Okinawa Memories

[Oxmix]

Okinawa Memories
I have been asked to write about my memories of Okinawa in the 1960’s. I will start by saying that my time on Okinawa was in the years 1968 and 1969. I will also say that my time on Okinawa was too short.
I was assigned to the 44th Ordnance 30th Artillery Brigade in Sukiran. I was a 22G20, Like Hercules Launcher Repairman. My rank was Specialist 4th Class, Spec 4 as we use to call it.
Nike Hercules Launcher

30th Arty Patch

After a bus ride from the Oakland Army Terminal to Travis AFB we boarded a Flying Tiger DC8 for a rather turbulent flight to Okinawa.
Our Plane.

Our first stop on the journey was Anchorage, Alaska. Our departure from Anchorage was nothing less than spectacular. I knew we were possibly in trouble when I saw the yellow lines at the end of the runway and we hadn’t started to lift off yet. The next thing I saw was dirt and the plane shuttered and became airborne, much to my relief. Our next stop was Yakota, Japan. After a short lay over we were again airborne. we hadn’t been up very long when the pilot announced over the intercom that our next stop would be DaNang, South Vietnam. GREAT!!!, I said to myself, “SAM” has changed my orders. A few minutes later the pilot again come on over the intercom and announced that there was a correction and we would be landing at Kadena AFB Okinawa as originally planned.
Kadena AFB

The first thing I noticed when I arrived on Okinawa was the heat and humidity. I was no stranger to heat as I had just come from McGregor Range in New Mexico north of El Paso, Texas.
McGregor Range

I was amazed that I could take a shower, dry off and by the time I walked back to my bunk I was just a wet as I was when I go out of the shower. At least at McGregor we had air conditioning in the barracks, but not here. What we had was 4 large fans per bay. I found it was easiest to dress if I would drag a fan over to my area and turned it on myself. It was also common that when we came into the barracks at night to go to sleep we would move a fan so that it would blow on our bunk so we could get to sleep. I always looked forward to jumping into a bunk that was wet with sweat. LOL. The only good thing was, each month we turned our soggy mattresses in for a nice new dry one. We had mosquito netting on our bunks to be used any time the mosquitos were really bad. The only problem with the netting was that you would probably die from heat stroke if you used it. It was better to become anemic letting the mosquito’s feast on you all night.
Inside barracks. I'm on the left.

My first venture off the post was to a place call Moon Beach for an afternoon of swimming and fun with a few of the likewise new arrivals to the 44th. After our swim we decided to go exploring walking a climbing on the rocks along the ocean.
That evening a few of us decided to go into Koza and visit the bars on BC and Gate 2 Streets. This would be the last time with the exception of a very few times that I would ever go into town with anyone.

I was no strange to bar districts after having spent time in Juarez, Mexico.

Juarez can be a bit tricky and if you weren’t street smart you could easily find yourself in a Juarez jail. BC and Gate 2 Street’s were like pussy cats in comparison to Juarez. Very rarely did I ever feel unsafe anywhere on Okinawa.
The first Okinawa bar we went to was the GoGo. The GoGo was on a side street just off of Gate 2 Street towards BC Street. The walls were painted with paisley type designs which glowed with the black lights shining on them. We were immediately greeted by 2 bar girls, Deko and Junko. Deko was absolutely stunning. To this day I’m not sure that I have ever seen anyone as beautiful as she and here she was sitting with me. Deko had a beautiful tattoo on her left arm. The Tattoo was a rose with a winding stem that wrapped itself around the blade of a dagger that pierced it with a drop of blood at the tip of the dagger. I wanted a tattoo like that one. I talked to other Okinawa’s about were I could get a tattoo and that I wanted one just like the one I described. They talked me out of getting the tattoo telling me that I would most likely get an infection. I later learned the real reason why they talked me out of the tattoo. That tattoo was a gang tattoo.
In early 1969 there were gang wars on Okinawa. I noticed a lot of people with bandages on their arms or legs. I asked around and found out that the bandages were covering gang tattoos and former gang members that didn’t want to get caught up in the gang wars were covering their tattoos. One night I thought, why not walk back to Sukiran form BC Street. Well I got just about to the Piccadilly Theater when I saw a bunch of Okinawa youths fighting each other. I wasn’t sure if I dared to keep walking or not, so I hailed a taxi and rode back.
The girl sitting across from me, Junko, was also a pretty girl although she did not have the perfect body like Deko. When ever I would stop into the GoGo Junko would come up and sit beside me at the bar. She never asked me nor would she ever acccept my offer to buy her a drink, all she wanted was set and talk to me. About a week before I was to leave Okinawa and separate from the Army I stopped into the GoGo, sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. From behind I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me and Junko’s cheek press against my cheek. She said to me “I’m very sad. Would you do me a favor? I know you are leaving soon. Would you go and get a large duffle bag and take me with you”. I told her that would be nice and I would if I could but unfortunately I couldn’t do that. The best that I could do was wined and dine her my last night on Okinawa and say good bye. I have never seen her since. I have thought about her from time to time and hope that she has had a good life.

Regards

Ox

[Muku]

I love the airplane you flew over on.

Thank you very much for sharing, plus the pictures as well. I really hope that others will join in and share their memories here too.

Thanks again I enjoyed reading that very much.

[Oxmix]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. More stories to follow as time permits.

Regards

Ox

[antonio gonzalez]

I left travis afb on friday,first stop was hickam afb,hawaii, then stopped in wake island,they off loaded everyone,a lady was in charge,sheook us the chow hall for the first GOOD MEAL since travis.From wake we went to Tokyo, then kadena .nobody explained to that would loose a day,Could not figure out whatever happened to DUNDAY!!! The Flying Tiger, what a long ride!!!! about 36 hrs. long!!!!

[Oxmix]

Originally Posted by antonio gonzalez

I left travis afb on friday,first stop was hickam afb,hawaii, then stopped in wake island,they off loaded everyone,a lady was in charge,sheook us the chow hall for the first GOOD MEAL since travis.From wake we went to Tokyo, then kadena .nobody explained to that would loose a day,Could not figure out whatever happened to DUNDAY!!! The Flying Tiger, what a long ride!!!! about 36 hrs. long!!!!

We took the northern route over and the southern route back, like you stopping at Wake Island and Honolulu then San Francisco. We left Okinawa at 11:00PM and we arrived back in the States at 11:00PM the same day. Now that's quick.
The ride over was very turbulent. It was like riding a roller coaster. The plane even rattled. It sounded just like rattling noise that the B17's on the series 12:00 High made when they were taking flak. I thought for sure the plane was going to break up for sure. The flight back was smooth as glass.

Regards

Ox

[Oxmix]

Okinawa Memories

On My Own

After going into town with a group I decided I didn’t want any of that and I made the decision to go it on my own. Now, where to go?
BC Street seemed like a good place to start. So many bars, where do I begin? I decided to start at one end of BC St. and work my way down, bar by bar and see what each bar had to offer. I most cases it was a quick look inside then off to the next bar making mental notes as to what I had seen. After a while I had an idea which bars I liked and which ones I disliked. I disliked over crowded bars. I liked bars with bands. There were bars with bands or floor shows, or just quite watering holes. I happened to find one of those quiet watering holes, a bar called Kinbasha.
The bar Kinbasha was almost across the street from the New York Restaurant. Getting to the Kinbasha meant climbing a steep set of stairs. It was a small bar with a juke box on a side street. As I entered the bar for the first time I was greeted with the familiar Hi Dozo. Mama san and a young half Okinawan/American girl, Dena, were behind the bar. Sitting on a stool at the bar was a girl, Junko. The bar was a family business. Mama san was the owner. Junko was her niece and Dena was mama san's daughter by an American service man during the Korean War.
A young Okinawa man, Charlie, came up the stairs and immediately started telling us about a stabbing he had seen. Evidently some Okinawan and Americans got into a fight and one of the Okinawans had a knife and cut up an American quite badly. Charlie was the door boy for the Club Cannon around the corner. Later, Charlie, Nakamoto, and I became good friends.
The Kinbasha felt right and became my watering hole. Junko and I became close. The Kinbasha was never crowded which was nice because I could spend more time with Junko. Most of those who stopped in stopped for one drink and were on their way. Sometimes Junko would get them to buy her a drink. I’d do small things to help out. One time I was tasked with doing the hand lettering on the match boxes. The Kinbasha was a small budget operation, they didn’t have their match boxes printed up.
One night a GI with a cast on one leg from his toes to his hip and crutches somehow made it up the stairs. His name was Tom and he was from PA. Tom had almost lost his leg to a mortar round in Vietnam and was convalescing on Okinawa until he was well enough to go home or go back to Vietnam. Tom became a regular and was good company. I saw Tom go from his cast to no cast and crutches to no crutches and a cane, Tom was ready to go home. After went home Junko and I spent more time together. One night a Marine Corps sniper stopped into Kinbasha one night. This guy was big, about 6’3” and 220 pounds of solid muscle. We talked for a couple hours. This guy was in emotional pain. He had started taking his kills personally. He questioned his value as a human being. He told me that after a kill he would think about his victims family, did he have a wife and children, mother and father, sisters and brothers. At the end of our conversation he thanked me for listening to him spill his emotions, then he said “I’m gonna go out and get in a fight.” I don’t know if he got in that fight or not, but I do know I wouldn’t want to be the fellow he got in a fight with.
It was my 22nd birthday so as usual I headed for the Kinbasha to celebrate. What happened when I got to the Kinbasha floored me. Junko threw a birthday party for me, cake, presents and all. I don’t remember ever telling her when my birthday was, but I must have.
Nothing good lasts forever. One night Junko and I were having a private diner at a restaurant on Moromi Street. I felt the time was right, so I popped the question to Junko. She said no. I was hurt and made the decision not to see her anymore.
About a month later Junko came by my new watering hole, the Club Cannon. She asked Charlie to get me. I came outside to find her with tears running down her cheeks. She wanted to get back together. I asked her to come into the Cannon for a drink. She wasn’t sure if it was alright for her to go into the Cannon. I assured her that as long as she was with me that it was okay. We talked about our feelings for each other and I again asked her to marry me. She said she loved me but couldn’t marry me. I never saw her again.
I did stop by her Aunt’s restaurant just before I left for the States hoping to see her just one more time, kiss her one more time and say good bye. She wasn’t there so I entrusted my good bye to a restaurant employee hoping she would get it.

Regards

Ox

[kilo_four-six]

Oxmix you need to write a book too...this is great stuff..unless you are really EC incognito...??

[Oxmix]

Thanks Kilo. Do they publish short stories?

Regards

Ox

[Asshat]

Antonio and Ox, Thank you for your stories. I arrived here in the late 70's and haven't left. Cannon Club was still going, and BC street...well, it is unfortunate what has happened there, but no worse than what has happened to Gate 2.

I chuckled when I read about Charlie and Junko, because I think all of us who have been here awhile knew a Charlie and a Junko.

My Junko was the woman I met my first night on Okinawa. I gave her most of my smokes which she stashed in a hanging plant and spent my whole paycheck and traveling funds on her because I was deeply in love after about an hour. It only took me three more years to realize the girls were working.

[Muku]

Originally Posted by kilo_four-six

Oxmix you need to write a book too...this is great stuff..unless you are really EC incognito...??

I agree as well.

Omix could I ask one favor, and this is not meant with any disrespect at all, it would just help us to read it more easily if you would use more paragraphs instead of on wall of text. It is difficult to read.

Tha subject matter is great, and I am sure that guys that have been here can relate to your story and experiences with Junko, many have their own Junko too.

I am looking forward to your next installment.