Veterans Day

When we think of U.S. veterans, we usually think of soldiers who served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or more recent conflicts. But here's a card commemorating the efforts of veterans in 1909, well before we ventured into those bloody wars.

The veterans we're talking about here were veterans of the Civil War. The Sons of Veterans was a fraternal organization that grew to 200,000 members by 1904. In 1922, the name was changed to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Although membership has declined to about 7,500, you can still join if you are a male 14 or older and:

1. Are directly descended from a Soldier, Sailor, Marine or member of the Revenue Cutter Service (or directly descended from a brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister of such Soldier, etc.) who was regularly mustered and served honorably in, was honorably discharged from, or died in the service of, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Revenue Cutter Service of the United States of America or in such state regiments called to active service and was subject to the orders of United States general officers, between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865;

2. Have never been convicted of any infamous or heinous crime; and

3. Have, or whose ancestor through whom membership is claimed, have never voluntarily borne arms against the government of the United States.

Here's the back of the card, addressed to Perley Thomas of Gouverneur, New York. It's an unusual name, and I had hoped it was the industrialist and entrepreneur who developed the famous Perley Thomas streetcar, but I don't think it's the same person.

Halekulani Buffet - Honolulu, Hawaii

Help yourself. Then afterward you can go for another paddle in an outrigger canoe in front of the hotel. You can still stay at the Halekulani today. It's a lot more elegant and expensive than these cards might suggest. If you go there, you may want to stay in their royal suite, which is quite a bit larger than my house. I wonder if the personal butler does any cooking or if you have to bring your own cook.

ROYAL SUITE  
The 4, 066 sq. ft Royal Suite features the ultimate in privacy, luxury and service: two bedrooms, dining room, dressing area, 2.5 bathrooms, kitchen facilities, large wraparound lanai and state-of-art entertainment enhancements including a 50" Plasma Screen and wireless portable television, A personal butler and airport limousine services are included for the Royal Suite. The furnishings and accessories are simple and classical, and celebrate the various Pacific and Asian cultures that are a part of today's Hawaiian community. The color palette is a subdued range of sunset colors that contrast with the brilliant greens and blues of the ocean, sky and landscaping just beyond the balcony.

 And here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

Waikiki, Hawaii - 1950s

You may think I'm just relaxing and having a good time here in Honolulu, but if you could only imagine how hard I had to work to sculpt my hair into this perfect cone. Life is not as easy here as you might imagine.

This is the Moana Hotel again, the first hotel in Waikiki. We looked at a very early photo of the hotel earlier in the week. It's very beautiful, and it hasn't changed much over the years. That may change soon. Back in the 1970s, people were alarmed at all of the high-rise hotels going up in Waikiki and concerned about encroachment on the beach itself, so height and shoreline setback requirements were adopted for the Waikiki Beach District. Currently there is a nine-story tower attached to the Moana Hotel; it hadn't been built yet when this postcard was issued. It's really not bad looking and doesn't overwhelm the historic hotel, which apart from its historic significance is surely the most beautiful building in Waikiki.

However, Kyo-Ya corporation is poised to tear down the 9-story tower and replace it with a 26-story tower, which would also encroach 60 feet into the 100-foot shoreline setback. Although the proposed building does not comply with the regulations, Honolulu City Council voted 9-0 to give them the initial go ahead. It's not over yet, but it doesn't look good. If they grant the variance, I can't imagine how they could turn down future requests. Here's a recent article from the NY Times. Be sure to scroll back up and take a look at the picture of the hotel and imagine how a 26-story tower ould look right next to it.

Here's the back of the postcard, offering free reservations by Reservatron. In the age of internet reservations, that may not sound like a big deal, but Sheraton was the first hotel chain in the world to start offering hotel reservations by telex.