0:46 Nov. 1971, as a young enlisted U.S. Marine, I served on a Survey Op with then Marine Col. VICENTE T. "BEN" BLAZ (BGen Ret). Drove my jeep east-to-west on Runway ABLE, then to photo-survey CHULU UNAI (White Beach II). Had lunch with then Mayor of Tinian Town, Henry Fleming. Celebrated the Corps' 196th Birthday at Fleming Restaurant. Today, on Guam, a new MCB BLAZ is named for him. Guam was his home. Several months later, he would become CO, Ninth Marine Regiment at Camp Schwab, Okinawa. He was the first CHomorro to attain the rank of a General officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. *** What an historic, interesting experience!
Yep, as I tell my Tinian clients, a visit to Tinian and a drive on those historic runways are once-in-a-lifetime experiences few people on the planet will ever be able to claim. Did you make it to Saipan? Take any photos? The folks here on island appreciate such trips down memory lane!
Before retirement and almost by chance, I was able to visit Eglin AFB's Auxiliary Field One, now Wagner Field, where the Doolittle Raiders practiced their short take offs in March of 1942. There's a plaque there commemorating the event. It was hard for me not to stand at the end of the runway and imagine the ghosts of those B-25's and their crews train for that raid on Japan. I imagine the runways and bomb holding areas on Tinian are much like that.
Absolutely. When I do my Tinian tours, there are rarely (I mean like almost never) any other tourists to be seen anywhere. I take that opportunity to spend the necessary time standing on the runways and apron and by the bomb pits to immerse my clients in a narrative that brings the scene to life so they can imagine what things might have been like on the island before, during and after the B-29s' takeoffs. Some of my more empathetic clients have been very moved by their experience.
What gwan on, star. I tried to get out there when I was visiting Guam October of last year, but that tropical storm changed my plans for me. I'm monitoring this situation because I can't make it back to the region again until April of '25. Fingers crossed its still accessible then, and I already have your info saved for when I get there.
Cool! Even the best laid plans often take a bit longer to get rolling, so we'll hope for the best. You can check out www.discoversaipan.com to learn more about the tours! Thanks for the support!
Back in 1980, I spent a month on Tinian with a Marine Corps SIGINT team. We set up at Ushi Point (optimal RF propagation), ultimately exploring practically every square foot of the island that wasn't overgrown. I managed to hop a Cessna 172 over to Saipan for a 1-day self-tour where I found an aluminum Japanese canteen that has the owner's name etched into it. Fortunately, I still have it! There's more to the Tinian story, but it's too much for a single comment.
The end of paradise...Back in the early 70's you could drive through most of the runways and some of the taxiways (if you had access to one of the few cars). You could always find a few coconut crabs (after dark) to go. Good times!
I visited the island in 1999. I drove over the whole place. I’m very interested in WWII pacific histotu. It was pretty cool to see the a bomb pits and the invasion beaches.
Yep! I gave a tour to some midshipmen from the US Naval Academy a while back and part of their battlefield study of both islands included a visit to Tinian's White (Chulu) Beach; the landing there is known as the greatest amphibious assault and, obviously, still highly regarded. Their multi-day tour (first time out of the continental US for most if not all of them) is featured on my blog: www.discoversaipan.com/blog/tag/usna/
I was there in 2002, we were doing military training. I was in the Marine Corps, and i saw pretty much all the ww2 site there. I saw the little boy atomic bomb pit, it didnt look nuking like it does today. It was just a 4x4 square with a sign that said little boy bomb pit. Now i see they actually have it for display
Although runway Able was cleared in 2003 and runway Baker a few years later, i didnt ever think that the US Department Of Defense would even have any remote interest in North Airfield. I guess Chinas recent course of actions changed their mind.
Thanks for that bit of valuable information re: t he 2003 initial clearing. That's fairly recent! I'll have to research to find out what the inciting motivation was. Share if you know!
All of this construction is DUE to N. KOREA's threat to fire nuclear missles at Andersen AFB, Guam ... Alternate air base being constructed on Tinian for just that reason. And, also, due to China's "pipe dream" for World domination, i.e. control of ALL of major shipping lanes, (Indian Ocean, South China Sea) and the Pacific Ocean.
When it again becomes a fully functioning air force base, it would have to be off limits, for security reasons, like it was years ago. If China and N Korea chill out, it'll open to the public again.
For those "old guys" out there that remember the TV show "The Twilight Zone", I'd like to share a Twilight Zone thought. My father, Edward Coster, was a Staff Sgt. in the Marine Corps in WW2 having fought in various "island hopping" battles across the Pacific. He ended up on "Tinian Atoll." He was very good with math and was selected early in his Marine Corps enlistment to go to "Radar School" to learn how to install and maintain the "new" British radar units that were being installed on U.S. fighter planes. The Navy and Marine Corps F4F Corsairs were the first to get them in the "Air Wing" side of the Marines and the "Army Air Corps" also got them on the "new" P-51 Mustangs. Both the Corsair and the P-51 ended up in some numbers on-board Tinian as that island was being built up for the intended invasion of Japan. But a more important plane that my father walked guard duty around with orders to "shoot on sight any unauthorized personnel" was a brand new B-29 bomber that landed and taxied to its own secure runway apron area. this B-29 stayed on Tinian for about four days with workers being around it all day and all night. one morning it took off and the next day, the Marines heard stories of how this plane had dropped a single bomb on Japan and that it was going to end the war. the Marines thought this was a joke as the U.S. had been "carpet bombing" Tokyo for weeks and nothing was changing the Japs attitude in support of the war. a day after the rumors on the first bomb ending the war, the Marines heard that the Japs had surrendered because of a second "Atomic Bomb" being dropped on another Japanese city. all the Marines were thankful that the B-29 they had seen had stopped the war as all of them were scheduled to be on the invasion of the home islands of Japan and casualties were expected to be above 90% for the initial attacks. i just watched another video showing USAF F-22's landing and flying around on Tinian, i can help but wonder what the Air Wing Marines and Corsair Pilots would have thought of the technology of the F-22's. imagine if just one F-22 went back in time and landed on Tinian in 1945. What would the Marines have thought?
Cool concept! Brings to mind the Twilight Zone episode "Last Flight" in which a WWI pilot finds himself mysteriously transported 40 years into the future! Incidentally, a tour client's father worked on the runway construction on Tinian in 1944-45 and told stories of a certain group of men who wore blue gloves whose activities were quite "suspicious." No one knew exactly what they were working on, but, of course, it ultimately became clear...
@@DiscoverSaipan i like that Twilight Zone episode and watch it every time its on. amazingly, i just watched a video interview of the Enola Gay's pilot Col. Paul Tibbits and he recounted a story about a General who approached the B-29 on-board Tinian who didn't have the correct authorization and was almost shot by a Marine on Guard Duty. Tibbits' story struck me because my father had described who all the Marines thought the "No Entry - Deadly Force Authorized!" (or something like that) signs were all over the razor wire concertino fence surrounding the B-29. The Marines thought these signs were funny because by the time the B-29 arrived at Tinian, there were NO Japs left on the island but there were some 10,000 Marines.
Though aware that it is part of the CNMI's arrangement with DC I'm dismayed to hear of its expansion into those beautiful, peaceful islands, and that comes from a place of experience (I'm a former US Army officer).
Yep. When I do my tours of Tinian, I stress that point to my clients so they'll appreciate the rare, once-in-a-lifetime adventure they're experiencing!
0:46 Nov. 1971, as a young enlisted U.S. Marine, I served on a Survey Op with then Marine Col. VICENTE T. "BEN" BLAZ (BGen Ret). Drove my jeep east-to-west on Runway ABLE, then to photo-survey CHULU UNAI (White Beach II). Had lunch with then Mayor of Tinian Town, Henry Fleming. Celebrated the Corps' 196th Birthday at Fleming Restaurant. Today, on Guam, a new MCB BLAZ is named for him. Guam was his home. Several months later, he would become CO, Ninth Marine Regiment at Camp Schwab, Okinawa. He was the first CHomorro to attain the rank of a General officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. *** What an historic, interesting experience!
Yep, as I tell my Tinian clients, a visit to Tinian and a drive on those historic runways are once-in-a-lifetime experiences few people on the planet will ever be able to claim. Did you make it to Saipan? Take any photos? The folks here on island appreciate such trips down memory lane!
Before retirement and almost by chance, I was able to visit Eglin AFB's Auxiliary Field One, now Wagner Field, where the Doolittle Raiders practiced their short take offs in March of 1942. There's a plaque there commemorating the event. It was hard for me not to stand at the end of the runway and imagine the ghosts of those B-25's and their crews train for that raid on Japan. I imagine the runways and bomb holding areas on Tinian are much like that.
Absolutely. When I do my Tinian tours, there are rarely (I mean like almost never) any other tourists to be seen anywhere. I take that opportunity to spend the necessary time standing on the runways and apron and by the bomb pits to immerse my clients in a narrative that brings the scene to life so they can imagine what things might have been like on the island before, during and after the B-29s' takeoffs. Some of my more empathetic clients have been very moved by their experience.
What gwan on, star. I tried to get out there when I was visiting Guam October of last year, but that tropical storm changed my plans for me. I'm monitoring this situation because I can't make it back to the region again until April of '25. Fingers crossed its still accessible then, and I already have your info saved for when I get there.
Cool! Even the best laid plans often take a bit longer to get rolling, so we'll hope for the best. You can check out www.discoversaipan.com to learn more about the tours! Thanks for the support!
Back in 1980, I spent a month on Tinian with a Marine Corps SIGINT team. We set up at Ushi Point (optimal RF propagation), ultimately exploring practically every square foot of the island that wasn't overgrown. I managed to hop a Cessna 172 over to Saipan for a 1-day self-tour where I found an aluminum Japanese canteen that has the owner's name etched into it. Fortunately, I still have it! There's more to the Tinian story, but it's too much for a single comment.
The end of paradise...Back in the early 70's you could drive through most of the runways and some of the taxiways (if you had access to one of the few cars). You could always find a few coconut crabs (after dark) to go. Good times!
@@charlescanton4740 As Bob Hope intoned, "Thanks for the memories..."
I visited the island in 1999. I drove over the whole place. I’m very interested in WWII pacific histotu. It was pretty cool to see the a bomb pits and the invasion beaches.
Yep! I gave a tour to some midshipmen from the US Naval Academy a while back and part of their battlefield study of both islands included a visit to Tinian's White (Chulu) Beach; the landing there is known as the greatest amphibious assault and, obviously, still highly regarded. Their multi-day tour (first time out of the continental US for most if not all of them) is featured on my blog: www.discoversaipan.com/blog/tag/usna/
I was there in 2002, we were doing military training. I was in the Marine Corps, and i saw pretty much all the ww2 site there. I saw the little boy atomic bomb pit, it didnt look nuking like it does today. It was just a 4x4 square with a sign that said little boy bomb pit. Now i see they actually have it for display
Although runway Able was cleared in 2003 and runway Baker a few years later, i didnt ever think that the US Department Of Defense would even have any remote interest in North Airfield. I guess Chinas recent course of actions changed their mind.
Thanks for that bit of valuable information re: t he 2003 initial clearing. That's fairly recent! I'll have to research to find out what the inciting motivation was. Share if you know!
@DiscoverSaipan The Air Force needed the runways to conduct joint exercises with allied countries.
All of this construction is DUE to N. KOREA's threat to fire nuclear missles at Andersen AFB, Guam ... Alternate air base being constructed on Tinian for just that reason. And, also, due to China's "pipe dream" for World domination, i.e. control of ALL of major shipping lanes, (Indian Ocean, South China Sea) and the Pacific Ocean.
I pray it's available next month in April my brother.
Rent a car if you are able. The toors are limiting and poor quality
I was there in 2018
When it again becomes a fully functioning air force base, it would have to be off limits, for security reasons, like it was years ago. If China and N Korea chill out, it'll open to the public again.
For those "old guys" out there that remember the TV show "The Twilight Zone", I'd like to share a Twilight Zone thought. My father, Edward Coster, was a Staff Sgt. in the Marine Corps in WW2 having fought in various "island hopping" battles across the Pacific. He ended up on "Tinian Atoll." He was very good with math and was selected early in his Marine Corps enlistment to go to "Radar School" to learn how to install and maintain the "new" British radar units that were being installed on U.S. fighter planes. The Navy and Marine Corps F4F Corsairs were the first to get them in the "Air Wing" side of the Marines and the "Army Air Corps" also got them on the "new" P-51 Mustangs. Both the Corsair and the P-51 ended up in some numbers on-board Tinian as that island was being built up for the intended invasion of Japan. But a more important plane that my father walked guard duty around with orders to "shoot on sight any unauthorized personnel" was a brand new B-29 bomber that landed and taxied to its own secure runway apron area. this B-29 stayed on Tinian for about four days with workers being around it all day and all night. one morning it took off and the next day, the Marines heard stories of how this plane had dropped a single bomb on Japan and that it was going to end the war. the Marines thought this was a joke as the U.S. had been "carpet bombing" Tokyo for weeks and nothing was changing the Japs attitude in support of the war. a day after the rumors on the first bomb ending the war, the Marines heard that the Japs had surrendered because of a second "Atomic Bomb" being dropped on another Japanese city. all the Marines were thankful that the B-29 they had seen had stopped the war as all of them were scheduled to be on the invasion of the home islands of Japan and casualties were expected to be above 90% for the initial attacks. i just watched another video showing USAF F-22's landing and flying around on Tinian, i can help but wonder what the Air Wing Marines and Corsair Pilots would have thought of the technology of the F-22's. imagine if just one F-22 went back in time and landed on Tinian in 1945. What would the Marines have thought?
Cool concept! Brings to mind the Twilight Zone episode "Last Flight" in which a WWI pilot finds himself mysteriously transported 40 years into the future!
Incidentally, a tour client's father worked on the runway construction on Tinian in 1944-45 and told stories of a certain group of men who wore blue gloves whose activities were quite "suspicious." No one knew exactly what they were working on, but, of course, it ultimately became clear...
By the way, did your dad take any photos during that time?
@@DiscoverSaipan i like that Twilight Zone episode and watch it every time its on. amazingly, i just watched a video interview of the Enola Gay's pilot Col. Paul Tibbits and he recounted a story about a General who approached the B-29 on-board Tinian who didn't have the correct authorization and was almost shot by a Marine on Guard Duty. Tibbits' story struck me because my father had described who all the Marines thought the "No Entry - Deadly Force Authorized!" (or something like that) signs were all over the razor wire concertino fence surrounding the B-29. The Marines thought these signs were funny because by the time the B-29 arrived at Tinian, there were NO Japs left on the island but there were some 10,000 Marines.
Though aware that it is part of the CNMI's arrangement with DC I'm dismayed to hear of its expansion into those beautiful, peaceful islands, and that comes from a place of experience (I'm a former US Army officer).
Thanks for that insight. I'll keep everyone posted!
You might as well get busy living life, because WWIII is coming.
Family only
😂😂
All active runways are, and should be, off limits. That's no place for children to fly kites.
Absolutely!
99.99999999999999 of the population will never visit❤
Yep. When I do my tours of Tinian, I stress that point to my clients so they'll appreciate the rare, once-in-a-lifetime adventure they're experiencing!
@@DiscoverSaipan Yup, that WAS my once-in-lifetime and memorable experience on Tinian in Nov'71
Repetitive narration.
Thanks for the constructive criticism. Noted.
I bet you're a hit at parties.