Monday, March 10, 2008
Military Aspects of Guam....
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.
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.
Tuesday March 11 in Guam
As I said in the replies to some of the comments, tomorrow we go to Iwo but the Guam government has disallowed our opportunity to bring back more than a vial of sand. Many people on the trip are flat broken-hearted as it was a main purpose of their trip.
I was informed late that we could fly a flag on Suribachi so I gave a girl at a restaurant $50 if she could find a place that had flags. (K-Mart was sold out.) She found a store in this little mall and I rode the bus there last night and bought 7 flags. So..that maybe will take the sting out of the sand issue for me.
I know at least 4 veterans that asked me to bring back sand so it is going to be hard to break that news.
We've been touring the island as I said. We saw the beaches where Guam was retaken by the USA in 1944 and I can tell you it is something. WWII here is definitely not something from the far past and everything around you is related to that time. There are two military bases on Guam and I think that helps the connection.
Chamorro people were rounded up and put in concentration camps as the war moved forward and they were none too fond of the Japanese. (Now Japanese tourism is a major industry on the island. Perhaps there is something to be learned from this development.)
Additionally, Chamorro people from the northern Marianas Islands were brought in to help get the Guam Chamorro to accept the Japanese as conquerors of the Pacific, so even today there is a terrible political rift between the Chamorro of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islanders. The rift stems from the days of WWII when the Northern Marianas Islanders collaborated with the Japanese.
Generally, the large city in Guam reminds me of something like Beaumont, Texas. It has some big city characteristics but it is nothing like being in Houston. Ancient Chamorro people were closely tied to the ocean and many of the primitive burial grounds are near the beach, where these large hotels go up. The large hotels in Tumon are built on ancient Chamorro burial grounds so now when a new hotel is constructed, an archaeological dig is conducted prior to construction.
Guam becomes a patchwork of villages as you move north and south along the island. Each village has something of an autonomous feel with a lot of local pride. The locals are all friendly.
I have only limited access to the computer so bear with me and be patient, but I will eventually pay off somebody to let me use the single computer in this hotel. (My laptop refused to make the trip.)
I was informed late that we could fly a flag on Suribachi so I gave a girl at a restaurant $50 if she could find a place that had flags. (K-Mart was sold out.) She found a store in this little mall and I rode the bus there last night and bought 7 flags. So..that maybe will take the sting out of the sand issue for me.
I know at least 4 veterans that asked me to bring back sand so it is going to be hard to break that news.
We've been touring the island as I said. We saw the beaches where Guam was retaken by the USA in 1944 and I can tell you it is something. WWII here is definitely not something from the far past and everything around you is related to that time. There are two military bases on Guam and I think that helps the connection.
Chamorro people were rounded up and put in concentration camps as the war moved forward and they were none too fond of the Japanese. (Now Japanese tourism is a major industry on the island. Perhaps there is something to be learned from this development.)
Additionally, Chamorro people from the northern Marianas Islands were brought in to help get the Guam Chamorro to accept the Japanese as conquerors of the Pacific, so even today there is a terrible political rift between the Chamorro of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islanders. The rift stems from the days of WWII when the Northern Marianas Islanders collaborated with the Japanese.
Generally, the large city in Guam reminds me of something like Beaumont, Texas. It has some big city characteristics but it is nothing like being in Houston. Ancient Chamorro people were closely tied to the ocean and many of the primitive burial grounds are near the beach, where these large hotels go up. The large hotels in Tumon are built on ancient Chamorro burial grounds so now when a new hotel is constructed, an archaeological dig is conducted prior to construction.
Guam becomes a patchwork of villages as you move north and south along the island. Each village has something of an autonomous feel with a lot of local pride. The locals are all friendly.
I have only limited access to the computer so bear with me and be patient, but I will eventually pay off somebody to let me use the single computer in this hotel. (My laptop refused to make the trip.)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
We experienced a Chamorro feast in the village of Yona. We met two brothers who are traveling to Iwo Jima to honor their father who was killed in action on the island.
Talked to numerous Marines and scholars who think this is a once in a lifetime learning experience for Gabe.
We viewed a video lecture on the occupation of Guam by the Japanese and attended another lecture about the role of Tinian and the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Talked to numerous Marines and scholars who think this is a once in a lifetime learning experience for Gabe.
We viewed a video lecture on the occupation of Guam by the Japanese and attended another lecture about the role of Tinian and the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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