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Wake Island evacuates as super typhoon bears down
Honolulu Statr Bulletin ^
| 8/29/06
| Gregg K. Kakesako
Posted on 08/29/2006 7:28:42 PM PDT by conservative in nyc
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To: brytlea
You too? Me too. I was about 7, traveling with my mom on my way to Sendai, Japan to meet my dad in the 11th Airborne, 188th Infantry at Camp Schmielpfennig.
We stopped on Wake, which is very, very, very small, and looks about the size of a postage stamp from the air in a very vast, blue Pacific Ocean. There, we were served lunch by natives in sarongs while mechanics worked on the plane. Very reassuring after our previous flying experiences.
The whole trip was quite an experience. After taking a 3 day train trip from Texas and a night at a very nice SF hotel, we took off from SF on a Pan Am DC 6, flew around a bit, returned to the airport and crashed on the runway with no wheels. All we could see out the windows was fire! We jumped out from a rear exit (no slides in those days) and ran from the plane.
A few days later we took off again, flew an hour or so, turned around, went back to SF minus an engine or so.
Back to the hotel for another night or so, then another take off for a 3rd time, fly a bit and come back to SF for yet another landing.
Another night or so in the hotel, then take off number four, count em 4. This time we made it to Hawaii, stayed in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I don't know who was paying for this, not my family on my dad's First Lieutenants pay.
Made it to Wake for a sunny lunch and maintenance stop and after seeming forever finally made it to Japan. I have no idea what my dad must have thought of our ordeal.
There were times when I wasn't sure if this was real or a dream or fantasy I had, but after my parents passed away and when I was going through our memorabilia, I found newspaper clippings and photos of the plane burned on the runway in SF. I have no idea how we survived.
By the time of the 2nd or 3rd take off and aborts, many passengers decided on the safety of sea voyages rather than flying.
My mom was one tough cookie, determined to get us to my father in Japan.
Then there was the 30 day voyage home by Army transport. Japan to Hawaii, to the Panama canal, up the Gulf of Mexico to Gulfport, Miss. 30 days is a very long time when you're 9 years old. Another story. What a childhood. I consider myself very lucky.
21
posted on
08/29/2006 8:31:48 PM PDT
by
garyhope
(It's World War IV, right here, right now courtesy of Islam.)
To: conservative in nyc
When did we hand over Wake to Thailand?
22
posted on
08/29/2006 8:33:34 PM PDT
by
ElCid89
(the corps...the corps...and the corps...)
To: ElCid89
When did we hand over Wake to Thailand?
Probably around the same time we outsourced non-essential base operations to an Alaskan Native Regional Corporation. Can you imagine Chugach Eskimos running a tropical island? (Nice change of pace in the winter, though!)
To: conservative in nyc; ElCid89; garyhope; brytlea; gotribe; miliantnutcase; dogcaller; ...
24
posted on
08/30/2006 12:26:47 AM PDT
by
AFPhys
((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))
To: Poundstone
25
posted on
08/30/2006 12:34:45 AM PDT
by
HAL9000
(Happy 10th Anniversary FreeRepublic.com - Est. Sept. 23, 1996 - Thanks Jim!)
To: conservative in nyc
Wake Island. Where America's day really begins.
26
posted on
08/30/2006 5:31:33 AM PDT
by
paddles
To: Talking_Mouse
That must be it. I kinda recall landing there and it was like a dot in the ocean. Funny that I remember it. I think they fed us something while we were there (maybe waiting to refuel?)
susie
27
posted on
08/30/2006 6:22:31 AM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: conservative in nyc
Thanks for the info.
:)
susie
28
posted on
08/30/2006 6:22:59 AM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: NordP
Oh, cool! I'm an X-Biology teacher, so that sounds fun. If only you didn't have to get on an airplane to get there.
;)
susie
29
posted on
08/30/2006 6:23:41 AM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: Experiment 6-2-6
hehehe--right..... ;)
susie
30
posted on
08/30/2006 6:24:11 AM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: garyhope
Wow, interesting story! Our trip was pretty uneventful (except of course my Mom flying alone with 4 children, one of whom was about a year old). We were headed to Itazuki to meet up with my Dad who was stationed there. We spent about 3 years in Japan and then the PI. Really good memories. When did you go? We were there in about 1962.
susie
31
posted on
08/30/2006 6:32:07 AM PDT
by
brytlea
(amnesty--an act of clemency by an authority by which pardon is granted esp. to a group of individual)
To: brytlea
I was there 47-49. Long time ago. But Japan was an influence on my life. Mostly for the art and craftsmanship. The craftsmanship on a simple wooden box was phenomenal.
I was lucky I was an Army "brat".
32
posted on
08/30/2006 6:57:17 AM PDT
by
garyhope
(It's World War IV, right here, right now courtesy of Islam.)
To: conservative in nyc
Dang. Looking at the island on Google Earth, there won't be anything left of it. It's not much bigger than the landing strip itself. That guy's computer and DVD player will wash up on somebody's shore.... someday.
33
posted on
08/30/2006 7:08:27 AM PDT
by
Hatteras
To: AFPhys
34
posted on
08/30/2006 7:13:30 AM PDT
by
dfwgator
To: garyhope
I used to work with a woman whose then 19 yr. old husband was a civilian construction worker on Wake when it was captured by the Japanese. She was complaining that all the time he was in a Jap prison camp he did not recieve pay like the Marines that were captured with him (back pay that is).
I commented to her that prior to being captured, he was making about $100 per week, while the Marines were making $18 per MONTH. So he had nothing to complain about. She never brought it up to me again.
35
posted on
08/30/2006 10:09:11 AM PDT
by
stumpy
To: stumpy
Thanks, good for you.
Can you imagine the unquestioning sacrifices and bravery of so many "ordinary" Americans that were made in WWII? Hundreds of thousands or millions of Americans that just went to their jobs or into the service and didn't complain or think they were doing anything special.
What about those 80 or 90 Wake Island POW's that the Japanese just machine gunned? Who remembers them? Who knows their names? Who's ever even heard of them?
And today all the "liberals" bitch about everything not being just perfect.
I despise the soft, whining, complaining wussy traitors and fifth columnists and useful idiots of today.
36
posted on
08/30/2006 11:27:20 AM PDT
by
garyhope
(It's World War IV, right here, right now courtesy of Islam.)
To: Hatteras
There won't be much left except the runway. This won't be fun for any of the people who left with just some luggage.
All buildings, vehicles, housing, and probably even the fuel storage tanks should be swept away.
37
posted on
08/30/2006 12:56:48 PM PDT
by
Dog Gone
To: conservative in nyc
Maj. James Hill supervised the loading of civilians, most of them Thai nationals Thai nationals? What's the story behind that?
38
posted on
08/30/2006 5:30:31 PM PDT
by
El Gato
To: El Gato
Thai nationals? What's the story behind that?
Civilian contractors working nonessential base functions for the Alaskan Native Regional Corporation that provides those services, I think. You need someone to serve and cook the food and maintain the grounds, for example. I guess there aren't a lot of Chugach Eskimos that want to work on a tropical island.
To: conservative in nyc
August 29 -
40
posted on
08/30/2006 8:20:21 PM PDT
by
HAL9000
(Happy 10th Anniversary FreeRepublic.com - Est. Sept. 23, 1996 - Thanks Jim!)
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