HONOLULU -- Marines with the 3rd Marine Regiment attended a professional military education class over King Kamehameha’s amphibious assault on Oahu, Nov. 13, 2014 at the Officers’ Club.
The regiment does monthly officer or staff noncommissioned officer PMEs and this month’s topic was the Battle of Nu‘uanu, the last major battle that united the islands under one monarch: King Kamehameha.
Seizing his window of opportunity in 1795, King Kamehameha’s forces landed near Diamond Head and Waikiki and engaged Oahu’s warriors. This would eventually lead up to the fighting at what is now the Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout.
Capt. Andrew Rozic, the assistant intelligence officer with the 3rd Marine Regiment, said the purpose of this PME was to aid Marines in seeking new information and gaining knowledge as professionals, as well as building professionalism, cohesion and camaraderie within the unit.
“Many do not recognize the warrior culture of Hawaii and don’t realize this happened where we all live, work and play,” said Rozic, an Oregon City, Ore., native.
Rozic said Kamehameha’s amphibious landing on Oahu ties directly to the Marine Corps, being an amphibious force itself. He also said the history and culture of Hawaii is one rooted in a warrior ethos and having an appreciation for where they live and train helps the Marines to carry on that ethos.
“Although the weapons and technology were extremely different, (Kamehameha) faced a formidable enemy and landed on a hostile shore, which is exactly what we train to do today,” Rozic said. “He also seized the initiative during the battle and continued to press the enemy until the enemy was destroyed. We teach the same thing at all levels of the Marine Corps; to seize the initiative, use tactics and terrain to your advantage, and fight through until the mission is accomplished.”
Neil Dukas, a military historian, said the battle is an important, formative event in the history of Hawaii and that it has played a major role in the historical development of this nation.
“It ranks along with Yorktown, New Orleans, the Alamo, Gettysburg and the Little Bighorn as one of the more momentous clashes of arms to ever have taken place on what is now American soil,” said Dukas, a Kingston, Ontario, native. “Had the battle not turned out as it did, Hawaii might never have been brought into permanent union and the future of the islands (may have) advanced along very different lines.”
Dukas said all battles, no matter how old, have many lessons to offer.
“Above all, the Battle of Nu‘uanu illustrates how a defending force, even though fighting on home terrain with loads of time to prepare, to entrench and secure the vital ground, can find itself overpowered by focusing too much on a static defense,” Dukas said.
He said that there isn’t just one thing the Marines should take away from the course, but the Marines have multiple things to learn from the battle.
“The battle demonstrates the importance of effective flanking skills, the value gained by quickly pinpointing and neutralizing the enemy’s key tactical asset – in this case, artillery – and just how much can be achieved by partitioning a superior force into manageable encounters,” Dukas said.
He added that people don’t often realize what has come to be thanks to Kamehameha’s victory over Oahu’s forces.
“Each day, thousands of people travel the roads below the Punchbowl and up the Pali Highway,” Dukas said. “Seldom do they take a moment to contemplate the hallowed ground they are traversing, so hard won (and lost) by the blood and determination of those who have gone before.”