Kaua'i Residents RESPECT Honored American Heroes
A Memorial Day ceremony was held on Monday at the Kaua'i Veteran’s Cemetery in Hanapepe, in honor of America’s fallen service members. The ceremony included a color guard presentation, guest speakers, a Hawaiian prayer blessing and wreath and lei presentations.
PMRF’s Commanding Officer, Captain Brett Stevenson and Incoming Commanding Officer, Captain Robert Prince were in attendance and participated in the lei presentations and reflections alongside local and visiting veterans, active-duty service members, local officials, community organizations and their families. Mahalo nui loa to the Kaua`i Veteran’s Council for hosting the esteemed Memorial Day ceremony.
May we always remember those who have sacrificed to protect our country and our freedom. [View Pictures]
O'ahu DISRESPECTS Honored American Heroes
SHAMEFUL people attended. Veterans asked ONLY that this event be hosted on Sunday. American men and women gave their lives; sacrificed everything for us, our freedoms and this nation. Americans today allow a Japanese Buddhist Order to trample on their memory; the nation that attacked Hawai'i on December 7, 1941, killing 1,000s, and murdered 100,000s across the Pacific, over 20+ million Chinese, forced Korean women into sex slaves for their troops or they would be shot.
American men and women stopped their homicidal aggression. You can't even give them one sacred, hallowed day. SHAMEFUL, SELFISH and UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE !!!
Today's the day! 🌺 Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi is this Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2025, at Ala Moana Beach Park.
🌊 10am-4pm — Lantern Request Tent
Receive a lantern, free of charge, to personally float yourself in the water during the ceremony. First-come, first-served, while available. One per family/group, please. Military may use dedicated access line with ID.
🛶 10am-6pm — Collective Remembrance Tent
Write a remembrance for the wood-framed Collective Remembrance Lanterns, which are floated during the ceremony by volunteers on the canoes.
💖 6:30pm-7:30pm — The ceremony!
Join us in person at Ala Moana Beach, on our broadcast partner KHON2 TV, livestreamed online through on khon2.com, lanternfloatinghawaii.com, or our official YouTube event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nSycQy-WN8
😎🥤 It can get hot out, so don’t forget the water and sunscreen. There are no food sales, so bring what you need.
🏝️ There’s no cost for the event. Any voluntary donations received at the beach go to the City & County of Honolulu Dept. of Parks & Recreation (@honolulu.parks) for the beautification of Ala Moana Regional Park.
Deceptively, Shinnyo-en advertises, "there’s no cost for the event. Any voluntary donations received at the beach go to the City & County of Honolulu Dept. of Parks & Recreation (@honolulu.parks) for the beautification of Ala Moana Regional Park.
The Japanese Buddhists mislead the public. If you do choose to donate via the form below, your donation will be gratefully received by Nā Lei Aloha Foundation to support Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi activities.
More details, including parking at:
👉 lanternfloatinghawaii.com
🕯️ What is Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi?
Everyone is welcome to take part in this annual Memorial Day ceremony of remembrance, gratitude aloha for those who have touched our lives, for those we miss.
Candle-lit lanterns are floated in the water to carry our gratitude and prayers for all spirits and forms of life that have supported our existence since the beginning of time.
By sharing our feelings of loss and grief, we may also experience the lights of hope, courage and compassion, kindling a desire for connection and healing not just for ourselves, but for those around us.
What Do Participants Say?
An estimated 50,000 people appropriated Memorial Day Monday to remember their loved ones — rather than the heroic American men and women who sacrificed everything for us. Veterans asked only that Shinnyo-en and participants use Sunday ... apparently too high an ask of selfish, ungrateful, spoiled and shameful people.
Locals and visitors know this event is NOT dedicated to our FALLEN American heroes — men and women in uniform who sacrificed their lives for us. For this reason, we ask Shinnyo-en to host lantern floating on Sunday, not Memorial Day Monday. Honorable people would compromise. Shinnyo-en is not honorable.
DISAPPOINTED in any and all who participate in this event. We have politely requested Japanese Buddhist Order Shinnyo-en and Masako "Shinso" Ito NOT host their delightful event on Memorial Day Monday. This day is a SACRED observation of the heroic American men & women in uniform who GAVE their lives for all of us. Participants would prefer Sunday. Be respectful of American tradition and values.
They SACRIFICED their lives for our freedom, our values and this nation. We offered compromise: Lantern Floating on Sunday for civilians; Monday for military ... a Memorial Weekend for all. TRUE Buddhists would compromise to obtain Peace & Harmony in our islands.
Shinnyo-en violates the principles of Buddhism and defiles a hallowed American observation. SHAME ON Shinnyo-en and Masako "Shinso" Ito. Those who participate are cursed.
Veterans in Hawai'i boycott Japanese Buddhist Order Shinnyo-en to PROTECT and DEFEND the memory of our fallen American heroic men and women. Please join us!
Lia Cipriani Tedesco
God bless all who are no longer with us 🙏 for the ones who gave it all on the battlefields You will never be forgotten!!
Wil Swahi
Lia Cipriani Tedesco: This isn't focused on anything to do with people who served. Its just a memorial for people that passed. A lot of people think its a armed services thing.
Ann Kimoto Studied at Hawaii Technical School. Went to Hilo High School.
Wil Swahi: correct. It's for all those we lives that we lost.
Patrice Lillie Jackson
Scott Goold, it’s still a beautiful ceremony to remember the lost. Many of whom our veterans.
Patrice Lillie Jackson — Memorial Day Monday IS NOT for civilians. I realize you do not care about the heroic American men & women who gave their lives, sacrificed everything for us. All we asked is that Shinnyo-en host their "beautiful ceremony" on Sunday. We apologize for ASKING for so much. You and others do NOT deserve our freedoms or their sacrifice. SHAMEFUL people !!!
Kiana Ruiz
Do you have more lanterns ?
Puan Kwee Huay (Lives in Singapore)
🙏🙏🙏
Glenys Williams
Have been here when they float the llanterns, amazing experience.
Kevin Wilcox
One of our favorite memories was doing this in 2016!!! So good!!
Marcy Ann Vejar
This experience could be on everyone’s bucket list
All four hours pretty darn magnificent
Jaime Kaulana Tanoue
The most beautiful ceremony
Billy Ng
Namu Shinnyo 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Charmi Schroeder
Mahalo for floating lanterns for those of us who can't be there in person. It means so very, very much. Much aloha from our family to you.
Mary Carmen Salar Belda
🥰👏👏👏🌺
YayYah Nob Shea
#namushinnyo
Merla Duran Mirabueno
Namu Shinnyo
Holly Holowach
Always love watching this. 😍 Thank you.