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N.M.I.ke · 28-04-2006, 16:33

If you are a diver, you really gotta go to CHUUK (what most of you would call TRUK). I live in paradise (CNMI), and diving CHUUK is on my "things to do before I die or move away from here" list.

I have heard that the Solomons were nice.

If you make it to Manila, you really ought to see the American Cemetary. I've been to Pearl Harbor, and I've been to Arlington National, and neither did too much for me (though I was a younger punk then) but I must say that the cemetary in Manila actually made me cry for men who died about 30 years before I was born. A very sad beautiful place. Something about them being so friggin far from home really made me sad, whereas Pearl and Arlington were more curiosities. The Manila cemetary is a quiet, beautiful place in a hectic and, in places, dirty and disgusting (but fun!) city.

About the CNMI, we suck a lot of tax dollars, I suppose, but you really won't find more patriotic people. I get sick of hearing/reading about many in the states crying that America sucks, America is Imperialist, etc.

Here, the people were treated like dirt by the spanish for about 350 years, taken by the Germans, traded to the Japanese, and freed by the US of A. And then we left them alone. And they chose, voluntarily, to join America (sort of).

People here still remember the treatment of the Japanese, and still love the GI's for freeing them. Here, the 4th of July is not called Independence Day. It is called LIBERATION Day. Ponder that for awhile, and then try and call America an Imperial nation.

The war stuff here is ok; I can show you tons of UXO, sunken jap planes (zeros and bombers), shore cannons (I'm sure that's not the real name for them) and bunkers, command posts, tanks, etc. BUT, the CNMI is not the "time Capsule" you're looking for. It's fairly cosmopolitan as far as tiny islands in the middle of the ocean go.

But the best stuff you'll find are the stories from the old people who remember what it was like. Brig.Gen Tibbets (the pilot who flew the Enola Gay) came out here a year or so with the remainder of his flight crew. That was a GREAT evening.

Plenty to see in the Pacific, and none of us will have enough time to see it all.

So, getting back to your question.... Don't read anything about anything. Get on your boat and just sail around. You'll bump into a ton of neat stuff.

28-04-2006, 16:33	#13
N.M.I.ke Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saipan, CNMI Posts: 88	If you are a diver, you really gotta go to CHUUK (what most of you would call TRUK). I live in paradise (CNMI), and diving CHUUK is on my "things to do before I die or move away from here" list. I have heard that the Solomons were nice. If you make it to Manila, you really ought to see the American Cemetary. I've been to Pearl Harbor, and I've been to Arlington National, and neither did too much for me (though I was a younger punk then) but I must say that the cemetary in Manila actually made me cry for men who died about 30 years before I was born. A very sad beautiful place. Something about them being so friggin far from home really made me sad, whereas Pearl and Arlington were more curiosities. The Manila cemetary is a quiet, beautiful place in a hectic and, in places, dirty and disgusting (but fun!) city. About the CNMI, we suck a lot of tax dollars, I suppose, but you really won't find more patriotic people. I get sick of hearing/reading about many in the states crying that America sucks, America is Imperialist, etc. Here, the people were treated like dirt by the spanish for about 350 years, taken by the Germans, traded to the Japanese, and freed by the US of A. And then we left them alone. And they chose, voluntarily, to join America (sort of). People here still remember the treatment of the Japanese, and still love the GI's for freeing them. Here, the 4th of July is not called Independence Day. It is called LIBERATION Day. Ponder that for awhile, and then try and call America an Imperial nation. The war stuff here is ok; I can show you tons of UXO, sunken jap planes (zeros and bombers), shore cannons (I'm sure that's not the real name for them) and bunkers, command posts, tanks, etc. BUT, the CNMI is not the "time Capsule" you're looking for. It's fairly cosmopolitan as far as tiny islands in the middle of the ocean go. But the best stuff you'll find are the stories from the old people who remember what it was like. Brig.Gen Tibbets (the pilot who flew the Enola Gay) came out here a year or so with the remainder of his flight crew. That was a GREAT evening. Plenty to see in the Pacific, and none of us will have enough time to see it all. So, getting back to your question.... Don't read anything about anything. Get on your boat and just sail around. You'll bump into a ton of neat stuff.