Welcome from Northern Iowa
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I was stationed on Ohau, Schofield Barracks, for 4 years. Many trips to the Big Island for training at Pokaloa. Those seven steps, when loaded heavy, are no joke. Was in snow at the observatories, and then sandy beach at the docks.
Have seen the black sand beaches as the lava flows into the ocean and explodes. We drove all the way around the Big Island, ocean side, in a rental, took over 12 hours.....dam, haha. Can't remember the end of a party when we got wasted at this biker bar, I think it was called the Puahana, in Hilo. Haha!!
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Have been back to Oahu twice now since retiring from the Army in 2007. We will be there again in 2026 for our 30th Anniversary.
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Aloha again soon.
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This is the place to be for SxS information.
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Have a good day