United
States Air
Force -
On A Base for B52 Bombers and
Titan ICBM Missiles
Credit to Roger
Olayos,
(far left) my best friend for submitting this newsprint from a Mountain
Home newspaper. (c) 2007, 2008 Lyle K'ang
United
States Air
Force - Base Honor Guard
- Vietnam
era Veterans -
17 year old, Lyle
K'ang
carries the American Flag in honor of our fallen
war
heroes.
These honor
guard members served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam
War years. Lyle
served for six years in the USAF and later for another seven years in
the National Guard and Army Guard. He was a member of the base's elite
honor guard which traveled more and more across the state of Idaho
to bury it's war dead.
Each one of
them knew first-hand what it was to grieve so heavily. Several
members took turns acting as pall bearers, performing the 21-gun salute
and presenting the 'colors' to grieving families for several years.
One of Lyle's featured songs, 'Little Boy Joe' on
his debut album:
BEFORE
3003
PEACE
AND TRANQUILITY
is about
'flag-draped coffins' and what it really stands for.
USAF - Base
Talent Show - 2nd Place
Winners
17 years old,
Lyle
K'ang
(second from right) sings acapella do-wop music. The group called
itself no name spelled backwards; The Emanon's.
A BROADWAY
MUSICAL PRODUCTION:
BILLED
AS
'AMERICA'S
#1 ROCK-N-ROLL MUSICAL'
IN LAS VEGAS...
Lyle K'ang
WAS Claude
from 1969 - 1972. He was chosen in Honolulu
to be the lead in the original Hawai'i
show (Pakalolo Tribe), which later became the Las Vegas cast.
After a one-year run at the International Hilton, Lyle joined the
Mercury, then Venus touring companies, playing to hundreds of thousands
of emotionally-charged audiences in large and medium-sized cities and
towns throughout the US and in Canada. It was in Niles,
Illinois
(December of 1972) that the final curtain came down on the last
American HAiR bus-and-truck company of the era.
"Where Do I Go" resonated loudly for Lyle
that night. By 1973, he had gone back to the land to farm and heal his
sensitive spirit on the Big Island of Hawai'i.
Lyle in Connecticut
- Shubert Theatre
At The
Theater - Hair Once Again
by E.S.
New
Haven, CT
newspaper - circa September 12,
1971
"The
actors were a little thinner this time, the boys better muscled, the
girls shaplier, the whole job a little more professional. And
that didn't do the show a mite of harm...The most compelling performer
was the lead himself, Lyle K'ang."
He has
favorite cities - St.
Petersburg, Florida
and New
Orleans was his best cities ever. He
especially loved the way the crowd applauded by stamping their
feet on the auditorium floor. The screams during a show was deafening
at times. The mayor presented the 'key' to New Orleans to Lyle and his tribe.
/\\|||||||||//\
Trk.
5, 'DARLING', ('children
of the rainbow') should be listened to with an intent to
connect underpinnings which stir as a gentle breeze, no matter the
depth of tragedy or harmonious elation. It is more than just a quick
fly-by.
SONG
#5 - DARLING
[[LYLE]]
This is one of those
songs that came to me fully formed -- from where, I don’t
know. After listening to it hundreds of times, I
finally heard the message. It’s the story
of how we lived for a short time in Laupahoehoe, found the Big
Island
farm in Pauilo, mauka where I reconnected with nature, raised a farm
with children and healed from a life “on the road.”
It was the beautiful people and a definite spirit form there
which made the transformation easier for me. Laupahoehoe is the site
where a large tsunami breached the shoreline, crashed into the school
where the children were intent on learning. During our weeks of camping
there, when we listened in the wee hours, somebody called out almost
silently from the dark, pitch of night; still silent, small voices
could be heard...we felt it, we acknowledged the gift; we left the next
day, permanently and profoundly changed!!
DARLING
©
1978, 2006, 2007, 2008. LYLE K’ANG
WORDS
AND MUSIC: LYLE K'ANG
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS: KAWIKA CROWLEY
(RECORDING ENGINEER)
LABEL: KAWIKA RECORDS - BIG ISLAND OF HAWAI'I
The
following is copywrited; no part is to be copied, distributed, or
emailed, except when sharing this web page over the internet. All
photgraphs are the personal collection of said author, to be shared
with you for the purpose of information exchange. All content is to
remain on this page. (c) 2008. Lyle K'ang.
Human Tribe Productions.
~ The following is an excerpt
which will appear in book form set to hit the book stores in June,
2008. ~
Here
is an October 5th, 2004 entry from Michael Butler's
HAiR blog.
Hi,
Lyle sent this and I thought I might share it with you.
Michael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael,
I have been meaning to write this for you.
Clarice, told me that I should because it is a part of
knowledge and lasting friendship.
Why I Cry!
Many years ago when we were together, with your visits while we
were on the road, then later, no matter what function, dinners or
late at night; you remember, I would cry.
Sure, it was loneliness, for Hawai'i or my unfulfiled heart, but
it came on with just the right mix of music, alcohol, smoke, and
company. Why I cried?
I did not know why then, I just stared to cry. I felt embarrassed
at times because I could not control it and I thought I had only
embarrassed those that were in company.
Years and months later, and more today than ever, I still cry
- I thought I had a problem. There is a story in Hawaiian
folklore that speaks of a God called Ka'ne.
His treasure is the water, hence the name, 'the healing water's
of Ka'ne. Upon arriving in Hawai'i after HAIR disbanded, December
24th, 1972 and after staying with you for a short spell in Rising
Glen, I went through chaos, my personal primal screams, and
started on a spiritual transformation that had lasted some seven
years. This transformation continues today where I find myself
drawn closer to my writing's on business subjects, soon to start
and develop my personal story.
During this transformation, my family and I had unusual spiritual
encounters on the Big Island of Hawai'i. We saw many things.
Spiritual manifestations, that when shared with the Park Services
on the Big Island during a volcanic eruption, we were told,
Pe'le has many faces and we are all in anticipation because she
promises a great show!
My crying did not stop even when I found the perfect woman and
family of three boys.
The Healing Waters of Ka'ne came mostly at inopportune times.
While singing at concerts with my autoharp, being alone, or with
people.
During the VietNam era, I served in the Airforce from 1962 to 1968.
When I received my honorable discharge papers I hung around Boise,
Idaho for a year or so, singing in a nightclub called the
Stardust lounge.
My Mom, had called me and asked what I was doing there in Idaho?
- "Won't you come home?", she asked.
She sent an airline ticket. I went home!
I started to ride a Harley motor cycle, my younger brother, just
back from serving in the 101st Airborne, rode a Triumph right
beside me. He had his friends that were also Vietnam war Vets.
Mostly we were silent, listening to our engines and the roar of
the mufflers were just good enough then. My riding gear consisted
of my class 'A' dress uniform, a swastika over my heart, and a
real German chromed helmet. We all suffered from a silent rage.
During my time in the airforce, I was a heating system
specialist-taking care of oil fired boilers on the flight line
and family housing during winter months. On the flight line
lived the pilots' ready to go up in the B-52's at minutes notice,
arriving in Guam hours later, then on to VietNam.
A sergeant approached me and wanted me to help him form an honor
guard for the base. He had heard that I was good at calling out
commands and cadence. (learned these techniques in the Hawai'i
Civil Air Patrol; though I wanted to raise pigeons, my mother
insisted I join the C.A.P.) I joined his group and lent my expertise,
later realizing that we together, had formed an extraordinary drill
team. Our main function besides marching in parades in places
like Parma, Twin Falls, Kellogg, Boise, & Mountain Home,
Idaho was to bury the war's returning dead.
The correct method of folding the American Flag was practiced
repeatedly. We would take turns presenting the flag to widows,
children, and kin. It appeared that after several burials
throughout the course of several months that ran into a year
or more, before my term of enlistment was up, many fellow Honor
Guard airmen started to hand-off the task to present the flag to me.
I did it squarely, with honor, and dignity.
I listened to the bugler playing his faraway notes after the shock
of twenty-one guns blasted the silence, shattering the families
last hope of dignity, where intimacy was sacred, now all was
revealed. The weeping, knashing of teeth and wails of torment,
no one should see over and over again.
During the coming days and months the frequency of burials and
parades escalated. I was now twenty-one years old; came in when
I was seventeen. I have not visited this place in my mind until
1969 when I was chosen to play the lead role of 'Claude' in the
Hawaiian production of HAIR.
We later, we found that a theater was not available on the island
of O'ahu because of community protests-mostly by the Japanese
community. A home eventually was secured for us in Las Vegas for
a one-year run at the International Hilton Hotel.
Several scenes in HAIR, were sacred -spiritual in nature that
had the power then just as it does today, to manage to find its
way deep inside the psychi and conjure up those burial images
and places traveled before; these were well kept secrets.
Now waiting and demanding to reveal themselves; their rightful
place lying down beside me, as 'Claude' lay dead on stage.
No, it wasn't simple. Images came during the Vietnam War songs,
walking across the stage coming for my friends, and just the
right amount of movement, I made the images disappear.
They managed to come back heavy, during Mercury and Venus
National tours.
Then finally, when I had learned how to cry, by just letting
it happen-it stopped!
To this day- I still cry, the images are gone; I cry over silly
things, like injustices, rain forests destroyed, indigenous
peoples slaughtered and babies neglected. I run with rage at
incompetence, and conscious neglect, arrogance and puffed up
egos, and yet I am only human, still trying to connect with
my God to turn righteous anger into works of miracles.
The sad part about all of this is that I have never served in
a battle zone. The compassionate nature of the spirit through
feelings and imagery is enough for comprehension. I owe a debt
to our fallen heroes, spirits who commune, and thousands upon
thousands of 'children of the rainbow' who have suffered and
continue to suffer in agony without the light of day, never
experiencing lasting joy.
Peace my friend,
Lyle K'ang
(c) 2004, 2008 Lyle K'ang. All rights Reserved.
Thanks You Guys -
'By the Sea' is shaken' because of YOU!!!
Thanks Guys and Dolls -
'Head Over Heels' is a movin' because of YOU!!!
