May 22
Let’s go to the beach . . .
[I remember both guys who are now nameless. The guy holding the fish got it with a speargun while snorkeling. He’s the only guy I can remember who found an Okinawan girlfriend and then lived in town with her . . . ]
[I believe this to be Moon Beach. Tom Morris of Fridley, Minnesota, is sitting . . . ]
[I remember the guy on the left is me. I went snorkeling with the other guy, and he said he almost drowned laughing under water at me. We saw a sea snake swimming around – deadly poisonous – and he said my eyes almost popped out of my mask when I saw it.]
[The evening’s dinner?]
[Nice to walk the beach, exploring around corners and stuff . . . ]
[Roy Gorena, future fellow resident of Arlington, Virginia, employed at the Department of Labor. Roy was part of the group transferred to Okinawa from Vietnam . . .]
[I can’t remember his name either. Kon’nichiwa!]
[Sights along the drive to the beach . . . ]
[Storm clouds would roll in; half hour later it likely would be sunny again . . . ]
[Fishing haven . . . ]
[Tiny coastal village . . . ]
[And we’re at the beach. This time Manza Beach. Like the previous beach shots, these are all on the East China Sea where the beaches are protected by coral reefs. I have to admit – I may have my Moon Beaches and Manza Beaches transposed . . . ]
[We have a raft here. And you can see the coral reef barrier a couple hundred yards out where you can see the breakers – and darker blue water outside the reef . . . ]
[On one of these ventures I got a pretty serious sunburn. If you miss work because of sunburn, you could receive an Article 15. Non-judicial punishment is a form of military justice authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. NJP permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial. Punishment can range from reprimand to reduction in rank, correctional custody, loss of pay, extra duty, and/or restrictions (Wikipedia). Our uniforms were starched. When you put on a clean uniform, it was called breaking starch. Breaking starch with a sunburn was not a pleasant experience – but I never missed work . . . ]
[Not my boat motor on the left . . . ]
[Rafting with the boys. That’s me on the left, I remember the guy without a name next to me (though I’m sure I knew it at the time), Bill Petronus is standing, Terry Bess is sitting. The latter two I pointed out in a previous post. All but me were Vietnam refugees . . . ]
[The raft has undergone a reorganization. I bet Roy picked up my camera and shot these photos . . . ]
[I must be going out in a rowboat . . . ]
[Just like this one . . . ]
[The local fisherman are about a quarter mile from the beach here standing in shin deep water . . . ]
[Yup, a big skerry, and a small boat of GI’s . . . ]
[Snorkelers! Watch out for the sea snakes!]
[Hot day at the beach . . . ]
[Grandmas with the grandkids . . . ]
[The local folks in the water . . . ]
[A GI wife? The only bikini I can ever recall seeing there . . . ]
[Exploring around the shoreline . . . ]
[Enough walking around – back to the beach . . . ]
[OK, walking around again . . . ]
[Let’s go fishing . . . ]
[If you go back 3 photos, you’ll see the walkway from where this photo was taken . . . ]
[Back at the barracks, a soldier . . . and his car . . . ]
[Our wheels around the island . . . ]
Let’s go to the amusement park . . .
[Yonabaru is a town in Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture. It is located at the southern end of Okinawa, on the east coast, overlooking Nakagusuku Bay. As of 2015, the town has a population of 18,410 (Wikipedia). In 1970, when I was there, the population was 9,639.]
[Methinks this place no longer exists. That’s my roomie, Webbo, in the unseatbelted chair in front of me . . . ]
[Yup, the place may have been on its last legs in January 1971 . . . ]
[Nevertheless, nice views . . . ]
[I remember the guy in front of me was from Redlands, California. I just can’t remember his name . . . ]
[Nice view of Yonabaru . . . ]
[As Redlands looks back me, there is no way this place could have passed OSHA regulations . . . ]
[Your cub reporter; butt in hand . . . ]
[If that’s my camera around my neck, who took this photo and how did I get it?]
[Here’s our barracks and parking lot – yes, I remember both guys and that car. Names? Ha!]
[Wondering if the parking lot photo was a prelude to another trip here?]
[Must be – that’s the guy who owned the little red sports car . . . ]
[And another shot of Yonabaru from on high . . . ]
[I must have brought the telephoto lens on this trip . . . ]
[Up close and personal shots of the city . . . ]
Let’s say good night, until next time . . .
Don’t let your daughter-in-law eat your autumn eggplants. ~ Japanese idiom
Up Next: More Okinawa?
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