Kahana-The Untold Stories Read online

  KAHANA

  THE UNTOLD STORIES

  BY

  ANN KENNEDY

  Copyright © 2019 Ann Kennedy

  All Rights Reserved

  Published by Kahana and Kennedy Productions, LLC

  Distributed by Smashwords

  Ebook formatting ebooklaunch.com

  Thank you for downloading this eBook This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer.

  Thank you for your support.

  Disclaimers

  Although the book’s form is that of an autobiography, it is not one. It is a combination of facts and events about Kim Kahana’s life and fictionalizations of names, characters, dialogue, places, and institutions.

  Space and time have been rearranged to suit the convenience of the book. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental, with the exception of public figures. The opinions expressed are those of the characters and should not be confused with the author. The reader should consider this book as a work of literary fiction.

  Contents

  1.The Islanders

  2. The Longest Journey

  3. San Francisco and Beyond

  4. The Big Apple Bites

  5. Schooled the Hard Way

  6. Love at First Sight

  7. Home Sweet Home

  8. The Chopper

  9. A Sea Faring Adventure

  10. Dancing with Fire

  11. The Korean War

  12. Blindsided

  13. Here Come the Katas

  14. The Calling

  15. The Whammies

  16. Yakima!

  17. European Style

  18. Fire and Ice

  19. Uh-Oh Chongo

  20. A Stuntman’s Way of Life

  21. Trade Secrets

  22. PTSD

  23. Passenger 57

  24. Sandy, Stunts and Press

  25 Times Are Changing

  26. The Prophecy

  Thank you

  Dedication

  Dedication by Kim Kahana, Sr.

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  The Islanders

  Many Hawaiian children in 1941 go to their village schools to receive a traditional education. They also go to their ritual areas to participate in a different kind of schooling. At their ritual areas, the island children learn about their Hawaiian heritage, history, and martial arts from the men of the village.

  Today, Kim Kahana, a young, island boy, is walking to the ritual area with his father. His father will be teaching a lesson this afternoon. Rosendo is the only parent that Kim has ever known. His father is the chef to an admiral in the Coast Guard, and he can be out at sea on a ship for months at a time. Whenever he is gone, Kim stays by himself or with his father’s best friend, Jimmy and his family. He feels lonely and out of place staying with them. He misses his father and wishes he did not always have to go away for so long.

  After walking for twenty minutes, Rosendo and Kim arrive at the crowded ritual area. Rosendo begins his lesson by asking the youngsters to quietly sit down on the cool sand. He never shouts, only needing to stop and stare at the children with his radiant black eyes. None of the children or adolescents want to misbehave for him. They would feel disgraced if they were singled out or received his disapproving stare.

  Beginning his lesson, Rosendo says, “Today I will tell you the true story of the Kahunas’ prophecy. The Kahunas were the first high priests of this island. Their prophecy detailed the three signs of who would be destined to be Hawaii’s greatest king. The Kahunas’ said that the first sign would take place during the birth of their future king. It would be a comet that would be seen by all the Hawaiian people. This happened when a baby boy named Kamehameha was born. The Kahunas claimed that the second sign would occur when their future king would lift and move the 7,000-pound Naha Stone. Kamehameha accomplished this feat.”

  “The third sign of their prophecy was that their future king would be known as ‘The Lonely One.’ Kamehameha was known as the ‘The Lonely One’ throughout the islands. He fulfilled all the signs of the prophecy, united the Hawaiian Islands and became Hawaii’s greatest king.”

  .

  Then he says to his young students, “I’m about to tell you something that you may have heard before. You will hear it from me and your other teachers many times, until it’s ingrained in your minds, hearts, and souls.”

  He goes on to say, “Centuries ago, Hawaii was cut off from the mainstream of the martial arts in other countries like Japan and China. This didn’t matter to the islanders because they had their own form, which they called Lua. It began as one of the deadliest systems of unarmed self-defense. Lua brings karate, judo, jujutsu, aikido, and kendo together.”

  Ending his lesson, he says, “Every Hawaiian child must grow up hearing tales about Lua’s extraordinary powers. It is a dreaded and secret method of defense. The secrets of Lua have always been taught to only a select few,” he continues. “Two or three of you here might be the chosen ones to learn it.” The students are joyful and thrilled that that they could be one of the chosen few.

  Rosendo dismisses the students and they thank him for being their teacher today. Then Rosendo and Kim walk back to their house. Once they are both inside, they talk for a while and have dinner. Then Rosendo goes into his bedroom and smiles as he glances at the picture on his nightstand of his young son wearing a military uniform.

  When it’s time to go to bed, Kim drifts off to sleep thinking about the busy and fun day he has planned for tomorrow.

  Early the next morning, Kim and a few of his friends meet at 5:30 to venture atop Pearl City’s hills. Kim is always the first one to climb to the top of the mountain. He loves standing on the peak of the mountain to see the breath taking view of the harbor and the American Navy Base.

  It is like any other day, but things are about to change rapidly. Kim and his friends have no idea that they will witness an event that will change history.

  Suddenly, there are lights flashing that temporarily blind Kim and his friends. Then there is a cacophony of loud booms that shake and rattle the earth.

  Over one hundred and eighty-three Japanese planes took off from six Japanese carriers at 6:00 on the morning of December 7th, 1941. Then, a second wave of one hundred and seventy Japanese planes advances at 7:15. When the planes approach the island, they separate into three groups. Pearl Harbor is the target of their deadly attack. At 8:00 o’clock, they hit their main target. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, and then the pilots leave the area swiftly, flying back to Japan.

  This act thrusts the United States into World War II. The Hawaiian Islands are placed under strict martial law, which dramatically changes everything for the islands’ people and children.

  Under martial law, anyone can be arrested and jailed without reasonable cause. There is also a curfew in place. Any civilian out after hours faces the risk of being shot.

  American and Allied ships quickly swallow up the small fishing boats that had once lined Hawaii’s coastline. The U.S. military orders the islanders to put barbed wire around their shoreline. Many islanders had depended on fishing to make a living and feed their families.

  Then the U.S. military closes the beautiful, beachfront hotels and uses them to register and fingerprint all the
islanders. The military also issues an official identification number and identification card to every man, woman, and child over the age of six. Every islander must carry their card with them at all times.

  Most of the schools are now closed. Three months after the bombings, some schools reopen, but with a shortened week of class time. Children over the age of seven are issued gas masks, which they must carry with them to school and throughout the day.

  The island youngsters must also go to work on the farms and sugar cane plantations because there is a shortage of laborers.

  Whenever Kim needs to escape from the harsh realities of his life, he ventures down to the docks to talk to the American soldiers. The young soldiers bond with Kim and the other island kids. Their tales and stories about life on the mainland and the “War to End All Wars” fascinates him.

  One day, he meets a nineteen-year-old soldier named Billy, who is from Texas. He tells Kim a lot about his home state. Day after day, Kim goes back to the docks to talk to Billy. He never grows tired of hearing his stories about the cowboys and their lifestyle. He decides that one day he will go to Texas and become a cowboy. He thinks it would be exciting to ride horses in a rodeo or round up cattle. The stories he hears from Billy ignite his desire to embark on a voyage to America.

  A few days later, Billy tells Kim that this will be the last time he’ll see him. He will be shipping out on Wednesday morning to San Francisco. When he arrives there, he will be transferred to another ship that will head overseas.

  Kim is sad to hear that Billy is leaving. He says goodbye and begins walking back to the sugar cane field. Kim will miss Billy and his wonderful stories.

  There isn’t any school today because of the shortened school week, so most of the children must go to work. They labor alongside seasoned veterans who use cane knives along with machetes to chop the tough stalks.

  Kim and the villagers labor long hours in the sugar cane fields on the island of Lanai.

  The steaming hot sun beats relentlessly down on the tired workers. Kim stops working to wipe the dripping sweat from his brow. One of the men shouts out, “Sonny!” Kim, along with all of the other boys, looks up to see if the man is shouting for him, since ‘Sonny’ is the name used for all of the boys. It turns out that he’s not calling for Kim.

  Kim gazes past the fields and imagines voyaging to the mainland.

  The boy often strays from the cane fields and ventures to the docks. Whenever Kim is not working on the sugar cane plantation or going to the docks, he climbs to the tops of Hawaii’s magnificent mountains. There, with the viewpoint of an eagle, he looks down at the military ships and the ocean’s powerful waves. He hungers for passage on one of these vessels.

  Kim resolves to turn his dream of going to America into a reality. On a foggy Tuesday evening in October, he executes his plan. While he is at home, he waits patiently until his father falls asleep. Then he creeps outside and flees through the tropical rainforest until he reaches the docks.

  He looks around to be sure that no one has seen him, then sneaks on board a navy ship. He believes it is Billy’s ship. He feels relieved that he has made it—but, within minutes, a tough-looking, cigar-smoking ensign named Luigi discovers him. He yells, “Stop or I’ll shoot!” as he points his gun. Kim knows that his goose is cooked; he won’t have a chance to get away from this determined ensign.

  Luigi quickly picks the boy up and throws him over his shoulder. He says, “I’m taking you home. Where is your identification card? Where do you live?”

  Kim hesitates. The ensign sternly says, “I want to know now. Do not waste my time. Tell me the truth, son.”

  Kim replies, “I, uh, forgot my card. I live on the other side of the rainforest.”

  The ensign hollers to another ensign. “If I’m not back in two hours, send for the military police to find us,”

  When Kim and Luigi finally arrive at the dense rainforest, Luigi demands directions to Kim’s home. At first, Kim refuses to tell him because he doesn’t want to face his father’s fury. Luigi tells Kim, “Son, I swear to God that if you don’t tell me, I’ll carry you back and turn you over to the military police. Then you’ll really be in hot water.”

  Kim knows there’s no way out, so he reluctantly tells Luigi what he wants to know. Luigi, still carrying Kim, says, “You better be giving me the right directions. If you even think about trying to escape, the police will hunt you down.” Kim is afraid and doesn’t say another word.

  Within twenty minutes, Luigi and Kim arrive at Kim’s home. Luigi bangs on the hut’s door as he shouts for Kim’s father to wake up. Rosendo gets up from a sound sleep and goes outside to see what is going on. He demands that Luigi put his son down. Luigi tells Rosendo, “Your son was out after curfew! The law dictates that any unauthorized civilian out after hours can be shot.”

  Rosendo thanks him for bringing his son home and tells Luigi that Kim will never do anything like this again. He apologizes for Kim’s reckless actions and tells Luigi that he knows he took a big risk by not turning Kim in to the authorities. Luigi responds, “I’m a father, too. He’s only a kid, and he doesn’t understand the seriousness of what he did. I didn’t turn him in this time. But if he ever pulls a stunt like this again, he will suffer the consequences.”

  Rosendo assures him that Kim will follow the rules from this moment on. Luigi smiles at Rosendo and heads back to his ship.

  Rosendo kneels next to Kim and softly says, “I’m going to give you something you deserve.” Then Rosendo tells him to bend over, so Kim knows what’s coming. Rosendo picks up a cane and gives him ten harsh swats.

  Two days later, Kim slowly walks to the cane fields to begin another long day of backbreaking work. All of the kids in the village heard about Kim’s failed attempt to stowaway. Kim begins working, and the other kids start poking fun at him. They taunt him relentlessly about his failed attempt to stow away. Three smart-aleck kids keep laughing at him. They call him a fool, a big fool, for thinking he could ever stow away on a voyage to the mainland.

  Chapter 2

  The Longest Journey

  Four years have gone by and World War II finally ends on September 2nd, 1945. Kim is now a strong, young teenager. His knowledge and skills in Lua martial arts surpass those of many adults on the island. Some view him as a lethal weapon. The children who work in the cane fields do not tease him anymore.

  During those years, Kim was relentless in his pursuit of excelling as a martial artist. He practiced by himself and with others every day. He also took lessons from the adults on a regular basis. He now maneuvers a machete with undaunted skill and precision. He chops the cane with unmatched speed. All of his deadly movements are executed perfectly with a beautiful poetic rhythm.

  He still holds a fantasy of voyaging to the mainland and going to New York to stay with his uncle. He creates an ingenious plan for a journey to America’s mainland. Little does he know that he’s about to embark on a lifelong death-defying adventure.

  Kim’s scheme entails sneaking aboard one of the many ocean liners on Hawaii’s shores. The shores are no longer lined with just Navy vessels. Instead, magnificent cruise ships saturate the docks.

  He waits until his father goes out at sea to execute his plan. The first step of Kim’s plan is to get the address of his uncle. He searches the hut for his father’s address book. Then he finds it in the top drawer of his nightstand. He writes his uncle’s address on a piece of paper. Then he puts the address book back in the nightstand.

  Kim is now ready to enact the second part of his plan. He knows he will have to camouflage himself to look like the rich tourists boarding the cruise ship. He will need nice clothes; so, he begins to save his money. Within three weeks, he has enough money to visit a seamstress in town.

  Then he ventures into the island’s small town and finds a sewing shop. The shop is owned by a nosey seamstress named Lulu. He asks her to make him a pair of white pants, a jacket, and a hat. He proudly puts all of the money he saved on a tab
le. He tries to act like a grown-up when he says, “I think this will be more than enough money for your troubles.”

  She laughs her head off and answers, “Boy, you don’t have enough for half a pair of pants.” Kim is embarrassed and surprised by her response.

  Then she begins interrogating him. “Why do you want me to make you these clothes? No child from the village dresses like this.”

  For a minute, Kim is caught off-guard. He is afraid that she’s on to him. He takes a deep breath and then crosses his fingers behind his back. He believes it’s okay to lie if you have your fingers crossed. He then says, “My father is taking me on a trip to visit his sister. I must look nice, but he doesn’t have any more money for me to spend on a nice outfit.”

  Lulu is satisfied with this answer. She tells Kim that she will make him one pair of pants, adding, “I’m being generous with you today, but I don’t want you to tell anyone about my kind-heartedness. I don’t want a bunch of kids coming to me for a deal. Do you understand?”

  After Kim says yes and humbly thanks her, Lulu promises that she will do an excellent job for him and that his pants will be ready in two days. She tells him that he can leave now.

  Kim really thought he had saved more than enough money for the clothes, but he didn’t. Now, he needs to figure out a way to get a hat, a jacket, and a shirt.

  As he walks along the streets of the town, he sees a few clothing shops. He knows what he must do: he has to steal what he needs. He stands outside of one shop that is jam-packed with people, then strolls in casually and finds a white jacket, a blue shirt, and a white hat. He easily steals all three items and gets out of the shop without anyone detecting him.

  Two days later, he visits the seamstress to pick up his pants. He carries a small bag with him and asks her if he can change his clothes there. She agrees, so he changes his clothes and puts his old clothes in his bag. She is angry when she sees his brand-new jacket and shirt. “Who made those clothes for you?” she demands. “Did you go to another seamstress?”