P-MAN XV Update #06 - Chaplain/SeaBee Lew revisits Peleliu.

23 March

Today was another day of indoor fun: looking at side-scan sonar images and REMUS video. Scripps brings the toys, but if no one looks at the data, what's the point?

So we eliminated a few older targets that we no longer need to investigate, and added a few into the fray. We have our work cut out for us in the water.

The Stockbridge team worked by the dock getting their vehicles in good working order. Because this isn't their first time out here, things are going much smoother. They even had time to go to town and take in a museum.

We're heading out the door to meet them for a group dinner at Sam's and see the glorious colors of the Palauan sunset.

The new dive boat at Sam's

Lew went to the aquarium and another museum and ran into one of the current SeaBees (See, even I do it. He is actually an Army guy.) Lew isreally looking forward to Peleliu tomorrow.

Then late tonight, Casey Doyle arrived. No stops for milkshakes as we had to sleep fast and head to Peleliu tomorrow.

24 March

After bagging a few hours of sleep, we rallied at the dock and headed out to Peleliu with 7 BentProppers (including Joe and Lew), 12 Stockbridge students and faculty, five from Scripps, Lori Colin from Coral Reef Research Foundation and a film crew from OTV, the local television station here in Palau. With Nick, our boat captain, we headed out on the west side where it was calm waters all the way down.

The whole boat, the photos almost match up

OTV crew hard at work

Lori Colin and Pat

Josh Nichols from Stockbridge

Bre2, Jenny, Karly and Chloe

One change in the Palau environment since Typhoon Bopha is that the passage down to Peleliu INSIDE the reef on the east side is impassible. To go down on the east side you have to go outside the reef, where is it generally rougher waters. The west side route has not been disturbed. On the way down we did see some damage to various islands. Some new islands have been created. Some areas of sand are completely gone and we're told the coral has been stripped away from the reef on the east side.

On Peleliu, the damage was obvious. Lots and lots of trees down including some of the oldest on the island. Huge root balls of these trees are upended. One report puts the size of roots and soil for some of the biggest trees at 10 by 5 meters. The main roads have reopened on the island, but some of the cross island roads are still blocked with fallen trees.

Today's tour of Peleliu was Lew's first visit back to the island since 1945. He landed on Peleliu 3 days after the invasion started on 15 September 1944. He was a SeaBee yeoman, and once he could climb out of a foxhole, he and his fellow SeaBees went to work building and rebuilding the island. We started the tour with Lew reading the Commanding General's letter to his troops prior to the start of the invasion, Lew reading the names of his fellow SeaBees who died on Peleliu and a moment of silence for everyone who fell in combat there.

Lew arriving on Peleliu

Des of Pelelilu Adventures toured us around the island. We went to The Wildcat Memorial at Orange Beach where Lew saw the chapel that he helped build. Then onto The Marine Memorial, Bloody Nose Ridge, The Japanese Tank, The American LVTs, The 200mm Japanese Gun, The Zero, White Beach, 1000 Man Cave and the TBM Avenger that BentProp found 5 or 6 years ago.

Lew and Des on Orange Beach

Lew showing the chapel in its Glory days

Landing Vehicle, Tracked (LVT)

Business end of an LVT

Joe and Casey on cleared trail

School colors overlooking Peleliu

Scripps team overlooking Peleliu

Cave mushroom. "They" dared Flip to eat it. He declined.

At the entrance to 1000 Man Cave

We stopped for lunch at the museum, which was a nice break as it is cool in temperature as well as cool in artifacts. The Stockbridge High School Team delivered two large color glossy posters to the museum. One was made by the marketing team showing the collaboration between Stockbridge and BentProp and the other by the 4th grade robotics students showing how Michigan contributed to the war effort by producing B-24s at the Willow Run plant. Now everyone coming to Peleliu will see the Michigan connection here.

We had a lovely boat ride home with a swim call at a great place to view reef fish.

A little confab with Eric Terrill from Scripps for the next few days' festivities and then off to bed for all of us. Although I had intended to get this out last night, I put my head down for five minutes and when I awoke, a few hours had passed, all the lights were off in the ready room and everyone else had gone to bed. Taking the hint, so did I, and I woke up 8 hours later.

- Flip Colmer

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