Vet grateful for warm Saipan reception he got

By KEVIN LOLLAR
The News-Press

Old soldier Stan Bader of Cape Coral returned late last week from what can be described only as a whirlwind trip to the Pacific island of Saipan—and he’s still worn out.

As a corporal with the Army’s 283rd Ordinance Maintenance Company, Bader fought on Saipan, which U.S. forces invaded June 16, 1944.

Former U.S. Army Cpl. Stan Bader, 81, shows one of several photographs he made while on the island of Saipan after it was bombarded by U.S. military.

He went back to the island last week for the 60th anniversary commemoration.

The trip, which began as his flight left Fort Myers at 6:41 a.m. June 14, involved 72 hours travel time, with plane changes in Houston, Honolulu, Guam and Tokyo, and 48 hours on Saipan.

“That’s 18 or 19,000 miles in five days: talk about around the world, right?” Bader, 81, said Monday. “You couldn’t keep track of where you were or what time it was. One time I told somebody I wanted to call home, and he said, ‘No sense in that; it’s 2 in the morning back there.’

“I’m only now beginning to get back to normal. Talk about jet lag, right?”

Despite the rugged schedule, Bader said his time on the island was the best two days of his life.

Saipan was an important and bloody battle in World War II—3,426 Americans, 29,500 Japanese and 22,000 civilians died in 24 days of fighting.

As soon as he got off the plane on Saipan last week, Bader felt the warmth and gratitude of the island’s people.

Each returning veteran of the battle—about 45, Bader said, virtually all Marines—received a purple ribbon inscribed with the word “veteran.”

“That ribbon was not only the key to the city, it was the key to the island,” Bader said. “If you were wearing it, you couldn’t do anything wrong. You couldn’t pay for anything. You had everybody from little kids to old grandfathers running up and shaking your hand, right?

“It was unbelievable. The way we were treated and the attitude of the people—every guy there was treated like a rock star.”

On the second day, Bader and the other veterans were in a parade that was attended by much of the island’s population.

“It’s a very family-oriented place, so there were whole families at the parade, everything from babes in arms to grandparents,” Bader said. “It’s because they’re taught about history. They know. They’re told what it was like when the Japs had the island, right?”

After two days of free meals, free drinks, a free tour of the island and hundreds of handshakes, Bader returned to Cape Coral.

When he got settled, he called one of the event’s organizers to thank her.

“She said, ‘You don’t have to thank us. We thank you. If there’s anything you ever want on the island, just call, and you’ve got it,'” Bader said. “You don’t find that kind of thing much anymore today.”

Reprinted with permission of The News-Press. This story was originally published on June 22, 2004.