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Revisiting the past McQuaid stops briefly to enjoy the nostalgia. “I was here during the war. I did not expect to see this part of the world again.”
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Posted on Aug 20 1999
Joseph McQuaid stands in the middle of the Court of Honor at the American Memorial Park in Garapan. Around him are plates with names of freedom fighters –— the servicemen who participated in campaign in the Marianas during World War II. He looks up to gaze at the flags hoisted above.
“This is the finest you can get for the people who gave their lives to the country. They should be remembered. This is a nice monument,” says McQuaid.
He stops briefly to enjoy his nostalgic musings.
“I was here during the war. I was in the Navy,” McQuaid announces when Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio pulled him into the line for a photo opportunity at the Court of Honor.
McQuaid has accompanied Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who came to Guam and Saipan for a short visit to the two US territories.
“I did not expect to see this part of the world again. When I left Guam in 1954, I thought it was through,” says McQuaid.
He joined the Navy three days after the Pearl Harbor bombing. “I stayed in through the war,” he recalls.
The Mariana islands played a major role in the United States ‘ 1944 campaign in the Pacific that killed thousands of servicemen and civilians. The island of Tinian was host of the B-52 bombers that destroyed Hiroshima.
McQuaid was on a convoy duty on the destroyer escort. He was assigned on Guam and left the island after the war. In 1954, he came back to Guam along with a crew that would build the Navy hospital, underground storage tanks, and roads. After this mission, McQuaid went back to Colorado where he now lives with his family.
Three days ago, he came back to the Pacific as an aide to Harkin. “This is the first that I came back since 1954. I always love this part of the world,” McQuaid says.
While on Guam Tuesday, McQuaid was surprised to see the same people who hang out with him more than half a century ago.
“It’s deja vu all right. I met the same people who used to rent their house to me. There was this little boy who used to ride the water buffalo by my house. My wife and I would always wave at him. I was surprised to see him again. He’s now the governor’s driver,” says McQuaid. “I was happy to see them and they were happy to see me.”
McQuaid left Saipan Wednesday night. (MCM)
