Help sought in finding unexploded ordnance

During the battle of Saipan, thousands of tons of explosives were stored in various areas of the island. When the war was over, everyone picked up and left in a hurry to return home. According to retired Navy man John Scott, tons of unexploded ordnance (UXO) were left on the island when the war came to an end in July 1944. It has been 61 years ago and there are still war ordnance existing on the island; in fact, they exist in large numbers and are located all over. Attempts to clean up the remaining UXOs were done in two separate occasions by U.S. Army disposal ops in 1950, and again by a group of men led by GMMC Aiken, but the job was only partially effective. Instead of proper disposal, war ordnance were hidden inside the thickly vegetated land or dumped over cliffs into the ocean. Until today, people stumble across one or more bombs during a hike. Because of the large numbers of existing live ammunition on island, former Navy man John Scott created a business aimed toward locating explosive ordnance and disposing of them properly. According to Scott of AMPRO (Ammunition Professional), research conducted at Naftan Point uncovered some 9 million pounds of unexploded ordnance. The cleanup of UXOs on Saipan is still in progress, and there is a long way to go.

The Northern Marianas College Current Issues class, under the instruction of Mr. Samuel McPhetres, is working alongside Scott, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Environmental Quality, and other agencies to clear the island of these dangerous war remnants. Regardless of the organized cleanups in the mid-’90s, tons of UXOs are still scattered throughout the island and are in places presently occupied by people. The presence of UXOs on the island causes a potential threat to the inhabitants of the island. One example of the dangers that unexploded ordnance pose is the explosion that occurred at the Puerto Rico dumpsite. Apparently, some unexploded ordnance that were lying beneath the pile of rubbish detonated from the pressure of the bulldozer above. There were even worse instances: one when the government proposed an area in Marpi to be used as a homestead without knowing that tons of explosives lined the area. Even more dangerous is the discovery of war remnants that included unexploded ordnance at the Hopwood Jr. High School area. Imagine what could’ve happened had a student stumbled upon the ordnance.

To avoid dangerous mishaps such as these, the Current Issues class of McPhetres is conducting research on possible areas where UXOs may be present. The class is currently digging up old files in microfilm that could help pinpoint locations of concentrated warfare; unfortunately, this isn’t enough. To seek more information, the class will also be conducting one-on-one interviews with any individual who would have any information on possible UXO sites. Because of the difficulty in seeking people who hold valuable information, we ask for your assistance. The class is asking that you participate in this important project by providing information to an official interviewer or by contacting the project coordinators listed at the end of this letter. Moreover, because of the sensitivity of this topic to certain individuals, we also request for your cooperation. Any information about explosives will be valuable.

Aside from one-on-one interviews, the class will also accept help from longtime farmers, construction companies or any agency who can provide records or details of locations of any uncovered war remnants during a project.

After the class has compiled all the information available, the class will digitize and document all information to be presented to AMPRO. At this point, the information will assist DPS and AMPRO in conducting land survey for the presence of unexploded ordnance to keep the people of the island safe. Once again, any information on the location of UXOs will be very helpful.

This project is vital for the safety of the present and future generations, so please volunteer a piece of your time and information. For more information listen to Power99 on Monday (Aug. 1, 2005) at 7:30 a.m.

Contact Information: 233-3339 or 234-5498 Ext. 1204. Please leave a message containing your name and a number where you can be reached at. Or e-mail to projectuxo@yahoo.com.

Jocelyn M. Itibus
Current Issues Class