We hit Iwo in 20 hours. The time of this writing is 4:00 PM and we leave the hotel at 2:00 AM. Gabe and I have decided to walk up Suribachi....Well, Gabe decided it. I feel I have to do it even though I am worried about making it up. But, hey I will do my best.
We are now told we may be able to get 2 bottles of sand....when we were told we would get only a vial. I bought 7 flags that they will allow me to fly over Suribachi...and then we go to the beach for a joint memorial ceremony with the Japanese.
We have to wear long pants and bring our own TP. ....sort of like at the coaches' office.
If I can get into the commander's cave, I will have to crawl on my belly...And most of you know my belly isn't good for crawling.
We will return at 9:00 PM Guam time so it will be a very, very, long day.
Today, we explored the battlefields of Guam and talked extensively about the military aspects of Guam, the naval station, and the rich history...That history includes the he PanAm Clipper (one of the primary goals of the Japanese in the first two days of the war was to destroy all the PanAm Clipper landing slips throughout the Pacific - to the Japanese it was a despicable sign of unwanted American encroachment into their sphere of the world)...the Japanese soldier who didn't come out the jungle in Guam until 1972......incredible stuff....Magellan's records of coming to Guam...and numerous military legends of bravery and sacrifice.
People are waiting on the computer...so I am off. Hopefully, I will be able to blog back about Iwo when we get back but it is really tough here to get a working i-net connection....and an opportunity to use a computer.
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15 comments:
hey coach it's Mickey Cuarezma, Jorge Reyes, and Hugo Casarrubias A.K.A (Hurly). Guess u must have enjoyed the feast. speacially since it was free. well i great the now u can take more sand then a vial im sure that the veterans will be happier with that than a vial. well my question is if you have seen or found any of the weapons that remained there? also how is it different than you would imagin (as in geographical feature)
Hey Coach,
Why did the Japanese soldier not come out of the jungle in Guam till 1972? Did he not know the war was over? Was he scared?
Thanks,
Adam Lyon
Coach I was thinkin' if you would write my name on a flag and fly it at the summet of Suribachi i will pay triple for the flag, PLEASE? but I would also like to see a picture (not that I wouldn't trust you I just want a picture)
Hur-de-hur Phil. I'm calling you on that one tomorrow.
During the retaking of Guam (and the taking) which military contingents were involved and what units were deployed where (and for what reason). What were some of the tactical objectives that needed to be taken or deprived from the enemy forces.
And as for those Japanese in the jungles, weren't some of those the ones that went canabalistic?
Hey Coach, its andrew johnson. so do you take a boat from guam to Iwo Jima? How far is Iwo Jima from Guam?
haha coach ur belly...its me,kissa sales, pooty tang and will bogardis,well we're glad ur having a great time in guam, its pretty amazing how something that amazing can exist just an hour away from from where i used to live, if i'd known about it i would have visited when i had a chance to. well our question for today is if anyone(like the locals)seems to be stereotyping against you? cuz when i went to france i told them i was from the US and they looked at me funny. so coach i hope you can bring us more information about your trip wen you come back.
coach, Howis the hike goingfor you? are you making itokay?
Michael A, Nich R
hey coach,
how far down into the cave would you have to crawl on your belly to get into the comander's cave?
-Mujo B
Coach
How many years did Tojo spend in jail for his war crimes, how far would you have to crawl through the cave, are you going to crwal through?
DEVIN,jACKIE,tRACY
How did the Japanese soldier who stayed in the jungle survive? What did he eat and what not?
Coach.
It's angry white girl.
That's awesome that you were able to explore the battlefields of guam! Who exactly did you get to talk to about all the stuff that happened down there? a veteran or just a historian?
Hey Coach, it's Chelsea Wood from 3rd period... so was the memorial ceremony weird with all of those Jappenese around? Were any American veterans there... cause man thats some tension.
Hurley and gang...Guam has mountains that overlook the ocean in most parts. The beaches are clean and gorgeous. Tons of weapons remain on Guam. Rumor is that they buried over a hundred fighter planes with the engines encased in oil after the war...so that means they could still run if they are located and dug up.
Just by the side of the road, one guy had a Japanese tank parked...sort of like an old car at somebody's house. You could still see the Rising Sun flag on the turret.
Tons and tons of stuff are in the jungle. And some guys go in and get it.
One guy restores everything he gets and has all kinds of stuff at his ranch.
Guam still has lots of isolated villages. And as far as public schools go, our t-shack is like something in River Oaks compared to what they have.....
Lyon, I think he realized it was over but he was ordered to never surrender..and he took it seriously. His comment was that he was ashamed when they eventually got him.
Koch...I believe it was the 3rd Marines who had a big part in the liberation of Guam. Another army unit had a huge part as well. You could check out by googling "Liberation of Guam." I met the author of a book of the same name but the book was really heavy and I didn't get it. He is just brilliant and can just go on and on about everything Guam militarily and culturally. (He lives on Tinian - a nearby island.)
We visted the landing beach for the Marines and it was an incredible killing field. A mountain side overlooked the beach headon and the Japanese had flanking fire from the hills of an overlook that went out over the landing zone. I took photos.
Their objective was to secure the deep water harbor....thus the reason for a pincer assault by the Army and Marines. It was an awful thing...in a way worse than Iwo.
It is rumoured that Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi, the guy who surrendered in 1972, may have killed the son of the farmer who actually captured him.
I'm thinking that the farmer's son may have ended up as spam....which is also by the way a huge favorite of young Chamorro's.....Spam!
Johnson, we flew a charter to Iwo from Guam. It took only about 1.5 hours.
Sales...good question. On the contrary, the locals on Guam are very friendly. If anybody had a little bit of an attitude it seemed it would be a white "transplanted" local rather than a Chamorro. One Chamorro girl went out of her way as my waitress to help me find the flags to buy. I tried to give her $50 for her trouble and she flat refused it..... Incredibly friendly locals.....And that is also Guam's reputation.
The last person who found Guam to not be so friendly was Magellan...he named the island in translation, "The Island of Thieves."
Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi while hiding caught and ate shrimp and fish, coconuts (they are everywhere), he had an abundance of wildlife. Guam is very primitive in most areas. He had an underground cave hidden by a bamboo grove with huge bamboo trees that make constant noise shrouding his presence. He had a tin cover camoflauged to cover his cave..
AWG, we had tour guides who are authors and local teachers. They are brilliant in local history. All of them were former mainlanders who moved to Guam either in their youth or some years ago.
Guys, I didnt' get to the command cave. Gabe went into a beach command cave but I didn't want to risk my knees as it was raining and it was very slippering going down into the cave and it was at the beginning of my hike. I never made it to Kuribayashi's cave. It is on the opposite end of the island from Suribachi. Only an experienced trekker could even make the hike in one day from airport to Suribachi to Kuribayshi's cave and back to airport...and get to actually experience it all.
Chelsea, because I was walking and the group was riding in vehicles, I fell behind and I didn't make the ceremony on the beach but I hear it is no big deal as far as tensions go. If anything it was from some guys from my generation and a little older who were a little tense. The Iwo veterans are cool with the whole thing. You know as you get older, you really have a way of accepting things.
The PanAm clipper really astonished me. Hope the government allowed you to bring some sand back!
-Charles Grealy
3rd period
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