| P-MAN XV Update #15 - Interviews with elders and businessmen. 5 April Today was a day doing interviews. Our first appointment was with multiple people at The Senior Citizen's Center. We thought we would try a group chat as we've only done individual interviews before. Well, that didn't work right off the bat so we talked with the few elders who were alive during the war. By now, only those who were children back then, not even very many teenagers, are still alive. Not only do we ask about airplanes going down and missing Americans, but we ask about their lives prior to and after the war. We leave copies of all the interviews with The Bureau of Arts and Culture as all of the elders' recollections are part of Palau's history. The Senior Center is a place where the elders can congregate, play cards, socialize and make baskets and storyboards for the gift shop. They get a lunch made for them and there is even a van for pickup and drop off service. Most of the folks we chatted with were evacuated by the Japanese from Peleliu to the big island of Babelthuap. Life was hard there: they had been displaced from their homes, food was in short supply, and war was all around. Although most of the fighting, bombing and strafing were conducted south of Babelthuap, aircraft did roam and strafe anything that moved up north, so fishing in the daylight, and even at night, was quite dangerous for the Palauans. Our first interview was with Penny Jackson. She reported seeing an airplane land and beach itself with four Americans who were captured by the Japanese. If her recollections are correct, this is the first time we've heard this story. It could explain an engine in the water sitting by itself we came upon a number of years ago. After the war, she met and married an Air Force man, moved to the U.S., was married for 40 years, and when her husband passed away, she moved back to Palau.
We then had lunch at Yokohama restaurant, which Etsuko had recommended. I had an excellent bowl of udon (hot noodle soup). Our next meeting was with Kazuo Asanuma, a former congressman and delegate and successful businessman in Palau. Josh Nichols, Stockbridge elementary school teacher, met Mr. Asanuma and his wife last year and suggested we chat with him. However, on the day of our appointment last year, he had to go into the hospital. This year, he was well enough to meet with us. Part way through our discussions, a good friend of his showed up, Haruo Esamg. Haruo also was a successful Palauan businessman and a former senator. He started his work life as a nurse in Palau, went to medical school in Guam, and when he was most of the way through, switched to business. He worked for the Economic Development Corporation out of Saipan. As a government official, his job was to help businesses succeed. When he got back to Palau, he succeeded.
Etsuko also recommended that we meet with Masao Kikuchi, who runs the Rock Island Tour Company (R.I.T.C.). He works extensively with Japanese tour groups, especially the veteran groups that come from Japan. He also helps the Japanese Government officials who come to do bone collections of Japanese soldiers on Peleliu. I think there is room for some cooperative ventures here to our mutual benefit.
Then a quick meeting with Pat and Lori Colin to chat about tomorrow's SCUBA dive onto the Japanese airplane that we are still trying to categorize. Over to the Drop Off to meet up with Steve Ballinger of Cleared Ground. With him, he had his medic John, the reporter from Australia John, and the Chief Petty Officer from the Australian Naval contingent Danny Burgess and his partner Nadia. A good time had by all. Tomorrow, we'll finish up on the Japanese airplane site no matter what. Time to move on. - Flip Colmer |
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