Lenger, Pohnpei
Monday, July 29, 2013
.
Trip to Lenger Island: Walking in the Steps of a WWII Soldier
Yesterday my dad and I and a couple of Iris missionaries went with some of our friends from EHC to the outer [lagoon] island of Lenger. Lenger has an amazing history. In World War II the main island of Pohnpei was occupied by the Japanese. They decided to make Lenger a refueling station for their aircraft. I knew all of this before our boat trip over there, but what I did not know is how many artifacts of the war were still on the island to this day.
.
Our friend Jeffrey, who has grown up on the island showed us around as we hiked along the trails. One of the first things we saw was a giant oil tank that was built by the Japanese for the refueling station. Little did I know I would see much more before we headed back to Pohnpei. At one point we saw an old toilet from that time. There was one building that was mostly intact, and the metal framing was still there. The hardest part of the hike was climbing up a large hill where the Japanese had built a watchtower and spotlight! It had fallen over since the war, so it was on the ground and we were able to see it up close. Jeffrey also told us that at one time you could see a big gun, but that it had fallen down and brush had grown over it, so we were unable to see it that day.
.
We hiked up a little further and there was an unfinished Japanese bunker! Jeffrey informed us that the reason it was unfinished was that it was in the process of being built when the Americans came and took control of the island. On our way back down we saw many more pieces of history including a stone that still had Japanese inscriptions, and some pieces of tanks that still existed. I definitely got to see more history than I thought I would during our time at Lenger. It was amazing to see timeless relics that had been left untouched since the days of the war.
.
Jonas Young
No comments:
Post a Comment