Trump’s attack on monuments an affront to military service

There’s no shortage of news these days about potential threats to America, most coming from hostile forces beyond our borders. To help shore up foreign relations, President Donald Trump will soon visit several key Indo-Pacific nations — but before that, will stop in Hawaii on Friday to speak at Pearl Harbor’s World War II Valor of the Pacific National Monument, home of the USS Arizona Memorial.

As Hawaii people and veterans know, the memorial honors the memory of the crew of the USS Arizona, as well as all other service members and civilians who died during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

The president’s presence at this historic site brings up a subject of great importance to our nation: the sworn duty of our military to selflessly serve and safeguard Americans and American lands from harm. As veterans back home again, we continue to be vigilant against harmful threats to America. Unfortunately some are not coming from abroad, but from within, as is happening with the destructive public lands policies advocated by Trump himself.

In April, the president ordered an unprecedented review of 27 national monuments, to determine if all or some of them should be reduced in size or totally rescinded. In September, a leaked memo drafted by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke indicated he will be recommending reductions in size and increased industrial development at four or more monuments. And last Friday, Trump let it be known via a second-hand conversation that he indeed intends to shrink Bears Ears and possibly Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, placing sacred tribal land and archaeological evidence of 13,000 years of human history at risk.

Based on the continuing lack of transparency, it would appear that the monuments review is mostly intended to enable the development of public lands for the benefit of private companies and individuals — places already designated through a lengthy process for their exceptional geologic, historical or cultural resource qualities. Rather than safeguarding our public lands, the president is instead attempting to unravel protections.

As veterans, we traveled to foreign shores to fulfill our patriotic duty to defend American soil, and to preserve our heritage and freedom. Similarly, as America’s public lands are attacked at home, we believe that protecting them is a patriotic duty, and now we will continue to fight in defense of our heritage and history.

Many national monuments are treasures that tell the story of our military history. To name a few, Mojave Trails preserves remnants from Gen. George S. Patton Jr.’s Army training areas from 1942-1944. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks conserves six of the famous Deming bombing targets. And the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument honors the achievements of Col. Young and fellow African-Americans who served in the military after the Civil War.

Closer to home, the Honouliuli National Monument commemorates Hawaii’s largest Japanese-American internment camp and prisoner of war camp during WWII. The site is a cautionary reminder of the unjust detainment of fellow American citizens, a vital part of the American historical conversation whose significance should never be reconsidered.

Any attempt to reduce and modify our national monuments jeopardizes the record of our history. It is an affront to millions of veterans who served our country and cherish our lands. It is an attack on the very heritage we risked our lives to defend.

The connection between all Americans and our nation’s protected public lands is strong. Our lands and waters, including national monuments, are an integral part of the nation’s identity. They embody values that resonate in our patriotic songs and make possible magical moments in nature we share with family and friends; they should be kept safe for future generations.

As commander-in-chief, it is the president’s sworn duty to protect America from harmful forces. Stand down on this mission to undo America’s story. Do not undermine our national monuments. They are us and we need them intact.

Capt. Alberto Perez, a native of Ewa Beach, was deployed to Iraq for three years; he works as a therapist and advocates for human rights.