Committee elects Castro new AEMMI president, Declares 10 reasons for Saipan Earhart Monument

The Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument Inc. Committee held a new election on Saipan March 28.  Marie S. Castro, the beating heart of the AEMMI, without whom the movement would not exist, was named the new president, with former Secretary Frances Sablan moving up to the vice president post.  Manny Borja is the treasurer and Evelyna Shoda takes over as secretary.  Manuel F. Borja, Carlos Shoda, Oscar Camacho, Chailang Palacios, Bruce Bateman and Donald C. Barcinas, former president, round out the new board of directors.

Created in September 2017 as Marie’s inspired brainchild, the AEMMI has not been fondly embraced by the locals on Saipan.  Although the Marianas Variety has supported the grass-roots initiative with several stories about Marie and her wealth of Earhart-related experience that have been faithfully noted on this blog, it’s painfully clear that the vast majority of the citizens of Saipan are determined to oppose the monument.

The unpleasant evidence reflecting what one reader of this blog has dubbed the “militant ignorance” of the Saipan locals — which runs depressingly parallel to the thoroughly propagandized U.S. populace — is on display in the comments sections that follow each of the several stories run locally, the most recent of which, “Amelia Earhart monument to help boost NMI tourism, says local author,” was published on May 13.  Only a small fraction of the architect’s initial $200,000 estimate for the monument has been raised.

Several AEMMI members pause on March 28, 2019.  Standing, left to right; Former President Donald Barcinas, Ambrose Bennett, new Vice President Frances Sablan, Treasurer Manny Borja, Technical Advisor Allen Castro, Carlos Shoda, Walt Goodridge. Front; Rosa Powers (known as Chailang), Marie Castro and Evelyna Shoda.

Undeterred, Marie, 86, refuses to surrender to the mindless crowd in her quest to achieve long-denied justice for Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.  She is becoming an iconic figure in the Saipan community, slowly and begrudgingly recognized for her courage and unflappable determination.  Marie’s latest initiative is the identification and elucidation of 10 reasons that the Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument should be built on Saipan.

Forthwith are the reasons that Marie and the AEMMI have advanced, introduced by a personal note from Marie Castro herself.

Dear Friends in the United States and our People of Saipan,

It is our desire to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation in joining this significant, worthy cause to recognize and acknowledge the two great aviators, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.  When their plane came down in the Pacific in July 1937, they were brought to Saipan by the Japanese military.

We cannot continue to deny and ignore the great courage, the unimaginable sacrifice they endured under the Japanese regime for the cause of humanity.  Many reasons for building the Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument are expressed loud and clear in the book Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last by Mike Campbell.  Here are some that immediately suggest themselves:

Marie S. Castro
President, AEMMI

1.  In 1937 Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan entered into the historical record of Saipan.  Whether the fact is recognized or not, the fliers became the first American casualties of World War II.  Amelia was not executed, but she contracted dysentery and was cremated.  According to witnesses,  Jose Sadao Tomokane attended the cremation of the American woman pilot.

2.  Saipan has an obligation to recognize and give every human being the honor and respect they deserve.  Although it was impossible to do such a thing under the Japanese regime, 82 years and counting is far too long for the two fliers who met their final days on Saipan soil to be honored.

3.  Many of our elders saw Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan on Saipan in days, weeks and months following their arrival here in the summer of 1937, beginning with the well-known sighting by Josephine Blanco in summer 1937, which began the modern day search for Amelia Earhart.

4.  Amelia Earhart was a pioneer in the male-dominated aviation field.  She was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and was also a best-selling author who wrote about her adventures as an aviator. Among her many accomplishments, she was instrumental in forming an organization of female pilots called the Ninety-Nines.  While Amelia earned the respect and admiration of people all over the world, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Amelia’s statue will inspire the daughters of the CNMI to embrace Amelia’s pioneering spirit and aspire towards fulfilling their utmost potential.

5.  Saipan would become widely recognized internationally and our island’s history and culture would attract worldwide attention.

6.  It is time for Saipan to take ownership of the Earhart-on-Saipan Truth and to spread that Truth not just in the region, but worldwide.  The Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument would focus attention on the Earhart disappearance in ways never before imagined.

7.  We need to expand this idea to eventually encompass a museum, library and gift shop, as well as a research institute for worldwide Earhart researchers to come, do their work and discuss their findings.  The Earhart Monument again gets this process rolling by providing a single focal point to key interest on.

8.  With the proper infrastructure in place, visitors from all over the world with an interest in Amelia, her story and her “mysterious” end will come to Saipan, becoming a permanent income base for the CNMI economy.  They will want to see firsthand the sites mentioned in the literature.  They will buy souvenirs, paraphernalia and books commemorating their visit to Saipan, and this can add a profit center that provides funds for salaries, overhead and maintenance.

9.  The Memorial Monument will be the first tangible symbol of the Earhart-on-Saipan Truth.  It will become the “trademarked brand” of the Earhart saga, and the site will be instantly recognizable as the focus of Saipan’s Earhart tourism industry, with its products, attractions and services.  Over the years, the museum, shop, library and research institute can grow from the first step — the Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument!

10.  Finally and most importantly, as international attention on Saipan and its vital historical importance as the location of the tragic deaths of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan continues to increase, the lies, myths and endless propaganda about theories and the “Earhart Mystery” will come to an end, and the Truth will be accepted and known by all.  The Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument will be revered worldwide as the ultimate shrine to the heroic sacrifices of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.

The best known of all the original Earhart eyewitnesses, Josephine Blanco Akiyama, 92 (left), and Marie S.C. Castro answer questions at the Amelia Earhart Memorial Committee’s reception for Josephine at the Garapan Fiesta Resort and Spa Oct. 9, 2018.

To contribute to the Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument on Saipan, please make your tax-deductible check payable to: Amelia Earhart Memorial Monument, Inc., and send to AEMMI, c/o Marie S. Castro, P.O. Box 500213, Saipan MP 96950.  The monument’s success is 100 percent dependent on private donations, and everyone who gives will receive a letter of appreciation from the Earhart Memorial Committee.  Thank you.