Columnists

73rd Bomb Wing on Isley Field. Dauntless Dotty SINCE the beginning of the Pacific War, General Henry “Hap” Arnold, Commander, 20th Air Force, had dreamed of the day he would have enough B-29 Superfortresses on hand to bomb Japan into surrendering.  However, production of the huge and technically co…

IT is no surprise that the nations most directly affected by rising sea levels are the island nations of the Pacific. Communities in Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshalls and elsewhere have already begun the painful work of relocating villages to higher ground. But that will only go so far. Some island n…

At the Dr. Torres Memorial Hospital, Nov. 1973. THE Doctor Torres Memorial Hospital was named after Jose Diaz Torres, who trained in medicine at a small hospital on Saipan during the German era (1899-1914), and later “received one year of formal medical schooling in Japan,” which took over the Nort…

THE Chinese have found a shipwreck in deep waters of the South China Sea.  That reminds me of a story of a colleague of mine who recovered the remains of a coastal trader five miles off the coast of Vietnam.  It was a tricky operation, given that the war had only ended a few years before and everyo…

THE TRUTH of the matter is the recent Bill to increase taxes of 5 cents on each soft drink and alcoholic beverage container has given pause for a lot of opposition, which tells me there should have been a Public Hearing before taking this desperate measure.  While I understand and even appreciate R…

From left, Tinian ROTC Battalion Commander C/LTC Edward Tirona, Sgt. Aidan Graham, USMC, Historian Don Farrell, Acting Mayor of Tinian Ann Marie San Nicolas, Cpl. Brock Boucher, USMC, Cpl. Tyler Boden, USMC and Captain Matthew Jacobs, USAF, OIC, Expeditionary Red Horse squadron. The following are t…

I FIRST arrived on the island in 1993, which was a CNMI general election year. Election Day was Nov. 6th, a Saturday. The tabulation of the ballots was completed at around 12 noon on the following day. “There was no untoward incident related to the election,” Marianas Variety reported, “but Froilan…

MONEY plays a much more significant role than just being a medium of exchange in our modern world. It has evolved into a multifaceted force that impacts economies, societal structures, and our daily lives. While some believe that money is the source of all evil, it is essential to acknowledge that …

RECENTLY, journalist Helen Joyce of the Evening Standard wrote an opinion piece that has lit up social media.  It is included here to make sure you have a chance to read it, and to encourage you to offer your thoughts in the comments below.  Do you agree or disagree with her, and why? “Six years ag…

E.J. Kahn Jr., in his delightful 1966 book, “A Reporter in Micronesia,” wrote that the pride of Saipan during the Japanese era was the Japanese-built “city” of Garapan, which on the eve of the war had a population of 29,000, and amenities comparable to those of Koror in Palau and Dublon (Tonowas or…