NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IS NOW IN DAMAGE CONTROL...

From: jrbatesusmc@aol.com

Jon Jarvis is under much pressure and is trying to back track. Below apparently just went out. It is absolute bull shit when Jarvis is trying to say he supports Marines.

To:    mpsjoe@hotmail.com

NO, NO, NO!!! YOU HAVE NOT BEEN BLIND-SIDED. JON JARVIS WAS ON CAMERA LAST FRIDAY STATING THAT HE WOULD ONLY EXPECT A PARKING BACK ON 30 APRIL. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE MARINE REMEMBRANCE HE STATED "THAT FLAGPOLE" WILL BE REMOVED. THERE WERE ABOUT 50 PEOPLE AT THE CONFERENCE THAT CAN CONFIRM. HE EXPRESSED DISDANE FOR THE MARINE REMEMBRANCE.

THE ONLY REASON HE IS BACKTRACKING NOW WITH THIS PRESS RELEASE IS BECAUSE HE UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE FROM MARINES TO NOT LET THE MARINE REMEMBRANCE BE REMOVED.

I WAS AT THE PRESS CONFRENCE. HE WAS BITTER ABOUT IT BEING THERE. GEN PETER PACE, CMC GEN MICHAEL HAGEE AND CMC GEN JAMES CONWAY HAVE ALL SAID IT SHOULD BE RIGHT WHERE IT IS.

I WILL PROVIDE YOU ANY AND ALL INFORMATION YOU NEED/REQUEST TO VERIFY THE ABOVE.

SEMPER FIDELIS, COLONEL JOHN R. BATES USMC (RET)

-----Original Message-----
From: mpsjoe@hotmail.com
To: jon_jarvis@nps.gov; karen_washington@nps.gov; travis_richmond@hutchison.senate.gov; national@washpost.com; 1999994332.9694.377@houseenews.net; senator@cornyn.senate.gov; president@whitehouse.gov; senator_hutchison@senmail1.senate.gov; comments@whitehouse.gov; dirk_kempthorne@doi.gov
Cc: hannity@foxnews.com; rush@eibnet.com; news@worldnetdaily.com; administator@mcleague.com
Subject: Good morning Thursday, 1 March 2007

Good morning Thursday, 1 March 2007 ALL HANDS SPECIAL EDITION

It's a long but necerssary read about the USS Arizona Marine Rembrance issue. I was bambuzzled
by __________ and ___________.   Shows me I can 'blind-sided' very easy.   So now I will be
putting in my apologies for 'crying wolf' before investigating. Have totally given myself an uphill
battle now with everyone from the President, Senators, Congressman, Washington Post, Marine Corps League, National Parks Service, Secretary of the Interior, and a ton of my friends and fellow Marines. Read below and see what I mean, goes to show you not all that's in Washington is bad! What's needing to be done by me on everything from here on is verifying
everything before I invest time, effort, and most of all my hard to establish personal credibility.
Semper fi,
Joe

______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Marines, Active Duty, Retired and Marine Corps Family members:

   I have received over the last few weeks many emails concerning the future of the Marine Corps remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques at Halawa
   Landing in Pearl Harbor and I want to both respond directly and thank you each for expressing your concerns. This response may be a little long but I think it important to provide a full context of the history
   of this site. First, let me assure you that the National Park Service is honored to be the stewards of national memorials to our service men and women all over the United States. For generations we have been trusted to never let America forget the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Korean War, WWI and WWII, Vietnam and our current conflicts. Our responsibilities at Pearl Harbor for the USS Arizona Memorial and soon the USS Oklahoma Memorial are sacred trusts. I personally have family members who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam and I am deeply committed to our men and women of our armed services. Regardless of what you may have seen in the emails, let me also assure you that the National Park Service has no plans and never had any plans to “bulldoze”
   the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff.

   Over three years ago, the National Park Service and the US Navy began discussions regarding a comprehensive approach to telling the entire story of the attack on Pearl Harbor at Halawa Landing, creating an “entry experience” to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Oklahoma
   Memorial, and the Pacific Aviation Museum – Pearl Harbor. In order to do that, the Navy entered into an agreement to transfer 6+ acres to the National Park Service, in combination with the existing 11 acres for the construction of a new visitor center, exhibits, classroom, parking and other necessary services for the public. The 6+ acres had been included in a US Navy lease to a private commercial developer who examined various alternatives for the site and finally issued a license to Pearl Harbor Visitor Center (PHVC). PHVC erected a white tent structure, opened a variety of food and souvenirs booths and began to charge for
   bag storage on the 6+ acres adjacent to the current USS Arizona Visitor Center. During this period, the US Navy also gave permission to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center to place on the site a Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques in honor of the Marines who served on the USS Arizona at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Permission was granted by the US Navy on the express condition that the Remembrance “not be permanently installed” and that it be portable by forklift.

   Clearly the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques has struck a chord with many current and retired Marines and their families. Even though the names of those Marines who died on the USS Arizona are inscribed on the wall in the USS Arizona Memorial, there is a strong desire to honor them, as well as the survivors of the USS Arizona Marine Corps complement, with a stand alone memorial. This is a similar situation as to one we resolved to everyone’s satisfaction over the last two years with the USS Oklahoma. Veterans and survivors also wanted a   memorial to those who died on the Oklahoma and wanted it on Halawa landing. By working with the Congressional Delegation from Oklahoma, USS Oklahoma survivors and their families, and the US Navy, we broke ground for the new memorial last December on Ford Island, very close to where the USS Oklahoma had been moored when she was struck.    This patient, collaborative and open process ensured that the views of all interested parties were considered.
   The current Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques was not sited in accordance with deliberate, long term planning to best serve the public and be interpreted for future generations. By comparison, the comprehensive site design, developed by the US Navy and the National Park Service for Halawa Landing takes into consideration all the needs
   of the 1.4 million visitors that arrive each year, site security, terrorist threats, and even soil stability. The current location of the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques does not take into consideration any of those issues. The bottom line is that the Marine
Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques will have to be moved from its current location for all those reasons. The good news is that the Flagstaff was designed to be mobile. The question is to where?

   The National Park Service would be proud to protect the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques on Halawa Landing during the two year construction phase. At some point during the construction period, we would have to move the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques so that the public could still have easy and safe access to it. The US
   Navy, the US Marine Corps, and the National Park Service would work to find a permanent location for the Marine Corps Remembrance Flagstaff and Plaques. Any decisions about its future home would not be without considerable public input.

   All of the above discussions and decisions have been closely coordinated with the US Navy, specifically RDML Tim Alexander, Commander Navy Region Hawaii, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific. Admiral Alexander has offered that if you wish to confirm any of the above, you may contact him directly at:
         850 Ticonderoga Street, Suite 110
         Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-5101

   I trust you will understand that there was never any attempt to dishonor the Marine Corps and those Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is our common goal to ensure that their memory is honored for all future generations.

   /s/
   Jonathan B. Jarvis
   Regional Director, Pacific West Region