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28 February 2009
Okay - if you've been holding your breath for a couple of
days, here's the scoop. In addition to continuing Internet problems that
the team has been experiencing in Palau, they spent a day on Peleliu where
there's no Internet capability. So everyone's reporting skipped a day.
At this end, I've been traveling and there have been a couple of days when
I was without access to the 'net. So now I have a connection and I've been
able to download the last couple of day's worth of inputs. Below I'm going
to give you inputs from Katie, Warren, and Wil. I'll call this Update 13a.
When that's finished, I'll combine Flip's two latest inputs into a single
Update 13b. Fair enough?
- Reid
From Katie
28 February
As you all know, I am in Palau searching through
jungles among other things. We made a trip to Peleliu yesterday and we
got a little
more than we bargained for in the thousan- man cave..... see attached
photos. Bats and Spiders (...alien looking spiders).
 
We saw various things underwater today using sonar..... including several
cartoon characters and Davy Jones from the pirate movies....
And, yes, that is molly riding her "Miss Behavin" bike...
.ha haha ha.
From Warren
28 February
The land team returned to Police Hill for more work, search, and investigation.
Many hours on the hill as the team was joined by its own talented archeologist,
Jolie Liston, and was able to provide a great deal of insight and knowledge on
the
area.
The water team continued to refiine i's procedures with the side-side scanning
sonar and was able to identify many potential targets for future dives and search.
The Neco guide - Nas - was also able to hit a waypoint on the water within 2
meters several times in a row! Also spent several hours dragging a snorkeler
behind the boat scanning the bottom for US hardware....nothing today but we are
here and we will keep looking...
Gotta go!
From Wil
28 February
Hey Reid! Not much time to write, but I thought I'd get off
a few pix to supplement your supply. The internet situation here is still
pretty
tough, but we're able to visit the PPR and get online for patches. I'll
annotate some of the photos below for context. Hope all's well stateside!
-Wil 
Pat learning about a new site from Vince.
We expect to send the land team
there in the next few days. Looks promising.
Warrant Officer Randy Duncan of MSDU-1.
These guys were an invaluable
help to our water team,
lending much expertise with side-scan sonar,
and
a
couple of the guys even humped out to the jungle with us one day.
Pat and Master Diver John Klukas of MDSU-1, standing on the deck
of the
USNS Safeguard. The divers had been in Palau to remove
this anchor from
the bottom of a channel, where it was
obstructing passage. The anchor
was later found to have
marking from the 1930s, including the name of
Emperor Hirohito. An historic find.
Pat being swallowed by elephant grass!
Rick, Warren, and Molly taking a break on a hillside
overlooking the compact
road and Police Hill.
Notice the long-sleeved jungle gear - perfect for
hot, humid Palau!
Chief Paul Wotus of MDSU-1, taking a lunch break
on the day he and Master
Diver John Klukas
joined us in the jungle. These guys had great eyes
for finding stuff.
View of the water from the boat, heading for Peleliu.
It's constantly amazing
how beautiful it is here.
Tanks on Peleliu.
The island felt haunted to me, tortured. I can't say
that going there was fun. It was upsetting, disturbing, in too many
ways to recount. 13,000 souls were eviscerated on that small patch of coral
in the span of just a few weeks. The pieces of their lives are literally
scorched into the landscape. I stood on one of the landing beaches
and
tried to imagine the scene, the horror, how much blood was spilled
there, soaking the sand and washing into the ocean. I'm glad we went and
remembered
those fallen soldiers, but I hope I never go back.
Warren in one of the Japanese caves on Peleliu.
Paul inspects a massive Japanese gun emplacement.
This thing looked like
a dragon in its lair.
From right: Flip, Paul, and your humble narrator,
preparing for another
day in the brush.
Joe Maldangesang, one of the world's most wonderful people.
Fighting Paul Schwimmer takes in the vast magnificence of Police Hill.
King Flip: BentProp consigliere, mission coordinator, Spam Pusherman.
It's official - we're in Palau!
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