a study to determine a site within a year of the act’s enactment, and within two years progress reports for an environmental impact assessment, land acquisition and master planning and design development, preparation of a construction document, and the award of construction contracts.

“The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific has served as a sacred place of honor for Hawaii’s veterans,” Tokuda said. “But with the site nearing capacity to honor our veterans with the dignity and respect they deserve, we must plan for a new resting place that continues to honor our veterans with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The National Cemetery Administration’s goals include ensuring 95% of veterans live within 75 miles of a national, state or tribal veterans cemetery.

“This policy does not account for veterans in Hawaii who would prefer to be buried in a national cemetery,” since the next closest is over 2,500 miles away in California, the press release said.

In 2022, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific received $14 million in improvements, including a new columbarium with niches to hold more than 3,400 urns. At that time, the cemetery spokesperson said it would buy another 4-1/2 to five years, and a plan to extend Columbarium 14 would open up space for another five years.

Hawaii veterans have other options. The state has veterans cemeteries on each major island.

Retired Maj. Jeff Hickman, spokesman for the state Department of Defense, said of Oahu’s only state veterans cemetery, “We’re in pretty good shape.”

The Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery will reach full capacity for in-ground cremated remains in February 2042, and for cremated remains in columbarium in June 2034.

More than 11,000 veterans and nearly 6,000 dependents have been placed at HSVC.

The DOD did not have statistics for other islands’ cemeteries, maintained by the counties.

At its opening in 1991, the HSVC had 90 acres of land that could accommodate 72,500 body-burial plots, 6,000 garden urn niches and 3,800 urn niches for cremated remains.

The late John Henry Felix, a onetime member of AmVets Hawaii, donated an additional 33 acres to HSVC.

The HSVC’s purpose was to ensure all veterans and their families would have an appropriate burial place once the Punchbowl cemetery reached capacity for ground interments.

Highlights: 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii, Round 3

January 18, 2026 01:00 AM

Highlights from the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii on a windy Saturday at Waialae Country Club. Watch the best shots form Round 3 of the PGA Tour season opener.

Lawyers representing a Hawaii Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was deported to South Korea last year are appealing to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to pardon him for convictions for illegal drug possession and bail jumping in her state from nearly two decades ago.

Sae Joon Park, 55, had lived in the U.S. since he legally immigrated with his family at age 7 and was later seriously wounded during a firefight while serving as a U.S. Army infantryman in Panama. After his military service, he struggled with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and self-medicated with drugs.

Looking for a new start, Park moved to Hawaii after his family’s store burned in the 1992 Los Angeles riots, but he continued to struggle with untreated PTSD and addiction, ultimately leading to his arrest and conviction in Queens, N.Y., for buying crack cocaine.

Last month, the Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic at University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law submitted a formal pardon application to Hochul on Park’s behalf.

“This pardon application is about redemption,” said attorney Danicole Ramos in a statement. “We believe Mr. Park has demonstrated a crime free life since those New York convictions. He has been an outstanding father to his children and an active caretaker for his elderly mother. We urge Gov. Hochul to pardon Mr. Park. A pardon will recognize that people are more than the worst moments of their lives.”

In particular, his legal team is focusing on the bail-jumping conviction, which is classified under federal immigration law as an “aggravated felony.” In cases involving aggravated felonies, immigration judges are prevented from considering mitigating factors such as military service, family or rehabilitation.

Immigration officials issued Park a removal order after his release from prison but ultimately allowed him to stay in the country as long as he attended regular check-ins with federal agents. His clean military service record and good behavior in prison had made him a low priority for deportation. After returning to Hawaii, he raised his now-adult children and was working at the Aloha Kia auto dealership.

But last year, Park received an ultimatum from federal officials in New York while doing his annual check-in: either get his affairs in order and “self- deport” within a month or be detained on the spot. He chose the latter, and on June 23 he boarded a plane at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport with his family tearfully bidding him goodbye as he departed for South Korea, where he has been ever since.

Under the terms of the deportation, Park is barred from returning to the U.S. for at least a decade. He worries that he won’t get the chance to see his children marry and won’t be around to take care of his ailing mother, who lives in Hawaii and is suffering from dementia.

In a media release, his legal team said “a full and unconditional gubernatorial pardon can remove the immigration consequences of certain convictions, including aggravated felonies. A pardon may eliminate the conviction as a basis for deportation and allow an individual to seek reopening of their removal order.”

Park’s case has been particularly high profile, attracting attention from national news media and lawmakers.

Soon after he left for South Korea, the Department of Homeland Security said it stood by its decision to target Park, citing what it called his “extensive criminal history,” which also includes a misdemeanor conviction for illegal firearm possession when he was living in L.A. before his Army service, and a misdemeanor assault stemming from a fight in Hawaii while he was still addicted to crack.

However, during a December congressional hearing on the Trump administration’s immigration policy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was grilled about U.S. citizens and military veterans caught up in the massive nationwide crackdown on immigrants. When questioned by U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., she said: “Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans.”

A congressional aide then held up a tablet device showing Park tuning in live from Seoul over a Zoom connection. Magaziner argued that Park had “sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have,” and asked Noem if she would investigate Park’s case, to which Noem pledged she would “absolutely look at his case.”

That evening, footage of the exchange appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” After airing the clip, Kimmel said: “Is anyone OK with this? Seriously, all kidding aside, we deported a veteran with a Purple Heart?”

It’s unclear how many U.S. military veterans have been deported. Lawmakers have been debating the issue since well before Trump’s first presidency. Today, as much as 5% of people serving in the military are noncitizens. Though most are eligible for citizenship, advocates argue many are not properly informed about how to become naturalized during or after their service.

“I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support I have received since my deportation,” Park said in a statement. “Knowing that so many people continue to stand with me has given me strength during the hardest period of my life. I am especially thankful for my legal team for working hard every day for the chance to come home.”

Park’s legal team said it “continues to pursue multiple avenues to support Mr. Park’s return.”

In June, Ramos submitted a request to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office to allow Park to re-plead his bail-jumping conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor. The team is still pursuing that as another potential avenue to reopen his immigration case.