[Milsurplus] "Disposition When the Time Comes"

[Hue Miller]

A couple thoughts on recent posts:
 
Learning that a certain equipment collection in Hawaii will go the landfill after the owner expires - 
now there's a persuasive argument for NOT contributing any hardware you might value from your own
accumulation, with that particular collector. 
I can understand why the dump might seem the unvoidable terminus. From a quick look in the Honolulu
Oahu phonebook, it - no deprecation intended - does not seem the otherwise paradise islands are 
particularly literate ( i judge this by "used book stores" ) or blessed with a lot of leftover high technology
from the past - compared to West Coast cities i have lived in. ( Maybe all the pre-owned books and 
retired technology is exported to landfills in my state, Oregon - but we're tiring of that. ) 
 
What about this: There's a "Pacific Aviation Museum" out near Pearl. Kind of a small but brave operation.
I don't think they have a lot of unexhibited stuff in storage, believe me. It seems to me such a display
would be something they could value. IIRC I saw there last year, a B-25, a Zero - in good condition -
some others, plus a well done diorama of some wreckage of the Zero that the Japanese pilot crash
landed on that small island. ( Memory gap here. ) 
I was just reading in "Ho'okele Pearl Harbor - Hickam News"  Sept. 10, 2010 "Pacific Aviation Museum 
signs lease with Navy, plans to renovate Ford Island air tower"  ( Field control tower ).  So although
this museum is not a major player, they do have backing and do have drive, initiative. I saw the tower
and it is really evocative of the time. Looks kind of forlorn right now and you can easily imagine 
interesting com gear still installed there, but i suppose it's pretty well stripped. Would be interesting to
see the tower with some original type comm gear in place. ( Will mail the article to anyone who wants
to see it. ) 
However, i have to comment that - i think Hawaii just milks the WW2 thing too hard. I would rather see
a "Pacfic Navigation Museum" that included more of any trans-Pacific navigations, incuding Polynesian 
sea navigators and Pan Am and who knows what else, Amelia Earhart and so on....   I think a lack of
other touristy type attractions is what leads so many to go to see the Arizona, which i don't think is much
of a touristy type thing, really - and some vets here have complained about a "circus environment" among
the visitors there......but enough on that already.   -Hue Miller