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Honolulu committee advances renaming of Waianae District Park for Medal of Honor recipient Shinye Nakamine
Summary
The Honolulu City Council Committee on Parks voted to advance Resolution 25-149 to full council to rename Waianae District Park the Shinye Nakamine and 100th Infantry Battalion Memorial Park, after several family members and community advocates testified in support.
The Honolulu City Council Committee on Parks on May 27 advanced Resolution 25-149 to full council to rename Waianae District Park the Shinye Nakamine and 100th Infantry Battalion Memorial Park after supporters, family members and veterans groups asked the committee to approve the change.
The measure’s introducer recommended the committee pass the resolution; no committee members objected and the item was moved out of committee for final consideration by the full council. The Department of Parks and Recreation supported the renaming while asking that the park continue to carry the “Waianae District Park” designation after the new name for mapping and wayfinding purposes.
Several relatives and community members testified in favor of the renaming. Anita Nakamine Kurinaga, who identified herself as Shinye Nakamine’s sister, told the committee Nakamine was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and described how family and battalion comrades preserved his personal effects. Kimie Korynaga Kepo’o, a Waianae resident, said a plaque at the park’s basketball court goes unnoticed and that a formal renaming would help connect younger residents to local history. Glenn Keila, representing a native Hawaiian organization, urged the committee to give the community a visible memorial and said other local parks named for wartime heroes sustained those memories.
Angela Melody Young, testifying on behalf of CARES, also supported the measure and described the renaming as a way to raise awareness about veterans’ service. Director Laura Thielen, representing the Department of Parks and Recreation, said the department supports the renaming and requested that the formal name retain “Waianae District Park” in communications and mapping so the park remains locatable in web and map services.
Committee members who spoke said the timing — the day after Memorial Day — made the proposal particularly fitting, and they highlighted the role such memorials play in preserving local history and providing role models for youth. The committee’s action advances the resolution to the full council, where a final vote is scheduled.
The committee referenced meeting procedures under Hawaii law for remote meetings; the chair noted the meeting followed the statute cited on the record.
The full council will consider Resolution 25-149 at a future meeting.
