I have some of the most interesting tour clients! I’ve launched this blog to share their stories–starting with a special group from Annapolis, MD. (You can meet others on the testimonials page and on my Youtube channel) Videos of their adventure are coming soon!
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While driving the historic runway “Delta” (as one does), formerly known as “Runway Dog,” we ran into Operations Superintendent Master Sergeant Branson (originally from Texas), who was gracious enough to answer a few impromptu questions about the Tinian Runway revitalization posed by my guests from New Zealand–while the Wall Street Journal reporters were doing their own interview. Check it out: “US Military Clears Historic Tinian Runways”
Also:
“Driving on Runway Charlie”
“Tinian Runway Update; Sept 6, 2024:
INFO ABOUT THE CONTRACTS RECENTLY AWARDED:
AIRFIELD PROJECT
Award: Pavement and Transportation Support North Field, Tinian
Value: $409 million
Location: Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Client: U.S. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency
https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2024/04/10/us-air-force-issues-409-million-award-for-long-sought-pacific-airfield/
https://newsroom.fluor.com/news-releases/news-details/2024/Fluor-Awarded-U.S.-Air-Force-Contract-Augmentation-Program-V-Task-Order-for-Tinian/default.aspx
ADDITIONAL AIRPORT PROJECT
Award: Tinian International Airport project
Value: $222 million
Location: Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Client: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/tutor-perini-subsidiary-wins-222m-airport-project/648982/
In Jamaica, we say “big t’ings a gwan!” It translates to “big things are going on!” Here on Saipan, the world famous Thursday Night Street Market is back after a multi-year hiatus! Check it out and make sure you plan your next visit to Saipan so you’re here on a Thursday night AND a Saturday morning (for the Såbalu Market)!
Thursday Night Street Market (Walkabout with Walt aka “Waltabout!”):
Alan Sonntag’s father participated in the Battle of Saipan. His wife Peggy’s father stormed Utah Beach (Normandy, France) on D-Day. The couple recently visited Saipan on a pilgrimage to have a virtual “Then & Now Father & Child Reunion” with Alan’s father. I had the honor and pleasure of making that wish come true. Read the interview here:
(14 photos are in the slide; click the arrows to view)
https://www.mvariety.com/news/local/in-his-fathers-footsteps-a-battle-of-saipan-veterans-son-pilgrimage/article_332556f0-e1ca-11ee-891c-03f2940e3c00.html
Watch it here:
As promised in the video, here are the photos Alan Sonntag brought with him to Saipan (Leave a comment telling Alan where a given photograph was taken):
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In case you didn’t know, the empire of Germany actually had possession of these islands for 15 years from 1899 to 1914, and there is still some of that influence (names, language, etc.) within the local community. Well, “the Germans” have returned! A fun-loving, cool group of folks visiting on the cruise ship MS Artania from out of Hamburg! Join me on a wunderschön (beautiful) day on Saipan:
And, they made it into one of the local papers the next day!
Check out the color photos on the Marianas Variety website!
At 7:30am on Mon, Feb 19, as the MS Zuiderdam was docking at the port of Saipan, I arrived at the car rental company and was told that the TWO 15-passenger vans I had reserved over a year ago (and confirmed and re-confirmed every month in between) were now unavailable for me to conduct my “Saipan in a Day” tour for the 20-30 folks who’d been anticipating it for months and who would be disembarking in less than a half hour! Here’s what I did:
I had the unique opportunity to meet, tour and interview with Wesam Behbehani and her sister, Weam, from Kuwait. Wesam, who focuses on off-the-beaten-path destinations, provides vicarious travel enjoyment to her 15,000 mostly Kuwaiti Instagram followers (@rosy_path) who are unable to travel due to prohibitive logistics and/or expense. Here is a short, post-tour interview along with articles/photos in Saipan’s newspapers:
MARIANAS VARIETY: https://www.mvariety.com/lifestyle/kuwaiti-tourists-discover-saipan/article_853b7418-cbc4-11ee-9555-c72bd8faff55.html
SAIPAN TRIBUNE:
https://www.saipantribune.com/opinion/columnists/kuwaiti-tourists-discover-saipan/article_14593e98-cbf5-11ee-8e72-eb04e1365a9b.html
A new series thanks to encouragement from Youtube channel subscriber, Mikell!
Links to all the referenced articles are in the description of the video below:
See the latest update here: https://youtu.be/f25zVyeLBgM
One of the coolest aspects of doing these tours on Saipan & Tinian is getting to share these islands with folks interested in a wide range of types of tourism including Atomic Tourism, War Tourism, Ecotourism, Thano Tourism (look it up!), Pacific island culture, historical sites, abandoned buildings and more!
I’ve been fortunate to hang out with geologists, bird watchers, nuclear physicists, foamers (yep, look it up!), and of course war buffs and authors. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of giving Fred G. Brems a two-day battlefield tour of Saipan and going in search of Hara-Kiri Gulch. (Fred gifted me the topographic map and Campaign in the Marianas by Philip A. Crowl he brought with him and that we used in our adventure and that I’ve since used to enhance the detailed nature and accuracy of my tours! Thanks, Fred!) See Fred’s tour below.
Little did I know at the time that Fred was already several years into an 18-year project chronicling his father’s participation in World War II. We’ve kept in touch over the years and so I’ve had on-going behind-the-scenes access during the writing and development!
So, it is with great pride that I announce that Fred’s almost two-decade project and ode to his WWII veteran father has been picked up and published by Stackpole Books! (See press release & below)
Knights of Freedom With the Hell on Wheels Armored Division in World War II, A Story in Photos by Lt. Col. Frederick C. Brems USAR (RET) With Fred G. Brems was released worldwide on January 16th, 2024! Check it out and order on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RXQ2iy
THINGS FALL APART
“One of the more fascinating phenomena to observe in modern society is that of people with limited life experience, inadequate vocabulary and delusional thinking attempting to understand, navigate and explain reality to themselves and others.”—Walt F.J. Goodridge
When people who don’t know how the world works
start to work in the world,
the world no longer works as it should
When people who don’t know why policies are enacted
start to enact policy,
ideology steers policy
When people who don’t understand why laws are made
start to make laws,
laws become toothless
When people who don’t know how jobs function
are hired to function in jobs,
incompetence abounds
When people who don’t understand the natural order
try to re-order what’s natural,
feelings replace facts
When people who’ve never been held accountable
face ethical decisions,
ethics are abandoned
When people who’ve failed based on merit
are allowed to advance,
self-entitlement soars
When people who can’t define the words they use
speak from positions of influence,
words lose their meaning
When people who prioritize opinions over facts
are given control,
opinions become reality
When systems that prioritize quotas over quality
are placed in operation,
systems implode
When people who don’t respect others’ individual authority
are given authority over others,
authority becomes authoritarianism
When people who never learned how a society advances
advance in society,
society regresses
When people of limited life experience and intelligence
rise to positions of governance,
Idiocracy ensues
In other words…
When people who don’t know how things work
start to work on things
…things fall apart