Article 10: Military Drill in the Service of American Hegemony Over Hawai’i

Recently, there has been an interest in investigating who have historically served in the American military, particularly during periods of war (Buckley 2001; Dansby, Steward, and Webb 2001; Hernandez and Olmeda 2003; Jones 1991; Kane 2006). These studies report that men from lower socio-economic groups tend to be over represented in military service, especially after voluntary service replaced the draft during the 1970s. Much work remains to be done to determine who the groups were and explain why some groups served more than others. This study focuses on one group (Native Hawaiians and Asians from Hawai’i ) who have, since World War I, had high levels of military service and explores how this non-white group was historically prepared to become warriors in the American military. Even today, as Tim Kane (2006) reports, Native Hawaiians are over represented in the military by 649 per cent. This article adds to the literature on the growth of militarism in the United States and specifically explains Kane’s discovery.