WWII Remembrance Calendar Now Available
WWII remembrance calendar now available
A CALENDAR that chronicles the significant battles in the Pacific during World War II is finally available.
Jerry Facey, co-chair of the commemoration committee of the 60th Anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian said, “We were just excited to have this available for the people of Saipan. This is a good education tool.”
According to Facey, the calendar contains a wealth of information not only about the battles fought on Saipan and Tinian but it also includes detailed description of other conflicts in the Pacific.
He said the calendar is well documented containing detailed description of the significant conflicts of the Pacific war beginning with the commemoration of the so-called Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June 1944 and ends with the signing of the peace treaty in September 1945.
A project of one of the 11 subcommittees of the commemoration committee, the education subcommittee headed by Martin Gerbens of the Northern Marianas College undertook the project.
Facey said, “They put together a draft calendar which we wanted to market in Hawaii in the Arizona Memorial Museum.”
The draft that Gerbens and his team put together was initially sent to the Arizona Memorial Museum in Hawaii for comments. But it was not approved for sale in the beginning.
Since then, the calendar underwent seven revisions, Facey said.
According to Facey, since they resurrected the project in 2006, “it dragged on for another nine months.”
The project took several years as they had to revise the text and change the photographs several times.
Facey said they really wanted to use pictures that are “eye-catching.”
As for acquiring the photos they needed, Facey said they worked with the Arizona Memorial Museum Association in Honolulu, Saipan’s Historic Preservation Office, Micronesian Seminar in Pohnpei, Northern Marianas College, Don Farrell, among others.
Facey also acknowledged the assistance of Randy Harper with whom he worked on the text revisions.
The remembrance calendar in its final form contains more than 300 text entries, synopses of the significant events that transpired between 1944 to 1945.
Facey said, “We had some great photos in the calendar beginning with the invasion of 1944, all these notes on the battles of Tinian and Saipan as well as notes on other battles in the Pacific.”
He also said they added to it (calendar) a lot color and graphics, showing some of the landing craft, flags, a well-known invasion beach photo, medallions, street signs warning people not to go off the road because of explosives, never-before-seen Northfield picture, Navajo Code Talkers, USS Arizona burning, attack on Pearl Harbor, and a lot more.
Dedicated to the “greatest generation,” the calendar is available for $13.95 at the American Memorial Park bookstore on Saipan and War in the Pacific National Historical Park bookstore. The Arizona Memorial Museum Association in Hawaii has also agreed to take on consignment through its website.
With 2,000 copies available, the calendar was financed and supported by 60th Anniversary Commemoration of the World War II Battles of Saipan and Tinian Committee, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands government, Department of Interior, National Park Service, and the Arizona Memorial Museum Association.
“We think it will make a great gift for the holiday season,” added Facey.
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