Dear Hawaii Five-0: learn some respect for your betters

Just got word of a disgraceful incident by the crew of a tv show towards our most precious Veterans of Pearl Harbor Day:

From BlackFive:

Some Get It, Some Don't
Posted By Laughing_Wolf • [December 14, 2011]

[...]

THOSE THAT DON"T: Hawaii Five-O Want to know why? Go read here, here, and here. You can read the drippingly insincere "apology" from the executive producer here. Mr. Lenkov, you can take your permit, fold it into many points, and insert it. You may have had it, but it does not make you in the right or right, because as was famously said recently, you can have the right to ask your cable company to accept interpretive dance as payment; but, it doesn't make it a good idea. You and your team showed great disrespect to the living and dead who paid the price for you to have your freedoms. Your non-heartfelt (to be polite) words don't mean jack. Man up, do right, and find a way to make it right -- which is a polite version of what I want to say to you. Oh, and when it comes to who I believe on what happened, I will take the word of the veterans who were there over a production pogue...

I think Laughing Wolf just about covers all the points here, so of course, I had to go to the original witness of this disgusting lack of RESPECT to our Veterans on a most sombre, meaningful day:

Monday, December 12, 2011

Hawaii Five-0 Crew Disgraceful To WWII Pearl Harbor Survivors

(NATIONAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC – HONOLULU)

It looked strange from the moment we pulled up to the Punchbowl, a sacred Hawaiian site once the location for human sacrifice before Cook's arrival to the islands. Our tour bus, filled with 23 WWII Pearl Harbor survivors as part of The Greatest Generations Foundation came to the beautiful location in an old crater above downtown Honolulu for a closing ceremony and presentation. The National Cemetery of the Pacific pays tribute to those veterans of all faiths who served their country, many who lost their lives during WWII.

[...]

As we drove in to the Punchbowl site with thousands of graves, large U-Haul-type trucks were lined along the boulevard as people with headsets scurried about acting busier than they really were. It took me just a few seconds to realize this was a production crew from the CBS series Hawaii Five-O. Their scene had something to do with lead character McGarrett visiting his father's grave, which in reality was surrounded by the real graves of WWII heroes. It didn't seem right. But I let it go.

Within 30 minutes of our arrival, we conducted a small ceremony that began with the presentation of the Colors by the University of Hawaii Army ROTC. The National Anthem followed. I emceed the event and looked out on men who had been injured December 7, 1941 – they represented the USS Arizona, Tennessee, St. Louis, Pennsylvania, Lexington, Medusa, Sacramento, Antares, Maryland, West Virginia, Stoddard, Tanney, Vestal and Pyro. This group of men also represented Ft. Kamahameha, Kanehoe Naval Air Station, Hickam Field, Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Ford Island. At least eight were in wheelchairs. Average age: 91. The others sat in plastic chairs underneath a large, temporary tent. The cemetery representatives could not have been more respectful and there to assist...

The cemetary repesentatives may have been appropriately respectful but what follows almost defies belief. Almost.

Steffan Tubbs of Newsradio 850 KOA, Denver, Colorado's Morning News co-host, and Board member of The Greatest Generations Foundation, describes in detail how ignorant the cast and crew of this television show was to his group of Pearl Harbor Veterans. To get the full weight of the insults heaped upon these amazing gentlemen at the hands of these tv show people (because you know "the show must go on" ) go here.

What is just as disturbing to me is the email exchange back and forth between Mr Tubbs and the executive producer of this tv show. Peter M. Lenkov starts out by assuring Mr Tubbs he will investigate the incident, but finally devolves into basically calling Mr Tubbs a liar. Really? Not from my reading.

Ignorance and disrespect on full display. Ignorance from not just the tv crew, but also whoever gave them the permits to BE on those grounds, walking on the graves of these Fallen heroes, disrupting, disrespecting the occasion, in that week, of all weeks in the year. Hello? ANYbody in the permit approval department got a clue at all? Apparently not.

Walking on the sacred graves: the epitome of ignorance and disrespect, I don't care WHO you are, or what cemetary you are at, or even what day of the year. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

I happen to be quite familiar with the machinations of the film industry (don't ask) and I have seen for myself - up close and far too personal - how arrogant most of them are. They all have such a sense of entitlement, doncha know. I have also witnessed the ignorance from those movie industry types who think they are oh so precious; the crews and actors who think they have the right to do whatever the hell they like, no matter who or what they trample on.

THIS time, on Pearl Harbor Day, this tv crew trampled on the wrong graves, and disrespected the wrong group. Since they were apparently so hell-bent on disrespecting OUR Veterans in favour of their budgetary considerations, I suggest we - the public - respond by withdrawing OUR financial support for all that show's sponsors. Hit 'em in the wallet, since it is obvious that the language of the almighty dollar suprecedes all consideration of respect.

BlackFive has all sorts of contact information to express your disapproval of these morons, so head over there.

I am not optimistic that these arseholes are capable - at this stage in their lives - of learning anything about respect of their betters. But until Hawaii Five-0 bank accounts are negatively affected, ( and I am confident they will be, on the heels of this inexcusable ignorant disrespect) I suggest all those connected with that show open a history book or two or three, to learn what REAL service, REAL sacrifice, and REAL love of country looks like. You know, values waaaaaaaay more important than a tv show.

And, of course, in the meantime, all connected with Hawaii Five-0 should just STFU!

If you would like to tell CBS what you think of this, This Ain't Hell has the CBS contact form in a comment. Yes,TAH also has a column up here.